Anderson is probably best known for adventure stories in which larger-than-life characters succeed gleefully or fail heroically. His characters were nonetheless thoughtful, often introspective, and well developed. His plot lines frequently involved the application of social and political issues in a speculative manner appropriate to the science fiction genre. He also wrote some quieter works, generally of shorter length, which appeared more often during the latter part of his career.

Author Biography

Poul William Anderson (1926 - 2001) was an American science fiction author who began his career during the Golden Age of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. Anderson also authored several works of fantasy, historical novels and a prodigious number of short stories. Poul Anderson was one of the most popular authors in SF. He began his career in the 1950s and was a regular contributor to Astounding SF magazine (later Analog SF) edited by John W. Campbell. His work encompassed science fiction and fantasy, including the Polesotechnic League series and the Terran Empire series featuring Dominic Flandry and the fantasy Kingdoms of Ys series, written with his wife Karen. He received seven Hugo and three Nebula Awards and a SFWA Grandmaster Award among other honors.