Tau Zero
A concise, landmark hard-science-fiction novel and one of Anderson's most acclaimed works.
Author guide
Poul Anderson Books in Order
Poul William Anderson was an American author whose career spanned more than five decades. Trained in physics at the University of Minnesota, he brought scientific rigor to hard science fiction while also writing fantasy, historical fiction, mysteries, nonfiction, and collaborative works. His major series include the Technic History, Time Patrol, Hoka, Psychotechnic League, Maurai, Harvest of Stars, King of Ys, Operation Otherworld, and Last Viking sequences. He received multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards and was named an SFWA Grand Master in 1998.
science fictionfantasyhistorical fictionmysterynonfiction
Not sure where to begin?
Start with one of these
Three Hearts and Three Lions
A self-contained fantasy novel that showcases Anderson's synthesis of myth, history, and adventure.
Trader to the Stars
An accessible entry to the Technic History through three linked merchant-adventure stories.
Read in order
Books by series
series · complete
Hoka
Humorous science-fiction adventures about technologically advanced but culturally exuberant bear-like aliens, written with Gordon R. Dickson.
series · complete
Psychotechnic League
A future-history series about the Psychotechnic movement and its efforts to guide humanity after global catastrophe.
- 1 Star WaysAmazon ↗
Book 1 · novel · 1956
- 2 The Snows of GanymedeAmazon ↗
Book 2 · novel · 1958
- 3
Virgin PlanetAmazon ↗Book 3 · novel · 1959
- 4
The Psychotechnic LeagueAmazon ↗Book 4 · collection · 1981
- 5
Cold VictoryAmazon ↗Book 5 · collection · 1982
- 6 StarshipAmazon ↗
Book 6 · collection · 1982
shared-universe · complete
Technic History
A shared future history covering the Polesotechnic League, Terran Empire, and the Long Night.
- 1
The Man Who CountsAmazon ↗Book 1 · novel · 1958
- 2 Trader to the StarsAmazon ↗
Book 2 · collection · 1964
- 3
The Trouble TwistersAmazon ↗Book 3 · collection · 1966
- 4
Satan's WorldAmazon ↗Book 4 · novel · 1969
- 5
The People of the WindAmazon ↗Book 5 · novel · 1973
- 6
MirkheimAmazon ↗Book 6 · novel · 1977
- 7
The Earth Book of StormgateAmazon ↗Book 7 · collection · 1978
- 8
Agent of the Terran EmpireAmazon ↗Book 8 · collection · 1965
- 9
Flandry of TerraAmazon ↗Book 9 · collection · 1965
- 10
Ensign FlandryAmazon ↗Book 10 · collection · 1966
- 11
The Rebel WorldsAmazon ↗Book 11 · novel · 1969
- 12
A Circus of HellsAmazon ↗Book 12 · novel · 1970
- 13
The Day of Their ReturnAmazon ↗Book 13 · novel · 1973
- 14
A Knight of Ghosts and ShadowsAmazon ↗Book 14 · novel · 1974
- 15
A Stone in HeavenAmazon ↗Book 15 · novel · 1979
- 16
The Game of EmpireAmazon ↗Book 16 · novel · 1985
- 18
Let the Spacemen Beware!Amazon ↗Book 18 · novel · 1963
- 17
The Long NightAmazon ↗Book 17 · collection · 1983
subseries · complete
Polesotechnic League
The merchant-adventurer period of the Technic History, centered on Nicholas van Rijn and David Falkayn.
- 1 The Man Who CountsAmazon ↗
Book 1 · novel · 1958
- 2 Trader to the StarsAmazon ↗
Book 2 · collection · 1964
- 3 The Trouble TwistersAmazon ↗
Book 3 · collection · 1966
- 4 Satan's WorldAmazon ↗
Book 4 · novel · 1969
- 5 The People of the WindAmazon ↗
Book 5 · novel · 1973
- 6 MirkheimAmazon ↗
Book 6 · novel · 1977
- 7 The Earth Book of StormgateAmazon ↗
Book 7 · collection · 1978
subseries · complete
Terran Empire
The Terran Empire period of the Technic History, including the Dominic Flandry books.
- 1 Agent of the Terran EmpireAmazon ↗
Book 1 · collection · 1965
- 2 Flandry of TerraAmazon ↗
Book 2 · collection · 1965
- 3 Ensign FlandryAmazon ↗
Book 3 · collection · 1966
- 4 The Rebel WorldsAmazon ↗
Book 4 · novel · 1969
- 5 A Circus of HellsAmazon ↗
Book 5 · novel · 1970
- 6 The Day of Their ReturnAmazon ↗
Book 6 · novel · 1973
- 7 A Knight of Ghosts and ShadowsAmazon ↗
Book 7 · novel · 1974
- 8 A Stone in HeavenAmazon ↗
Book 8 · novel · 1979
- 9 The Game of EmpireAmazon ↗
Book 9 · novel · 1985
subseries · complete
Long Night
The concluding period of the Technic History, depicting the collapse of the Terran Empire and the ensuing interregnum.
series · complete
Time Patrol
Stories and novels about the organization that protects the timeline from historical interference.
series · complete
Tomorrow's Children
A future-history sequence centered on humanity's transformation and adaptation after major social and biological change.
- 1
Twilight WorldAmazon ↗Book 1 · novel · 1961
series · complete
History of Rustum
A future-history sequence about human settlement and political development on the planet Rustum.
series · complete
Maurai and Kith
A future history tracing the development of civilization through the Maurai Federation and its successor cultures.
series · complete
Harvest of Stars
A far-future sequence about human civilization, artificial intelligence, and the transformation of the species.
series · complete
King of Ys
A historical-fantasy tetralogy about Gratillonius and the legendary city of Ys, written with Karen Anderson.
series · complete
Operation Otherworld
A fantasy series about modern American occult operators defending the world from magical threats.
series · complete
The Last Viking
A fictional biography of Harald Hardrada, written as a three-volume historical novel.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (45)
-
Vault of the AgesAmazon ↗novel · 1952
-
Brain WaveAmazon ↗novel · 1954
- Question and AnswerAmazon ↗
novel · 1954
-
The Broken SwordAmazon ↗fantasy-novel · 1954
-
Flight to ForeverAmazon ↗novel · 1955
-
No World of Their OwnAmazon ↗novel · 1955
- The War of Two WorldsAmazon ↗
novel · 1959
-
The Enemy StarsAmazon ↗novel · 1959
-
Rogue SwordAmazon ↗historical-novel · 1960
- Perish by the SwordAmazon ↗
mystery · 1959
-
The High CrusadeAmazon ↗novel · 1960
-
The Golden SlaveAmazon ↗historical-novel · 1960
- Murder in Black LetterAmazon ↗
mystery · 1960
- Three Hearts and Three LionsAmazon ↗
fantasy-novel · 1961
-
After DoomsdayAmazon ↗novel · 1962
-
The Makeshift RocketAmazon ↗novel · 1962
- Murder BoundAmazon ↗
mystery · 1962
-
Is There Life on Other Worlds?Amazon ↗nonfiction · 1963
-
ShieldAmazon ↗novel · 1963
-
Three Worlds to ConquerAmazon ↗novel · 1964
-
The Corridors of TimeAmazon ↗novel · 1965
-
The Star FoxAmazon ↗novel · 1965
- The Fox, the Dog and the Griffin: A Folk Tale Adapted from the Danish of C. MolbeckAmazon ↗
novella · 1966
-
World Without StarsAmazon ↗novella · 1967
- The Infinite VoyageAmazon ↗
nonfiction · 1969
- Tau ZeroAmazon ↗
novel · 1970
-
The ByworlderAmazon ↗novel · 1971
-
The Dancer from AtlantisAmazon ↗novel · 1971
-
There Will Be TimeAmazon ↗novel · 1972
-
Hrolf Kraki's SagaAmazon ↗fantasy-novel · 1973
-
Fire TimeAmazon ↗novel · 1974
- Inheritors of EarthAmazon ↗
novel · 1974
-
A Midsummer TempestAmazon ↗fantasy-novel · 1974
-
The Winter of the WorldAmazon ↗novel · 1975
-
The AvatarAmazon ↗novel · 1978
-
The Demon of ScatteryAmazon ↗novella · 1979
-
The Merman's ChildrenAmazon ↗fantasy-novel · 1979
-
Conan the RebelAmazon ↗fantasy-novel · 1980
-
The Devil's GameAmazon ↗fantasy-novel · 1980
-
The Boat of a Million YearsAmazon ↗novel · 1989
-
Inconstant StarAmazon ↗novel · 1991
-
War of the GodsAmazon ↗fantasy-novel · 1997
-
GenesisAmazon ↗novel · 2000
-
Mother of KingsAmazon ↗historical-fantasy-novel · 2001
-
For Love and GloryAmazon ↗novel · 2003
Other (26)
-
Strangers from EarthAmazon ↗collection · 1961
-
Un-Man and Other NovellasAmazon ↗collection · 1962
-
Time and StarsAmazon ↗collection · 1964
- The Horn of TimeAmazon ↗
collection · 1968
-
Beyond the BeyondAmazon ↗collection · 1969
- Seven ConquestsAmazon ↗
collection · 1969
-
Tales of the Flying MountainsAmazon ↗collection · 1970
-
The Queen of Air and Darkness and Other StoriesAmazon ↗collection · 1973
-
Homeward and BeyondAmazon ↗collection · 1975
- HomebrewAmazon ↗
collection · 1976
-
The Night Face and Other StoriesAmazon ↗collection · 1979
- FantasyAmazon ↗
collection · 1981
-
ExplorationsAmazon ↗collection · 1981
-
The Dark Between the StarsAmazon ↗collection · 1981
-
The Gods LaughedAmazon ↗collection · 1982
-
ConflictAmazon ↗collection · 1983
-
The Unicorn TradeAmazon ↗collection · 1984
- Past TimesAmazon ↗
collection · 1984
-
Dialogue With DarknessAmazon ↗collection · 1985
- Space FolkAmazon ↗
collection · 1989
- Alight in the VoidAmazon ↗
collection · 1991
-
Kinship with the StarsAmazon ↗collection · 1991
-
The Armies of ElflandAmazon ↗collection · 1991
-
All One UniverseAmazon ↗collection · 1996
-
Going for InfinityAmazon ↗collection · 2002
-
To Outlive Eternity and Other StoriesAmazon ↗collection · 2007