I have written on Poul Anderson’s sword & pseudo-science stories in the pulp magazine Planet Stories. At the same time, Anderson had an historical in the pages of the pulp Adventure.

“Son of the Sword” appeared in the January 1952 issue of Adventure. Anderson was placing stories with Popular Publications’ Super Science Stories. Ejler G. Jakobsson was editor of both magazines at this time.

Pharoah Tutankhamun is freshly interred and his widow, Ankhesenamun is under threat from the priests of Amon and general Horemheb. Her Nubian slave, the dwarf Pepy arranges for Thoas, a rough sea captain to smuggle Ankhesenamun from Egypt before she is eliminated.

Thoas is originally from Crete but lives in Cyprus. Snippets of his background suggest he is exile after Minoan Crete was overthrown by the Myceneans. Thoas is in Egypt selling plunder from a Phoenician trader. He is a roguish character.

During the story, Thoas has to deal first with a mutiny on his ship and then fight a couple Egyptian ships making his escape. He is very much a character as found in “Witch of the Demon Seas” and “The Virgin of Valkarion.”

The story has been reprinted once in the collection Alight in the Void (Tor 1991). Robert Weinberg edited this collection made up of stories reprinted from Super Science Stories. The first three stories are mildly entertaining but nothing earth shattering. “Flight to Forever” is a pocket epic involving time travel with a space opera interlude. A very cosmic story with elements reused for Tau Zero. Remember when Tor Books reprinted classic science fiction? Not any more.

If there were ever a reprint of Poul Anderson’s The Dancer From Atlantis, “Son of the Sword” would make a good pendant to include.