Star Ship

When their starship is crippled above an alien world, a crew of Terran explorers finds themselves stranded on Khazak, a planet locked in its own Iron Age, where warring kingdoms claw at each other and ancient magic still holds sway. Their only hope orbits high above: the Star Ship, their ticket home, now guarded by a skeleton crew while the Terrans navigate treacherous local politics as allies to King Janazik. But when a rival lord seizes a Terran hostage and demands to be taken to the stars, the crew faces an impossible choice. Surrender their technology to a would-be tyrant, or watch their blood-brother die. Poul Anderson builds a propulsive adventure from a deceptively simple question: what happens when tomorrow's gods wash up on yesterday's shores? The result is a tale of loyalty tested, cultures colliding, and the terrible power of knowledge.