The Dancer from Atlantis

by Poul Anderson

During a cruise to Japan, Duncan Reid is suddenly transported into the distant past, where he and three other time travelers try to find the way home. By the author of The Boat of a Million Years. Reprint.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Speculative Fiction

213 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Pseudonym A. A. Craig, Michael Karageorge, Winston P. Sanders, P. A. Kingsley.

Poul William Anderson was an American science fiction author who began his career during one of the Golden Ages 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. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards.

Anderson received a degree in physics from the University of Minnesota in 1948. He married Karen Kruse in 1953. They had one daughter, Astrid, who is married to science fiction author Greg Bear. Anderson was the sixth President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, taking office in 1972. He was a member of the Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America, a loose-knit group of Heroic Fantasy authors founded in the 1960s, some of whose works were anthologized in Lin Carter's Flashing Swords! anthologies. He was a founding member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1985 novel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls to Anderson and eight of the other members of the Citizens' Advisory Council on National Space Policy.[2][3]

Poul Anderson died of cancer on July 31, 2001, after a month in the hospital. Several of his novels were published posthumously.


Series:
* Time Patrol
* Psychotechnic League
* Trygve Yamamura
* Harvest of Stars
* King of Ys
* Last Viking
* Hoka
* Future history of the Polesotechnic League
* Flandry

Reviews

[Lyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dancer From Atlantis by Poul Anderson, first published in 1972, is another very good time travelling story from the grand master. This one takes the tone of a speculative historical fiction and is set at about the time of the destruction of Atlantis.

For whatever reason, I have long been fascinated by the legends of that lost civilization, and Anderson creates a plausible explanation for much of what might have happened and for how the legends became what they are today. The author displays a scholarly approach to ancient Athens and Crete and expertly crafts his Atlantis story and the time traveling aspects of it amidst historical legend. Anderson's use of myth and legend, fable and tale are in full display here.

Heinlein fans will see glimpses of his 1973 publication Time Enough for Love (did RAH and Anderson correspond?) and I am told, though I have not read nor have I seen the film, that The Time Travellers Wife and this are similar.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty good time travel adventure that sees four individuals stranded in Atlantis with the cataclysm impending. One is Duncan Reid an architect from contemporary (the book was published in 1971) Seattle, one Russian from a thousand years earlier, a Mongol from a thousand years before that, and the titular dancer is Erissa from a thousand years earlier and twenty years before the time machine breaks down and strands them for good. The historical research that Anderson put into it is evident and exhaustive and sometimes gets in the way of the story. Duncan and Erissa are well-drawn characters, but too much of the rest of the book is taken up by historical speculation and details. Lots of people love that, but it was too much for me. Good Frank Frazetta cover on the book club hardback I have. (Spoiler: Atlantis blows up.)

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love Poul Anderson, but I didn't really get into this one. Something about the way only two of the four apparently main and important characters were fleshed out; something about the priestess and her love and worship for the main character who really didn't deserve it for any reason I could see.

Anderson's writing is good, as usual, on the level of the prose, but it never pulled together into a story I could enjoy.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Update: horrifyingly bad.

So my girlfriend devises this game as we are killing time in a used bookstore this weekend: We each pick a book, under 300 pages, that the other has to read, no ifs ands or buts. We delight for almost 45 minutes in scouring the bookstore, trying to find the most absurd thing to force the other to read. Once we are at the register paying, we see what the other has picked for us. So then when we get home, I add to the game, the new rule being that after we read the one the other picked for us, we must read the one that we picked for the other, so we can (this is where it gets really fun) more accurately grade the book report she writes. Deadline for book reports is Thanksgiving. We are such nerds and I LOVE IT. Anyway, this is what she picked for me. Here we go!

[Deb Omnivorous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it well enough, maybe 2 1/2 stars...
Can you even spoiler a novel written that long ago? Not sure, but if you are worried don't keep reading.

But it was very VERY hard to read, just around 170 pages but it took me days to finish because I got a bit bored with it after a couple of pages.

Time travel is the underlying theme, but we only get fragments of time travel or future technology at the start and end of the book.

Most of it is, essentially, historical fiction set amongst the Aegean kingdoms of around 3000 years before 1970 when the story begins. We start with Duncan Reid who is scooped up from 1970, then a Keivan Rus (Russian, precursor) from Novgorod a thousand years before Duncan, the a steppe Hun a thousand years before the Rus, then a Mediterranean woman, Erissa a thousand years before the Hun, all scooped up by the malfunctioning time machine and carried along...

Since the machine is braking by this point, then only end up around 20 years behind Erissa's time. She, obviously, is the dancer from Atlantis and they have landed just before the volcano than will drawn Atlantis and wreck it's civilisation is due to happen.

Anderson clearly put SO MUCH research, history, details about boats and gear and technology into this book! It is richly full of detail, there is even a nod to Mary Renault who's historical novels are iconic. But, for all the excellent detail it lacks the human touch, our main POV is Duncan Reid who is dithering and underwhelming, the others get less of a look in though Erissa is portrayed as a strong, intelligent woman with her own agenda. It is kind of nice to have such a strong female character because they were a bit rare in the era's writing of this genera.

At the end of the day, this is an ok book with ok characters. Nothing particularly special which is, in itself a little frustrating because one feels that so easily it could have been a great book.
Also on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHSLQ...

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poul Anderson was a very prolific fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. Although I used to read a lot of science fiction back in the 60s and 70s, for some reason I never read anything by Anderson. The Dancer from Atlantis was published in 1971 and is a time travel novel that blended sci-fi and historical fiction. In it a man named Duncan Reid is flung from 1970 back to about 1400 B.C. in a future time travel experiment gone wrong. Along with Reid are Oleg, a medieval Russian; Uldin, a pre-Attila Hun; and Erissa, a lady from Crete who had also lived in Atlantis. The foursome are conveniently supplied with a device that eliminates language problems. Erissa is only twenty years in her past and she co-exists with a younger version of herself who falls for Duncan. The novel relies heavily on myth and includes characters such as Theseus, the mythical king of Athens. As for Atlantis, it is described as an island north of Crete that is destroyed by a huge volcanic eruption.

Although I did find this novel to be somewhat interesting, I also found it to be tedious reading during some of the descriptions of Bronze-Age Greece and Crete. It also referred sporadically to possible time travel paradoxes but nothing seems to occur along those lines. Reid is able to build an advanced ship that will attract the time travelers from the future and thus return him to 1970. This novel did not give me much incentive to read more of Anderson and I would only mildly recommend it.

[Sue Bursztynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a reread, in ebook, after reading Wendy Orr's Dragonfly Song. I enjoyed it as much this time as when I first read it in paperback many years ago. Interesting that the 20th century hero keeps thinking about Mary Renault's novel and its difference from what he is experiencing. Minoan civilisation is presented as laid-back and pleasant. The female lead is a strong, dignified woman - stronger in many ways than the hero, who realises this after a time and appreciates what she has taught him. So many women in Poul Anderson's books aren't, alas!

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful, but not funny awful.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining time travel listening 🎧

This kindle e-book novel is from my Kindle Unlimited account

They are thrown together some where in the past and the fun begins.

I would recommend you give it a try. 2024

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Four individuals from various eras are swept back in time to the age of Theseus, the Minotaur, and Atlantis. One of the things I liked about this story was that even though Reid, the most modern of the travelers, is fairly well-versed in both history and mythology, he still doubts his knowledge because he realizes that stories passed down thousands of years will change, and that recorded history may not be accurate in the first place.

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back in the day I read some short stories by Poul Anderson. I'm talking WAY back in the day. His stories would pop up frequently in the anthologies I'd read regularly. I'm not sure if I ever read a full-on novel - maybe, but I don't recall it. This one's off to a good start, but I'm not that far in. Nice cover art by the great Frank Frazetta. This hard-bound copy is now 47 years old and still in pretty good shape, even the dust cover. Not an antique, but getting there.

'Bout halfway through this short sci-fi novel and there's been precious little sci-fi so far. Four accidental time tourists from different parts of history have been scooped up and deposited on the Egyptian-Mediterranean shore at about 1000-plus years BC. They are rescued by a passing Achaean/Greek freighter and delivered to Athens, where they gradually become enmeshed in the politics of the time of King Aegeus and Prince Theseus. In other words, Mary Renault territory(she even gets a shout out). The author takes the to opportunity to "correct" some Renault-isms. Whether he or she is correct ... who knows for sure? More sci-fi will be popping up soon - I assume. The cataclysm and war that destroyed Knossos(Crete), it's Navy, and it's power, and also took down Atlantis(speculation) is yet to come(this is the near-concluding event in Renault's "The King Must Die"). Meanwhile, it's fun to read another take on the world of ancient Greece(Athens).

Should be finished with this one tonight as my enthusiasm has waned a bit in the face of relentless piles of dialogue. The political intrigue flows on as PA offers another version of events, differing from those of Mary Renault. As for the writing, lets just say that Poul Anderson is no Mary Renault. This book NEEDS SOME ACTION! We'll see tonight. Right now this book is tottering on the brink of a 2* rating, despite the cover art.

As I'd hoped they would, "things" picked up considerably as the end approached. The super-spectacular end of Atlantis(think Mt. St. Helens times a thousand) was well described and the trip to Knossos was a nice counterpoint to the same scenes in "The King Must Die." In the end, a fun book, though special only for the parallels with Mary Renault's writings.

- 3.25* rounds down to 3*

[Thom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Challenging myself to read a dozen time travel books this year - Poul Anderson is always a good fit.
In this novel, four people though history are "caught" in a faulty time machine and deposited near the Mediterranean, a year before the Minoan eruption of Santorini (or in this book, Atlantis).

Anderson's historical research comes out in the novel; the time and place are well described. The reactions of 3/4 of the characters to this time and environment is also interesting speculation - the early Mongol discussions of cavalry warfare and the Slav's comparisons between river warfare and early open sea boats. The events of the novel are also well done, though the timed closing feels a little rushed.

The story is really told from the main character's point of view. He doesn't throw many comparisons to his background (a 1970s Seattle architect) and acknowledges that the Minoan civilization is literally ancient history. I wanted to read some comparisons of building styles, alas. His character and that of love interest (and bull dancer) Erissa are fairly well expanded; the other two are quite shallow.

This is a fairly quick read, and I liked it. For a book that's now 50 years old, it holds up pretty well.

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

A time traveler screws up and the crash drags a knight, a tourist, a mongol warrior and the dancer from the title are thrown together and stranded in ancient times.
They travel to Atlantis just in time for the famous sinking.

Great idea, with a nice take on history, but of the four leads only two get much characterization.

Like Anderson, but he's more a good idea writer than a strong character writer.

[Adam Meek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another time travel adventure from Time Patrol creator Poul Anderson, this one features a 20th century American accidentally stranded in the Bronze Age. A ripping good yarn, but not particularly deep.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interminable and dull.

[Phoenix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love in a Time Forgotten

"Dancer" is an historical romance using the element of time travel as a deus ex machina to move the modern day character architect Duncan Reid into the near mythic past of Atlantis. Reid is a late 1960s everyman, drifting apart from his wife Pam, searching for definition in his life when he is caught up in a vortex created by an out of control timeship, along with 3 others. One is a Hunnish horseman from the mid Byzantine era, the second, Oleg, is a proto Ukrainian from the year 1050 AD and the last, Erissa, is the titular Dancer from Atlantis, only 20 years distant from her time. Moreover she not only remembers the destruction of the island, but also recognizes Reid from her past!

The foursome are cast on the shores of North Africa along with the wreck of the time ship. Conveniently the pilot, badly injured, gives them a pair of helmets which can used to learn each others' languages (solving a common plotting problem) - and then dies. Reid decides that Erissa's language, as it's the earliest, should be the common one to learn, and that they should head to the temporal epicentre Atlantis, partly to rescue the younger Erissa as seems to be foreordained, and in part to be rescued themselves and returned to their own times, though as the story evolves the three men are tempted to use their advanced knowledge to advantage in this older time, possibly resulting in a changed history.

What elevates the story is Poul's interesting take on the interplay of between Cretan and Aechaean/Athenian culture and a tidy explanation of the roles of Linear A and B. His Labryinth is not a physical maze, but the Palace of Minos - the actual maze being the system of tribute and control that the Minotians use to keep the peace over its Aegean empire, and the minotaur is actually a series of bulls used in religious ceremony, which links nicely to Erissa's votary vocation as a "bull dancer".

Well constructed and readable, but not outstanding; tasteful handling of romantic encounters. Anderson does a much better job with time travel in his later stories- this tale is a bit of a throwaway, but one I'd not read before. I'd give it a rating of 3.2/5.

[Anna From Gustine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book because it had such an interesting premise, but I couldn't finish it. I tried, but I just couldn't do it.

It's a time travel book in which modern day (1970) married-with-kids architect Duncan gets pulled back in time along with a woman from Atlantis, a 4th-century Hun and a 10-century Russian. They are all stuck in a Greece in which Atlantis is real and Theseus is a real jerk of a prince. The story ends up somehow being about saving Atlantis.

Where to begin? There are supposedly four main characters, but this just becomes a male fantasy romance between Erissa and Duncan. I guess they also met in the past (I can't explain it) and have a son. She thinks he's a god and, frankly, is all over him. She is not a kid, though. She's an older woman which makes her fawning quite annoying. And what does she see in Duncan? He's a pretty bland guy who seems to know more than he should about history and, well, everything. He hops into bed with her pretty quick even though he does have that wife and kids somewhere in the future. Yeah, I get it's 1970 in the novel, but still....

Oh, and the Russian and Hun? They become bit players after about a third of the book.

It's another of those books in which I felt nothing for the characters. I didn't hate anyone, but I didn't like anyone either. I just felt "meh." If any book falls into the "idea over character" bucket, it's this one. Interesting idea, but soulless execution.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I imagine that Anderson had a good time researching the Bronze Age setting and he did a good job of laying out the archaeological speculation as it stood in the early seventies. The other extrapolations were fairly logical and just as plausible as any other conjecture.
The actual characters and plot, however, were total garbage. The pipe-smoking, yacht-sailing, American architect was straight out of Heinlein but without any actual self-esteem, which seems to have been the point.
But who am I to criticize this message? I went to Crete and gained some self-confidence through my adventures, and there weren't even any exploding volcanoes or burning palaces to make it sound more exciting.
One star for facility of language, one star for careful research of a topic I like.

Also, the cover of the ancient book club hardcover I found in the free box at the comic book shop features a pretty fabulous Frank Frazetta painting that was obviously commissioned for this book and it is SO MUCH better than whatever the hell edition Goodreads is using as the cover image.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

People from several different times end up together in the past. Not one of Anderson's best but still a good read.

[Socrate · Rating 3 out of 5]

— În seara asta e Lună plină, spuse el. Hai cu mine pe punte. Trebuie să fie foarte frumos.
— Nu, sunt obosită, răspunse ea. Du-te tu. Eu prefer să rămân aici.
Duncan Reid îi aruncă o privire soţiei, adăugând:
— Credeam că e călătoria noastră, a amândurora.
Pamela oftă.
— Sigur că e. Mai târziu, dragul meu, te rog. Îmi pare rău că n-am deloc vocaţie de marinar, dar asta e situaţia. Şi vremea a fost atât de proastă… E-adevărat, de când iau pastile nu mi-a mai fost chiar aşa rău, dar nici bine nu m-am simţit.
Continuă s-o privească. Acum doisprezece ani, când se căsătoriseră, era bine „înzestrată”. Mai târziu, începuse să se îngraşe într-un ritm care o aducea la disperare şi din cauza căruia ţinea permanent regim. El încercase să-i spună: „Nu mai fi necăjită. Fă mai multă mişcare. Şi, în primul rând, ţine minte că eşti încă-o femeie al naibii de atrăgătoare”. Şi chiar aşa şi era; avea pielea albă, ochii albaştri, părul moale, castaniu, trăsături regulate şi o gură frumoasă şi blândă. Dar tonul pe care i-o spunea era din ce în ce mai puţin convingător.
— Se pare că a fost o greşeală să plecăm pe mare.
Rosti aceste cuvinte cu o undă de amărăciune în glas, ce n-o lăsă nici pe ea indiferentă.
— Ştiai că barca ta cu pânze nu e de mine, replică dânsa. Că nu pot nici să car bagaje, nici… Lăsă capul în jos şi coborî tonul. Hai să nu mai începem iar discuţia.
Privirea lui se mută de la ea la cabina lor de un confort impersonal şi ajunse la fotografia copiilor de pe masa de toaletă.
— Poate ar trebui s-o facem, răspunse el încet. Acum când suntem singuri şi nu ne mai e teamă că s-ar putea să ne audă. Poate că ar trebui să spunem, în sfârşit, lucrurilor pe nume.

[Diletta Nicastro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Questo libro mi è stato regalato tanto tempo fa da mio fratello ed infine, vogliosa di un fantasy, mi sono decisa a leggerlo prelevandolo dalla biblioteca di casa.
Non mi è piaciuto.
Non posso dire che sia scritto male o che l’autore non abbia fatto profonde e valide ricerche (al contrario, è evidente che si è documentato moltissimo su Creta, gli Achei e comunque sul mar Mediterraneo dell’epoca), tuttavia io non ho compreso il senso dei personaggi. Di fatto mi sono rimasti distanti dalla prima all’ultima pagina. Anche la storia tra Duncan e Erissa non è mai appassionata (sembra da una parte un modo per divertirsi di Duncan mentre si trova lontano dalla moglie, e un modo per Erissa per sentirsi veramente amata da un Dio, mentre a casa ha un marito che darebbe la vita per lei). In effetti Dagonas (il marito di Erissa), sebbene compaia pochissimo, è il personaggio a cui più si rimane legati, perché ha uno spessore ed un valore.
Il finale è forse scontato, e comunque poco appassionante.

Complessivamente si tratta di un romanzo privo di spina dorsale.
Colto, ma freddo.
Forse più adatto ad un pubblico maschile (che forse si ringalluzzisce nel vedere l’uomo di 40 anni alle prese amorose con una diciassettenne infatuata mentre la mogliettina lo aspetta a casa). Sinceramente non lo consiglio.

Per la recensione completa visita il mio sito:
https://dilettanicastro.blogspot.com/...

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dancer From Atlantis by Poul Anderson is another reread of a book from my younger days. I discovered this author through another book that I really liked and then began reading most of his other works including this one. He has his formula for what and how he writes and if you like it, you'll probably like his other books. This one presents our main character waking up chained to three other unlikely characters who couldn't be more different from each other: a Medieval Russian, a Fourth Century Hun, and a Sacred Priestess. They find themselves, through some form of time travel, back in Atlantis before its destruction having to save themselves but also to save the future they had come from. I'm probably 3.5 on this one but boosted it like you would for an old friend.

[William S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not his best work

The fluctuated between exciting and boring. Mr Anderson is clearly widely educated, and he spent considerable detail describing various types of clothing, scenery, ship construction, various cultures, and their locations. This became exhausting, and I'm not so certain it was that accurate. As far as excitement is concerned, we had battles galore which didn't always come out well. Some scenarios seemed off. In particular we find ourselves heading into a tsunami accompanied by what seems to be a pyroclastic cloud. We don't burn up, and the tsunami hurries us to our destination. I had trouble with that episode. In all, I enjoyed the story, but chafed at the extensive detail.

[Niftyacres · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m honestly not sure how to feel about The Dancer from Atlantis. Poul Anderson’s writing is, as always, skillful and engaging—but a few choices in this story kept me at arm’s length. The protagonist’s casual infidelity, and the book’s near-dismissal of it, was surprisingly troubling and hard to look past.

Of the four main characters, two feel oddly arbitrary and underdeveloped, while other far more interesting figures, like Prince Theseus, Lydra, and even Dagonas, don’t get the depth or page time they deserve. I also went in expecting a stronger focus on Atlantis itself, but the city ends up feeling more like a backdrop than a central force in the narrative ... even though the whole plot revolves around it.

Not quite the story I hoped it would be.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent detail and a good plot in this time travel tale bringing us back into very early history. Alas, it seemed rushed towards the end, skimping on the characterization that had been more than adequate in the first half. This is one of those rare novels where it would have been imoroved, perhaps, by a first-person treatment.

Great title, though, eh?

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable

I bought this book on the strength of the name of the author and was not disappointed. So interesting how the experience made better people out not all who survived it and how shattered myths created stronger realities.

[Zoe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not as good as his others

He expected you to know what he was thinking oftentimes, but never outright told you. Poor story plot. Anyone should've known not to have revealed what would happen to the priestess.

[Robert Defrank · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anderson does it again with the story of a modern man inexplicably transported into the ancient world, with several others, just in time for a view of one of history’s legendary disasters. And him and his new lover standing on top of it.

[Jörg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent time travel story with an almost working solution to the issue of how travelling to the past and the possible effect of actions of time travellers in the past on the future can be combined.

In this story, four people from various times are catapulted to Minoan times when Crete ruled the Mediterranean by a malfunctioning time machine. One of those four comes from only 20 years before Minoan times, the others are a Mongol, a Viking and an American from our days. Thanks to the last words of the dying time traveller, they are able to utilize a tool transferring languages from one person to the next and can communicate with each other on the lowest common denominator of the oldest tongue. It turns out that the one time traveller from Minoan times already knows the American from her past which actually is the time in which they landed.

To cut to the chase. The future already incorporates the effects of all the actions of the time travellers in the past. Whatever they try to do to change the future, leads to the result they know from history. In effect, their efforts to avoid the downfall of the civilized Minoan culture are the very reason of the downfall. Nice solution.

[Al Cormier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Science Fiction is always refreshing for me. Poul Anderson is one of the greats. His story carried me along on a wave that continued to grow, until it crashed resoundingly on the rocky shore at the end, only to be followed by brief quietness, reflection, and resolve. A very good read :o)