This old "classic" is a great tour-de-farce that Anderson masterfully keeps just on the edge of plausibility. The premise is simple. A highly advanced alien spaceship, from the "Wersgor Empire" lands on Earth with the intent of subjigating it. The time is the 14th Century, the place, England.

Well, the local horse cavalry surprises and overwhelms the aliens and takes control of the spaceship. The Englishmen then proceed to take on the whole Wersgor Empire by guts, guile, and good old human deviousness. This all makes for great fun. This is a terrific "beer and chips" novel, which is all Anderson, a Grand Master of SF, intended for it to be. I only gave it three stars because this is not great literature, nor is it the best that Anderson has written. But make no mistake, this one gets 5 stars in the category of readability and fun, and I recommend it to anyone who likes Science Fiction and has a good sense of humor. Enjoy.

in-cheek approach to science fiction in this very funny, yet plausible short-novel. Told from the point of view of the local cleric, the story begins when a scout ship of alien beings, bent on conquest, land near the holdings of Sir Roger of Tourneville, who is gearing up to join the king for a war in France. Instead of running in fear, the war-rabid Englishmen suspect a "French trick" and go out to meet the ship. The fun begins when one of the aliens blasts a local, hoping to frighten the natives. Instead, the assembled troops react, only as trained soldiers will, and turn the aliens into pincushions with their longbows. Thus begins Anderson's humorous adventure. Funny as it is, the book has serious undertones in that it reminds us how little society changes despite advances in technology. This book is perfect for younger readers; it is fairly short, fast-paced, and has no offensive language or adult themes, but adults (especially students of Midieval history) will appreciate its wit and satire. It would make a funny movie. Maybe someone should send a copy to Terry Gilliam (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Time Bandits).