Quest (Anderson novelette)
1983 novelette by Poul Anderson
"Quest" is a science fiction novelette by American writer Poul Anderson, about the consequences of an extraterrestrial scoutship landing in medieval England. It is a sequel to Anderson's 1960 novel The High Crusade. Poul Anderson described the original as "one of the most popular things I've ever done, going through many book editions in several languages." "Quest", originally appeared in Ares magazine in the same issue that saw the original publication of The High Crusade wargame. The novelette was included in two collections of Anderson's short work, Space Folk and Going for Infinity, before being added to the Baen Books fiftieth anniversary edition of The High Crusade.
Plot summary
In 1375, in the English capital of Troynovaunt (on the conquered Wersgor planet), Sir Eric is recruiting a military force to seek out the Holy Grail. Sir Eric formulates a plan that with the mustered ship, which they come to call the Bonaventura, he can take the small army to the planet where the Holy Grail is held. The small army, with all of their belongings, board the ship at king Roger's instruction and prepare to take off.
Characters
King Roger: The king of the English Empire. He was known as Baron de Tourneville in The High Crusade. His wife is Lady Catherine.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Quest (Anderson novelette)” is 1983 novelette by Poul Anderson. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Quest, Anderson and novelette, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “1983 novelette by Poul Anderson” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 15, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q653150. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1960 and 1375.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Quest (Anderson novelette)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Quest (Anderson novelette) primary sources, Quest (Anderson novelette) archive and Quest research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Quest (Anderson novelette)”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Quest (Anderson novelette)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.