The Buried Giant vs Three Hearts and Three Lions: Which Should You Read?

Both live on shelves: Knights, Knights and knighthood, Dragons, Fiction

The Buried Giant Kazuo Ishiguro · 2001 ★★★★☆ 3.6 364 pages · ≈ 6 h 44 m · Moderate

The Buried Giant begins as a couple set off across a troubled land of mist and rain in the hope of finding a son they have not seen in years.

Three Hearts and Three Lions Poul Anderson · 1953 ★★★★☆ 3.8 163 pages · ≈ 3 h 01 m · Moderate

Holger Carlsen, wounded in Nazi-occupied Denmark, awakens to find himself in a magical land of knights, dragons, and sorcerers.

The verdict

Readers rate Three Hearts and Three Lions highest: Three Hearts and Three Lions 3.8 · The Buried Giant 3.6.
Three Hearts and Three Lions is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 6 for The Buried Giant.
The Buried Giant has the widest readership — 127576 ratings behind its score.