Poul Anderson began his career during one of the Golden Ages of the genre and continued to write and remain popular into the 21st century. He also authored several works of fantasy, and many short stories. He received numerous awards for his writing, including seven Hugo Awards and three Nebula Awards. The Virgin of Valkarion first appeared in the magazine Planet Stories in 1951. It's a kind of "Conan in Space complete with a space princess and a space barbarian - a fantasy story set on another planet, but with the kind of fascinating touches that only a genius like Anderson had the skill to pull off.