Story with mythical Beast being a... tank

I am trying to find a book, that was part of the series - I've only read the first volume and never had a chance to find the rest.

Action takes place probably in the future, in Europe but technology is medieval again and there is some basic magic

Main character accidentally finds the legendary Beast, which is in fact a still operational tank (although without any ammo)

Current ruler is a typical Evil Overlord - there is a small scale rebellion that (so far unsuccessfully) tries to overthrow him, they rally behind the main character and the Beast

I remember a village that had two magic stones: one allowed you to open any door, second was used to summon lightning.

I've read it probably in the early 90s.

Answer

I believe you're thinking of the Empire of the East series by Fred Saberhagen. Specifically the first book, The Broken Lands.

The series is set in a future version of Earth. Years ago, mankind stopped a nuclear war by deploying devices which changed the laws of nature. The change had the side effect of introducing magic and magical creatures to the world. Aside from the magic, society regressed to a medieval society.

The protagonist of The Broken Lands is a young man who finds what he thinks is an Elephant--actually a nuclear-powered tank--parked in a cave. He manages to get it running and uses it to join the battle against the bad guys.

Google books has a page for the collected edition of the series. Parts of the book are available to be viewed. You can search on "Elephant" to see some passages involving the tank.

Saberhagen's Book of Swords series is set thousands of years later in the same universe as Empire of the East. If you enjoy one series, you should take a look at the other.

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