Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
47th out of 150 books
—
142 voters
The Reluctant Swordsman (Seventh Sword #1)
by
Dave Duncan
The last thing Wallie Smith remembered was a fog of hospitals, grim-faced doctors, and pain. So when he woke in the body of a barbarian swordsman, attended by a beautiful slave girl and a wizened old priest nattering about the Goddess, he assumed it was a fever-dream.
But the World could not be dismissed so lightly. A naked little demigod called Shorty explained that the Go...more
But the World could not be dismissed so lightly. A naked little demigod called Shorty explained that the Go...more
Mass Market Paperback, 326 pages
Published
April 12th 1988
by Del Rey
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,721)
Aug 16, 2008
Sbuchler
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Sbuchler by:
Sabrina
Shelves:
scifi-fantasy,
read-in-2008
Genre: High Fantasy
A very fast-paced tale of a modern fellow (Wallie Smith) who's brain/mind/soul is transplanted into a sword-swinging hero's body due to a meddlesome Goddess. The world he's cast into is lush, succeeding in being both foriegn and envoking the "Age of Legends" - a bronze age culture from before writing is discovered/invented.
There are some wonderful bits both of his trying to grapple with the idea that gods are real and miracules exist and realizing that many emotions are gener...more
A very fast-paced tale of a modern fellow (Wallie Smith) who's brain/mind/soul is transplanted into a sword-swinging hero's body due to a meddlesome Goddess. The world he's cast into is lush, succeeding in being both foriegn and envoking the "Age of Legends" - a bronze age culture from before writing is discovered/invented.
There are some wonderful bits both of his trying to grapple with the idea that gods are real and miracules exist and realizing that many emotions are gener...more
4 likes · like · see review
view all 6 comments
Portal fantasy appears to be quite popular for the 1980's. The ones I'm familiar with (debuts or ongoing series) include : The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny (1985 for the second series), Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson (starts in 1977 but continue), Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay (1984), Videssos by Haryy Turtledove (1987). I'm adding now my first Dave Duncan from 1988, and I must say I'm impressed by the narrative drive and by the nuanced characterization of this latest additi...more
11 likes · like · see review
I find myself with little to say about this book. It was perfectly adequate, and I didn't feel I was wasting my time by reading it. But it didn't move me, make me think all that much, or otherwise strike me as all that memorable.
The series spends a lot of time on the topic of faith - particularly willingness to blindly place one's deity's will before his/her own. Throughout the book, the protagonist routinely was asked to do things that violated his own ethical/moral code at the bequest of a dei...more
The series spends a lot of time on the topic of faith - particularly willingness to blindly place one's deity's will before his/her own. Throughout the book, the protagonist routinely was asked to do things that violated his own ethical/moral code at the bequest of a dei...more
This one starts a bit slow, and I remember at one point, when I realized what the goal of the action was, I was like, really? We're going to spend the whole book doing *that*? But I think he uses this slow action successfully to pack in a lot of information about the world, which our hero is discovering along with us, the readers. Stick with it, there is a definite pay off at the end of all three books, with lots of swashbuckling action and interesting characters to enjoy along the way.
As I consumed the opening pages of this fine story, my miserable excuse for a brain could not but help attempt linking this work to The Reluctant Sorcerer by Simon Hawke. Hawke also wrote a trilogy featuring someone from our world forced to adapt in an alternate, medieval one; and its no coincidence that both this trilogy and that have an opening novel with the word reluctant in the title. You must forgive the parallel - I was rather heavily entoxicated at the time. 'tis the little things that a...more
As a review for the series, I liked it but omg detail detail detail detail - SO MUCH DETAIL. If you like Robert Jordan, or Raymond E Feist, you'll probably like this series. The story flows and the characters are likeable, it's not hard to read and I read 3 books in a few days (haven't got my hands on #4 yet). I found myself skipping paragraphs and getting annoyed simply because everyone was so hung up on How.Things.Are. Even saying Hello to someone is ridiculously formal. The series centres aro...more
Review written for the last book in the series:
This is the third and final book in the Seventh Sword trilogy. I read the entire trilogy over the past couple of weeks and I take that as proof that it had gripping power and was well enough written to keep me hooked until I had finished all the books. While trying not to spoil anything, the story is about a swordsman who is given a task in the form of a riddle and who then ventures to explore the world and finds love, power and sadness on the way.
O...more
This is the third and final book in the Seventh Sword trilogy. I read the entire trilogy over the past couple of weeks and I take that as proof that it had gripping power and was well enough written to keep me hooked until I had finished all the books. While trying not to spoil anything, the story is about a swordsman who is given a task in the form of a riddle and who then ventures to explore the world and finds love, power and sadness on the way.
O...more
Fun story about a chemical engineer who gets body-shifted into a "Swordsman of the Seventh Rank" -- sort of a cross between Conan the Barbarian and Basil Rathbone -- in a preliterate fantasy world, and must go on a divine quest. A nice touch is that no leap of faith is involved; the god responsible for the quest doesn't leave his divinity to the imagination.
For my fantasy reading friends, this is an opportunity to say something about Dave Duncan, a very prolific yet mostly unknown author in the...more
For my fantasy reading friends, this is an opportunity to say something about Dave Duncan, a very prolific yet mostly unknown author in the...more
This book was good, but not great. I was hoping for something along the lines of "Magic Kingdom for sale: Sold", with a mix of humor and seriousness, old and new, magic and unmagical. This book was not what I had hoped for, but was still a decent read. The mythology and social system in the book struck me as unique, at least in my reading, and were well thought out. I just didn't find myself identifying with the main character as much as I would like to - I was watching the story unfold from afa...more
I enjoyed this one very much,it was kind of a change of pace for me as I've been reading mainly drama/action books, and this one made me a laugh a little.
This book follows a guy who has died in our world and get transported into the body of the greatest swordsman in an alternate world where your skill with a sword determines your rank in society. The good swordsmen take what they want without any repercussions or remorse. Now comes Wallie from a different world with different ideals and morals....more
This book follows a guy who has died in our world and get transported into the body of the greatest swordsman in an alternate world where your skill with a sword determines your rank in society. The good swordsmen take what they want without any repercussions or remorse. Now comes Wallie from a different world with different ideals and morals....more
A regular person from our world ending up in a fantasy world? Rings a bell? I think it should, this has been done to death already but a good book is not always about a novel premise. So what’s special about this one?
The protagonist is changing over the course of the book and the main change is psychological, in his approach to other people and their values. While this book is laudable in the regard of trying to portray the doubts and restrictions of a modern human some of it felt contrived and...more
The protagonist is changing over the course of the book and the main change is psychological, in his approach to other people and their values. While this book is laudable in the regard of trying to portray the doubts and restrictions of a modern human some of it felt contrived and...more
A great series, fast-paced and the setting is laced with enough detail to keep things interesting. The stratified social hierarchy, the strict measures that enforce and perpetuate it and our protagonist's, Wally Smith, reactions to it are well thought out but is never heavy-handed. Great for people making the jump from juvenile fare but not quite ready for the epic-length fantasies.
I've read quite a few other "modern man transported to fantasy land" books, but this trilogy is what I compare all...more
I've read quite a few other "modern man transported to fantasy land" books, but this trilogy is what I compare all...more
Wallie Smith can feel the pain. He goes to the hospital, remembers the doctors and the commotion, but when he wakes up it all seems like a dream. However, if that was a dream how do you explain waking up in another body and in another world? Little Wallie finds himself in the physique of a barbarian swordsman, accompanied by both an eccentric priest babbling about the Goddess and a voluptuous slave girl. Is this a rude awakening or a dream come true? What in the world will Wallie do now that he'...more
Few authors in the fantasy genre are capable of coming up with as many unique magic concepts as Dave Duncan and his very best work is the Seventh Sword Trilogy. Book 1 is The Reluctant Swordsman and I remain as blown away today as I was when I first read it 10 years ago.
The Reluctant Swordsman is, at its heart, a tale of faith, miracles, and duty. It is much deeper than most fantasy novels yet Duncan keeps his tale crisp and avoids getting too metaphysical or theological. Although much of the st...more
The Reluctant Swordsman is, at its heart, a tale of faith, miracles, and duty. It is much deeper than most fantasy novels yet Duncan keeps his tale crisp and avoids getting too metaphysical or theological. Although much of the st...more
A strange fantasy world, but well-written and well-rounded. Also, a great take on the fish out of water idea. A normal, physically weak Earth man is suddenly given an extremely powerful body which means power in this new world, but he brings with him the compassion and ideals from always being the underdog. A really interesting tale for anyone who's ever been bullied as well, I think. You're suddenly given the strength and power to be the biggest bully of them all... how do you manage it?
I love this series. I read it at a time when I lived right near the Thames, and I would go for walks on her banks and contemplate the idea of a river goddess who could move you from one place to another based on her needs rather than the logic of a map. I haven't read the books in many years, and I don't know what I would think of them today, but at the time they were delicious and I read through the entire series one after the other after the other.
Apr 20, 2012
Steve Markham
added it
As I got further and further into this book I couldn't put it down. I read it everywhere!
I haven't enjoyed a book this much for a long time now. Duncan has drawn me in, I am hopelessly hooked.
The book isn't a massive one but you don't feel hurried through the new world as a reader at all.
Sharp, deep but yet with the odd bit of humour thrown in it is a masterful work and I have already started the second book.
I haven't enjoyed a book this much for a long time now. Duncan has drawn me in, I am hopelessly hooked.
The book isn't a massive one but you don't feel hurried through the new world as a reader at all.
Sharp, deep but yet with the odd bit of humour thrown in it is a masterful work and I have already started the second book.
Another good series from Duncan. Sometimes I find it hard to get started on his books. He takes awhile to set the scene, and numerous characters are usually involved. But once I'm in, it's always a good time. This series has a man from Earth finding himself transferred into the body of a Swordsman from another world and expected to complete a quest for that world's Goddess.
Dec 15, 2012
Michael
added it
I love the Austin library. Every time I'm there I grab a couple of books without knowing exactly what they are, and sometimes get lucky. This was entertaining and well told. A chemical engineer shifts worlds by accident. I recall seeing a whole row of books by DD. Picked this one as a test. I'll be finishing this series and starting another.
I love fantasy, but I've come to realize I just don't like the "humorous" fantasy genre. This is a fish-out-of-water story. Some reviewers found the protagonist's struggles to adapt to his new body and surroundings hilarious. I found it kept me from getting sucked into the story. First in a series I won't be continuing.
Re-read this December 2012 and have to say it stands up very well indeed. A mild-mannered Earth chemist has to figure out his way through the World, when he awakens in the body of a mighty warrior and is ordered by the gods to go forth and finish the quest said warrior had failed in. Lovely characterization of someone rising to the occasion, of cultural relativism, of trying to retain one's values in the midst of a very different culture. Some great cultural anthropology thrown in behind the wor...more
This series is a great example of doing something new in fantasy Sci-Fi. We have tattoos today, but having them on your eyelids... to identify what station you have in life... that is cool. This series is easy to fall in love with. Swords, a touch of romance, and overthrowing the "man".
This is book one in a trilogy, so keep that in mind before you start this book.
While I didn't love this book, it was an entertaining and fast read. The characters and main plot are interesting enough that I do plan to finish the series, but not compelling enough to make me want to finish it immediately.
While I didn't love this book, it was an entertaining and fast read. The characters and main plot are interesting enough that I do plan to finish the series, but not compelling enough to make me want to finish it immediately.
As I started this book, I expected it to be clichéd schlock, a light fun read. As it went on I got more drawn in to the world, the characters and the story. 3 stars is perhaps giving it too much credit, but this is better than a 2. I'd be more detailed, but the other reviews I read seem accurate.
I almost gave up on this after the first couple chapters. Then it started to pick up: the characters got more interesting, and the story started to move in a comprehensible way. And I decided I liked it well enough to get the second one.
Another awesome exercise in world-building.
A man from our world is swept up into another world of magic.
There are a few authors who you simply MUST read.
Dave Duncan and Charles de Lint are on the short list.
A man from our world is swept up into another world of magic.
There are a few authors who you simply MUST read.
Dave Duncan and Charles de Lint are on the short list.
Duncan creates a compelling and exciting world and environment. His characters are real and believable. The hero, Wallie/Shonsu, has just the right elements of self-doubt, internal struggles, and irrationality to make him real. These are definite page-turners for me!
A fantastic take on the fantasy setting with a great twist into it. The main character is beautifully written and well worth reading.
The set is top class indeed and nicely different..
The set is top class indeed and nicely different..
I'm a sucker for the 'person from this world gets sucked into a fantasy world' paradigm. I like the well-thought out and fleshed out world.
I really liked this story and series. It was very original, a bit Thomas covenant like, but still pretty original and very well written.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
