Coming of Wisdom

So a goddess from another world rescues you from your deathbed, gives you the skills and the body of the most amazing barbarian swordsman to ever live, a magnificent sword of legend, a clumsy apprentice with a photographic memory, a beautiful slave girl and her baby, and an impossible quest. What do you do? Wallie Smith is still trying to figure that out himself in the second Seventh Sword installment. He and his plucky band have escaped death at fort to sail the river, which is the only means of travel in this world, and is said to be the goddess personified. As Wallie's travels continue, he fulfills parts of a prophecy he doesn't understand, while teaching what he considers a violent backward society his own brand of compassion and tolerance, which is hard because if he violates the swordsman mantra he could be declared an abomination and killed outright, even by his own apprentice.To make matters worse, wizards have returned to complicate things, and the goddess wants Wallie to stop them. But how do you fight magic with a sword, even if it's the legendary sword of Chioxin?

The Seventh Sword is a great series. I couldn't put the books down. Wally Smith dies on earth and wakes to find himself in the body of a master swordsman, living another man's life in another world. Suffice it to say, his 20th century values don't quite match those of the man's body he is inhabiting, which makes for some interesting turns as he runs into people who recognize him...

"The Reluctant Swordsman" (Seventh Sword, Book 1)introduces the characters and world/universe the author continues with in "The Coming of Wisdom" (Seventh Sword, Book 2)and "The Destiny of the Sword" (Seventh Sword, Book 3). This is a brilliant trilogy which remains at the top of Dave Duncan's impressive body of work. The characters remind me of Dungeons and Dragons Roll Playing Games (D & D RPG's). The hero is a 7th level swordsman who picks up a 7th level priest as a travelling companion. There is the same satisfaction of watching a companion swordsman advance through the ranks as there is developing your own character's skill levels in an RPG. There are also some other character types familiar to RPG's (archer's are held in contempt). This is not one of those cheap knockoffs on a D & D game though. This is just one element of the world the author has created which is kind of fun.The author created a universe with a multitude of gods, like the Greek and Roman gods. While this is very common in the sword and sorcery genre, Dave Duncan has made the gods active participants in his story. One god makes repeated appearances, talks with the hero, and performs the occasional miracle. The author is able to keep the gods from completely overshadowing the human characters by stressing how they value "free will" for there own purposes. The author's brilliant use of deity characters (a recurring element throughout his best series) add facets to this story which lift it above a simple Conan type "guy with sword" story. This trilogy has a detailed, multi-leveled plot which twists enough to keep you in suspense right up until the ending. And the ending reaches the appropriate dramatic climax, then has a satisfying denouement where the characters reap their rewards and the author ties up any loose ends. When this book ended, I was left saying, "Wow, imagine that!"The only thing I can even think of that I didn't like about this trilogy is that it ended. The author really wrapped things up for the characters. It would be almost impossible to continue the story. I do hope that Dave Duncan comes back to this world with some new characters though. Maybe the old characters can have a cameo in the new story. . .

Book 2 of The Seventh Sword This book picks up where 'The Reluctant Swordsman' leaves off. It can stand on its own for fun reading, because the style remains the same, but the series really should be read in sequence to get the full effect -- it's an epic, not a collection of semi-related vignettes. Whatever.. If you read 'Reluctant' first, you won't need an invitation to read 'Wisdom. ' I'd give this a 'G' rating.

Some people complain that middle books are the worst in fantasy trilogies. But in this series, it only gets better as it goes along. This book starts out slowly, but it gets increasingly broader in scope until the ending, which is among the most shocking and ingenious things I have ever seen in a fantasy. The genre really deserves this book, and, if you're curious what I mean by that, then read it.