jwels's review
4.0
Slow to start but I did enjoy where I ended up. Not my favorite book by David Duncan but it was still a nice read.
dibot's review
4.0
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.
ashleylm's review
2.0
Weird book. I was very enthusiastic about his Man of his Word series (and am enjoying, not quite as much, its follow-up), so I thought I'd try this other work. The first book is very strange. Almost nothing happens, and it takes a while to have this not-a-lot happen. It's like watching a movie where midway through you realise you've seen as much of the set as you ever will, because they simply don't have the budget to tell a larger story ... except this is a book, so his budget is unlimited, so I don't understand his choice to tell such a small, constrained tale.
The world is weird, as well. It's very small, with no sense of how people in that community could sustain themselves economically, so it's just not believable. The majority of the characters have to abide by a set of arcane sutras (it would be like having to have an advanced contract law degree just to be able to figure out how to ask a neighbour for a favour, or invite someone to a tea party), it's kind of ludicrous. Ultimately, I don't think I quite picked up what he was throwing down.
Especially, I think, the world is so strange that it's hard to get a sense of how one should be feeling about it. If you hear that John fell off the Empire State Building, you know that's horrible and unlikely to end well ... but if you hear that John fell off the Ashakin, you have no idea if that's good or bad or immaterial, because you don't know if the Ashakin is two inches high or two miles. You need a context to appreciate what's going on, and Mr. Duncan's world is just too odd to ease us into usefully.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, I'm a bit more ruthless.
The world is weird, as well. It's very small, with no sense of how people in that community could sustain themselves economically, so it's just not believable. The majority of the characters have to abide by a set of arcane sutras (it would be like having to have an advanced contract law degree just to be able to figure out how to ask a neighbour for a favour, or invite someone to a tea party), it's kind of ludicrous. Ultimately, I don't think I quite picked up what he was throwing down.
Especially, I think, the world is so strange that it's hard to get a sense of how one should be feeling about it. If you hear that John fell off the Empire State Building, you know that's horrible and unlikely to end well ... but if you hear that John fell off the Ashakin, you have no idea if that's good or bad or immaterial, because you don't know if the Ashakin is two inches high or two miles. You need a context to appreciate what's going on, and Mr. Duncan's world is just too odd to ease us into usefully.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, I'm a bit more ruthless.
metaphorosis's review
3.0
reviews.metaphorosis.com
3 stars
Wallie Smith has died. Much to the surprise of all concerned, however, he's turned up in the body of Shunso, Seventh-level swordsman in a world of temples, slaves, and duels. Wallie tries to do good, but then a god steps in, and Wallie has to re-evaluate his choices.
I'm not generally a fan of sidewise type - where an ordinary guy suddenly finds himself in another time or dimension. There have been good ones - Narnia, "Sidewise in Time", Barsoom, "A Connecticut Yankee", Thomas Covenant, Amber - but generally I lack interest. I am, on the other hand, a fan of Dave Duncan, and The Seventh Sword is a series I haven't previously read. Based on this first book, he succeeds with the concept - partially.
Duncan doesn't waste a lot of time on the setup, and none at all on the preliminaries. Wallie Smith is dead, then he's in Shonsu, then Shonsu is effectively out. Smith accepts his new status fairly readily, and that's that. Fine by me; we all know pretty well how these things work, by now. To his credit, Duncan focuses much more on the moral and philosophical aspect of it. Smith avoids violence; Shonsu's world accepts it. Smith abhors slavery; in Shonsu's world, it's a fact of life. Smith tries to follow his original ideals, and in his new world, that's not always the right choice. Duncan returns to this idea throughout the book. Smith makes choices that trouble him, and he stays troubled, even as he begins to see things in part by local standards.
That makes slavery a difficult issue. Smith meets a sex slave, and makes an effort to do what he thinks is right. Sometimes. Early on, Smith has sex with his new slave, and I found his acceptance of the situation both uncomfortable, and not credible for his character. That discomfort continues, but it's also true that Smith himself is uncomfortable. It's not the one-off rationalization I feared, but a continuing examination of what to do with a slave in a world where slaves cannot be freed.
I wish that Duncan had made some different choices for his character, and it's true that Duncan stays well within his accustomed light fantasy lane. But I give him credit for at least considering how to handle slavery and for having that worry be a continuing theme throughout the book. On the upside, "How do you know when your slave is happy?" is a multifaceted question. On the other hand, the key slaves are all women, and their role is largely sex and decoration oriented. I'm hopeful that will change in later books.
All in all, an interesting and surprisingly thoughtful swords-and-muscles fantasy, but one that presents some moral obstacles to enjoyment.
nghia's review
2.0
Felt like a Robert E. Howard (Conan) take on the "modern American transplanted to fantasy world" theme. Had some potential but in the end everything is motivated by deus ex machinas. It almost felt like a Christian polemic with the constant refrain of "God(dess) moves in mysterious ways" and "have faith". What started out as an interesting moral struggle about the contrast between the two worlds simply gets thrown away when the protagonist gets tortured enough.
Not keen enough to bother reading the other two books in the series.
Not keen enough to bother reading the other two books in the series.
giraffesareweird's review
2.0
Ugh, just re-read this and it is not like i remembered. I had given it 4 star based on my childhood memory of this book, but as an adult it all boils down to 'it would be wrong to sleep with slaves. That slave is really hot though. I'm totally gonna fuck that slave'.
Yeahhh.... not really into that.
Yeahhh.... not really into that.
vaderbird's review against another edition
4.0
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
manwithanagenda's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
~ 2007 based on a 2002 reading (original dates lost)
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 the others to.
January 16, 2021
I found this trilogy in a junk shop and couldn't pass it up for $3. I didn't think I'd immediately start reading it again, but here we are. Does the novel still hold up? Not really.
The part of the series I remembered most were Wallie's objections to the cruel reality of the Goddess's world: slavery being the overwhelming problem. I remembered him as a staunch advocate for change and sharp critic of the corrupt, hierarchical society he sees hidebound by its traditions. However, he actually comes around to it...real fast. Other choices he makes can be attributed to the pressure put upon him by his quest and other survival factors, but despite chastising himself for it for five minutes he falls into a "relationship" with the woman he owns easily with no more than token soul-searching. There's also a lot of junk about the powerful hormonal needs of his hot young body which Can't Be Satisfied. The fact we have an early POV from Jja expressing her own interest in the man-not-yet-her-owner does little to soften the blow.
This is not to say there still weren't points of humor and world-building that were still interesting. The series has a lot going for it if you keep it in the context in which it was writtetn. The book is entertaining fluff that has fun with the genre in a very 1980s white guy kind of way. There is a very slow third act that was extended, I think, to make this into a marketable trilogy. Keep that in mind and you'll be able to enjoy it for what it is.
Weighing things in the book's favor, too, is the fact that this is the first book I've been able to pick up and finish in almost seven weeks, for which I'm very grateful. I haven't had a dry spell like that for years. Never underestimate nostalgia.
Seventh Sword
Next: 'The Coming of Wisdom'
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 the others to.
January 16, 2021
I found this trilogy in a junk shop and couldn't pass it up for $3. I didn't think I'd immediately start reading it again, but here we are. Does the novel still hold up? Not really.
The part of the series I remembered most were Wallie's objections to the cruel reality of the Goddess's world: slavery being the overwhelming problem. I remembered him as a staunch advocate for change and sharp critic of the corrupt, hierarchical society he sees hidebound by its traditions. However, he actually comes around to it...real fast. Other choices he makes can be attributed to the pressure put upon him by his quest and other survival factors, but despite chastising himself for it for five minutes he falls into a "relationship" with the woman he owns easily with no more than token soul-searching. There's also a lot of junk about the powerful hormonal needs of his hot young body which Can't Be Satisfied. The fact we have an early POV from Jja expressing her own interest in the man-not-yet-her-owner does little to soften the blow.
This is not to say there still weren't points of humor and world-building that were still interesting. The series has a lot going for it if you keep it in the context in which it was writtetn. The book is entertaining fluff that has fun with the genre in a very 1980s white guy kind of way. There is a very slow third act that was extended, I think, to make this into a marketable trilogy. Keep that in mind and you'll be able to enjoy it for what it is.
Weighing things in the book's favor, too, is the fact that this is the first book I've been able to pick up and finish in almost seven weeks, for which I'm very grateful. I haven't had a dry spell like that for years. Never underestimate nostalgia.
Seventh Sword
Next: 'The Coming of Wisdom'
robotgoods's review
3.0
Pretty good story, just kinda disappointed in the other worldly gods cop out.