The Seventh Sword

Generally regarded, along with A Man of His Word, as Duncan’s best work. This is some of the best sword and sorcery fantasy you’ll read, period.The premise is that a dying man with very few abilities to recommend him as special gets transported into another dimension/world into the body of a warrior, Shonshu by a God who is in fact looking for a pawn. Shonshu is no mere warrior, however. Rather, he’s a Swordsman of the Seventh Rank and in a brutal, feudal world where top class hierarchy is associated with martial prowess, Wallie as Shonshu now stands at the pinnacle. It’s a wildly entertaining ride though a vaguely medieval landscape mixed in with a faint Oriental influence. Combine it with a myriad of Greek and Roman gods who take an active role in the whole story. Wallie brings his modern sensibilities to a medieval world which makes for some interesting scenes as the books progress. But you also see the character grow and evolve too. The characters are quite well done as are the relationships.The series has a multi-leveled plot all the way through and there are enough twists going on that keep you suspended right until the final page.  There is a faint D&D feel going on behind the scenes with the character’s martial abilities represented by different “sword levels” tattooed on their heads. You get to watch your own “protagonist” (game character) power up through the levels as the series progresses. However, this novel is a far, far cry from those tie-in game knockoff novels.So if you are looking for some absolutely fantastic sword and sorcery fantasy with a cross-over twist, this series is a must. Hell, even if you don’t like sword and sorcery, read it – I don’t care whether you like A Game of Thrones, hate or love The Wheel of Time, this series will appeal to you.After a few decades, Duncan recently released a new book in the series entitled The Death of Nnanji.