|
An excellent series. Written by Dave Duncan, the Seventh Sword trilogy is a truly magnificent blend of Fantasy and Reality.
The characters are all amazing, in true Dave Duncan style. Shonshu, or Wallie Smith is a truly well designed character.
Though his body and instincts are that of the finest swordsman in this fantastic world, (well technically tied for the best,
but you know.) his mind is that of a chemist from our world. The combination is difficult for both halves of Shonshu, but
he never fails to make the right choice, or to fight like no one else can. Then Nanji, who we meet as a young, naive swordsman
of questionable skill, is a most interesting character as we see him develop himself throughout the series. Honaruru (I think
that's what it was, anyways something like that.) brings age and experience into the tale. However, all his experience is
of that world, and so he makes quite a good negative to Wallie's past experiences in ours. The beliefs of the two are extremely
different, though we see some similarities come through. It is the old debate, nature vs. nurtue. Though their personalities
would likely have been similar in many ways, Wallie and Honaruru were raised completetly differently. Another major character
in this story is Jja. She was born a slave, and thereby given no chance in life. However her chance arrives as she meets
our hero and falls in love with the manly appearence of Shonshu, and the personality of Wallie, which is somthing she or that
world will never likely encounter in another. there are more characters who all play important roles in the text, but I will
not attempt to describe all of them.
The story begins with the insanity of Shonshu, which turns out to be, his merging with the "deamon" Wallie Smith.
Wallie is soon introduced to his reason for being in this world. He was brought by the goddess to fullfill a quest. This
is explained to him by a god name Shorty. Shorty gives him the legendary Seventh Sword made by Choxin. This world holds
some magic in the number Seven, and this is Choxin's finest work, and thus the masterpiece of the ages. Along with this sword,
Shorty fills Shonshu in on what's generally going on. So, Shonshu is the greatest Swordsman in the world, he has knoweldge
of things far beyond the technologie of that world, and he has the greatest sword ever made, how can he lose right? So time
for him to get on with this quest, one problem he doesn't know what it is. The goddess has given him instructions to succeed
in this quest or die trying, but instead of a mission statement, he has a riddle. The riddle adds a wonderful touch to the
tale, as we see it unravel as the story continues. Now Shonshu is off on his quest, but before he even leaves the town he
arrived in, he is already deep in trouble. This he survives only with help from the goddess. Enemy sworsman are bad enough,
but Shonshu's foes are Sorcerors. To go much furthur into the plot would spoil parts of the novels for you, suffice it to
say that the plot twists at every oppurtunity, and even if you think you know it all, there's much more to come.
The action in this Novel is excellently described, and anyone can enjoy the wonderful descriptions of the duels on land,
and on boat, for the Quest does indeed lead them onto the water. Dave Duncan shows here how well he thinks things through,
as we see the differences between normal sword fights, and those on deck. There is another example of how Dave Duncan is
on top of things, however it is a large plot twist, and you must therefore find it for yourself. Let's just say it envolves
the Sorcerors' early beginnings.
Though this is not my faveourite of Dave Duncan's works, I would say it is one of the best representations of his style
as it incorperates his wonderful Fantasy ablities with his sense of realism. Even in worlds where magical things occur and
gods wander naked in the streets, all the characters and event are believeable. I recommend this series to all Fantasy fans,
and all members of NAO.
Especially Bookworm.
|
