The Reluctant Swordsman
core novel 1988 The Seventh Sword
Record
| First published | 1988 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.91 (4,463 ratings, collected 2026-09-23) |
| First-edition ISBN | 0345352912 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Dying petrochemical-plant manager Wallie Smith is transferred by a goddess into the body of a master swordsman on a pre-technological world ruled by a rigid caste system of ranked swordsmen. Waking with his new body's martial skill but none of its memories, and bound to a legendary sword he has not yet earned the right to carry, Wallie must win the trust of a priest and a slave woman who become his first allies as he learns what the goddess actually wants from him.
Where it sits
- Universe: The Seventh Sword
- Series: The Seventh Sword core; position 1 of 3 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Dave Duncan
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series The Seventh Sword: position 1 of 3: next The Coming of Wisdom (1988)
Sources
← The Seventh Sword dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.