The Seventh Sword
#4503.98 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1988 Reading commitment Medium Dave Duncan Last reviewed 2026-09-23
Overview
The Seventh Sword is a completed 1988 portal fantasy trilogy by Dave Duncan, comprising The Reluctant Swordsman, The Coming of Wisdom, and The Destiny of the Sword. Wallie Smith, a dying petrochemical-plant manager on Earth, is transferred by a goddess into the body of a master swordsman on a low-technology world governed by a rigid caste system that ranks swordsmen by skill. Waking with his new body's martial ability but none of its memories, and bound to a legendary sword he has not yet earned the right to carry, Wallie gathers a small band of allies and is drawn into the goddess's wider campaign against sorcerers secretly wielding forbidden, technology-derived power in the service of a rival god.
Across the second and third books, Wallie's mission grows from personal survival into a crusade to unite the world's fractious swordsmen against that sorcerous threat, closing out a complete, self-contained trilogy rather than an ongoing series.
Portal fantasy, Sword & sorcery · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Seventh Sword Dave Duncan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Reluctant Swordsman | 1988 | 1 | core | 3.91 (4,463 ratings) |
 | The Coming of Wisdom | 1988 | 2 | core | 4.00 (3,053 ratings) |
 | The Destiny of the Sword | 1988 | 3 | core | 4.05 (2,969 ratings) |
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Seventh Sword? The Seventh Sword's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Seventh Sword? Publication order, starting with The Reluctant Swordsman. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Seventh Sword finished? Complete (1988).
- How much reading does The Seventh Sword take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is The Seventh Sword ranked? #450 in this site's official ranking, based on 10,485 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #450?
Ranked #450 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.98 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (10,485 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.14 of each other.
- 0.01 behind #449, Liavek.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 3 books · Complete · 10k ratings · Ranks #450 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Coming of Wisdom (1988)
- The Destiny of the Sword (1988)
- The Reluctant Swordsman (1988)
Documented internal/story order
- The Reluctant Swordsman (1988)
- The Coming of Wisdom (1988)
- The Destiny of the Sword (1988)
Awards (verified)
- No award nomination could be confirmed for any of the three books.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.98 across 10,485 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Seventh Sword admitted accepted 2026-09-23
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-23
Rule: Core Canon is all three books of the original trilogy.