The Coming of Wisdom [Paperback]

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (1990)
• ASIN: B001W7D9SU
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Dave Duncan is a prolific writer of fantasy and science fiction, best known for his fantasy series, particularly The Seventh Sword, A Man of His Word, and The King's Blades. He and his wife Janet, his in-house editor and partner for over fifty years, live in Victoria, British Columbia. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great story! Not the best writing., July 2, 2010

By 

A Customer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming of Wisdom (Book 2 of the Seventh Sword) (Kindle Edition)

Dave Duncan's characters are real and memorable. He introduces some originality into this popular genre which grabs hold and wont let go. But his attempts at mystery are a little lacking. And the ways in which his characters leap to sudden conclusions or receive profound insight is frequently unclear, causing the reader to stumble through the next several pages in confusion, wondering what they missed, until events fall into place. I found it distracting and off-putting and though I liked the story, I'm not sure if I want to read the finale. I can probably guess how it'll end anyway.'

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Trilogy by a Major Talent, August 15, 2000

By 

silliman89 "silliman89" (Burke, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coming of Wisdom (Seventh Sword) (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Reluctant Swordsman" (Seventh Sword, Book 1)introduces the characters and world/universe the author continues with in "The Coming of Wisdom" (Seventh Sword, Book 2)and "The Destiny of the Sword" (Seventh Sword, Book 3). This is a brilliant trilogy which remains at the top of Dave Duncan's impressive body of work.

The characters remind me of Dungeons and Dragons Roll Playing Games (D&D RPG's). The hero is a 7th level swordsman who picks up a 7th level priest as a travelling companion. There is the same satisfaction of watching a companion swordsman advance through the ranks as there is developing your own character's skill levels in an RPG. There are also some other character types familiar to RPG's (archer's are held in contempt). This is not one of those cheap knockoffs on a D&D game though. This is just one element of the world the author has created which is kind of fun.

The author created a universe with a multitude of gods, like the Greek and Roman gods. While this is very common in the sword and sorcery genre, Dave Duncan has made the gods active participants in his story. One god makes repeated appearances, talks with the hero, and performs the occasional miracle. The author is able to keep the gods from completely overshadowing the human characters by stressing how they value "free will" for there own purposes. The author's brilliant use of deity characters (a recurring element throughout his best series) add facets to this story which lift it above a simple Conan type "guy with sword" story.

This trilogy has a detailed, multi-leveled plot which twists enough to keep you in suspense right up until the ending. And the ending reaches the appropriate dramatic climax, then has a satisfying denouement where the characters reap their rewards and the author ties up any loose ends. When this book ended, I was left saying, "Wow, imagine that!"

The only thing I can even think of that I didn't like about this trilogy is that it ended. The author really wrapped things up for the characters. It would be almost impossible to continue the story. I do hope that Dave Duncan comes back to this world with some new characters though. Maybe the old characters can have a cameo in the new story. . .

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest series I have ever read., March 7, 2011

By 

John Hall - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Coming Of Wisdom (The Seventh Sword Trilogy Book 2) (Paperback)

I am not a huge reader, but I try and always have something to read. I tend to stay away from book series, as I like to be able to step away after I finish a book. I read the description of book I and was just too interested not to give the book a try. I have to say that this is a very original story and I am glad that I read all three books. I purchased a hard copy of book I and plan on lending it out to some of my friends to get them to read through it.