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Seven Swords
Seven Swords
A Novel
Vampire cannibals threaten the small town of Fena Dim. An old animal herder seeks seven fighters, the best in the world, to save his village from the demons who will soon fall upon it. An old soldier, a young rogue, an ex-slave, a powerful barbarian, a mysterious swordswoman, and a young girl who may be the key to victory answer his call.
Book Excerpt
es. Only one seat, that of Nonan, remained empty. The old man had died of a chill that had left him bedridden and coughing for three weeks. No new elder had yet been selected but everyone expected the blacksmith Grado to take the seat. He was well liked and keen.
Severn was addressing the four old men stringing out lines of formality and false respect that left the four men baffled and confused. For four years Severn had asked the elders to open the old mines deeper in the hills but so far the elders declined. More salt mining required more salt miners. Enlarging the village was not desirable and most knew that Severn only desired wealth and a seat on the council of elders. He had been blocked for ten years.
"Uncle, I must speak," said Ca'daan. Severn scowled at him. Gauve looked at him and frowned.
"You may speak when it is your turn," he said. Severn cleared his throat to begin.
"Fena Set has burned," said Ca'daan. All eyes turned to him. Each face revealed either shock, anger, c
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Readers reviews
3.6
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This was a good story, the only problem was that it was the Seven Samurai/Magnificent Seven wrapped in a fantasy world. The descriptions of combat and limbs being hacked and people being disembowelled does get a bit repetitive.
It was an absorbing read none-the-less, and it was a good page-turner. The characters were well developed and did invoke some sympathy for the characters.
Because it was too similar to the 7 Samuarai and the Magnificent 7, I can only give this four stars. Still a recommended read.
It was an absorbing read none-the-less, and it was a good page-turner. The characters were well developed and did invoke some sympathy for the characters.
Because it was too similar to the 7 Samuarai and the Magnificent 7, I can only give this four stars. Still a recommended read.
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Good book, read all his short stories for more, they are all related and every bit as good, just well, short
05/14/2011
Yup; the Seven Samurai, Magnificent Seven etc. Except a couple of them do survive the fighting. It's really more like the Dirty Dozen where a bunch of misfits go on a suicide mission to absolve personal transgressions, or to get out of other problems. Good if you like lots of sword and sandal action without a detailed plot. The characters are even interesting and richly developed. As a twist, in the end, you'll likely have some reflection over who actually had the moral high ground in the conflict.
03/26/2011
Its the Magnificent Seven, only with a red moon (and a black one). The mindless and extreme violence of the demon-touched raiders turns out to be not so random after all. Readers who are absorbed by detailed descriptions of physical combat and sword-play will find plenty to interest them. However, even lopped limbs, crushed skulls and spilled guts can get repetitive in the end. I'm afraid I lost sympathy with it after the umpteenth disembowelling and skip-read the last third.
11/28/2010
I couldn't put this book down. The characters had depth and were not unbelievably perfect and heroic. The story twisted and turned with just enough detail to draw you into the planet and it's cultures, but kept the focus on the action. I really hope to find more books from Mr Shea to continue the saga.
09/28/2010
This is one duuumb, rusty clunker of a story, just jouncing along over unbearably vast plot-holes. And then Author tries to shock-and-awe you out of noticing the story’s gaping flaws. Author pulls the gore card every time, but he’s just no good at it. My verdict: a waste of time and effort and synaptic motion. Yet, to be fair, I did check if there was a sequel...
09/16/2010
Essentially a re-telling of "The Seven Samurai", this is a good page-tuner. I'm glad to see the writer has several other books released, seemingly all in the same universe, so I'll be sure to look into those as well.
05/24/2009