The First Confessor (The Legend of Magda Searus, #1) by Terry Goodkind

Jul 13, 2012 Terry Goodkind rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

The first chapter of the book is now online:
http://www.terrygoodkind.com/theoracl...

I've had more fun writing this novel than any other title. It's a story that predates the entire SWORD OF TRUTH series and within it is the origins of key characters and the weapons they will become (or wield). These are foundational aspects of the books that I have wanted to share for a very long time. Readers already familiar with the SWORD OF TRUTH are going to love this novel. It will fundamentally shift your...more The first chapter of the book is now online:
http://www.terrygoodkind.com/theoracl...

I've had more fun writing this novel than any other title. It's a story that predates the entire SWORD OF TRUTH series and within it is the origins of key characters and the weapons they will become (or wield). These are foundational aspects of the books that I have wanted to share for a very long time. Readers already familiar with the SWORD OF TRUTH are going to love this novel. It will fundamentally shift your perspective and leave you in awe of the sacrifices made, long before Richard was conceived. The first Mother Confessor, the Great War, and much more. New readers are luckiest of all. They will experience the books in a completely unique way, beginning with Magda and following her impact through to the end of CONFESSOR.

The book is 103 chapters at length and approximately 35% longer than THE OMEN MACHINE. It is an Author self-publishing release -- something you can read more about in our 'Ebook Guide & FAQ' posted here:
http://www.terrygoodkind.com/theoracl...

Self-publishing is a brave new world for us. I have spent the last year working on this title, crafting the story, conceiving of a path to introducing it, and finally developing assets like the cover artwork, and the Limited Collector's Edition packaging. We did all of this without the support of a publisher's advance and without the opportunity of having a printed hardcover on store shelves. We then have to convince more than half of my potential readers to try an ebook (many for the first time) and surpass the technical hurdles of a world-wide, simultaneous release. It's a daunting thing to be one of the first major Authors to stake out along this path and we are grateful for your support, your enthusiasm, your encouragement, and ultimately your faith in what we have done.

Rest assured, we will not let you down. Magda's story is legendary and I am glad to have the opportunity to share it with you.

Thank you for reading.(less)

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Jul 19, 2012 Richard Stickels rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a story that captivated me from the start and one I so wanted to be told, it did not disappoint in the least. From the Start, Magda Searus held my attention. If you recall Sprite, I believe Magda was the true embodiment of it. The things she goes through and her perseverance on her way to becoming the first confessor was astounding.
For those who have not read the Sword of Truth series, this is a good place to start as it will give you some insights into what ‘may’ come. As for those wh...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Mermarie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sot, terry-goodkind, medieval-fantasy, kindle-or-ebook

* Finally finished this review!

"I have heard it told," the old woman confided, "that there be those walking among us who can do more than merely speak with the dead."

If you would like to participate in a The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus discussion please join the group here.

About the graphic: I doodled a First Confessor banner Photoshop CS2, before ever finishing the book, or realizing Magda was the protector of the Grace. Isn't that creepers? Go here to view it.

The First Confess ...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Austin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: epic, fantasy

Wow, really good. I like the way this story progressed. From Magda being a widow stricken with sorrow, to becoming the Confessor. All the characters that were involved (Magda, Isidore, Merritt, Naja, Quinn, Sadler, Lothian and others) became more important to the book as it progressed. Each character held an important place in this book. There were no problems with this story.

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Jul 14, 2012 Jasmine Me rated it 2 of 5 stars

can't wait for it to come out, can't wait to read it

+++update+++

(view spoiler)

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Jul 14, 2012 Rich Zowaski rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-books

Terry outshines his own work once again! Readers will love seeing the origin of The Confessors and hearing the action-packed tale of Magda Searus. :D

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Jul 26, 2012 Veronica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, owned-books

Here's the deal, this was my least favorite Terry Goodkind novel. I have to believe that my feelings were in part because Mr. Goodkind decided not to offer the book as a physical book to most of the general public. He decided to self-publish this novel which meant offering it as an e-book and having 300 collector's editions available as part of a $300 set. Guess what, your readers are not rich. Watching the comments on the fan page on facebook and twitter, it is easy to see that many of us weren...more Here's the deal, this was my least favorite Terry Goodkind novel. I have to believe that my feelings were in part because Mr. Goodkind decided not to offer the book as a physical book to most of the general public. He decided to self-publish this novel which meant offering it as an e-book and having 300 collector's editions available as part of a $300 set. Guess what, your readers are not rich. Watching the comments on the fan page on facebook and twitter, it is easy to see that many of us weren't happy with the options presented. $300 may not seem like a lot, but if the only thing you were interested in from that set was one book, would you really want to pay all that money for it? I hope more authors don't go this way. It is one thing if you consistently publish your books as e-books. It is entirely different to have published all of your books in physical format then take away that option from your readers without considering the difficulties. Many of Mr. Goodkind's readers commented that they dislike e-readers or don't own one so they feel punished. I have a Nook Tablet, but that doesn't mean I want to buy this book as an e-book. I have all of his other books in physical format and would have liked to add it to my collection. Don't try to say that this way of publishing makes it easier for readers if you never consulted your readers, that's just ridiculous.

On to the review of the book. This really was not as well written as the Sword of Truth series. I'm used to the long explanations and things having a round about way of working the way Goodkind wants them to. However, this book just didn't have "it," whatever that is. I just didn't feel connected to it at all. Having read the series, I knew the short version of what had happened so I had an idea of the ending. I don't think that took away from the book at all, but I just didn't think it was an important story to be told.

Magda Searus is an extremely strong female character. She lets no one get in her way of finding the truth. I found her to be very similar to Kahlan. The only complaint I had for Magda was her continual reference to being a nobody and the number of times people had to reassure her that she is a somebody. After the second or third time, it got to be quite old.

In all, I was happy to finish the book mostly to just be done with it. I never had the excitement while reading it that I had while reading the Sword of Truth series.(less)

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Dec 30, 2012 Eric Allen rated it 3 of 5 stars

The First Confessor
The Legend of Magda Searus

By Terry Goodkind

A Review by Eric Allen

Over the last few years Terry Goodkind has been having... let's call them "issues" with his publishers/editors. There have been quite a few rumors of vicious fighting between them over his work, and he has been publicly whining about editorial influence like a spoiled brat for quite some time now. His last two books, The Law of Nines and The Omen Machine, were not well received by fans and critics alike, likely...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Carolyn-anne Templeton rated it 2 of 5 stars

It may be my unfamiliarity with Terry Goodkind's offerings that prompts this review. I've read the first three novels of the Sword of Truth series, but Goodkind's writing, specifically his dialogue, struck me as pedantic and unbelievable, even though the setting was interesting, so I stopped reading.

I heard about this book on the Sword & Laser podcast recently, so I decided to give it a look. I admire Goodkind's interest in self-publishing/distribution. I thought it was a step in the right d...more It may be my unfamiliarity with Terry Goodkind's offerings that prompts this review. I've read the first three novels of the Sword of Truth series, but Goodkind's writing, specifically his dialogue, struck me as pedantic and unbelievable, even though the setting was interesting, so I stopped reading.

I heard about this book on the Sword & Laser podcast recently, so I decided to give it a look. I admire Goodkind's interest in self-publishing/distribution. I thought it was a step in the right direction. I detest his response to the piracy of his ebook... It's one thing to ask your readers to consider the odds you're going up against. It's quite another to throw out a single individual as the representative of all piracy to your adoring fan-base. I've heard the argument that he's just 'defending his property.' Had he dealt with the matter by contacting the individual himself, or dealing with the matter legally, I'd agree. Instead, he sicced his pack of hounds after a lone fox while he sat back and took righteous pride in ferreting out the 'traitor' the the ideal of his book. Oh look, you can write a facebook post that ruins someone's life for a relatively small transgression... You must feel so proud.

That being said, I was drawn in to the first chapter of the book from the sample, so I bought it from Amazon (legally, mind you). The story started off well - the world and background were very interesting. I was curious to find out why the First Wizard had committed suicide. I was interested to learn how the magic then had led to the magic of his latter books. But as I read on, I realized that background was ALL the book was about. It's like a Silmarillion for a far less interesting world. At least Tolkein's work was formatted as a historical novel. No such concessions were made for The First Confessor. It tempts you with a semblance of a plot... Then it bores you with pages upon pages of exposition disguised as dialogue. For instance, when Magda went down to meet with the spiritist. Theoretically, Magda was in a hurry because, you know, bad things were happening and time is short. But rather than getting things done, she instead chooses to sit there an listen to the crazy lady ramble on forever without ever asking questions or interjections of any sort.

And then the haphazard romance with Merritt: Gag me. My synopsis: Hmm, you're hot, I'm hot and I'm now conveniently single. Oh no, I'm feeling a small itty bitty teensy bit of remorse. Oh wait, I don't actually care. Let's make babies.

It annoyed me even more because it lured me in. Don't buy it! It's a trap!
(less)

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Jul 06, 2012 Sandra rated it 5 of 5 stars

July 2nd: Still trying to find this at B & N!
Yaay, just dl'd the book!

Another mesmerizing tale from Terry Goodkind and the first book read on Cleo, my new GlowNook! Yes, it's worth purchasing an e-reader just to read this book! Besides, if you experience joy from reading, any reader is a great investment.

If you've already finished this book (as of July 6th), you've already read the series and I recommend doing that first if you happen to be new to the story since the gradual unfolding of th...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Michael S. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-fiction, e-books

Ok, first the good:

It was great to re-enter this world for a while. Sort of like running into an old friend you haven't seen in years. It recalled a lot of great memories from Richard and Kahlan's world and their epic story.

I liked the character of Magda even though she was pretty much a carbon copy of Kahlan. (beautiful, strong-willed, brave)

It was really cool to see how confessors first began and to meet early war wizards and "makers."

Now the negatives:

Terry, stop preaching the same serm...more Ok, first the good:

It was great to re-enter this world for a while. Sort of like running into an old friend you haven't seen in years. It recalled a lot of great memories from Richard and Kahlan's world and their epic story.

I liked the character of Magda even though she was pretty much a carbon copy of Kahlan. (beautiful, strong-willed, brave)

It was really cool to see how confessors first began and to meet early war wizards and "makers."

Now the negatives:

Terry, stop preaching the same sermon! We know that life is valuable and worth fighting for. We know that truth is vitally important and everyone should have the courage to rise up and live their own life. We get it!! We got the message way back around book 3, I think. Then you pounded us over the head with it for several more books. We got it! You can stop now.
Terry, were you wrongfully imprisoned as a youth or something? It's ok; we understand dwelling on the importance of life, freedom, blah,blah, blah for a few books, but move on!

Second negative: The whole book takes place either inside the Keep or in the immediate vicinity. That's right---with all the cool settings used in The Sword of Truth series; in this book you get the one building and that's it.

Third negative: predictability. It was highly obvious who the bad guy was long before the reveal.
Also somethings didn't really fit. Like Magda jumping right into a new relationship so soon after the suicide of her beloved husband. Not saying it was wrong--just didn't feel realistic.

Terry, I love your work and I'll probably read the next one, but please give us something more like the first 3 books. The heroic quests, the epic love story, the interesting villain (Darken Rahl), the vivid descriptions of awesome landscapes, loveable characters like Chase (right name??)Give us more of that instead of page after page of pedantic dialogue describing minuscule details of additive and subtractive magic... or 12 chapters of "Your life is yours to live; so rise up and live it, etc, etc."

Despite all this...if you liked Richard and Kahlan's story in The Sword of Truth, this book is certainly worth reading. Just be prepared to do a little skimming like I did.

P.S. Haven't read The Omen Machine yet; maybe that's more of what I'm looking for but based on other reviews I'm not sure if I should. (less)

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Jul 12, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own, kobo, favorites

I loved this book. I loved learning all about Magda and Merritt and how the Confessors came to be.

Though for those just coming to the SoT series, I am a firm "read in publication order" type of person so I would recommend starting with Wizard's First Rule and moving through the whole series before reading this book. I think it really helps get the best perspective on the story as a whole.

Overall this book answers a lot of questions, but does it in such a way that you feel good about it for now...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Krista rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

It was a nice glimpse into what I only read bits and pieces of in the Sword of Truth series. I missed Richard and Kahlan, but I came to care about the characters in this novel as well! Overall, a very good book.

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May 03, 2013 Robin A. Burrows rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read2013

This book is the story of the origins of first confessor in the Sword of Truth mythos.

I really liked the story in this book, but the technique lacked the polished quality of The Sword of Truth.

Magna Searus was a strong, vivid character. I felt myself wanting to fight for her right along side her. Her interactions with Merritt were also quite enjoyable to read. I loved hearing the story of the first confessor. I found myself emotionally connected to her story.

But...I listened to the audio book, a...more This book is the story of the origins of first confessor in the Sword of Truth mythos.

I really liked the story in this book, but the technique lacked the polished quality of The Sword of Truth.

Magna Searus was a strong, vivid character. I felt myself wanting to fight for her right along side her. Her interactions with Merritt were also quite enjoyable to read. I loved hearing the story of the first confessor. I found myself emotionally connected to her story.

But...I listened to the audio book, and the repetitiveness of some of the passages was especially evident. More than once, a line or part of a line repeated within a sentence or two of when it was first spoken, and at first I thought my audio was glitching. I am accustomed to the long explanations for things in the Sword of Truth series, but I think some scenes could have been shortened by saying Person A told Person B everything they had learned instead of letting the reader hear it word for word 3 times.

Also, there was a lot of telling instead of showing. I would have preferred to read about Isadora's experiences as they were happening instead of listening to them (several hours of audio book time) as Isadora told Magna her story. The conversation was mostly one-sided since Isadora was telling Magna. It really slowed down the pace of the story. It wouldn't have been so long, had Isadora not told everything in such detail.

And that's not the only time it happened. I don't think I've ever read a book where the characters spend so much time standing around telling each other what just happened. IN one instance 3 character stand around in a library (nearby a dangerous area) and tell their story instead of going somewhere safe before telling it. While there was a purpose to the information shared with the reader in the "telling" scenes, it would have been more engaging if it wasn't a block of text that stops the action to tell something important.

Also, it took maybe 30 minutes, audio book time, for Magna to walk down the passages of the keep to the catacomb - describing everything along the way. There was a point when Magna arrived at the catacombs that sounded like a more natural beginning to that scene.

The climax flowed really well. I loved it. All of the telling was put aside for a tight series of confrontations. It really made the rest of the book worth the read for fans of the series.

Then the end wanders a little as it wraps up everything else. Overall, I really liked the plot. There are some deep ideas woven into the heart of the story like the other Sword books. I feel bad only giving the book 3 stars, but it felt like the book could have been tightened up a bit to make for a more engaging story.

(less)

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Mar 24, 2013 Shannon Jubinville rated it 5 of 5 stars

First of all, i want to mention that I have been against ebooks from the start. My desire to read this book, however, caused me to cave in and finally buy one, as, to my disappointment, I learned that it would not be released in hard copy. Although I had such strong feelings about not buying an ebook reader at first, I must admit that I am glad I did. So for any of you still not willing to make this purchase, I highly recommend it.
Part of what really convinced me, though, even after the purchase...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Dawn Peers rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-reviewed

"A singularly bold move for a brave story"

And one that has paid off.

May I point out at the start of this review, that if you haven't read any of the Sword of Truth novels, then you must start here. This is a prequel to the Richard and Kahlan novels, and Goodkind himself has advised that if you are new to the series, then you should read "The First Confessor" well, first.

This aside, it is almost a given that the majority of the first readers of this eBook offering will be Goodkind's loyal legions...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Toby rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Toby by: Eric Allen

This is likely to be the last Terry Goodkind book I try to read. Eric Allen's review really hit the nail on the head with regard to the problems in this book. Terry Goodkind's bad habits of repetition and long humanist rants really just took over this book. He desperately needs a REALLY ruthless and devoted editor that he gives complete authority to and whose choices he completely accepts.

To be clear - I enjoy his plots, I like his characters, I think the world he describes sounds really cool an...more This is likely to be the last Terry Goodkind book I try to read. Eric Allen's review really hit the nail on the head with regard to the problems in this book. Terry Goodkind's bad habits of repetition and long humanist rants really just took over this book. He desperately needs a REALLY ruthless and devoted editor that he gives complete authority to and whose choices he completely accepts.

To be clear - I enjoy his plots, I like his characters, I think the world he describes sounds really cool and he describes it in enough detail that I really feel like I have a sense of it. He just makes it so hard to get to those parts.

The first problem is that his repetitiveness has only increased. Early in his series it was just "that Richard was a War Wizard. That meant that he had both sides of magic instead of just one" and similar explanations of Kahlan and everything else. My wife and I would generally try to excuse this by assuming that he's struggling with the problem of how to carry along readers who are new to the series and isn't very good at solving it. But in this book the repetition is at every level, paragraph, sentence, word.... Magda manages to mention that Baracus was a Maker something like 6 times in a single conversation with the same person.

The second problem is I suspect he thinks his audience reads his books _for_ the endless heavy handed Randian humanist rants, instead of _in spite of them_. Terry, we get that you think Ayn Rand is awesome and believe in enlightened self-interest but when you get to the point where an entire book turns on the process of convincing a group of "people who will not see evil" that humanism is the way, it's gone too far. (Pillars of the Fallen, not The First Confessor but the issue stands). You are welcome to your views and as the author you can write anything you want but if someone started speaking the way you have many of your characters speak, I'd laugh in their face and walk away no matter the topic.

I've always managed to make it through his books by simply pretending I have ADD and skipping over every paragraph that sounds like one I've already read. Most of the time, there's still enough content to maintain continuity, not really the case this time. The result was something that seemed to have been written by a college student. It felt... amateurish.

I'd love to keep reading in this world but until I hear that he's surrendered himself to an editor I think I'm done.(less)

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Feb 06, 2013 Nicole rated it 3 of 5 stars

(This review may have spoilers for those wanting to read the series but haven't so proceed with caution.)

Having read almost all (just missing the last book) of the Sword of Truth series, I was a little apprehensive that this book would be like those: lovers, tasting only a moment of happiness before being whisked away to separate parts of the world, fighting for what's right & to hopefully, one day, see each other again 12 books later. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that this was not the...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Possible spoiler-ness, be warned! I completely loved this book! I wanted the Nook specifically for this book and received both as gifts; I got a gift card as well. I know there are some reviews that say this book is a lot of talk and not so much action. Although there is a few scenes of actual action, fighting and such, I feel there is much more action in the story sense. We find out so much back story that is talked about whenever Richard comes into his gift in the Sword of Truth series. Everyt...more

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Dec 20, 2012 Leisuresuitlarry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 110-in-2012

Overall I really liked this book even though it has a lot of the same weaknesses as any of Terry's other books. He's got a point of view and there's no subtlety about the way he hammers it in. If someone were to do a word cloud on everything in this book "live", "life", "living", and other similar words would be giant and everything else would be tiny. Not a bad philosophy, but I did get tired of having that point beaten in over and over.

One other very weird complaint... The chaptering in this...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Belle Ikaria rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I just want to start off with saying that I LOVED SoT series. I really loved the first 7 books...YES, that means I really did love Pillars of Creation. (that is another discussion in itself.)

Ok, on to the book review for The First Confessor. As I was reading halfway through the book, I kept wondering to myself, WHEN is the character going to get out of the keep and DO something. It wasn't until the very end of the book that she actually swings a sword and that's about as much action you get out...more I just want to start off with saying that I LOVED SoT series. I really loved the first 7 books...YES, that means I really did love Pillars of Creation. (that is another discussion in itself.)

Ok, on to the book review for The First Confessor. As I was reading halfway through the book, I kept wondering to myself, WHEN is the character going to get out of the keep and DO something. It wasn't until the very end of the book that she actually swings a sword and that's about as much action you get out of this book besides her running through a maze as a dead corpse chases her. I got so bored of her hanging out at the keep for almost the entire book I couldn't understand why Terry couldn't have part of her quest go outside the keep? (Merritt's house down in the city doesn't count.)

95% of the book is conversations. I know Terry has a tendency to write a lot of dialog in which I don't mind, but give me some action to balance it out! I didn't think he was as preachy as the Omen Machine or compared to the end of the SoT series, so I was somewhat ok with it. I don't mind his points on anti-collectivism but it can get long-winded.

Another thing that bothered me is that it felt like it was written for a junior audience. There were no surprises in the plot, the characters were REALLY flat (basically a bad copy of the SoT characters) and there was no struggle between the characters emotions. And, where is the sexual smut that usually ends up in his books? I'm not saying that it wasn't a bad thing to omit sexual content, but at least give us some sort of sexual/emotion struggle that Merritt wants Magda or vise-versa. Look at an example of Richard and Kahlan wanting each other so badly in the Wizards First Rule. Terry showed the struggle between those two character very well and it made the reader want the characters to overcome their struggle. With Magda and Merritt, I was feeling very empty. I'm not even saying the characters have to get dirty, but show SOME sort of emotion between the two. I also kept expecting Prosecutor Lothain to rape Madga or try to get frisky with her when she was alone with him, but it never happened. I kept thinking...Terry had a perfect opportunity to go into his norm sexual/torture scenes he likes writing when talking about Lothain. He just seemed more of a douche bag than an actual evil villian.

I think that the story would've helped with different point of views to progress the story better which it would help give opportunities for emotions all the characters and action sequences. (example, Merritt's struggle with the guard at his house.) Terry has done this before with his SoT books (PoV with Richard, Kahlan, Ann, Zedd, Chase....) it just got too boring with Magda being the only PoV. YES, I know the story is about Magda, but if you show multiple points of view it can still progress Magda's story.

At this point, after reading The First Confessor and the Omen Machine, I'm giving up with Terry's books. I'm sad to say it but I'm tired of talking heads with flat personalities, no emotions or zero action. I will always love Terry's earlier books and will re-read them, but I just can't go on with the new books any longer. (less)

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Nov 24, 2012 Stephanie Cutler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

The story Goodkind has longed to tell has finally made it's way to Sword of Truth fans everywhere. From her humble beginning to her legendary acts of bravery, Magda time and time again proves that fate has little power over those who choose to make their own destiny. The newest installment in the Goodkind world illustrates the deep, innate beliefs that no man (or woman) is too small to accomplish things larger than themselves, and that bravery can be anything from an act of kindness, a cool hea...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Jon Bitter rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of the original Sword of Truth series

Meh

I remember liking the Sword of Truth Series a lot, but this isn't up to par with what I remember. It's definitely worth reading if your are a fan of SoT, but for me it had been a while and many of the connections were hazy.

That doesn't mean that you would feel lost at all if you started with this book, I just think that much of the enjoyment that could come from this book would be a result of understanding the phenomena from the original series. As a whole, the book is interesting, but I had...more

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Nov 09, 2012 Marcus Lzuru rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome.

Most don't seem to take into consideration that this is BEFORE the TRUTH series, and thus fundamentally altering the message would not have been conducive to the already published theme. It’s like people are asking for another Star Wars episode – where the technology and graphics of the prequel trump the primary trilogy. It’s ridiculous.

So taking into consideration the psychological and sociological limitations within the confines of the pre-established world (hinted to many times in the...more Awesome.

Most don't seem to take into consideration that this is BEFORE the TRUTH series, and thus fundamentally altering the message would not have been conducive to the already published theme. It’s like people are asking for another Star Wars episode – where the technology and graphics of the prequel trump the primary trilogy. It’s ridiculous.

So taking into consideration the psychological and sociological limitations within the confines of the pre-established world (hinted to many times in the previous er, later novels) I believe the work was powerful and well-delivered. The work itself was up to his normal high standard, and I will rate it so!

I’ve seen reviews that hitch their opinions on the fact that it’s a self-published e-book and that the paperback is an expensive edition. I feel ashamed that they base their judgments on that shallow fact alone. Self-publishing is a good direction, especially in an already established position, and risking the direction is worthy of applause. There are not many risk-takers in the world, but of the few that exist – they’re the ones who change the game, set the tempo, and layout the paradigm to which we inevitably become comfortable. Perhaps we become too comfortable of the framework in which we were raised.

It’s obvious that the emotions involved over the displeasure of its format directly affect their “feelings” on the book itself. I cannot grasp why one cannot differentiate between the emotional and reasonable cognition involved. We are all fans and readers of some sort, if you’re bothering with this review, and as such it should be approached in that manner. Different is what defines most artists, in their own peculiar way, and yet when the path that is ventured upon is too far from the main-stream perspective it is shunned. Does this not strike the reader as contrary? Human nature is very peculiar – perhaps a better way to observe it: Humanity thrives in contradiction.

I will admit that I was not happy about the pirating response, but that’s business and understandable. Putting myself in that position it would feel like theft, and most people do not read and then pay for the book if they like it – especially if it’s only in e-book format. They’d just keep what they download and go on with their day-to-day activities, not realizing that they’re losing the author money he earned through hours of link-diagrams, plot development, and editor harassment. I also understand the reverse logic – the free internet – the risk of digital formats. The current war waging between individual liberty and the encroachment of big government – it wages on all fronts between all lines, both white and black – the gray area is a dangerous place to venture. It seems that self-publishers will be shown no ounce of mercy, but can that be used to their advantage? I believe so.

My observation of the story that seemed off-key would involve the response to the dream walkers – it doesn’t seem to line up with the main series’ explanation. Hypothetically I understand where this could be going, perhaps a twist on history and long lost tomes – or it’s an abstract to serve the impulses of the author. Some seem to consider it a mistake, but it seems more calculated than mistake – so I’ll consider the weaving not yet completed.

Actually, if I could even make a request in such a review, what I would like to see is a parallel story – to give even greater depth to the existing SOT series. In this case I’m referring to a side-by-side such as Orson Scott Card’s Enders Game and Enders Shadow. Both reflect the same exact story from two different perspectives; however together they enrich the story by a hundred fold. Tendrils of depth reach out where they never existed before. The idea was rather fascinating – although I understand that it’s a difficult feat to conquer. In this series I couldn't even fathom how to pull it off.

Either way, if you’re not so focused on format and pirating issues – this is a good read. Give it your attention and pay attention to detail. That is where the story lies, in the subtleties of the future.
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Aug 20, 2012 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is brilliant. Ive been a fan of Terry's for years. And I love how this book is put together.

I initally thought that certain events in this book spoil some of the payoffs in the main series and a reader should read it after they complete the series. The author has suggested otherwise. I can see some reason for this because it will take the focus off of some events in the story that may have tripped those who have read the series first. I think the book is a masterful combination or preq...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Ciara Ballintyne rated it 3 of 5 stars

In this self-published ebook, Terry Goodkind returns us to the New World, land of Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell, but many centuries in the past – in the time of the first war with the Old World, a time glimpsed in the journals of Kolo, found dead guarding the sliph, and painstakingly translated from High D’haran by Richard and Berdine; a time of the creation of monsters of men, when sliphs, and dream walkers and Confessors were newly birthed.
The protagonist is Magda Searus, and the book is alm...more In this self-published ebook, Terry Goodkind returns us to the New World, land of Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell, but many centuries in the past – in the time of the first war with the Old World, a time glimpsed in the journals of Kolo, found dead guarding the sliph, and painstakingly translated from High D’haran by Richard and Berdine; a time of the creation of monsters of men, when sliphs, and dream walkers and Confessors were newly birthed.
The protagonist is Magda Searus, and the book is almost entirely set in the Wizard’s Keep in Aydindril, with a few scenes taking place in the city or just outside the city. If you’ve read all the other books, you already know she is the first Confessor, so there’s hardly any suspense in it (as if the title hadn’t already given it away). Lack of suspense is a common problem in a prequel where enough of the story is known to the reader it becomes difficult to create hooks to keep teasing the reader along. In this case, I think the book has sufficient hooks, although I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a compelling page-turner.
Although we know the general outcome of this part of history (Magda Searus becomes the first Confessor), we don’t know the details, as the information known to us from Kolo’s journal is often vague on some points. So the book contains some suspense in the sense that we know Magda must be transformed, but we don’t know how, or what might happen to her along the way. And in fact, one of the key plot points is that Magda is vehemently opposed to the transformation of people into something other than they were born by use of magic, and we travel with her for the evolution of her understanding.
There are a few other key characters – Prosecutor Lothain, who we already know from the Sword of Truth series is a terrible bad guy, although the reason why (to gain access to the Temple of the Winds, he must walk the Path of the Betrayer, thus betraying his loyalty to the New World) isn’t touched on in this book, and remains something we only know from The Temple of the Winds. Possibly this is because the only person who knows these details at this particular point in time is Baraccus, First Wizard – and newly dead.
The other key character is Merritt, whose name I instantly recognised, but couldn’t immediately place, although eventually I remembered he was the first Confessor’s wizard. Lothain is suitably detestable, and Merritt perhaps the most likeable of all the characters, although he arguably channels too much ‘Richard’.
I won’t say I didn’t enjoy the book, because I did, but there were definite points that bogged the story down, sections I skipped or skimmed, and that’s not really like me at all. Magda consults with a spiritist, a sorceress connected with spirits, and the spiritist recounts her story to Magda – in laborious detail that spans multiple chapters of not much besides dialogue. While it turns out the tale was critically important, I didn’t know that while reading it, and found it tedious to endure. I’m sure there would have been a more effective way to tell the story – perhaps even using the spiritist as a viewpoint character to tell parts of the tale as it happened.
Goodkind is also known for being ‘preachy’. This has never overly bothered me, but in this book (and also the Omen Machine) I felt it became a bit laboured. We’ve heard it before. We know all the principles Goodkind espouses. I’m beginning to feel a bit beaten over the head by them. Granted, they may remain relevant to the story; so touch on them, and move on. Instead, I got pages of pages of characters spouting their ‘beliefs’ in a way that really began to feel like the author is just using the characters as his mouthpiece. I. Get. It. I’m not that stupid. Now can we please move on to something more interesting?
If anything, I would say The First Confessor is even worse in this sense than The Omen Machine. Perhaps this is because it is self-published – while Goodkind’s editor clearly didn’t do a fantastic job of reining in the author’s impulses in The Omen Machine, The First Confessor may be an example of what we get when there is no one reining them in at all!
Other issues were more minor nitpicks. The response to Alric Rahl’s solution of the devotion to protect against the dream walkers wasn’t entirely what I’d understood it to be from previous Sword of Truth books, but this can arguably be explained away by saying the histories weren’t clear. Also, a bunch of mysterious murders take place in the Keep, and I feel the potential for conflict and suspense inherent in these murders was not utilised to its full capacity.
The story winds up by explaining some of the mysteries we were aware of from Richard’s studies into the histories and Kolo’s journals, and to this extent I was satisfied. I am a little unclear on the treatment of the Sword of Truth, as it doesn’t match my recollection of the nature of the Sword in the Sword of Truth series, but possibly that is my faulty memory. I would need to re-read the series again to double-check, I think.
Worth a read, but hardly Goodkind’s finest example. Still miles better than Soul of the Fire and The Pillars of Creation, the Sword of Truth books I personally detest.
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Aug 08, 2012 Brandon Zarzyczny rated it 5 of 5 stars

I must say that I absolutely loved this book, and it's probably my favorite prequel I've ever experienced in any format. I had been pretty disappointed with The Omen Machine, but after reading The First Confessor I know that Goodkind definitely still has it in him to write an amazing story. Any fan of the Sword of Truth series should buy this book, as it includes a lot of very interesting details to an important time in the history of the SoT world. Specifically, it occurs around 1000 years befo...more I must say that I absolutely loved this book, and it's probably my favorite prequel I've ever experienced in any format. I had been pretty disappointed with The Omen Machine, but after reading The First Confessor I know that Goodkind definitely still has it in him to write an amazing story. Any fan of the Sword of Truth series should buy this book, as it includes a lot of very interesting details to an important time in the history of the SoT world. Specifically, it occurs around 1000 years before Wizards First Rule when the New World is in the middle of a horrific battle with the Old World. For many readers, there will be a lot of cool moments where you see how important events unfolded and magical items are created. A reader new to Goodkind's books would definitely be able to start with this book, but I would warn that parts of the book may be very confusing. To keep the pace moving in this book there aren't too many moments of World Building, and a lot of the previously established facets of the World aren't explained again for new readers.

In this book, Magda and Merritt are great mirrors for Richard and Kahlan, but they are different characters, not copies. The whole book takes place in a first-person viewpoint of Magda, which is a bit of a departure compared to his other books. Because of this, you get a great view into the character of Magda, but you still don't learn too much about her past. [Slight Spoilers] You really don't learn about the past lives of any of the characters except for one, where her past is delved into for multiple chapters, and then right after you really grow to like the character she's killed off. I understand why this happened, as she was really just used as a plot device to move the story along and provide insight to the beginning of the war, and that the death is very visceral along with the fact that if her character lived it would have complicated things, but it still sucked. I also found the main villain in this book to be a little lacking, right from the first meeting Goodkind designed the character to be absolutely hated by the reader, and we never really learn his motivation other than the generic goal of the New World to destroy magic. However, I really enjoyed the story, and especially the end of this book. It's also interesting to see that this isn't a one-off prequel story, there's still a lot to tell in this timeline, and I really want more of Magda and Merrit, perhaps more than I want of Richard and Kahlan (as I really see their story as being over with Confessor). From the author's AMA, the sequel to Magda's story is his next work after The Omen Machine 2, so we may see it either in late 2013 or early-ish 2014. I hate waiting. :/ [/spoiler]

The only other issue with this book is that there were over a hundred mini-chapters. This isn't a big deal for most people, as it just results in a page-turn/button-push, but for me personally I use normal chapter breaks as a reminder to stop reading and savor the great story a little longer. For example, in The First Confessor there are multiple chapter breaks that occur in the middle of conversations or large dramatic scenes. When I see these, part of my brain tells me that I should stop reading, but then another part of me yells "YOU HAVE TO KEEP READING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!" resulting in me reading chapter after chapter until the book is over. I hate when I read great books (like TFC) really quick, but more mediocre books take me forever to read. However, I asked a question about this in Goodkind's AMA, and he said this was actually a formatting decision he made because many people would be experiencing the book on tablets or phones, to have an almost condensed experience and to all moments in the book to settle.

Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to any fan of Goodkind, and perhaps an fan of great Fantasy novels. (less)

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Aug 03, 2012 Natt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Having read all of Terry's previous books I was looking forward to this book, a chance to delve deeper into the lore of the Sword of Truth series. However after only a few pages I was a little disappointed. For some reason it seems to me that Terry's writing style has changed slightly and I couldn't help but feel this book was written more for a younger reader. Silly little things like saying the same thing several times but in different ways all in the space of a few pages or getting too caught...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was really cool to see all the important figures and history from the Sword of Truth come to life. The story was simple, but quite good. It was a tad predictable, but since we get a general idea about events in this time period from the main series, that is to be expected. I did have a couple of problems with the story telling in this one though.

My main issue what that a good portion of the book was dialogue as exposition. Magda was trying to find out what was going on and for pages and pages...more

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Jul 11, 2012 lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to lisa by: Samuel Lane

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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topics	posts	views	last activity
Terry Goodkind's New Novel Coming Soon!	8	105	Jan 27, 2013 12:47pm
New to series	5	15	Dec 12, 2012 08:23am
The First Confessor: Chapter 48	2	11	Dec 03, 2012 07:22pm
Supplemental Content In August 2012?	3	50	Nov 28, 2012 06:11pm
Star Shift	3	34	Jul 17, 2012 09:03pm

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The First Confessor (The Legend of Magda Searus #1)

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