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33rd out of 65 books
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14 voters
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Debt of Bones (Sword of Truth 0)
A milestone of storytelling set in the world of The Sword of Truth, Debt of Bones is the storyof young Abby's struggle to win the aid of the wizard Zedd Zorander, the most important man alive.Abby is trapped, not only between both sides of the war, but in a mortal conflict between two powerful men. For Zedd, who commands power most men can only imagine, granting Abby's req...more
Mass Market Paperback, 160 pages
Published
November 1st 2004
by Tor Fantasy
(first published December 31st 2001)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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A prequel in the Sword of Truth fantasy adventure series that demonstrates Zedd's inherent goodness.
<h2>My Take</h2>
This story sets up the background for the boundaries, the boundary wardens, and how they came about. Although, Goodkind doesn't spend much time explaining the actual boundaries. You'll have to read the full-length stories for that!
Goodkind also does very well in providing an easily understood example of the need to sacrifice the few for the many...more
<h2>My Take</h2>
This story sets up the background for the boundaries, the boundary wardens, and how they came about. Although, Goodkind doesn't spend much time explaining the actual boundaries. You'll have to read the full-length stories for that!
Goodkind also does very well in providing an easily understood example of the need to sacrifice the few for the many...more
A nice addition to the Sword of Truth series that gives the reader a little window onto one of the more important events of the main series' back-story: the creation of the boundaries that divided Westland, D'Hara and the Midlands from each other. The story is short and sharp, especially when you compare it to Goodkind's other door-stopper novels, but despite that it offers a great deal. The level of detail added to Zedd's character is impressive, and we get to see in greater depth things that w...more
Steve Cran
added it
This prequel makes a nice little read and gives the reader a glimpse into the past. The background is set D'Hara invades the Midlands under the leadership of Panis Rahl. It is the final stages of the war and the forces of D'Hara have captured a small village. It is up to Abigail to venture to the wizard's keep and plead with First Wizard Zeddicus Zul Zorander. Abigail must wait in a long line to see the most important wizard of the Midlands. Of course not only does she want her village to be res...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Terry Goodkind is a superb author, and in my opinion, his "Sword of Truth" series is the best I have ever read. So good, in fact, that I have read the entire series three times in a row, back to back, non-stop. This series is *not* for children. The series covers many aspects of the dark side of humanity, in great detail, as the heroes try to overcome the evils in the world. Goodkind is not afraid to show his readers just what evil *really* is, that is, most often, people who perform...more
Please be forewarned that this is not a novel; it is a novella. You could most likely read the book in a day, more or less a few hours, if you had the mind to do it. Instead of buying the individual book, I would actually go for buying a compilation of science-fiction and fantasy short stories that has this story in it. An example is the Legends series. You get more bang for your buck.
Regardless, the story is focused around Zedd, our dear old grandfatherly wizard of Richard, well befor...more
Regardless, the story is focused around Zedd, our dear old grandfatherly wizard of Richard, well befor...more
This book illuminated a part of the story which, while playing an integral part in the events of the series, was always sort of off to the side, with no room for it to fit gracefully into the main novels. We were given little crumbs, and while a reader familiar with Goodkind's world knows more or less what's going to happen in this book, he does a good job with filling in the details to make, what amounts to a history, a new and surprising thing. While some may complain about the length of this ...more
Whenever I start a series, I make sure to read the very first and since this prequel is a short story, I'm impressed how focused it was and I found it difficult to rate it.
So here's Abby who waited in line to see the First Wizard, Zedd and asked for his help. Even after the rejection she persisted until she got what she wanted. The whole twist caught me unawares. I liked the unpredictability of the story and it had a simple plot.
There was violence and magic, exactly what I w...more
So here's Abby who waited in line to see the First Wizard, Zedd and asked for his help. Even after the rejection she persisted until she got what she wanted. The whole twist caught me unawares. I liked the unpredictability of the story and it had a simple plot.
There was violence and magic, exactly what I w...more
At only 192 pages this book is a quickie when compared to the 500-700 page novels of the Sword of Truth" series.
Goodkind, in Debt of Bones, spins a tale that is chuck full of adventure and includes details about the background of the war with the D’Harans, the Rahl dynasty, and the history of the land outside the Midlands where no magic is allowed.
Although brief in detail, Debt of Bones has all the requisites of a full length fantasy novel – good, evil, war, magic, ...more
Goodkind, in Debt of Bones, spins a tale that is chuck full of adventure and includes details about the background of the war with the D’Harans, the Rahl dynasty, and the history of the land outside the Midlands where no magic is allowed.
Although brief in detail, Debt of Bones has all the requisites of a full length fantasy novel – good, evil, war, magic, ...more
This is the first book I ever read from Terry Goodkind, so maybe my review is not fair in the sense that I should have begun with the first books he wrote. The beginning is very slow and the situation described at the beginning is resolved after reading two third of the book. Then, the actual action scene happen very fast and bring the book to closure. The story is still interesting, but I felt it had too many details where not necessary and not enough where I would have liked to read more. I kn...more
Ha oui j'oubliais ce petit livre :). C'est une petite nouvelle qui se passe plusieurs années avant l'histoire de Wizard first Rule. C'est l'histoire de Zedd quand il était jeune et puissant. Plein d'ambitions et au top de sa puissance. En fait c'est l'histoire de comment il a levé les Boundaries et quand il a lancer sa méga-balle de feu sur Pannis Rahl.
Une lecture légère et bonne en général. J'aurais préféré que cette nouvelle ait le même traitement que le reste de la série. J'...more
Une lecture légère et bonne en général. J'aurais préféré que cette nouvelle ait le même traitement que le reste de la série. J'...more
I've been watching Legend of the Seeker, and like the nerd I am, I am totally in love! (I consider sword fighting a turn-on, haha!)
Naturally, I had to put the books this series is based on, The Sword of Truth, on my reading list.
This is technically a prequel, but I enjoyed this backstory, makes for a fuller world I think, seeing some of Zedd's past, and how the wall of the Westland came to be.
I love Zedd as a character, and my honest opinion is that the TV series is wonde...more
Naturally, I had to put the books this series is based on, The Sword of Truth, on my reading list.
This is technically a prequel, but I enjoyed this backstory, makes for a fuller world I think, seeing some of Zedd's past, and how the wall of the Westland came to be.
I love Zedd as a character, and my honest opinion is that the TV series is wonde...more
I am of the opinion that once an author has a few best-sellers, the publishers let them publish "pet projects". These are typically bad ideas that never would ahve been published otherwise.
This is definitley a pet project - in contrast to Goodkinds other thousand-ish page books, this one comes in under 200... with illustrations. It's almost more of a short story. And that's fine.
The only thing that actually bothered me about this book was that it seems to cont...more
This is definitley a pet project - in contrast to Goodkinds other thousand-ish page books, this one comes in under 200... with illustrations. It's almost more of a short story. And that's fine.
The only thing that actually bothered me about this book was that it seems to cont...more
Yes, I did actually like a book by Goodkind.
Debt of Bones is a novella, one contained within Robert Silverberg's Legends collection, and it's about Zeddicus rather than Richard/Kahlan. For all the stick he gets, Goodkind did actually write a rather good story for Zedd, and it explains one of the plot points in the Sword of Truth series (Why there's barriers between the three... Uh... Thingies. I dunno, never read the series).
It's been a while since I read this, so I'm ju...more
Debt of Bones is a novella, one contained within Robert Silverberg's Legends collection, and it's about Zeddicus rather than Richard/Kahlan. For all the stick he gets, Goodkind did actually write a rather good story for Zedd, and it explains one of the plot points in the Sword of Truth series (Why there's barriers between the three... Uh... Thingies. I dunno, never read the series).
It's been a while since I read this, so I'm ju...more
Over years I've read all of the Sword Of Truth novels. The first was my favorite, then they slowly go downhill from there. Through the last 5 books he would literally take up half the book just recapping what's already happening - so annoying - but by that point I had to finish the series.
This particular book was a short story featuring a younger Zedd. I really enjoyed it but was disappointed that he didn't write a full length novel. It seemed like there was plenty of story to wo...more
This particular book was a short story featuring a younger Zedd. I really enjoyed it but was disappointed that he didn't write a full length novel. It seemed like there was plenty of story to wo...more
Very thin. I didn't feel well informed about any character (other than SoT knowledge of Zedd and his backstory). Even though I had that knowledge of how things worked, and some basic backstory of the history of the boundaries, it was just like a generalized sketch of a story. I would call it a short story if I actually thought there was any sort of character changes between the beginning and the end. No one really changed. Even the POV character didn't change enough to make the telling of t...more
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A very quick read, especially compared to all the Sword of Truth novels. It was interesting to see a young, over-confident Zedd and the creation of the boundaries. I did not, however, like the story of Abby, which felt a bit predictable to me. Also, I thought it seemed a bit contradictory in a few ways - for one, Zedd's daughter seems awfully young, yet we know that she was raped by Darken Rahl and conceived Richard.... so, that timeline doesn't seem to fit quite right. Overall, it was somewhat ...more
a young Zedd - but First Wizard, trying to lead the midlands to safety against D'Harans and Panis Rahl... they are losing agains Rahl's magic... Abby, thinking that Zedd owned a debt of bones to her because of a favor her mother (a sorceress) did for Zedd's father, she goes to him to require him to pay the debt and rescue her family from Rahl and his army, that overran her village, at a mountain crossing between the midlands and D'Hara...
Zedd's wife and daughter were taken by the D'H...more
Zedd's wife and daughter were taken by the D'H...more
This is the prequel novel to his Sword of Truth series. This book takes place before the boundaries go up and follows the story of Abby who believes that the First Wizard, Zedd owes her a debt. She travels to the Wizard's Keep to make good on that debt and finds herself in the middle of a raging war. Zedd is trying to save the Midlands from the tyranny of Panis Rahl and has had unspeakable tragedy fall on his family. Abby is trying to save her daughter and family who have been captured by Panis ...more
It's been awhile since I've posted up a review so I figure it's about time to put up something new... After years of having people suggest the following author to me, I decided to give his work a shot. I now have the full series of audiobooks and chose to start at the beginning... Wait, is it the beginning? I started with the prequel so I guess that is technically starting BEFORE the beginning...
Read the full review at Courtney's Reads & Reviews and enjoy!
This short novel is a prequel to Goodkind’s popular Sword of Truth series, wherein we find out how the boundaries were created. The story follows Abby, a young woman who pleads with the wizard Zedd to save her child. With Zedd’s own daughter also endangered, they embark upon a desperate plan to stop a war and save their loved ones. If you have finished all the other books in the series, pick up this one to plunge once more into the fantasy world Goodkind has created.
David Melbie
rated it
Recommends it for:
Start here, if you like, but then read "Wizard's First Rule!"
Recommended to David by:
Robert Silverberg
Originally published in 19998 in Legends. That series of books led me to a lot of my current favorite authors: Terry, Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, to name a few. . .
. . . the character Zedd the Wizard is given sharp focus here, and how the Boundaries were put in place. . .
A very riveting story, full of all the stuff that makes marvelous fantasy. --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.
. . . the character Zedd the Wizard is given sharp focus here, and how the Boundaries were put in place. . .
A very riveting story, full of all the stuff that makes marvelous fantasy. --From A Reader's Journal, by d r melbie.
This was the first Terry Goodkind novel I read. I've seen his books on the shelves for years, but have never picked them up.
What I liked about this one, is that you don't necessarily have to have read his other books. It is a prequel to his big fantasy series. I enjoyed it. It was a good introduction to his fantasy world and it peaked my interest enough to think about reading his other books.
What I liked about this one, is that you don't necessarily have to have read his other books. It is a prequel to his big fantasy series. I enjoyed it. It was a good introduction to his fantasy world and it peaked my interest enough to think about reading his other books.
Sarah Maddaford
rated it
I read this before Wizard's First Rule despite the publishing order because a friend told me that the books would make extra sense that way. It really did give hints and clues to things that occur later in the series without explicitly giving things away. I enjoyed the pacing of this prequel as well since it gave background to several important people and events without reading like a history book.
While prequels are nice, and this one was, I just can't enjoy a "Sword of Truth" book quite as much w/out Richard and Kahlan. I feel about this book the way I feel about Robert Jordan's "New Spring." It's great to have an origin story, but part of the allure in both series is imagining the hot, young blood questing about...and all the pent up romance. Very good read, especially if you love Zedd.
I've talked to several people who have read the series but for some reason bypassed this book. This book tells the story of Zedd as a young man testing his skills and wits against the evil D'haran empire and Panis Rahl. You also learn some back story on Richards mother. To me the timelines never quite lined up right with the rest of the Sword of Truth series, but still a very entertaining book.
Shymarshwiggle
rated it
Recommends it for:
those who have read the Sword of Truth series
Recommended to Shymarshwiggle by:
n/a
same repetitive style as the other Sword of Truth books, but it is really short so it actually felt like there was more content in this one than some of the others. It is a prequel, but best read after the series, in my opinion. It could also stand alone.
I did enjoy it and it was distracting enough for me to get through the day of flights and layovers I was enduring in the process.
I did enjoy it and it was distracting enough for me to get through the day of flights and layovers I was enduring in the process.
A wonderful Prologue to the Sword of Truth Series and it definitely fills in a lot of gaps in Zed's History. If you are hellbent on reading this before you finish the Sword of Truth series I highly recommend that you atleast read the first book, Wizards First Rule, before reading Debt of Bones. That way Debt of Bones does not ruin all of the surprises Wizards First Rule has to offer.
You know, I was actually kind of expecting more from this for some reason. It was an okay read, but I don't think it was something I necessarily needed in order to expand my knowledge of the Wizard's First Rule books. I don't think it particularly added anything further. I was really intrigued with the character of Abby and I especially loved young Zedd. Instead of being under 200 pages, this whole story could have been expanded and developed and I probably would have enjoyed it more.
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Terry Goodkind (born 1948) is a contemporary American writer and author of the best-selling epic fantasy series, The Sword of Truth, which according to his publisher TOR in an August 2006 press release has more than 10 million copies in print and has been translated into 20 different languages.
More about Terry Goodkind...
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