Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth, #1)

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Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth #1)

by Terry Goodkind (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 85,241 ratings · 3,386 reviews

The masterpiece that started The New York Times bestselling epic Sword of Truth

In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help . . . and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence.

In a dark age it takes courage to live...more

Paperback, 836 pages

Published April 14th 2003 by Tor Books (first published 1994)

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Sep 03, 2007 Keely rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, childhood, novel, reviewed, american

It is always curious to see fantasy authors who don't consider themselves to be fantasy authors. Case-in-point: Terry Goodkind. The former landscape painter has told us how he isn't a fantasy author in every interview he's ever given:

"The books I write are first of all novels, not fantasy, and that is deliberate; I'm really writing books about human beings."(1)

"To define me as a fantasy writer is to misunderstand the context of my books by misidentifying their fundamentals."(2)

"The stories I'm t...more

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Oct 08, 2011 John Wiswell rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Hardcore fantasy readers, preferably young ones who read fast

Wizard's First Rule is a good example of why people think all post-Tolkien Fantasy is trash. It bears one tenth of Tolkien's imagination, a smaller fraction of his brilliant study, and - oh look, swords! Cliche family drama, an angsty romance between tormented lovers, powerful characters who are so unjustly tortured - it's immature at best. At its best, it is a clunky and self-indulgently obtuse hero's journey. Then there's the hundred page BDSM tangent, where the hero goes through excruciating...more

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Jul 24, 2007 Icarus rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: speculative-fiction

Terry Goodkind is a grossly inept writer, with the writing ability of a somewhat intelligent seventh-grader, but he jumped into the wide-open fantasy field when there were hardly any good fantasy writers (a state that hasn't completely changed, btw) and he has the persistence to turn out 600 page novels, and so he got published and now he's grandfathered in, because some people don't have better taste than to buy his novels. Additionally, his early work is grotesquely derivative, mostly of Rober...more Terry Goodkind is a grossly inept writer, with the writing ability of a somewhat intelligent seventh-grader, but he jumped into the wide-open fantasy field when there were hardly any good fantasy writers (a state that hasn't completely changed, btw) and he has the persistence to turn out 600 page novels, and so he got published and now he's grandfathered in, because some people don't have better taste than to buy his novels. Additionally, his early work is grotesquely derivative, mostly of Robert Jordan as a matter of fact. It also includes all kinds of cliché fantasy tropes, which then never appear again in the series, as though dragons and gars just up and wandered off the planet at some point. His bad guys, particularly in this book, are such a mish-mash of evil that they became caricatures of evil, and are actually laughable. For instance, either Darken Rahl or his henchman, I don't remember which. These guys were not just evil and out to despoil everything in sight and out for total power and in cahoots with the evil underworld spirits, one of them was also a child-molester to boot. I'm sure Goodkind would have called him a Nazi, had the concept fit into his milieu. And finally, after about four novels or so, Goodkind sacrifices story-telling on the altar of making a political point, and since then every book has been a thinly veiled objectivist, anti-religious and anti-altruism rant. I don't care that he has a point of view, or that he occasionally slips it into his writing, but his evil characters have become now, not caricatures of evil, but mean-spirited caricatures of the philosophy he opposes. And so he has shown himself, through his writing, to be someone I would despise quite apart from it: someone who can't conceive that the people who see things differently are men and women of good will who have just come to separate conclusions. He tortures the crap out of his writing in order to make it serve his convoluted agenda.

Do yourself a favor and don't start this series. Especially if, like me, you have OCD tendencies and feel compelled to finish what you start.

And yes, I am jealous—-that a lousy writer like that can have 600-page volume after 600-page volume published, and I can't. Because, frankly, I think I'm better than he is.
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Feb 05, 2012 Seak (Bryce L.) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, 2012, fantasy, 650-800-pagers

Richard and Kahlen's Relationship Timeline:

Day One:
Richard: "Kahlen, now that we just met, we're the bestestest friends aren't we?"
Kahlen: "We sure are."

Day Two:
Richard: "Kahlen, we're the bestestest of friends and I would give my life for you even though we just met."
Kahlen: "Me too!"

Day Three:
Richard: "Kahlen, I love you more than life itself. What? It's only been three days? Well, that still seems sensible."
Kahlen: "My sentiments exactly!"

Days Four through 20:
Richard: "Love, love, love."
Kahle...more

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Jun 18, 2010 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Teens +

Shelves: fantasy

The sheer depth of Wizard's First Rule is simply amazing. His characters are unique and original, yet seem simple when you realize that they aren't perfect. Every chapter you read will cling you tighter to his series. Of course, many will dislike Terry Goodkind's works, either because he establishes dead on ethics in an 'I'm right, your wrong' approach, or because of dissatisfaction with his writing style, but it would be a baseless altercation to state that he is a run-in-the-mill, and mediocre...more

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Apr 04, 2010 Nekouken rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. WFR is a book I recommend. It was a very powerful story, with tremendously emotional, if occasionally overwrought, situations. Richard Cypher (an ironic name for the protagonist of a novel, but tremendously so in this particular case) is very relatable and sympathetic, his puppy-dog eyes for Kahlan, the mystery woman who swooped into his life and shattered his entire world is completely understandable, and as her motivations become clear, her inability to reciprocate his feelings for her actuall...more

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Noteethleroy It's funny you mention the slow beginning, the first 250 pages were the best part for me. It got less and less interesting to me from there on out and...more
May 30, 2008 12:01am

Alternative-libro I read this book 10 years ago when it came out (was it more than that?), and again last fall. I enjoyed the book a great deal both times. I did try to...more
Mar 03, 2009 11:53am

Jessaca Willis I appreciate your balanced and thoughtful views of this series, but I would like to contradict that so far the end of the series has been my favorite!...more
Oct 12, 2011 07:19am

Nov 07, 2007 k.wing rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: ...

I'm sorry. I really did try for this one, as I love my boyfriend (very much) who loves this book. I found the writing unbearable, as I would rather smell my dog's breath and lick his teeth than have to read words written by Terry Goodkind. That being said, I was interested in the story, but it was as if the guy did not have an editor. Oh, he had spell check, don't get me wrong, but no one told him to take out the emotions and/or inner-dialogue he would repeat up to 4 times in a paragraph.

I did...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Archer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, fantasy, not-bad, kindle

Well hello there once again!

I know that it has been a while since I have written a full on, in depth review of a book but I’m gonna be honest… I’ve had shit going on. I’ve emptied a house, flown to the literal other hemisphere of the globe, got myself settled and situated and finally finished reading Wizards First Rule just a little over two months after starting it. And you know what?...

I really, hand on my heart, may a drop bear eat me if I am untrue, honest to the holy hand grenade of antioch...more

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Mar 23, 2013 StoryTellerShannon rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus; READ: 2000 (revised review early April 2012).

CONCEPT: A young woodsman is chosen as the Seeker, a long lost position of power given to a warrior of ultimate good in distant lands. Now, he must go to those distant lands to face the Evil controlling it, as well as to deal with issues of truth. Along his journey, his position is tested as his love for his new lady love. (This didn't hit me as big of a concept as say HUMA or THE HOBBIT. But, it attracted a lot of fantasy...more OVERALL GRADE: B to B plus; READ: 2000 (revised review early April 2012).

CONCEPT: A young woodsman is chosen as the Seeker, a long lost position of power given to a warrior of ultimate good in distant lands. Now, he must go to those distant lands to face the Evil controlling it, as well as to deal with issues of truth. Along his journey, his position is tested as his love for his new lady love. (This didn't hit me as big of a concept as say HUMA or THE HOBBIT. But, it attracted a lot of fantasy readers, who tend to be more thinkers, and it holds a great deal of promise). MARKETING APPEAL: This story dealt with archetypes and LEVEL ONE readers; it was above average of most fantasy novels; used archetypes and the mythical Hero's Quest to appeal; good characters and focus on context; less on plot and surprises. Richard was very noble and easy to anger when faced with lies or difficult appeal; I think this resonated with many readers who are tired of the BS in our society and desire simpler times; characters are interesting but only on a simple level; if you want gray characters and profound thinking and interactions, you won't get it in this series. I suspect this is a VERY HEAVY LEVEL ONE series.

SCORING: Superb (A), Excellent (A-), Very good (B+), Good (B) Fairly Good (B-) Above Average (C+), Mediocre (C ), Barely Passable (C-) Pretty Bad (D+), Dismal (D), Waste of Time (D-), Into the Trash (F)

DIALOGUE: B STRUCTURE: B HISTORY SETTING: A- CHARACTERS: A- EVIL SETUP/ANTAGONISTS: C+ EMOTIONAL IMPACT: B+ SURPRISES: B MONSTERS: A- PACING: B LITTLE THINGS: B OVERALL STYLE: B FLOW OF WORDS: B CHOICE OF FOCUS: B TRANSITIONS/FLASHBACKS/POV: B+ COMPLEXITY OF WORDS/SYMBOLISM/THEMES: B

OVERALL GRADE: B to B+

OVERALL STRUCTURE: Spent a lot of time building up the characters. This is much more a story of context and characters than of plot or fast action. A great deal of time is spent playing off the character relationships, describing the landscape and people and monsters and also in laying out the History. And actually, the History is pretty interesting as are the monsters. There were several character revelations which weren't surprising in this novel since it was so character focused. A few surprises and such, too. Richard Cypher is a good and moral character. Perhaps a bit too much. He is the typical innocent yet good youth (from mythology) who sets out on a mission where the odds seem insurmountable.

WHY IT WORKED FOR ME: As described above, the monsters were orchestrated nicely into the ecology. The dragon character was fresh enough and the description of the travels along the wilderness were interesting. The interplay between Richard and Kahlan kept my interest. Enough tug and pull and conflict. Zedd was introduced naked which was interesting and new. He wasn't stereotypical either and had enough of his own lines to make him stand out more. Also, he wasn't some big buffed dude. I liked the way he manipulated in a good sense towards other people to achieve some better end, but still felt bad over it. The viewpoint of using a child and changing the word usage was good, too. The villain wasn't different but interesting enough. The sexual debauchery made them even worse. No doubt this was to create moral outrage. Have to say Richard is no warrior in the first novel but that's okay. He seemed to get out of jams enough times. Not clever. More noble and good that he gets others to help him as in the case of the Dragon. Interesting how Richard went through pain whenever he took a human life and had to deal with the results. Magic, in other words, has its limitations. Great details of the world and History; in regards to the lands being divided into three areas; the red fruit that is poisonous in the magical lands; the illusions used to fool the hero and heroine; the limitation of magic users; the confessor development and History; the Seekers and info. on their creation; the ecology of the monsters was something new and entertaining (many fantasy books forget that there are so many monsters that the ecological system would be destroyed); great interplay between the lovers even though some of the dialogue was a bit simple at times on Richard's part (of course, he's supposed to be a simple character so I won't hold this against the author). Pay attention to some of the names: DARKEN RAHL (for evil) and Richard Cypher (for DECIPHER since he's a seeker of truth). Those are the main ones which come to mind but I'm sure there are others. Also interesting were the little phrases that permeated the storyline, giving it texture. For instance, Zedd the high wizard had the best ones: "Nothing is every easy." and "Bags!" (a swear word). One other thing I found interesting in relation to truth was Wizard's First Rule: "People are stupid and will believe what they want to believe." This came in handy during the story when many of the townfolk were told to blame the good people for their problems and used those good people as scapegoats. So too, Richard's people were told that the magic lands were dangerous to their well being and created an army to put an end to it. It's little points such as this, as well as blends with style, that pushed this up from a solid B to a B+. It would have gotten even higher if the themes of truth had been elaborated upon more so. Why not have someone who is compelled to tell the truth all the time in difficult situations to show the flip side of being honest? Psychologists tells us that our society couldn't exist if everyone told the truth b/c it would come across as tactless and because most people aren't good at taking conflict or criticism. While being honest with your intimate partner is an ideal, being honest in the workforce or with people you hardly know can sometimes be destructive. Too much self disclosure to such types looks bad and weak. Another area that I felt was missed on truth was to develop the local populace opinions on what they felt was right. While Goodkind did a good job with it, I felt he could have really mined this area more to make it more thought provoking.

FLAWS: Too much introspection can turn some readers off. The discussion of truth wasn't taken far enough or really hammered into the them big time. The part about Richard being a bastard child of the villain was revealed a bit late and made it anticlimatic. Perhaps it was intended and the next book will tell. The story lacked surprises. There were certainly a few but not enough for such a long novel. As I said above, it was more of a page turned for appreciation of the characters than a great moving story with lots of surprises and mysteries to it. It tended to be formulaic in the quest and perhaps it would have done Goodkind well to hold back some of the information of the story rather than reveal too much up front as he did. COMMENTS: A lot of details to characters and somewhat of a hit on truth and what is truth. For those interested in such areas, it's an entertaining read. I wouldn't advise this for people who don't like innocent, good hearted youths (since Richard dominates most of the text), or people who are more interested in a plot driven fantasy

GRADE REASON: I am giving this an at the cusp B to B+ (higher than I give most fantasy novels) for the reasons listed above). The fact that Goodkind followed the typical mold of the innocent, good youth on a quest doesn't really place it any higher because it follows a typical pattern that has been done over and over by fantasy authors. So too, the love story got melodramatic at certain points (losing the feeling of this being love than just effects) and there weren't as many surprises as I felt there should have been. However, it had some truly amazing characters in it, even if parts of the love story got irritating at times. Moreover, the history setting of the land divisions, the rules on magic, the History of seekers, confessors and wizards, as well as the ecologically sound monsters pumped it up pretty high. There were certain points where it lagged at times, but perhaps that is attributed to the required page count of novels at a 1000 pages now. Very long. Geesh. It probably would have gotten a solid B+ or even an A- if Terry had analyzed more issues of truth and really pushed the limits upon the characters. However, since there was so much story to cover, I can see why there were problems in doing so. Perhaps additional books will cover these matters in the future. Of course, he would have had to develop his Evil antagonist beyond a caricature, too. I think it should be mentioned that Goodkind is dyslexiac and spends something like 12 hours a day working on his books (6 or 7 days a week). The man is obviously driven. Some have claimed he stole many ideas from Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME (I only read the first book in the series and found the passive male characters and constant meandering not to my liking) but I don't see this as much as they claim. If anything, I would take Goodkind over Jordan since there's more thinking in the head. It is no surprise to me, however, that this book broke the record and Terry was awarded $275,000 for the first novel. There are a lot of great ideas in here, as well as characters (if Richard’s simple philosophies are not viewed as abhorrent) and it delivers on several components of the genre. All in all, this is much better than perhaps 75% of the fantasy books I have read in the past.(less)

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Oct 08, 2008 Cera rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The gender ideologies underlying the novel's cosmology are just so profoundly disturbing that I couldn't enjoy what there was of the story -- not that I was likely to enjoy it anyway, since it featured large amounts of sexual torture of Our Hero. It's really not any more tasteful when gender-reversed.

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May 12, 2008 Jen rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Dungeons and Dragons fans, sadists

I am adding this author to the list of people that I wouldn't want to have lunch with. After this review, I suspect he won't want to have lunch with me either.
This book reads like a game of Dungeons and Dragons. It's a quest, a bit formulaic, and at times I could practically hear the narrator telling me to roll the ten-sided die to see what happens when we go down the left fork. In this book, we have the hapless regular guy who through a great series of coincidences finds himself traveling to sa...more I am adding this author to the list of people that I wouldn't want to have lunch with. After this review, I suspect he won't want to have lunch with me either.
This book reads like a game of Dungeons and Dragons. It's a quest, a bit formulaic, and at times I could practically hear the narrator telling me to roll the ten-sided die to see what happens when we go down the left fork. In this book, we have the hapless regular guy who through a great series of coincidences finds himself traveling to save the world with the beautiful, mysterious woman (formerly, the damsel in distress), the great and powerful wizard (who is utterly disappointing and mostly serves as comic relief), and the hardened, streetwise soldier. It almost feels like the author drew a map of his new fantastical world, decided to put the main character at one end, and the solution at the other, and then gave him a veritable obstacle course of classic problems on the way. He runs into underworld beasts, monsters, dragons, deluded armies, and betrayal (which, consequently, the rest of us saw coming 500 pages before he did). To say this book is plot-driven would be an understatement. Sadly, though, even the pacing of that plot isn't good.
But none of that has anything to do with why I wouldn't want to hang out with the author. I found the creations of his imagination really disturbing. I could almost feel his delight in divining new and more horrible atrocities to detail as the story went on. Yes, the bad guy is very, very bad. But there was a definite sick, sadistic side to the story. I just have to wonder what kind of person decides to spend something like eight chapters on very descriptive and imaginative torcher of one character, when the great love that supposedly drives the story took a comparative flash to develop. He's great at devising innovative ways to cause pain and anguish, but terrible at imagining realistic human interaction. The dialogue, sadly, reflects that.
When the author isn't describing pain or evil, a sitcom-like feeling prevails. A paraphrased typical scene: a genuinely disturbing challenge with an emotional resolution that should leave everyone drained and perhaps scarred, until big old wizard asks, "When do we eat?" To which everyone chuckles, "Oh, that wizard, his stomach's always in charge." and they all saunter off into the sunset arm in arm.
If you love Dungeons and Dragons, or if you're someone who enjoys causing or experiencing pain, this book is for you. For me, not so much. I wonder if his other books get any better?(less)

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Oct 31, 2008 Tawnya rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-to-love

Looking over reviews, most people either hated or loved this book. I liked it. It is somewhat formulaic, along the lines of Lord of the Rings--Good vs Evil, with a little romance, but I thought there were some surprises along the way and the plot was kept moving along. Perhaps best of all, the author can describe things, but not belabor the point, and there is no language, or sex. There is some violence (of course, given the plot), but most is, again, not in great detail, just enough to set the...more

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May 20, 2013 Nenia Campbell rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who's ever wondered what the Marquis de Sade would be like as a fantasy author

Shelves: x-1990s, x-series-bk-1, did-not-finish-or-skimmed, chubby-chunksters

The Fabulous Encyclopedia of Female Characters and the Men Who Want to Rape Them (in order of appearance):

KAHLAN
-The Quads
-Michael (Richard's brother)
-Darken Rahl
-Dimmen's soldiers
-Dimmen

DENNEE
-The Quads

ALL THE WOMEN AND GIRL CHILDREN OF HORNERS MILL
-"Westland soldiers"

DENNA
-Darken Rahl

RICHARD'S MOHTER
-Darken Rahl

(Dis)Honorable Mentions (Shout-Outs to all the Rapists Who Aren't Interested in Women, But Are No Less Repugnant):

DIMMEN: He is a rapist, but not of women. No, he specializes in little...more

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Jul 18, 2007 Tim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When an author displays a poorly developed writing style I have a hard time getting past it and caring about the story. That's what happend to me with this book. The story was decent, but Goodkind's writing was lousy. He probably improved with later efforts, but I'll never know because I'm not going to read them.

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Jun 24, 2007 Aerin rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, well-that-was-terrible

Hated it. Ha-a-a-a-ated it. Hated it.

Long, and bad, and full of every standard fantasy cliche you can imagine. Bad writing, bad characterizations. I can't believe I made it through the whole thing.

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Oct 19, 2008 Jamie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Excellent series of contemporary fantasy. Goodkind's books always center around difficult moral or social concepts that are put to the test by believable characters. The theme of Goodkind's books is that people should be true to themselves, not sacrificing their beliefs for conformist ideals or things that sound appealing but have no grounding in reality. To truly live one's life is what is most important. Towards the end of the series, this theme tends to get a little preachy and starts to lean...more

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Apr 03, 2008 Rob Towell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: have-read

This series as a whole is very good. I found that once I picked up the first book I flew through the whole series, stopping only when I read the last one out. I then continued reading as they came out. When I started reading them their was only five books, now that the series is complete we can set the whole thing into some perspective. I will be happy to see the TV show starting fall of 2008 and hope it is as good as the books.

On the less than benign side, the author does tend to stop telling t...more This series as a whole is very good. I found that once I picked up the first book I flew through the whole series, stopping only when I read the last one out. I then continued reading as they came out. When I started reading them their was only five books, now that the series is complete we can set the whole thing into some perspective. I will be happy to see the TV show starting fall of 2008 and hope it is as good as the books.

On the less than benign side, the author does tend to stop telling the story and start preaching pretty often in the books. The books were written by a Moral Relativist in the style of Ann Rand and he tends to spend what seems to be about 20% of each book preaching this message of Objectivism. As someone solid in my faith and not very sensitive to other view points it did not affect me and I was able to continue reading, however I have met people who hated it based solely on the authors preaching and others who loved it for the same.

The Books bounce from Great to below average and back up to great again as you read through the series. I found Wizards First Rule, Blood of the Fold and Faith of the fallen were all five star books worth every minute spent reading them. While Stone of Tears, Soul of the Fire and Naked Empire were a waste of time all together. The rest of the series I would consider a three star series worth the time to read, but nothing special.

A strength of the Author is that he has the ability to articulate well and balances the need to describe a setting whether it be a city tavern or palace with enough detail for you to feel like you are there while not rambling on forever without focus. His ability to engage you in the emotion of the character at the time and create exciting scenes of both political and martial nature is impressive. I plan to read his other books as soon as I get a chance.

A weakness of the author is he seems to give the Protagonist powers and abilities just so he can think of a way to take them away. It also seems that all the other characters in the book only exist as contrast for the Protagonist (Richard). Also the scope of power available to the characters varies greatly by plot and this can be very frustrating if you keep track of stuff like that. Or if you are like me and try to solve the problem in you mind before seeing what the protagonist does.

My only technical peeve with these books was the inconsistent nature of the way Magic/Powers worked and how they interrelate, which also focused heavily on every new power introduce was a trump over every other power.

All in all though there are good and bad things in these books they are overall very good.
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Feb 02, 2008 Doug Bradshaw rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fantasty Literature Readers

Recommended to Doug by: Janssen

I ripped right through the book and all and all, enjoyed it. Here is some of my input:

1. I found that the story moved along well and that I was always entertained. The main hero is a bit Frodoian, and perhaps a bit Arthurian, but it is its own unique story and an entertaining cast of characters.

2. The story sometimes gets a bit twisted with torture, rape, bad guys who like young boys, overly bad bad guys. The training and torture chapter was beyond what I was comfortable with, but making it th...more

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Mar 31, 2008 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

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

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Sep 24, 2007 Paige rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: notreccomended

Do not touch. Read too many. Ashamed I even finished the first. Even if you started and got hooked - by book four, it's miserable - all but three chapters were disgusting, depressing, hopeless - I reiterate: Do. Not. Touch.

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Jun 10, 2011 sologdin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: speculative, just-plain-bad, ruling-class-protagonist

The text wants rhetorical discipline, its worst problem, and likewise evidences, at best, an amateur aesthetics.

The text moreover adopts a number of trite narrative elements, including the hero's journey, the numinous object, the freudian psychodrama, the derivative Teutonic creatures, the 'system' of magickes--the last of which is a routine mechanic of pseudo-rationalized fantasy, wherein the author appreciates the Mystical sufficiently to write about ghosts and goblins, but doesn't trust the n...more The text wants rhetorical discipline, its worst problem, and likewise evidences, at best, an amateur aesthetics.

The text moreover adopts a number of trite narrative elements, including the hero's journey, the numinous object, the freudian psychodrama, the derivative Teutonic creatures, the 'system' of magickes--the last of which is a routine mechanic of pseudo-rationalized fantasy, wherein the author appreciates the Mystical sufficiently to write about ghosts and goblins, but doesn't trust the narrative to represent mystical occurrences in mystical terms, and accordingly reverts to a more familiar rhetoric of science or business or whatever else is bricolage for a writer who can't be bothered to think about the text as it's being written. (This author's purported 'system' appears to be more simplistic than double-entry bookkeeping, and is based on the same principles.)

People complain about the author's politics (Ayn Rand libertarianism), but I didn't find them intrusive in this text. (Later installments, however, are simply John Galt speaking.) In this regard, the politics championed by this text are not out of step with normal post-tolkienian fare: heroic individualism, based upon freedom of the will, acknowledging the doctrine of moral culpability for actions because of same, with world-historical consequences to follow thereupon. We might designate it a 'thematic cliche.'

The author is generally following a subgeneric path in fantasy fiction that is well traveled. It's accordingly difficult to call him out on the carpet for writing in a marketable subgenre when so many others are doing the same--though we might chuckle a bit when the author claims, exterior to this text, that he isn't writing fantasy fiction at all. Post-tolkienianism does not transcend fantasy fiction, however, no matter how loudly writers or readers protest their inclusion within the subgenre.

Negatives aside, the novel does possess a decent moment, when, halfway through, the numinous object is apparently recovered, a plot coupon that the seven samurai protagonists might therefore remit to the author and thereby purchase their eucatastrophe--but, more or less ex nihilo, a coven of dominatrices abduct the naive rural virgin hero (another cliche, that) and subject him to sadistic corporeal interrogation. (I do not designate it as 'torture' because I suspect that the author approves of such things when the CIA performs them on kidnapped moslems.)

This decent moment is not present in the tolkienian tradition, even off-screen (where corporeal sadism is surely committed, and one might assume sexual abuse of prisoners, but an express bondage fetish is external thereto). We therefore might thank this novel for presenting the sexual violence that was always already present under the surface of the subgenre, but repressed for whatever reasons, a subgenre which historically has displayed a fairly cavalier attitude toward war and oft dismissive attitude toward progressive gender politics.

The decent moment is nevertheless wasted, and transformed into its opposite, an indecent durance: the main weirdness here is the inversion, at least in this installment, where the victim of sexual violence is primarily the male protagonist, whose abusers become eventually his fondly retained employees--which suggests that the sexual violence wasn't really abuse at all, unless the implication is that sexual violence is no big deal, and therefore "all'y'all rape victims need to get over it and offer your rapists a job."

It must furthermore be noted that the worst cliche in the entire text is the eponymous 'rule,' which is a colloquial axiom of small value, likely stated with confidence by pre-school children throughout the world, but adequately described by the Gramscian notion of "common sense," rendering it therefore ideologically deplorable. The only writerly virtue of the titular rule is that it constitutes the supreme example of bathos in fantasy fiction, juxtaposing as it does the completely philistine substance of the rule with the high expectations a reader might otherwise have, especially a reader familiar with the esoteric content from which the rule allegedly arises.

One must admire, ultimately, this attempt to fuse Tolkien with Krafft-Ebing, even if unsuccessful, and even if unintentional. That said, the text's other deficiencies are not canceled by the solitary decency of the introduction of sadomasochistic fetishism into the narrative.

This text should nonetheless be required reading for persons who have more than a casual interest in fantasy fiction.(less)

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Mar 31, 2009 Kat Hooper rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook

ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I give 3 stars to Wizard's First Rule (the first book), but this review refers to the SOT series through book 9.

Terry Goodkind’s first book Wizard’s First Rule was great! Except for the actual First Rule ("People are Stupid"), which was...stupid. The story had so many unique and fascinating characters (especially the secondary ones). I was in love with Richard; I wanted to be a Mord-Sith. The next couple of books of The Sword of Truth were pretty good, too...more ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.

I give 3 stars to Wizard's First Rule (the first book), but this review refers to the SOT series through book 9.

Terry Goodkind’s first book Wizard’s First Rule was great! Except for the actual First Rule ("People are Stupid"), which was...stupid. The story had so many unique and fascinating characters (especially the secondary ones). I was in love with Richard; I wanted to be a Mord-Sith. The next couple of books of The Sword of Truth were pretty good, too.

Then... I don’t know what happened... it just TOTALLY lost it. The writing style became incredibly annoying and Richard was getting WAY too preachy (constant Ayn Rand-ish humanistic ranting). But, I kept going because I was really invested by this time. And each time I bought one of his $25 hardback books, I found myself rolling my eyes at every passive sentence and starting to fall asleep during the sermons (when did Richard hire a speech writer??).

And the plot really got ssslllllloooowwww (just look at the book covers for Chainfire and Phantom — you can tell we're not going anywhere). But the weirdest thing is that I kept buying these 1 star books! I can’t explain my behavior, except to say that Terry Goodkind is (was) a master at plot and characterization (truly, his secondary characters are so well done). So I kept thinking that things would get better, but they did not. How did he pull off that excellent first booK?? I've learned from this experience that I can put down a book if it's not good. There's too much good literature to read.

According to Mr Goodkind, those of us who have bailed out are ignorant and uneducated. Wow. That is something I have never been called before. I should have realized right from the start ("Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid") what kind of fellow Terry Goodkind is. Here is a quote from a chat session conducted with Mr Goodkind (this used to be on his website, but has now been removed. It is well-documented on the internet, however.):

"Why would they continue to read books they claim are bad? Because they hate that my novels exists. Values arouse hatred in these people. Their goal is not to enjoy life, but to destroy that which is good — much like a school child who does not wish to study for a test and instead beats up a classmate who does well. These people hate what is good because it is good. Their lives are limited to loathing and indifference. It isn't that they want to read a good book, what they want is to make sure that you do not. Ignore them." —Terry Goodkind

I say Terry Goodkind is the one acting like a school child having a tantrum. I regret that he got so much of my money. I hope you won't give him any of yours. If you really want to try a Goodkind book, I would recommend that you go to the library and check out the first few, and then trust me that you don't need to read any further. I will not read the last book. I'm not even tempted. What an ass.
ORIGINALLY POSTED AT Fantasy Literature.
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Jan 03, 2008 Kewpie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Out of all of the Terry Goodkind books I've ever read, this is the best. It was mildly entertaining and I managed to finish it. Other than that.. eh..

I'm just not a fan. I figured out how the book would end as soon as "wizard's first rule" entered into the plot.

Also -- about the romance -- NOT buying it. He carefully explained all of the rituals he went through to deepen his devotion, but I didn't feel much of anything except for some brief physical attraction in about the middle of the book. T...more

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Jan 20, 2011 _incubus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

e se lo dice la prima regola del mago io non posso certo dargli torto +.+
ammetto che l'ho letto solo perchè adoravo il telefilm (a proposito se qualcuno non decide di rinnovarlo spero che il mondo imploda) però ora capisco perchè tutti consigliavano di leggere il libro.. veramente... bello *___*
è solo che... darken rahl biondo?!? oh god *__* questa non me l'aspettavo proprio.. e poi.. è il padre di richard?!?!? e adesso chi lo dice ai miei gatti che si chiamano richard e darken in onore dei frat...more

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Nov 24, 2007 Jason rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people 10 years old or younger

Shelves: fantasy

I was referred to Terry Goodkind as a better alternative to Robert Jordan. I feel betrayed and lied to. Or maybe it was some kind of joke. Goodkind's characters are simply not believeable, and this absolutely kills the book. The dialog is forced, and it feels as if no one ever proof read Goodkind's "masterpiece."
If you like books written in a style where if you squint your eyes and pretend that instead of reading, you are watching a one-liner Bruce Willis fantasy movie, go out and get this bo...more

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Jan 07, 2009 Jaye rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was warned heavily about this series. Warned to not venture there-it wasn't good. Since the TV show (so loosely based off the books that it shouldn't even be considered connected) I decided to give it a shot, and had a couple of changes of heart along the way.

At first I loved it, then about 300 pages in I had a change of heart. Kahlan, the lead female, is extremely weak at times. Maybe it's only a perception, because there is so much "mystery" about who/what she really is for most of the book....more

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Jul 10, 2012 Terrence rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Terrence by: Holly

I was recommended by my friend to read this book. She exclaimed that Terry Goodkind's imagination was second to none. Hearing such high acclaim from my friend, I agreed to give Wizard's First Rule a try.

At first, I found it very hard to believe that such a cliché book with non-original character and plots could make such an impression. This impression quickly changed. How it did, I still do not know. Perhaps it was simply Goodkind's descriptive words that fluidly described every colourful event...more

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Jan 23, 2009 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was an excellent, easy read. The story is fascinating, and the writing flows along well. My only complaint is that I might question some of the vantage points Goodkind chooses at certain points of the book. He writes third person limited, but the point of view of the character he chooses for certain chapters I might have picked diffferently. But I read the book quickly as it peaked my interest truly. I have a new lust for contemperary fantasy now. (And, as a side note, my favorite part...more

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Jan 10, 2009 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book, The first of the series.

Goodkind has a few storylines going on at a time. All of them are interesting and the book begs you to read more, (I found myself yelling at the pages quite frequently)

This is the first (serious) Fantasy series I've begun to read. For me, the most important thing is character development. If the words can attach me to a character, I will continue to read it.

Goodkind does a marvelous job at attaching me to one of the main characters, R...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Linzy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-fiction, my-faves

I dont normally love fantasy fiction, but this is totally different. It has a major life lesson in every book. There are 12 books in this series. The characters are just people who happen to have magical powers. I cant even begin to tell you what the book is about because it will ruin it. The main charcters have strong personalities and I love that Kahlan(the heroine)kicks butt in the books. I must warn there is definetely violence. There is wars, rape( not explicit though)and people definetely...more

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About Terry Goodkind

Terry Goodkind is a contemporary American writer and author of the best-selling epic fantasy series, The Sword of Truth, creator of the television show The Legend of the Seeker, and writer of the self-published epic, The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus (a prequel and origin story of the first Mother Confessor). He has over 20 million copies in print and has been translated into more th...more

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Temple of the Winds (Sword of Truth, #4)

Faith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth, #6)

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“People are stupid. They will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true.” — 670 people liked it

“I am who I am; no more, no less.” — 241 people liked it

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