"Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind
Okay, dears, today we are taking a trip down fantasy lane and talking about the first book in the Sword of Truth series by author Terry Goodkind.
Let me start off by saying that this is more of a passing the time and enjoy the story kind of book. It honestly makes you feel like Goodkind worshiped Tolkien--which I'm not against, but I do wish he would have deviated some from the cliche.
I actually enjoyed the story, but to enjoy that I had to look past the writing style of the author. I think I enjoyed it mostly because my brain was friend from finishing up exams and it was a mindless read that helped me escape reality for a while. The main characters are Richard Cyper, Kahlan Amnell, and Zedd. Zedd's name is kind of ridiculous (Zeddicus Zu'ul Zorrander) but since he's a wizard, I'll let it slide. The three embark on a hero's journey to save three different lands. Richard has been raised around Zedd his entire life without knowing that he's a wizard. Kahlan is from another land and crosses the boundary looking for "the great wizard" so that he can help her fight off the evil that is trying to take over all the lands.
Sounds kind of interesting, right? It has other cool aspects too. For instance, there's the bone witch named Adie. She's cool. A little girl named Rachel who is slave to a princess. And a Mord Sith named Denna. Mord Sith are basically dominatrices from hell. The book is definitely not for younger generations as it alludes to pedophilia among some of the evil men they encounter, sex, and violence. Okay, so while there are some interesting characters, there isn't enough real depth to the book. Goodkind attempts to incorporate psychology and human aspects but he feels to do anything more than scratch the surface.
This book is called "Wizard's First Rule" and that rule is simply that "People are stupid, they will believe a lie simply because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true." Okay, I can see that. I've noticed it myself. It's easier to believe something you want to be true and it's even easier to believe something you're scared is true. Our hero, Richard, is the "Seeker". Unbeknownst to him, Zedd has been watching him throughout his life and has decided Richard has what it takes to be the "true seeker." A seeker is simply a person who is relentless in their desire to know the truth. He asks questions others don't think to ask. During my reading I often thought the others must be dense if they didn't think to ask some of the questions Richard asked. It seemed like they should have been common sense.
Anyway, Richard and Kahlan become love interests, but there are complications. She has a power of her own. A power she doesn't want Richard to know because for the first time she has met someone who accepts her without fear. Goodkind did okay at giving his characters some qualities that made them feel more human but he failed to do that with Richard. Richard is too good to be true. Seriously. I feel like Goodkind could have used Richard's thirst for the truth and his relentless nature to give him some kind of self-involved challenge or flaw to make him more dimensional.
As the seeker, Richard is giving the Sword of Truth. The sword invokes righteous anger and demands to be sated with the truth. Okay, kinda cool. Kinda simple, but I'll go with it. The best part of the entire aspect of the Sword of Truth is when Richard encounters Denna, a Mord Sith who captures magic. She holds Richard captive by the magic of the sword when he tried to use it on her. She tortured him to the brink of death time and time again. It seemed as if our hero was going to be lost. The thing about Richard is that he thirsts for knowledge and the truth. When Denna takes Richard to the Big Bad that's trying to take over all the lands, they talk. Big Bad, A.K.A. Darken Rahl, gives Richard a bit of information expecting Richard to use it to escape Denna's hold on him. Richard has learned how to fully wield the Sword. Rahl told him that there are always two sides to magic. Richard had been relying on the anger invoked by the sword, but the opposite of wrath is love and in order to be freed of Denna he had to use the sword while invoking love for the one whom he must kill. So, it looks like Richard became a victim of Stockholm Syndrome. He ended up loving his torturer and used that love to kill her. What Rahl didn't expect Richard to do with the information given was to use both sides of Kahlan's magic to bring about Rahl's defeat. It tied Richard and Kahlan's relationship up in a nice bow. Looks like the guy always gets his girl.
All in all, there are some good points to the book, but Goodkind is very redundant and wordy. His characters need more depth. So, if you're looking for a big freakin' paperback (820 pages) to kill time and not require a whole lot of thought, then you should read this. If you're looking for a gripping tale with characters who truly come to life for you and pull you into another dimension, then it's a hard pass.
If you have questions or recommendations, please leave a comment below! Thanks.
Let me start off by saying that this is more of a passing the time and enjoy the story kind of book. It honestly makes you feel like Goodkind worshiped Tolkien--which I'm not against, but I do wish he would have deviated some from the cliche.
I actually enjoyed the story, but to enjoy that I had to look past the writing style of the author. I think I enjoyed it mostly because my brain was friend from finishing up exams and it was a mindless read that helped me escape reality for a while. The main characters are Richard Cyper, Kahlan Amnell, and Zedd. Zedd's name is kind of ridiculous (Zeddicus Zu'ul Zorrander) but since he's a wizard, I'll let it slide. The three embark on a hero's journey to save three different lands. Richard has been raised around Zedd his entire life without knowing that he's a wizard. Kahlan is from another land and crosses the boundary looking for "the great wizard" so that he can help her fight off the evil that is trying to take over all the lands.
Sounds kind of interesting, right? It has other cool aspects too. For instance, there's the bone witch named Adie. She's cool. A little girl named Rachel who is slave to a princess. And a Mord Sith named Denna. Mord Sith are basically dominatrices from hell. The book is definitely not for younger generations as it alludes to pedophilia among some of the evil men they encounter, sex, and violence. Okay, so while there are some interesting characters, there isn't enough real depth to the book. Goodkind attempts to incorporate psychology and human aspects but he feels to do anything more than scratch the surface.
This book is called "Wizard's First Rule" and that rule is simply that "People are stupid, they will believe a lie simply because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true." Okay, I can see that. I've noticed it myself. It's easier to believe something you want to be true and it's even easier to believe something you're scared is true. Our hero, Richard, is the "Seeker". Unbeknownst to him, Zedd has been watching him throughout his life and has decided Richard has what it takes to be the "true seeker." A seeker is simply a person who is relentless in their desire to know the truth. He asks questions others don't think to ask. During my reading I often thought the others must be dense if they didn't think to ask some of the questions Richard asked. It seemed like they should have been common sense.
Anyway, Richard and Kahlan become love interests, but there are complications. She has a power of her own. A power she doesn't want Richard to know because for the first time she has met someone who accepts her without fear. Goodkind did okay at giving his characters some qualities that made them feel more human but he failed to do that with Richard. Richard is too good to be true. Seriously. I feel like Goodkind could have used Richard's thirst for the truth and his relentless nature to give him some kind of self-involved challenge or flaw to make him more dimensional.
As the seeker, Richard is giving the Sword of Truth. The sword invokes righteous anger and demands to be sated with the truth. Okay, kinda cool. Kinda simple, but I'll go with it. The best part of the entire aspect of the Sword of Truth is when Richard encounters Denna, a Mord Sith who captures magic. She holds Richard captive by the magic of the sword when he tried to use it on her. She tortured him to the brink of death time and time again. It seemed as if our hero was going to be lost. The thing about Richard is that he thirsts for knowledge and the truth. When Denna takes Richard to the Big Bad that's trying to take over all the lands, they talk. Big Bad, A.K.A. Darken Rahl, gives Richard a bit of information expecting Richard to use it to escape Denna's hold on him. Richard has learned how to fully wield the Sword. Rahl told him that there are always two sides to magic. Richard had been relying on the anger invoked by the sword, but the opposite of wrath is love and in order to be freed of Denna he had to use the sword while invoking love for the one whom he must kill. So, it looks like Richard became a victim of Stockholm Syndrome. He ended up loving his torturer and used that love to kill her. What Rahl didn't expect Richard to do with the information given was to use both sides of Kahlan's magic to bring about Rahl's defeat. It tied Richard and Kahlan's relationship up in a nice bow. Looks like the guy always gets his girl.
All in all, there are some good points to the book, but Goodkind is very redundant and wordy. His characters need more depth. So, if you're looking for a big freakin' paperback (820 pages) to kill time and not require a whole lot of thought, then you should read this. If you're looking for a gripping tale with characters who truly come to life for you and pull you into another dimension, then it's a hard pass.
If you have questions or recommendations, please leave a comment below! Thanks.
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