The Sword of Truth

[The Seeker]

I started reading these books a few months ago, when I grabbed Wizard's First Rule for an airplane book on vacation. Suffice to say that I spent more time reading than I did at the beach.

 

I am currently on Chainfire, but the entire series has absolutely captivated me from the first page of the first book. Before, I thought that Michael A. Stackple wrote the best fantasy around, but Terry Goodkind can write characters that are just plain captivating, and believable. I don't thing that I have ever cared more for ficticious characters than I have with this series.

 

He also possesses another trait that seems to be exceeding rare in modern (and past) Fantasy writers: The ability to write a truly exciting, and intense fight scene.

 

More than anything though, the stories are brilliantly written and paced, with each character fleshed out, and always a perfect urgency to the entire series of events.

 

I just can't wait for Phantom this april.

 

Any other fans in the swamp?

 

[edit] WOOT, 900th post

[Samuel Dravis]

Yes, me.

 

Debt of Bones: really good, I like Zedd lots.

WFR: Really good (standalone);

SoT: good

BotF: ehh, ok.

TotW: good

SotF: good, end is really sweet

FotF: Best one.

PoC: Dead slow. Background. Jenssen just isn't that interesting as a character to spend half a book on her.

Naked Empire: good

Chainfire: slow beginning, but gets real good at the end - and stops! ARGH!

[The Seeker]

Yeah, for the longest time, I thought Wizards First Rule was the best. It just had that unpredictable, hopeless feeling, like

when Denna captures Richard and the pain and torture and humiliation goes on and on and on. or when Darken Rahl's pervert right hand man is seemingly about to capture Zedd and Kahlann (blood Rage is awesome btw)

 

 

After reading all of them, save the last two hundred pages of Chainfire, I have to agree with you that Faith of the Fallen is the best. There is just so little action in that book that when I finished it, I was amazed at how exciting it is. Goodkind really shows off his character writing skills in that one. Just beautifully written.

 

The only one that I just plain didn't like was Pillars of Creation. Jennsen and Oba just aren't interesting enough to carry an entire book. If he had worked them in around whatever the heck Richard was doing at the time, the that would be one thing, but to never even hear from the characters that we have grown attached to over the last six books was just plain mean.

 

Wasn't too impressed with Naked Empire, but I think I was burning out on the series when I got to that one after reading the other books nonstop for about three months, so can't really give it a fair review. Even so, if he had focused more on Zedd and the army, rather than Richard and who I affectionately call the "Rahl Retards" it would have been far more on par with the rest of the series.

 

Stone of Tears needs an honorable mention for being a sequel as good as the original. It captures the feeling from WFR that forced me to keep turning pages long into the wee hours of the morning.

 

All in all, it is just a fantastic series, and if he doesn't sort of wrap up the Imperial Order thing in Phantom, I may just have to strangle him if I have to wait a year on another book.

 

And yes, Zedd is the man.