Wizard's First Rule thoughts

I thoroughly enjoyed the first book. Bought the second book and it was good. Bought the third book and eh... I finished it, but it went downhill from there for me, honestly. I don't think I even finished the last one I bought. I read maybe five chapters and... well, I think it's around here somewhere. I won't be heartbroken if I don't find it.

Goodkind is one of the few modern fantasy writers I've actually read... all 11 books.

The first and second books are the best IMO. The series sags in the middle, hits an all time low in "The Pillars of the Earth" (you don't even see Richard for like 99% of it) and "Naked Empire" (this is like a total "bonus level" book). Then it gets OKAY again in the last 3 books... but each book has at least some awesomeness in it to keep you wanting more.

I am a loyal Goodkind fan, and I'm sure I'll end up reading everything he writes in the future, but I think for whatever reason, the Sword of Truth series went on longer than necessary (though I admit I was in mourning when I finished it forever). All the best and most creative ideas happen in those first 2 books... the seeker/sword, the boundaries, confessors, mord'sith, shota, additive vs subtractive magic, the sisters of the light/dark and the prophet nathan. Whatever new magical stuff happens after those 2 books is basically just a rehashing or reappraisal of the same stuff...though the whole imperial order thing is pretty badass, as is nicci later on.

Also, he gets pretty preachy as the series progresses (hint: Goodkind's a big fan of Ayn Rand ), so unless you agree with him philosophically, there's a chance of his tirades becoming annoying haha.

My advice: if you like the first one, read the second one....if you're in love, keep on going. Richard and Kahlan are fantastic characters--each of them is superhumanly special and powerful and wise and smart--yet they still seem like regular people. They will buoy you through the lame bits

I'd say stop after the first book. The ending of the series is in no way satisfying enough to make up for the aggravation of the next ten books. Overall, as the series goes on, they take on the tone of someone who's just trying to fill out his contract. Fifty pages of story get stretched out to 500 pages of writing, scenes and phrases are repeated almost whole, and sermons take the place of plot development. Whatever passion Goodkind might have put into the first (and maybe second) book is completely gone by the fourth and it's painfully obvious.

If not for my compulsive need to know how things end, I would never have even bothered finishing the first book.

I prefer books where I can't guess the end from half way through. Makes a nice doorstop though.

If not for my compulsive need to know how things end, I would never have even bothered finishing the first book.

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Same here.

first one was Ok
Then I read George RR Martin and the next Goodkind book looked poor by comparison

I've only read the first book myself. My biggest problem is how he gets way too obvious with his forshadowing. Sometimes I could see a "surprise" plot twist from page 90 that didn't occur until page 400, but somehow the characters managed to be completely oblivious to it. It's not bad, it had some really brilliant parts to it. Some of my favorites include how Zed dealt with an angry mob and the artist with the magic pictures. But there were some times I just wanted to scream at Darken Rahl for failing to have read the Evil Overlord List.

MadScientistMatt said:

I've only read the first book myself. My biggest problem is how he gets way too obvious with his forshadowing. Sometimes I could see a "surprise" plot twist from page 90 that didn't occur until page 400, but somehow the characters managed to be completely oblivious to it. It's not bad, it had some really brilliant parts to it. Some of my favorites include how Zed dealt with an angry mob and the artist with the magic pictures. But there were some times I just wanted to scream at Darken Rahl for failing to have read the Evil Overlord List.

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That was pretty much my beef with the books, and it only gets worse as the series goes on.

My coworker told me I should read them, so she lent the entire series over the course of the summer. I found that that overall it was a good but not great story. Goodkind's writing could really stand some improvement. I had previously read all sorts of negative reviews that focused on how heavy the Objectivist viewpoints were, but honestly, I didn't really think that was the worse aspect--yes, the long-winded philosophical speeches are annoying, but those are symptomatic more of his poor writing.

I love the Wheel of Time, and I heard repeatedly that the Sword of Truth is a complete rip off from the Wheel of Time and decided to avoid it. I'm not sure if its true, but combined with the repeated negative comments about the latter books, it might be safer to not read them.

My opinion - SoT can be interesting, but not enough to keep me for more than 3 volumes. And that was during a particularly dry spell for fantasy at my local library.

The writing and serialization became repetitive, the political subtext bludgeoning, and the Onion Effect of increasing layers of evil was in full force. Less and less believable characters and motivations, convenient discoveries of new powers by Richard, and Kahlan kicking ass in one chapter, then folding like a cheap suit in the next.

All in all, I'm glad to have found Martin and other places to go after I outgrew Wheel of Time.

Personally,

I found the first three books incredibly enjoyable.

The 4th but was a disappointment, but I gave it to him

From there it goes downhill fast.

I stopped at Book 8 or 9 "Naked Empire" or Pillars of Creation I think

Buy the first three and enjoy.

Read 4 if you are Jonesing for a fantasy fix

5 - 9 you can use for kindling

p.s. My personal take is that at Book 3, the agent told him to slow down, and milk this cash cow. If he had continued with his 'normal' pacing as indicative by books 1 -3 the series should have been completely COMPLETELY done by book 5. Had he done that, I think it would have been a very well done series.

But he choose to milk his adoring fans.

Well, he got me to buy 9 books but I will never read him again.

Mel...

Tachyon said:

... negative reviews that focused on how heavy the Objectivist viewpoints were, but honestly, I didn't really think that was the worse aspect--yes, the long-winded philosophical speeches are annoying, but those are symptomatic more of his poor writing.

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The objective what? Glad I never read Goodkind. I read fantasy for escapism, not to be preached to.

Shadow_Ferret said:

The objective what? Glad I never read Goodkind. I read fantasy for escapism, not to be preached to.

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Then don't read The Sword of Truth series--it is unabashedly preachy. Goodkind espouses Ayn Rand's objectivism. A good deal of the word count of each book consists of long-winded speeches by the principal characters.

I just read Wizard's First Rule and thought the book was a little cliché and simplistic. There were parts that interested me and kept me reading but it was often repetitive and many of the plot elements seemed to be afterthoughts, as if Goodkind lacked a cohesive plan in writing it.

OMG, my mom kept buying these and giving them to me. I love certain fantasy series, but these didn't do it for me. She kept saying I should read them because they weren't that bad. But I don't read huge epic books for 'not that bad' I read them for general awesome-osity.

I liked the first book, but by the time Goodkind got to the evil chickens, I knew it was time to bail on the series.

I got two-thirds of the way through the first book before I put it down for good. And I almost always finish a book that I start.

I absolutely hated it. I hated the characters. I hated how Goodkind wrote. I honestly felt that it had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

But that's just one man's opinion.

I remember really enjoying Wizard's First Rule. I think I got as far into the series as...hmm...I remember liking it up until Temple of the Winds (4?) Actually, I think I really liked Temple.

I just went to Wikipedia to check out the book chronology, and I remember reading Soul of the Fire (5) but don't remember anything about it...hmm. By Faith of the Fallen I was tired with getting preached at. I probably noticed it in book 5 but by 6 it was old. Didn't read anything else after that. Biggest recollection was being annoyed with both Kahlan and Richard as the series went on.

I still think (hope?) if I read the first one today I'd still enjoy it. Good fantasy/adventure story. I don't know if I kept the book, but with the TV show coming up I'll take another look at it if I can dig it up.

Like Waylander, I discovered Martin and he blows Goodkind out of the water.

Straka said:

Hey all, I'm almost finished reading Terry Goodkind's "Wizard's First Rule" and I was wondering what impressions or reactions people had to his work.

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The title (and the concommitant magic design) seemed cheap to me. It's really the 'author's first rule', turned into a magic law. Should wizards have it harder than regular folk? Why, other than that the author desires it? It's like that bit in Tolkien when Gandalf says to Frodo: "You were meant to have the ring." (Meant by whom? Why, by the author of course.) It skirts too close to self-referentiality for me.

A more subtle magic design would have the difficult arise as a consequence of the magic, not parked as an axiom of the magic. Le Guin did the metaphysics better for instance, with her Taoist principles of balance in the Earthsea books.

Miguelito said:

I got two-thirds of the way through the first book before I put it down for good. And I almost always finish a book that I start.

I absolutely hated it. I hated the characters. I hated how Goodkind wrote. I honestly felt that it had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

But that's just one man's opinion.

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I totally agree. Folks, this guy actually has one of his characters give a speech on--wait for it--the evils of fire.

Really. Fire. How it's bad. Stop fire at all costs.

And if that weren't bad enough, this speech is apparently effective (people weeping, etc.). A speech, let me repeat, on the evils of fire. And it gets worse from there. Absolute dreck, in my opinion.

I read the first one in high school and I *loved* it. It was by far my favorite in the series. I think I devoured the second one just as fast. It slowed from there, though... I just wanted him to get to the point. I wanted to know wtf happened to everyone now not 7 books from now. (And oh my God, I hated Pillars of the Earth.)

The story was take it or leave it, but I must say I loved some of those characters. Zed and Adie especially, with Cara as close third.

While I'm morbidly curious about what happens to everyone in the series, I'm not curious enough to finish the series. My frustration level with Richard and Kahlan was off the charts. I remember that I enjoyed the first few books, and I want to preserve that memory. Going back to re-read them and finish the series now would probably destroy that good memory.

Odd how this thread has completely failed to mention Goodkind's obvious and blatant love of S&M which is forced - throughout the books - on the characters and therefore also on the readers. Hell, even the idea of the 'Confessor' has Dominatrix written all over it - as did most of the leading female characters - and the MC? Constantly put into 'punishing' situations. As if Goodkind was frustrated about how much he wanted to be spanked but never got up the nerve to actually go and have it done. I read only the first few books but kept expecting some sort of 'sling swing' set up at some time - or even Madonna to make a guest appearance, somehow.

Rabe...

Rabe said:

Odd how this thread has completely failed to mention Goodkind's obvious and blatant love of S&M

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Because I'd blocked that memory out, dude ... thanks a lot.

I couldn't stand the first book, for most of the reasons mentioned in this thread. I wrote a very snarky review which is posted on my website.