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

Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff
Review: I am relatively new to the sci-fi/heroic fantasy world. Before Terry Goodkind, the only other books in this genre I had read were by Anne McCaffrey. I loved Wizard's First Rule. Funnily enough, I bought it purely by accident - picking it off the shelf at random while in a "what the heck" mood.

Right from the start, Goodkind pulls you deeper and deeper into his complex, carefully woven world of magic, swords and sorcery. I can't believe how many bad reviews this book has received! From the moment I began, I couldn't put it down. I read this book in 9 straight hours - I didn't finish it until 2.30am on a weeknight. Then, I couldn't wait to read the sequels (which meant 3 more sleepless nights).

I too am now impatiently awaiting the release of "Soul of the Fire" and "The Sword of Truth". Unfortunately, living in New Zealand, our release dates can be up to 6 months behind the USA. It's enough to tear your hair out!

Nevertheless, I'm sure it will be worth the wait. Richard and Kahlan are one of the best hero and heroine matches I have encountered in a very long time. It is very rare to find a book that has the capacity to take you on an emotional roller coaster throughout the story - "Wizard's First Rule" does this and more.

Terry Goodkind rules!

Rating:
Summary: Compelling.
Review: I have always been a strong advocate of epic fantasies and it's respective authors, but have rarely went outside the scope of Mr. Bob Salvatore and cohort Ed Greenwood. What can I say, I'm a sucker for Forgotten Realms fantasy. My mother had picked this book up at a Buck a Book store some time ago, and my first impulse was "This book's gonna suck hard, hardcover for $1!" My ignorance shrouded the true nature of this book however (being printed many years ago was rightful cause of that low pricing). After reading it, I must say that I am pleased with the content within those $1 walls, and now I wish I could find the sequels for that price =) I've always been a big fan of the rather redundant and repetitious main evil character, and Darken Rahl wasn't one to dissapoint. Even moreso I've been a fan of 'Godly Heroes', those main characters that fail to die when they should. Overall, I must say that this book was one of the best I've read in the fantasy genre. I just hope that in the sequel, the Keeper lives up to his reputation as the incarnation of malice Zedd and company have built him up to be. :)

Rating:
Summary: Worst dialogue EVER.
Review: It really was painful to read.

The plot was fine, despite being incredibly typical. The dialogue, however, was childish to the point of being absurd. Read any of the exchanges between the two main characters out loud and you'll see what I mean. Many passages where characters conversed in this book were so unrealistic they were unintentionally funny...

NOT recommended

Rating:
Summary: Not a classic, but it has some interesting moments
Review: The most striking piece of Terry Goodkind's _Wizard's_ First_ Rule_ was the re-creation in prose of a Sam Peckinpaugh-esque cinematic device: the slow-motion death of a villain, described in vivid detail as the his head erupts in a spray of gore, courtesy of the protagonist's sword. It captured a phenomenon I have experienced in real life, temporal distortion. While some will find that sort of imagery offensive, the scene had me "inside the story." The same was true of some scenes near "the Boundary," an interesting device that is well thought out.

Sadly, these gems are exceptions that highlight a long winded tale. The story lacks timing and punch, although I admire the sustained effort to capture the sarcastic banter common among team members sharing a difficult task. Magic is far too commonplace to allow any sense of connection to "reality" -- the suspension of deibelief required is too great. Contrast with Jordan's first WoT book, where the wonder of "magic" shows how rare it is, and how it intimidates normal mortals.

In general, the characterizations aren't deep enough, and the contrived emotional tension between Richard and Kahlan is overdone. The vignette covering the abuse/brainwash/mutilation of a preadolescent boy seemed out of place in this story, a mere "proof" that the villain is thoroughly evil. We didn't need gratuitous child brutality to figure that out.

Insofar as providing a setting/world/background, this book falls woefully short of many other works. Descriptions were eratic, and did not paint a very complete picture of the setting.

Do I have the patience for the next three books of this series, hoping the style will tighten up? The size of the paper backs does not bode well for that outcome. I give Goodkind credit for energy and productivity, however page count does not equate to greatness. It is the quality of the paragraphs that make for enjoyable reading, not the quantity.

For those entusiastic readers who gush about Goodkind being the next Tolkein, or on the same level as Martin or Jordan, you obviously have not read enough different styles or genres. Try some regular fiction, some non-fiction, some short stories. Read the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories, at the very least. You will see that a tight prose style is a key ingredient to successful story telling.

Rating:
Summary: A negative role-model.
Review: To be fair, it's been about two years since I've read the book, but I hold it in high esteem. Simply put, Wizard's First Rule is one of the worst books I've ever read, and a fine example of everything a writer should avoid in good fiction. The prose is decent, though generally unmemorable... Which is the closest thing to a compliment I can pay Mr. Goodkind.

The first hundred and fifty pages of the book are spent introducing characterless characters and transparent mysteries. The main character, Richard Cypher is "some dude" whose one and only personality trait is a fear of fire. Guiding the intrepid non-character is a stereotypically grumpy old wizard, who Mr. Goodkind holds off revealing as the "legendary old wizard" for nigh unto 60 pages. There's also some chick...

Fast forward an agonizing 300-400 pages of adventurous nonsense, and we find the generic protagonist (now given the seemingly meaningless title "Seeker") enslaved by a mystic dominatrix. Though ridiculous, the concept is at least original. Of course, the situation is stretched out entirely too long, and overcome without any cunning or cleverness. (note: I suppose your main character can never be more intelligent than yourself as an author.)

There's a villain somewhere. He appears to delight in cruelty and disembowelings... Oh, and his first name is "Darken". Well, what a fine piece of literature.

If you intend to write fantasy, you owe it to yourself to read this book. If anything, it'll prove to you that there's a publisher somewhere interested in your work.