Rating: 
Summary: LONG...SLOW...DULL AND NO FUN AT ALL
Review: Terry Goodkind is the greatest thing to happen to fantasy since Tolkien. Just as him, he will tell you so. I remember when I first read this book many years ago. i got the first three in the series when I joined the Sci-Fi book club. I thought i was in for a grand epic fantasy. Boy was I wrong. I made it through the first two books but that's as far as i could get through this tedious display of fantasy self-gratification. Goodkind has evidently decided to race Robert Jordan to see who can put out the most books in a series that tired long ago.
Wizard's first Rule presents nothing original, which in an of itself is no crime. Nothing wrong with borrowing a basic plot of simple guy who's prophesized to become the hero by questing for and wielding the powerful artifact and destroying the evil bad guy...We've seen the plot done many, many times. But never has it been done so dreadfully, painfully boring as in Goodkind's story. The biggest drawback to the series for me is that I just didn't like either of the main characters, Richard or Kahlan. I found nothing about them that made me care about them or their quest. His world of the Midlands was as bland as his characters and seemed lifeless.
I cannot imagine having stayed with this series for six more books. I'd be willing to give Goodkind another try if he started a new project but as it is now, he seems more interested in cashing his royalty checks than making anything original.
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: I can't believe this was even published
Review: This book is appallingly bad. I can't believe it was even published. I have never read anything so bad, and I've read a lot. I couldn't even finish the book (although I did skim to the end, to see if it got any better. It didn't.) OK, my mama always told me, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. There are some original ideas scattered throughout the book. They do not make up for the overwhelmingly bad quality of the rest of it. So what's wrong with it? Calling the characters two-dimensional card-board cut-outs would be generous. Characters say something that is meant to be deceiving--and I could see right through it (although the other characters were too stupid to see it). The hero, Richard Cypher, gains the love of children by insulting them--he always tells kids they're ugly. No, really. May be it would work if it's a kid you know and who loves you (though I doubt it), but he says it to a kid he's just met and who's been traumatized, and she immediately loves him. Right ... The magic system and history are grotesquely simplistic. And then there's the dragon. Scarlet. You do not name dragons Scarlet (not if you're trying to be serious, which Goodkind apparently is). You name them Smaug or Embar Orm or something, but not Scarlet. (And if you have no idea who Smaug or Embar Orm are, read Tolkien's The Hobbit and LeGuin's Earthsea series--far better works.) And Scarlet, depsite being a gigantic, fire-breathing reptile has a very feminine voice. And, oh yes, she's a sucker for flattery. (Can you say "sexist"?) Even the painfully obvious flattery Richard uses on her (this goes back to the bad characterization). And finally there is the Wizard's First Rule. And perhaps you are expecting something deep and earth-shaking? I'm sorry, you'll be disappointed. It's about as trite and cliche as you can get--Wizard's First Rule is that people are stupid. Oooh. I'm so impressed with your insight into the human condition, Mr. Goodkind.
Rating: 
Summary: Read
Review: This is one of the best books ever written. The whole series is amazing. Unlike Tolkien, and other fantasy writers, Goodkind does not rattle on and on about one subject for ten pages. Him reiterating major points in other books gets annoying, but the books are way way more than mediocre
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