Rating: 
Summary: An excruciating read...
Review: I've been reading a lot of fantasy of late after a long period of avoiding genre fiction aside from a few favorite authors. I don't usually succumb to hype, but I recently gave in and decided to tackle all of the epic fantasy series that are popular these days. One of the most popular is, of course, Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series.When I first started the book, it seemed like Wizard's First Rule had promise to be a good read, owing largely to Goodkind's descriptive passages, but my hopes were dashed as soon as the first interaction between characters occurred. His shallow characterizations and insipid dialogue were in full force from then on, with only the occasional respite in the form of vivid descriptions of the wilderness through which Richard and Kahlan journeyed. In that regard, Goodkind is like a gifted, if workmanlike, realistic landscape artist. My dislike for the protagonists grew with the author's every use of the word "friend" which seemed to appear on every single page in which Richard or Kahlan were present. Was Goodkind's primary intent to teach basic social skills to preschoolers? You're my friend...that's what friends are for...friends do this...friends do that. I was rooting for the antagonist, Darken Rahl, well before the midpoint of the book. A few other problems stand out above the others because of their prominence in the plot: If Goodkind's intent was to say that good and evil is a matter of perception in regards to the avowed Communistic ideology of Darken Rahl, he failed. Rahl's portrayal was too evil and sadistic to see him as anything but a typical fantasy villain. The society of the Mord Sith was absurd. The Mud People were unable to adapt to the environment where their culture developed without Richard's intervention. The use of European names for the majority of characters with the scattering of Kahlans, Darkens, and Zeddicuses shows how much thought Goodkind put into the development of a coherent culture. I'm not a snob when it comes to reading. I can read, enjoy, and recommend authors ranging from James Joyce to R.A. Salvatore, but the only explanation for the large number of good reviews for this book is Wizard's First Rule...
Rating: 
Summary: good, but you won't be re-reading
Review: Goodkind's book is long, enjoyable, and exciting. No, its not another Lord of the Rings, and Goodkind is not the second coming of Tolkien, but the book is good enough to keep the reader interested through all the eight hundred plus pages. A good read for any fantasy fan.
Rating: 
Summary: WFR
Review: Great Book, a little long winded for my taste but it is fantasy with an edge which is what gripped me the most. I recommend it for anyone not squeamish.
Rating: 
Summary: Cliche or not, lets not be TOO analytical.
Review: I've read numerous posts about how "cliche" this book is, how "boring" the characters are, and how perverse the plot is. Obviously, the point of the book is not to analyse and pick out every one of these aspects! Sure. Some of the themes and motifs are unnessesary, and may disturb a younger audience. But lets open our eyes! What is the setting of this book? Obviously, if an army of men went through a village and raped everyone in modern times, we would draw back in disgust! But perhaps at that time, it was not as drastic! Afterall, in history, there HAVE Been numerous armies that have done JUST THAT! I'm tired of hearing analytical comments about this book. Cliche or not, its a magnificent story. If its not for you, don't read it! I have read about how people "find the book boring in the first 10 pages." If thats so, then simply put it down! All I have to say, is that I have NEVER been attracted to Fantasy, until I read this book. It introduced me to the land of magic, and using effective plot twists, Terry Goodkind creates a magnificent book. I recomend it to all fantasy lovers.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable to read but....
Review: The book was a good read but it spends to much time on things that are not critical to the storyline. He spends to much time focusing on things that are not critical and then leaves you feeling cheated with a quick ending. It is an easy read for an 800 page book but could have been done in half that without losing much. The grafficly horrible characters like Demin Nass do not need such detail. I did overall enjoy the book but felt like it plagerized many other books previously written. I always new what was comming next like I had read it before and that is because I have in other books. Over all an ejoyable read but not for children or the weak hearted. Richard is a great champion and a well developed character as is Kalahn and Zedd is an ejoyable comic relief.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good for what it is
Review: Not a bad book. Not a great book. It certainly held my attention for a long stretch. That, I think, is what's best about Wizard's First Rule. It's long, it's engrossing, and unlike Jordan's books, it actually has an end at the end. What annoyed me about this was the occasional bouts of self-importance. Every once in a while the author would try to be clever or deep, and the attempt would fall completely flat. Being profound is all well and good, but you actually have to *be* profound, not rattle off some zen-sounding phrase and hope everybody will soak it up. I think I would have enjoyed this more if I'd let that sort of thing slip past. You can destroy a rock with magic but can't destroy a beard? Fine. You can cause intense pain with magic when you touch somebody, but can't stop an organ from functioning? Okay. If you accept the book for what it is -- a long, fantastic journey through strange places, populated by some genuinely nasty people (who tend to get what they have coming to them in satisfying ways) -- it's really quite entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best fantasy books ever.
Review: This series is, quite simply, the best series I have ever read. And WFR is a great start.
The characters are pure genius, and so is the plot. It moves along quickly, and the only thing in it not so great is a "surprise" at the end.
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: Normally I despise fantasy books with the exception of Tolken's Lord of the Rings. A friend of mine recommended this book and I have to say it was excellent. I could not put it down. The characters were well developed though I have to say in the end there was one scene where my only reaction was "WHAT?" Goodkind is a good writer but there are some scenes in this text that one can do without, ie the scenes with the Deanna, the Mord-Sith, were prolonged and slightly too involved and explicit for my tastes. With the exceptions of these scenes, the overall writing style was great. The story was well developed and a good prelude to the rest of the series. I would highly recommend reading this book though the length is somewhere in the 800 or so pages.
Rating:
Summary: Adventure and Truth
Review: This is the most nearly flawless epic fantasy novel I know. Unlike Tolkien, Jordan, or Williams, Goodkind draws us into the story immediately with a riveting chase sequence and mature characters. And besides the obvious elements of romance and danger, Goodkind skillfully weaves meaningful themes into his novels. He advocates political conservatism subtly enough that two liberal authors wrote glowing recommendations which appear on the cover. His treatment of a torture sequence made me ponder the value that suffering has had in shaping character in my own life. I recommend this book for everyone, with the warning that the description of torture in this book is rather graphic.
Rating:
Summary: Not the one...
Review: I've been on a quest for 30 years to find a fantasy epic that could sastify me like The Lord of the Rings did when I first read it at the age of 15. When I first started reading Wizards First Rule, I thought to myself that this had the potential to be "the one" that I've been searching for. Unfortunately, it fell short. I'm currently struggling through The Stone of Tears. There are some good things to say about Wizard's First Rule. It's not just another boring same-old-same-old repeat of the standard formula we find in most books of this type where we have the reluctant and unlikely hero called upon to do a monumental and hopeless task that will save the world. There are some interesting characters, somewhat different than what's normally found in fantasy novels. The geographical world that is contructed in this book is somewhat dull and limiting. Very plain. The story line is interesting enough that I felt compelled to keep reading so I could see how things turned out. I have two serious problems with Wizards First Rule and also the next in line, Stone of Tears. My first problem deals with logic and plausibility. For example, the fear and awe that a Confessor imparts upon the people of this world. A small child could take her out with a sling shot, yet, people are more afraid of her than they are the most powerful wizards. Unless you can't outrun her, there's not much damage she can do. The fear of her is inversely proportional to the level of her magical abilities. It's not logical. Someone mentioned in another review the absurdity of having to send out a "quad" to kill one of these women. There are other elements in this story that are just not plausible to me. I would hate to be the "Seeker". It seems that just about anyone that posseses the least amount of magic abilities can trip this guy up. Again, if you can just outrun him, you have nothing to fear. The second problem I had is that the story is too depressing and demoralizing. There aren't very many happy episodes in this story. I like a book that can make me laugh as well as thrill me. Perhaps readers should not put too much stock in my review. Let's face it, unless Tolkiein comes back reincarnated and takes up where he left off, I will always be dissapointed. So I continue my quest for "The One", the one story that can yank me off my feet and pull me into a world that I don't want to leave. A story so wonderful that I spend weeks depressed because I've finished reading it. Yes, I can read the story over, and I have many times, but, nothing can compare to the experience of the first read.
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