Rating: Summary: Amazing, start to finish Review: I am 16 and when I heard about, and got this book from my older brother, I was apprehensive about starting it because of the size of the book. From the first page of "The Sword of Truth" I was hooked. Great job on this book, it was the best I have ever read.
Rating: Summary: The Best Series I've ever read! Review: I don't care what other people say, this is the best book I have ever read. It's impossible to put the book down with the nonstop excitement. If you haven't read this book then your really missing out. Eddings doesn't even come close to equaling this novel. It's definately my favorite.
Rating: Summary: Those other bad reviews dont know what they are talking abou Review: Wizards First Rule is an excellent Fantasy book. I have read the works of many other of the "great" fantasy authors, Tolkien, Anthony, Jordan and all the others that I cant even think of right now. But this book is the BEST fantasy novel I have read in a long time...I have also read the others in the series but this one sticks in my mind because it is when we are introduced to the blessed and cursed heroes, Richard and Kahlan....Full of Extremely Wicked Villains and Heroes that arn't perfect....and of course, some comic relief. But, to get down to it, This is a great book...If you havn't read it already, get it, find a quiet afternoon to relax and prepare for hours of reading enjoyment.
Rating: Summary: God-awful Review: I was given this book when it was first published, and found it to be one of the worst efforts in the medium I have ever read. I am am not so devoted a fan of fantasy that I will overlook poor worksmanship. The plot and its working-out was formulaic and had the depth of a Nintendo game, and about the same structure. The characters were flat and did not engage me emotionally, and the dialogue between them was unsophisticated and adolescent. Goodkind's system of magic was at best thought up as he went along, with inconsistencies bordering on the ridiculous left for the reader to puzzle out. Any kind of writing, whether academic, literary or mass-market, involves a certain amount of research and preparation. One must only look in the direction of Katharine Kerr for a fantasy world that is rich, well-planned, original, thoroughly researched and meticulously created. While Goodkind's work will undoubtedly please the younger reader of fantasy, a little more artistic integrity and creative effort would have been appreciated for such a project as the one upon which he has embarked. While the author can be held accountable for the low aspirations of his product, I mostly question the standards of his editor, who should have advised Goodkind either to drastically revise his fledgling attempt at fiction, or to leave the writing to those more capable.
Rating: Summary: Good at what it does Review: This is a good example of the genre. Typical of fantasy, it is overly driven by plot, but unabashedly so. The writing is clean and strong. Strange to hear it compared to Robert Jordan's books. I've always detested his writing, but I like this stuff very much. Terry Goodkind reminds me a bit of Patricia McKillip in the sense that both seem to not care a wit about the traditional 'strong-point' of fantasy: the encyclopedic background history. I sense in both a boredom with the fanaticism required to do such backgrounding. More like, 'Get on with the story and stop boring me with your megalomaniacal enjoyment of world creation.' Both write about characters dealing with moral dillemas. The fantasy elements are merely a way to make the exploration of character and theme more fun. If I want strong characters and Double-cocoa chocolate chip cake with fudge frosting rich histories, I read Guy Gavriel Kay. But for a guilty pleasure of lyrical writing and page-turning plot, Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule does passing well.
Rating: Summary: Beats 'Wheel of Time' hands down! Review: I read the 'Wheel of Time' series before I read the 'Sword of Truth' series and in my opinion the former does not even come close to the latter. There was too much description and lack of character building in WOT. After the first book one just got the feeling if Rand al' Thor just kept bungling on he would reach his so called great heroic finale. That was not the case with Richard in SOT series. His was a terrible ordeal that tested him mind and soul and even after he had he had his finale he had a dear price to pay to get it. And the tests for Richard go on as the subsequent books bear testament to this.'Wheel of Time' never had a chance. It could not even begin to compare to the scope and originality of the 'Sword of Truth' series. Purists of WOT would crucify me for saying all that I have said but the 'TRUTH' is the truth.
Rating: Summary: Awful. Review: This is one of the worst novels I've ever had the misfortune to run across. Bad characterization, bad plotting, bad writing technique, bad grammar -- and derivative/ plagaristic, too! Mr. Goodkind sets a new standard of abject awfulness that very few adult writers could hope to equal.Suggest that the author seek a new day job -- perhaps welding? Or migrant farm labor?
Rating: Summary: Mr. Goodkind is Very Good and extremely Kind! Review: Now I can't say I have alot to compare this novel to, but none the less, this is by far the best book i've ever read. Immediately upon completion, I went out and got part II. I'm hooked, Terry Goodkind, atleast for myself, hit the nail right on the head. If your a fantasy buff, you love this title.
Rating: Summary: Uh...this is supposed to be good??? Review: Was this book supposed to be good? I don't think Goodking knows how to write a book because this was terrible. I read this book because it was a suggestion on the Jordan page. It insults Jordan to compare Goodkind to him!
Rating: Summary: I ran the gamut of human emotions reading this series. Review: It has been a long time since a writer has held my attention in such a way. The characters are developed completely. Their adventures are beyond fantastic. I wanted to be Kahlan. Goodkind writes as if he has physically been to the places he writes about. His eloquent detail was more than I could have imagined. If there is a past life, Goodkind lived this one. None other than a witness could go where he has. BRAVO!! ENCORE!!
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