Rating: 
Summary: A Developing Threat
Review: Wizard's First Rule is the first novel in the Sword of Truth series. Richard Cypher is having a bad day. When his father had been killed three weeks previous, a sprig of vine had been left for Richard in the message jar. He didn't know what it meant, but had been searching for such a vine ever since. This day he finds it strangling a fir tree in the upper Ven Forest, but it bites him as he tries to tear it off the tree, leaving a thorn burrowing into his hand. Then something really big and red flies over and shortly thereafter he sees four men stalking a women.Richard intercepts the woman and takes her up a side trail, hiding their tracks. They climb upward, making as little sound as possible, until they are at the foot of the bluff. Suddenly, the four men appear, blocking all escape. The leader tells Richard to leave, but he declares for the woman. When the four attack, Richard kicks one man off the side of the mountain and delays another, but that man swings on Richard with deadly intent. Just then, however, the other man attacks Richard's assailant, taking both over the side, and Richard is saved. Suddenly the fight is over. Afterwards, the woman asks his name and tells him that she is Kahlan. Richard is puzzled about the outcome of the fight (he was sure that he was going to be killed), but is certain that Kahlan doesn't want to talk about it. She does tell him that she is from the Midlands on the other side of the sealed boundary. Richard first takes Kahlan to his brother Michael's house, where she meets Chase, a boundary warden and Richard's friend. They dine later with Michael and Michael makes a pass at Kahlan, which she firmly rebuffs with minimum bloodshed. After that Richard takes her to meet Zedd. This story is about a war that has been temporarily stalled, but is now about the erupt once more. Richard learns some interesting things regarding Zedd as well as himself. And when he accompanies Kahland as she returns to the Midlands, events began to move quickly. This story is much like Edding's Belgariad series, with a hero hid among the common people and having their friendliness and folk wisdom. Luckily, Richard has Kahlan and Zedd to advise him, for his tasks are as much political as military. The plot and monsters are very derivative and the writing is very linear, but the story is engrossing and some of the gimmicks are very innovative. The sexual content is often very hot and not recommended for the younger set. In one respect, the author is lousy at plotting: each book is generally able to stand alone. Other than the characters, most of the storylines are tied up neatly at the end of each volume; no cliff-hangers to be resolved in the next volume. However, the next threat is always reasonable after the fact, so the threads were there but we failed to notice them. I am always satisfied after every volume, yet ready to read the next one when it arrives. What more could you ask? Recommended for Edding's fans and anyone else who enjoys epic fantasy with approachable heroes and perversely evil villains.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely an incredible book
Review: I don't really want to give away much of the story line and many people already have so I won't. But I must say that this book kept me up late at night. I'm not quite sure why Publisher's Weekly didn't give a good review on it. Perhaps because it does take a moral perspective. But that is part of the reason why I like it. Yes I will agree that some of the scenes in the book are rather troubling but that only serves to tap into your emotions. It really brings you into the storyline to understand what all of the characters are actually going through. I have purchased all of the books in this series and must say, not one has let me down. I lent 7 of the books to one of my professors to read in his spare time. Well approximately one week later I received a desperate email claiming: "your fiendish plot to ruin my sleep and command all of my spare time has worked with these novels, I just can't put them down." Perhaps I am not the most sophisticated reader and that may explain why I enjoy these books so much, but please do yourself a favor and at least visit your local library to check this one out. I own them all and am glad I do, I can lend them out to whomever I like and spread the cocaine. His new book has been released and I am debating whether or not I should purchase the hardcover, we will see. Again, I stress that you take the time to check this series out. Just please be sure you have some spare time before you start reading :)
Rating: 
Summary: Pathetic
Review: I would have given this book a 1 1/2 if I could, but I cant, so I didnt. I have read tons of books which lets me compare this sorry book with others like The Wheel of Time, A Song of Ice and Fire and other great works of fantasy, action and literature. What makes this book so bad is the fact that it follows almost all other fantasy series. A boy/man who discovers he has an amazing power, a magic sword, the main boss bad guy (named Darken which is the worst name ever used in any book in the history of writing), the evil servants chasing after this person, Dragons, and many other predictable things. (I know The Wheel of Time has all of these things too, but WOT is much better written with more interesting characters and the storyline is way, way, way, way better.) This book also does not build up the mystery, which makes you want to keep reading and reading to find it out. This book just reaveals all of the mystery, bad guys, good guys, and magic guys after about 100 pages(Even though I knew after 10 pages cuz its so predictable).DONT READ THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Better than I ever expected
Review: I am not often the victim of a one/two sucker punch. I have usually been there, read the review, and bought the shirt. Gimmicks rarely influence me. However, I thankfully fell victim to this one. The Sword of Truth series had been out for a long time before I broke down a bought the first paperback. TOR reissued it with a sneaky $2.99 price tag. I bought it because it was cheap, and I keep hoping that someone will come along that will write as good as Tolkien. I am very glad I got suckered into this one. Goodkind is in no way as good as Tolkien, but I have to admit he is at the top of the list for modern fantasy writers. I was very impressed by the way he handled the characters, and the story itself is well crafted. I did find an inexcusable amount of typos in this edition, but that is just me being my editing self. The setting is fantastic, his descriptions are amazing, and I actually felt for the characters. When any author makes me feel something weather it be excitement, lust, or mortal terror, I sit up a take notice. Wizard?s First Rule is such a tour de force that I found myself hooked almost immediately. I went into the novel trying to dislike it. I looked for Tolkien rip-offs and found a few, but somehow I got past them. I believe it was the story quality itself. The ideas are original, and the strength of character development is simply flawless. For a first novel, Goodkind has produced a work that many seasoned writers would be proud of. I read more and got deeper and deeper into the story. The ending did not disappoint me either. Goodkind brings this monster of a book to a close with a wallop that I will be thinking about for days. I have stayed away from the plot entirely in this article because it is just too good to give away. The exploits of Richard and Kahlan are what fantasy is all about. The book also has a bad guy that gives one the shivers. He is uncommon to say the least. The scope of the story is huge. My edition is close to 900 pages but it is worth every word. It has everything from fantastic fight scenes to love story elements. I went out and bought the second book in the series. There are 8 books in the series now as well as a short story. I would have reviewed them all together, but they are simply too large to do justice to in one article. If you love sweeping and very original fantasy you should check out Goodkind? It is the "good" and "kind" thing to do for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Could have been good....
Review: This could have been a good book, although comparisons to Tolkien made by some reviewers are just silly. This author isn't anywhere near that league. It started out fun but then the author started to include graphic, lengthy sequences of child abuse and mutilation. I guess this was to show how bad the bad guy was, but just came across as sick, and shows either the limits of the authors skill or his predilictions. So, unless your really comfortable with that sort of thing, I'd look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Buckle your seatbelts and hold on tight!
Review: These books are not for the timid. Believe me! You've got to have some guts to read out this series. It tells about truth and magic as neither has ever been portrayed before. The villians are evil, but their ideas are worse. The enemy is not tangable but in your head. You decide whether to be free or to be enslaved. The only problem is, which choice is which?
Rating:
Summary: Amazing.
Review: I was afraid that this would be like Eddings,but it definately was not!His romance,characters,and magic is so believable,so real that you just have to get into it.
Richard Cypher,a common woodsman,one day saves the woman Kahlan,who turns out to be looking for a great wizard,the only one who may know how to kill Darken Rahl.When this wizard turns out to be Richard's friend Zedd,he gives Richard the magical Sword of Truth and sends him on a journey(of course Zedd comes too)to destroy Darken Rahl....
Rating:
Summary: Awsome
Review: Ive read the book 3 times...i love it..its the best book...ive read the rest of them and i would recomend it....i read the review "A negative role-model., December 5, 2002
Reviewer: Chris J Randolph"...and that guy is wrong....its one of the best books...it does have a purpose...and it is not entirley to long....it kept me reading...anyway this is a really good book...i would recomend it to anyone....the story is great and in a way it explains alot about how we live today....well happy reding..
Rating: 
Summary: Great story.. not so great writing
Review: What keeps this book alive is the story line. No doubt, the story is a good one. I can't however say I'm one bit impressed with the way it's written. There are parts of the book that seem to be written by different people. The pace and style seem to change without warning. The worst of it is that instead of conveying a characters feeling on something, the author finds it necicairy to repeat the same thing over and over and over again. He can't craftily say that someone is upset. He says they're upset, then rewords it and says it again.. then says they're upset again.. then trys another angle to say the same thing again. This is repeated throughout the first 3 books but by far worse in the first book. I found myself skipping text because of this. And while the author may explain someones feelings to death, he fails to appropriately explain things at other times. Many times the reader is left with nothing more than, "He had no idea what he was doing, yet such-and-such happened". This is almost always the case when it comes to anything magic. As a reader, I felt like I was left out in the cold when it came to understanding magic in this world.
Rating:
Summary: A must-have for all fantasy fans!
Review: If you enjoyed reading the Lord of the Rings and the Wheel of Time, this book will not disappoint you. Written in a refreshingly clear style in a world populated by all manner of creatures, Terry Goodkind sets the stage for a story with characters to cheer for. While the plot is not entirely original, in that it is merely another variant of the youngester-finds-himself-involved-into-a-quest-of-epic proportions, the depth of the characters and the masterful storytelling of Terry Goodkind will keep you on the edge of your seat for many hours to come. This is a must-have for all fantasy fans!
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