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The Legend of Magda Searus #1
La Première Inquisitrice
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fantasy (2012)In the time before the Confessors, when the world is a dark and dangerous place, where treason and treachery are the rule of the day, comes one heroic woman, Magda Searus, who has just lost her husband and her way in life.
576 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
748 people are currently reading
16243 people want to read
About the author
Terry Goodkind
279 books12.3k followersTerry Lee Goodkind was an American writer. He was known for the epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth as well as the contemporary suspense novel The Law of Nines (2009), which has ties to his fantasy series. The Sword of Truth series sold 25 million copies worldwide and was translated into more than 20 languages. Additionally, it was adapted into a television series called Legend of the Seeker, which premiered on November 1, 2008, and ran for two seasons, ending in May 2010.
Goodkind was a proponent of Ayn Rand's philosophical approach of Objectivism, and made references to Rand's ideas and novels in his works.
Goodkind was a proponent of Ayn Rand's philosophical approach of Objectivism, and made references to Rand's ideas and novels in his works.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,076 reviews
July 13, 2012
The first chapter of the book is now online:
http://www.terrygoodkind.com/theoracl...
I've had more fun writing this novel than any other title. It's a story that predates the entire SWORD OF TRUTH series and within it is the origins of key characters and the weapons they will become (or wield). These are foundational aspects of the books that I have wanted to share for a very long time. Readers already familiar with the SWORD OF TRUTH are going to love this novel. It will fundamentally shift your perspective and leave you in awe of the sacrifices made, long before Richard was conceived. The first Mother Confessor, the Great War, and much more. New readers are luckiest of all. They will experience the books in a completely unique way, beginning with Magda and following her impact through to the end of CONFESSOR.
The book is 103 chapters at length and approximately 35% longer than THE OMEN MACHINE. It is an Author self-publishing release -- something you can read more about in our 'Ebook Guide & FAQ' posted here:
http://www.terrygoodkind.com/theoracl...
Self-publishing is a brave new world for us. I have spent the last year working on this title, crafting the story, conceiving of a path to introducing it, and finally developing assets like the cover artwork, and the Limited Collector's Edition packaging. We did all of this without the support of a publisher's advance and without the opportunity of having a printed hardcover on store shelves. We then have to convince more than half of my potential readers to try an ebook (many for the first time) and surpass the technical hurdles of a world-wide, simultaneous release. It's a daunting thing to be one of the first major Authors to stake out along this path and we are grateful for your support, your enthusiasm, your encouragement, and ultimately your faith in what we have done.
Rest assured, we will not let you down. Magda's story is legendary and I am glad to have the opportunity to share it with you.
Thank you for reading.
http://www.terrygoodkind.com/theoracl...
I've had more fun writing this novel than any other title. It's a story that predates the entire SWORD OF TRUTH series and within it is the origins of key characters and the weapons they will become (or wield). These are foundational aspects of the books that I have wanted to share for a very long time. Readers already familiar with the SWORD OF TRUTH are going to love this novel. It will fundamentally shift your perspective and leave you in awe of the sacrifices made, long before Richard was conceived. The first Mother Confessor, the Great War, and much more. New readers are luckiest of all. They will experience the books in a completely unique way, beginning with Magda and following her impact through to the end of CONFESSOR.
The book is 103 chapters at length and approximately 35% longer than THE OMEN MACHINE. It is an Author self-publishing release -- something you can read more about in our 'Ebook Guide & FAQ' posted here:
http://www.terrygoodkind.com/theoracl...
Self-publishing is a brave new world for us. I have spent the last year working on this title, crafting the story, conceiving of a path to introducing it, and finally developing assets like the cover artwork, and the Limited Collector's Edition packaging. We did all of this without the support of a publisher's advance and without the opportunity of having a printed hardcover on store shelves. We then have to convince more than half of my potential readers to try an ebook (many for the first time) and surpass the technical hurdles of a world-wide, simultaneous release. It's a daunting thing to be one of the first major Authors to stake out along this path and we are grateful for your support, your enthusiasm, your encouragement, and ultimately your faith in what we have done.
Rest assured, we will not let you down. Magda's story is legendary and I am glad to have the opportunity to share it with you.
Thank you for reading.
April 24, 2014
The First Confessor
The Legend of Magda Searus
By Terry Goodkind
A Review by Eric Allen
Over the last few years Terry Goodkind has been having... let's call them "issues" with his publishers/editors. There have been quite a few rumors of vicious fighting between them over his work. Not to mention the fact that he switched publishers after his contract with Tor was up, a clear indication that he was unhappy with his situation there, and has publicly whined about editorial influence like a spoiled brat once or twice as well. His last two books, The Law of Nines and The Omen Machine, were not well received by fans and critics alike, likely because they were godawful abominations that no amount of editing could have made readable, much less enjoyable. These rumored difficulties between Goodkind and his publishers seem a likely culprit to lay the blame for these horrible books on. Whether that is true or just internet speculation at its worst remains to be seen. The only real truth that is known on the matter is that Goodkind has decided to forgo any publisher/editor interference and self-publish this book, giving himself complete control over every aspect of its presentation and release. His press release on the audio version is pretty telling on his feelings over publisher interference, and may lend credibility to some of the rumors. The book was first released in e-book form, and later as an audiobook produced by Terry himself after he found a reader that suited him. Was it an improvement over his previous two books? Well, yes and no. In terms of story and character it is INFINITELY better. In terms of writing... well, this book may be one of the absolute worst written books I've ever read in my life. As such, it's a very difficult book to rate, because it's both bad and good at the same time.
The First Confessor begins shortly after the suicide of the First Wizard Baracus, husband of Magda. The Midlands are at war with the Old World, who seek to destroy all magic and enslave everyone under their tyranny. Dream Walkers have infiltrated the Wizard's Keep, infecting the minds of many, forcing them into unwilling slavery. Additionally, there are traitors amongst those claiming to be loyal, directing the Dream Walkers to the most opportune hosts.
Finding a note left for her by her dead husband, Magda sets out to find the truth of why he killed himself. This leads her to a Spiritist, who is said to be able to commune with the dead, working in the catacombs under the Keep. Through this she is led to the Wizard Merrit, who has a passion for making things of magic, including the Sword of Truth, and the magic that creates Confessors. Though Magda has deep disgust over people being made into weapons through magical means, she finds herself trapped. The only way that she can uncover the traitors in the Keep and save the Midlands from ruin is to allow that which she sees as abhorrent be done to her, becoming the first Confessor.
The Good? The story of this book is good, and the characters are enjoyable. It builds to a satisfying conclusion, and sheds some light on the murky back story of The Sword of Truth series. I quite enjoyed seeing the creation of the Sword of Truth, and learning more about the war in the past. All in all, it was a rather fun book for someone who thoroughly enjoyed The Sword of Truth series like myself.
The Bad? Though the characters may be entertaining and likeable, they are, unfortunately, far from original. Magda is Kahlan. Merrit is Richard. The enemy emperor is Jagang. There's no originality here AT ALL. In fact, the entire story itself is lifted from the Sword of Truth. And I don't just mean that it's a retelling of Richard's discoveries in Kolo's Journal. I mean that the war in the past is an exact copy of Richard's war. Goodkind seems to have one single story that he can tell, imparting the exact same themes over and over again. The one time he strayed from his formula, we got The Omen Machine. It's not that the story doesn't work, or that the characters are unlikeable, it's that they're recycled from Goodkind's other works. There's nothing new here. I enjoyed it the first time Goodkind told it, and I enjoy it here, but it's still the same old story, with the same old characters, and the same old themes. The characters may have different names, but they're still the same characters. The only original character is Lothaine, who makes a very good villain in how utterly evil he is.
Though not as preachy as some of Goodkind's other works, this one is still pretty bad. The message of the story is the exact same message that Goodkind has tried to beat into us from the very beginning. He sounds like a broken record, repeating the exact same line over, and over, and over, and over again.
The Ugly? This book is TERRIBLY written. The writing is highly repetitious, and amateurish at best. Goodkind CLAIMS that there was an editor, but that is pure, unadulterated bullshit. He may have had a friend check over his spelling and grammar, but a professional editor DID NOT ever touch this book. A REAL editor would take one look at this book and laugh his ass off. There are numerous things that are expressed numerous times as though it was the first time. Red banners denoting the blood shed during the war, for instance. This is repeated about three or four times, as though Goodkind forgot he'd already told us what they mean. Either that or he thinks we're all idiots and need to be told the same thing over and over again until it sinks in. In one single conversation a character is compared to a vulture more than three times. In a single paragraph a map is referred to as "the map" seven freaking times. Does Goodkind just not know the meaning or uses of the word "it"? These are just a few examples, this book is RIFE with crap like this. A GOOD writer refrains from using the EXACT same words to describe the EXACT same things in close proximity to each other. Readers find the repetition to be highly annoying, and it makes us wonder if the writer has any skill at all. The same exact conversations are repeated numerous times, and go on for ridiculous numbers of pages, repeating the same questions and answers over, and over, and over again to basically just take up space and add padding that the story really doesn't need.
Technobabble. I absolutely hate technobabble. The weakest aspect of Goodkind's books have always been his explanations of how magic--prophecy especially, though all magic gets the treatment--works. If you want to tell me how your magic system works, by all means, do so. But if you're going to instead give me eight pages of technical jargon that is utterly meaningless and tell me that it's an explanation on how your magic system works, you're doing it wrong. If, by the end of eight pages of explanation, I know as much about how things work as when you started, you've just wasted a great deal of my time, and yours. Technobabble is gibberish that is utterly meaningless to the reader, and it makes the writer look like he doesn't have the slightest clue what he's talking about. If you're going to explain something, do it the right way, and actually tell people how something works. Don't go on for pages, and pages, and pages spewing meaningless gibberish about star alignments and calculations that makes little to no sense to anyone involved. It utterly removes anything magical from things that are supposed to be magical. I'd say that at least one tenth of this book's word count is completely meaningless technical jargon trying to explain away the workings of magic, if not more. I get that you want it to be realistic, but technobabble is NOT the way to make it real. It may sound cool to you as the writer, but the reader is just going to be scratching his or her head and rolling their eyes over it. And when it goes on to ridiculous length, becoming the main focus of half the book, you're going overboard. Technobabble is not an explanation, it's a load of meaningless gibberish that no one wants to read. If you're going to give an explanation... GIVE A REAL EXPLANATION OR DON'T GIVE ONE AT ALL!!!
The chapter breaks in this book are ridiculous. This book is probably somewhere around 100k words in length, and it's got over a hundred chapters in it. Single conversations are broken up into ten or fifteen chapters! It really ruins the pacing where every five paragraphs of an exciting conversation of discovery and revelations there's a chapter break. That was actually one of the SELLING POINTS of the book, if you look at the flier Goodkind has posted on his website! You don't toss in fifteen chapter breaks during a conversation that doesn't warrant it, or in a scene that doesn't need it. It just breaks up the pacing, which is a bad thing. Adding in the padding of repetition, pages upon pages of technobabble, and needlessly breaking the book up into a ridiculous number of chapters does not make the book longer in any good way.
The Sword of Dues Ex Machina rears its ugly head once more. Where Richard inexplicably learns to fight like a master swordsman from the sword in seconds three thousand years in the future, this is an explained event. The skills and knowledge of everyone ever to use the sword in battle is imprinted on it, and can be accessed by the wielder. HOWEVER, Magda is the first person ever to use the sword in battle. Where did this master swordsman knowledge come from? There are other glaring plot holes as well, and many of these are explained away rather weakly in a "let's record the information incorrectly to throw the bad guys off the trail" sort of thing at the end. This somewhat cheapens Richards struggles to translate the journal in the Sword of Truth proper.
In conclusion, this book is TERRIBLY written. It is full of plot holes, recycled characters, plotlines and themes, and is repetitious to the point of extreme annoyance. HOWEVER, I can forgive any amount of bad writing for a story that is enjoyable and comes to a satisfying conclusion, with characters that are likeable and entertaining. Regardless of the fact that these elements were borrowed from Goodkind's previous works. They were good stories, themes and characters to begin with, and they're still good now. In my opinion, Goodkind really needs to swallow some of his pride and allow a REAL editor to have a crack at his work, because this book needed it in the worst way imaginable. I understand his desires not to have publishers pushing him around and forcing him to change his stories, however, without the benefit of professional editorial services and copyediting, you get a mess. It was an enjoyable mess, but it was still a mess. If you are a fan of The Sword of Truth, and would enjoy some more light being shed on the back story, and don't really mind that it's terribly written, this book is for you. However, I would not recommend this as a jumping on point for anyone looking to pick up Goodkind's works. It's not a very good example of Goodkind's skill as a writer, or a storyteller, though old fans will enjoy his return to form, even if it's not as well written as his previous works have been. I enjoyed this book FAR more than I would have a continuation of The Omen Machine.
I honestly can't tell you whether or not Goodkind's controlling every aspect of this book's publication was a good thing. On one hand, the story and characters are a VAST improvement over his previous two books, even if they are recycled from his previous works. On the other, the writing has taken a STEEP dive in quality. I would rather have an entertaining book that is poorly written than a well written book that isn't entertaining.(The Wise Man's Fear, anyone? Anyone?) I'll give you that much. But is asking for both too much? It doesn't have to be a new story, and the characters don't have to be fresh or original. I enjoyed these things the first time around. I'll come back for more if you've got it. But Terry, my man, you need a professional editor BIG TIME. This is getting ridiculous. Look at yourself, man. Take this book and compare it to Wizard's First Rule. Look at the huge drop in quality. Writers are supposed to get more skilled with age, not less. What happened to you? You used to be a good writer. It's like you just don't care anymore. I can forgive a lot of bad writing for a good story, but a good story is so much better when it's well written. I can't give this book any more than three stars because of it, no matter how much I may have enjoyed it.
I know that it seems like I'm just tearing this book to shreds here, but I actually did enjoy it quite a bit. It was not without flaws, but it was still highly enjoyable to me as a fan of The Sword of Truth series. This book is a ridiculously huge improvement over the soulless Omen Machine for the simple reason that Magda is a likeable character and Goodkind made me care about her right from the beginning. This aspect was utterly lacking in both The Law of Nines and The Omen Machine. If there's something worth reading for, I can forgive a lot for it. The First Confessor had that something, whereas the other two did not. It's a step in the right direction for Terry Goodkind after half a decade of disappointment. I only hope he continues on in that direction.
Check out my other reviews.
The Legend of Magda Searus
By Terry Goodkind
A Review by Eric Allen
Over the last few years Terry Goodkind has been having... let's call them "issues" with his publishers/editors. There have been quite a few rumors of vicious fighting between them over his work. Not to mention the fact that he switched publishers after his contract with Tor was up, a clear indication that he was unhappy with his situation there, and has publicly whined about editorial influence like a spoiled brat once or twice as well. His last two books, The Law of Nines and The Omen Machine, were not well received by fans and critics alike, likely because they were godawful abominations that no amount of editing could have made readable, much less enjoyable. These rumored difficulties between Goodkind and his publishers seem a likely culprit to lay the blame for these horrible books on. Whether that is true or just internet speculation at its worst remains to be seen. The only real truth that is known on the matter is that Goodkind has decided to forgo any publisher/editor interference and self-publish this book, giving himself complete control over every aspect of its presentation and release. His press release on the audio version is pretty telling on his feelings over publisher interference, and may lend credibility to some of the rumors. The book was first released in e-book form, and later as an audiobook produced by Terry himself after he found a reader that suited him. Was it an improvement over his previous two books? Well, yes and no. In terms of story and character it is INFINITELY better. In terms of writing... well, this book may be one of the absolute worst written books I've ever read in my life. As such, it's a very difficult book to rate, because it's both bad and good at the same time.
The First Confessor begins shortly after the suicide of the First Wizard Baracus, husband of Magda. The Midlands are at war with the Old World, who seek to destroy all magic and enslave everyone under their tyranny. Dream Walkers have infiltrated the Wizard's Keep, infecting the minds of many, forcing them into unwilling slavery. Additionally, there are traitors amongst those claiming to be loyal, directing the Dream Walkers to the most opportune hosts.
Finding a note left for her by her dead husband, Magda sets out to find the truth of why he killed himself. This leads her to a Spiritist, who is said to be able to commune with the dead, working in the catacombs under the Keep. Through this she is led to the Wizard Merrit, who has a passion for making things of magic, including the Sword of Truth, and the magic that creates Confessors. Though Magda has deep disgust over people being made into weapons through magical means, she finds herself trapped. The only way that she can uncover the traitors in the Keep and save the Midlands from ruin is to allow that which she sees as abhorrent be done to her, becoming the first Confessor.
The Good? The story of this book is good, and the characters are enjoyable. It builds to a satisfying conclusion, and sheds some light on the murky back story of The Sword of Truth series. I quite enjoyed seeing the creation of the Sword of Truth, and learning more about the war in the past. All in all, it was a rather fun book for someone who thoroughly enjoyed The Sword of Truth series like myself.
The Bad? Though the characters may be entertaining and likeable, they are, unfortunately, far from original. Magda is Kahlan. Merrit is Richard. The enemy emperor is Jagang. There's no originality here AT ALL. In fact, the entire story itself is lifted from the Sword of Truth. And I don't just mean that it's a retelling of Richard's discoveries in Kolo's Journal. I mean that the war in the past is an exact copy of Richard's war. Goodkind seems to have one single story that he can tell, imparting the exact same themes over and over again. The one time he strayed from his formula, we got The Omen Machine. It's not that the story doesn't work, or that the characters are unlikeable, it's that they're recycled from Goodkind's other works. There's nothing new here. I enjoyed it the first time Goodkind told it, and I enjoy it here, but it's still the same old story, with the same old characters, and the same old themes. The characters may have different names, but they're still the same characters. The only original character is Lothaine, who makes a very good villain in how utterly evil he is.
Though not as preachy as some of Goodkind's other works, this one is still pretty bad. The message of the story is the exact same message that Goodkind has tried to beat into us from the very beginning. He sounds like a broken record, repeating the exact same line over, and over, and over, and over again.
The Ugly? This book is TERRIBLY written. The writing is highly repetitious, and amateurish at best. Goodkind CLAIMS that there was an editor, but that is pure, unadulterated bullshit. He may have had a friend check over his spelling and grammar, but a professional editor DID NOT ever touch this book. A REAL editor would take one look at this book and laugh his ass off. There are numerous things that are expressed numerous times as though it was the first time. Red banners denoting the blood shed during the war, for instance. This is repeated about three or four times, as though Goodkind forgot he'd already told us what they mean. Either that or he thinks we're all idiots and need to be told the same thing over and over again until it sinks in. In one single conversation a character is compared to a vulture more than three times. In a single paragraph a map is referred to as "the map" seven freaking times. Does Goodkind just not know the meaning or uses of the word "it"? These are just a few examples, this book is RIFE with crap like this. A GOOD writer refrains from using the EXACT same words to describe the EXACT same things in close proximity to each other. Readers find the repetition to be highly annoying, and it makes us wonder if the writer has any skill at all. The same exact conversations are repeated numerous times, and go on for ridiculous numbers of pages, repeating the same questions and answers over, and over, and over again to basically just take up space and add padding that the story really doesn't need.
Technobabble. I absolutely hate technobabble. The weakest aspect of Goodkind's books have always been his explanations of how magic--prophecy especially, though all magic gets the treatment--works. If you want to tell me how your magic system works, by all means, do so. But if you're going to instead give me eight pages of technical jargon that is utterly meaningless and tell me that it's an explanation on how your magic system works, you're doing it wrong. If, by the end of eight pages of explanation, I know as much about how things work as when you started, you've just wasted a great deal of my time, and yours. Technobabble is gibberish that is utterly meaningless to the reader, and it makes the writer look like he doesn't have the slightest clue what he's talking about. If you're going to explain something, do it the right way, and actually tell people how something works. Don't go on for pages, and pages, and pages spewing meaningless gibberish about star alignments and calculations that makes little to no sense to anyone involved. It utterly removes anything magical from things that are supposed to be magical. I'd say that at least one tenth of this book's word count is completely meaningless technical jargon trying to explain away the workings of magic, if not more. I get that you want it to be realistic, but technobabble is NOT the way to make it real. It may sound cool to you as the writer, but the reader is just going to be scratching his or her head and rolling their eyes over it. And when it goes on to ridiculous length, becoming the main focus of half the book, you're going overboard. Technobabble is not an explanation, it's a load of meaningless gibberish that no one wants to read. If you're going to give an explanation... GIVE A REAL EXPLANATION OR DON'T GIVE ONE AT ALL!!!
The chapter breaks in this book are ridiculous. This book is probably somewhere around 100k words in length, and it's got over a hundred chapters in it. Single conversations are broken up into ten or fifteen chapters! It really ruins the pacing where every five paragraphs of an exciting conversation of discovery and revelations there's a chapter break. That was actually one of the SELLING POINTS of the book, if you look at the flier Goodkind has posted on his website! You don't toss in fifteen chapter breaks during a conversation that doesn't warrant it, or in a scene that doesn't need it. It just breaks up the pacing, which is a bad thing. Adding in the padding of repetition, pages upon pages of technobabble, and needlessly breaking the book up into a ridiculous number of chapters does not make the book longer in any good way.
The Sword of Dues Ex Machina rears its ugly head once more. Where Richard inexplicably learns to fight like a master swordsman from the sword in seconds three thousand years in the future, this is an explained event. The skills and knowledge of everyone ever to use the sword in battle is imprinted on it, and can be accessed by the wielder. HOWEVER, Magda is the first person ever to use the sword in battle. Where did this master swordsman knowledge come from? There are other glaring plot holes as well, and many of these are explained away rather weakly in a "let's record the information incorrectly to throw the bad guys off the trail" sort of thing at the end. This somewhat cheapens Richards struggles to translate the journal in the Sword of Truth proper.
In conclusion, this book is TERRIBLY written. It is full of plot holes, recycled characters, plotlines and themes, and is repetitious to the point of extreme annoyance. HOWEVER, I can forgive any amount of bad writing for a story that is enjoyable and comes to a satisfying conclusion, with characters that are likeable and entertaining. Regardless of the fact that these elements were borrowed from Goodkind's previous works. They were good stories, themes and characters to begin with, and they're still good now. In my opinion, Goodkind really needs to swallow some of his pride and allow a REAL editor to have a crack at his work, because this book needed it in the worst way imaginable. I understand his desires not to have publishers pushing him around and forcing him to change his stories, however, without the benefit of professional editorial services and copyediting, you get a mess. It was an enjoyable mess, but it was still a mess. If you are a fan of The Sword of Truth, and would enjoy some more light being shed on the back story, and don't really mind that it's terribly written, this book is for you. However, I would not recommend this as a jumping on point for anyone looking to pick up Goodkind's works. It's not a very good example of Goodkind's skill as a writer, or a storyteller, though old fans will enjoy his return to form, even if it's not as well written as his previous works have been. I enjoyed this book FAR more than I would have a continuation of The Omen Machine.
I honestly can't tell you whether or not Goodkind's controlling every aspect of this book's publication was a good thing. On one hand, the story and characters are a VAST improvement over his previous two books, even if they are recycled from his previous works. On the other, the writing has taken a STEEP dive in quality. I would rather have an entertaining book that is poorly written than a well written book that isn't entertaining.(The Wise Man's Fear, anyone? Anyone?) I'll give you that much. But is asking for both too much? It doesn't have to be a new story, and the characters don't have to be fresh or original. I enjoyed these things the first time around. I'll come back for more if you've got it. But Terry, my man, you need a professional editor BIG TIME. This is getting ridiculous. Look at yourself, man. Take this book and compare it to Wizard's First Rule. Look at the huge drop in quality. Writers are supposed to get more skilled with age, not less. What happened to you? You used to be a good writer. It's like you just don't care anymore. I can forgive a lot of bad writing for a good story, but a good story is so much better when it's well written. I can't give this book any more than three stars because of it, no matter how much I may have enjoyed it.
I know that it seems like I'm just tearing this book to shreds here, but I actually did enjoy it quite a bit. It was not without flaws, but it was still highly enjoyable to me as a fan of The Sword of Truth series. This book is a ridiculously huge improvement over the soulless Omen Machine for the simple reason that Magda is a likeable character and Goodkind made me care about her right from the beginning. This aspect was utterly lacking in both The Law of Nines and The Omen Machine. If there's something worth reading for, I can forgive a lot for it. The First Confessor had that something, whereas the other two did not. It's a step in the right direction for Terry Goodkind after half a decade of disappointment. I only hope he continues on in that direction.
Check out my other reviews.
August 15, 2012
Ok, first the good:
It was great to re-enter this world for a while. Sort of like running into an old friend you haven't seen in years. It recalled a lot of great memories from Richard and Kahlan's world and their epic story.
I liked the character of Magda even though she was pretty much a carbon copy of Kahlan. (beautiful, strong-willed, brave)
It was really cool to see how confessors first began and to meet early war wizards and "makers."
Now the negatives:
Terry, stop preaching the same sermon! We know that life is valuable and worth fighting for. We know that truth is vitally important and everyone should have the courage to rise up and live their own life. We get it!! We got the message way back around book 3, I think. Then you pounded us over the head with it for several more books. We got it! You can stop now.
Terry, were you wrongfully imprisoned as a youth or something? It's ok; we understand dwelling on the importance of life, freedom, blah,blah, blah for a few books, but move on!
Second negative: The whole book takes place either inside the Keep or in the immediate vicinity. That's right---with all the cool settings used in The Sword of Truth series; in this book you get the one building and that's it.
Third negative: predictability. It was highly obvious who the bad guy was long before the reveal.
Also somethings didn't really fit. Like Magda jumping right into a new relationship so soon after the suicide of her beloved husband. Not saying it was wrong--just didn't feel realistic.
Terry, I love your work and I'll probably read the next one, but please give us something more like the first 3 books. The heroic quests, the epic love story, the interesting villain (Darken Rahl), the vivid descriptions of awesome landscapes, loveable characters like Chase (right name??)Give us more of that instead of page after page of pedantic dialogue describing minuscule details of additive and subtractive magic... or 12 chapters of "Your life is yours to live; so rise up and live it, etc, etc."
Despite all this...if you liked Richard and Kahlan's story in The Sword of Truth, this book is certainly worth reading. Just be prepared to do a little skimming like I did.
P.S. Haven't read The Omen Machine yet; maybe that's more of what I'm looking for but based on other reviews I'm not sure if I should.
It was great to re-enter this world for a while. Sort of like running into an old friend you haven't seen in years. It recalled a lot of great memories from Richard and Kahlan's world and their epic story.
I liked the character of Magda even though she was pretty much a carbon copy of Kahlan. (beautiful, strong-willed, brave)
It was really cool to see how confessors first began and to meet early war wizards and "makers."
Now the negatives:
Terry, stop preaching the same sermon! We know that life is valuable and worth fighting for. We know that truth is vitally important and everyone should have the courage to rise up and live their own life. We get it!! We got the message way back around book 3, I think. Then you pounded us over the head with it for several more books. We got it! You can stop now.
Terry, were you wrongfully imprisoned as a youth or something? It's ok; we understand dwelling on the importance of life, freedom, blah,blah, blah for a few books, but move on!
Second negative: The whole book takes place either inside the Keep or in the immediate vicinity. That's right---with all the cool settings used in The Sword of Truth series; in this book you get the one building and that's it.
Third negative: predictability. It was highly obvious who the bad guy was long before the reveal.
Also somethings didn't really fit. Like Magda jumping right into a new relationship so soon after the suicide of her beloved husband. Not saying it was wrong--just didn't feel realistic.
Terry, I love your work and I'll probably read the next one, but please give us something more like the first 3 books. The heroic quests, the epic love story, the interesting villain (Darken Rahl), the vivid descriptions of awesome landscapes, loveable characters like Chase (right name??)Give us more of that instead of page after page of pedantic dialogue describing minuscule details of additive and subtractive magic... or 12 chapters of "Your life is yours to live; so rise up and live it, etc, etc."
Despite all this...if you liked Richard and Kahlan's story in The Sword of Truth, this book is certainly worth reading. Just be prepared to do a little skimming like I did.
P.S. Haven't read The Omen Machine yet; maybe that's more of what I'm looking for but based on other reviews I'm not sure if I should.
March 25, 2017
Gosh, this was awful. I was really hoping it wouldn't be, but it just was. It is actually possible to do this review in one word: repetitive. But that seems too weak. If I could have two words, I’d add te-di-ous. But those words are not going to be enough. I need to rant.
Wow, this could really have used a vigorous editor. It seems like Goodkind believes we need to hear everything three times in a row to comprehend it, and that we forget what we just learned after 10 pages. At 500 pages, I skimmed at least 200 of unnecessary repetition and redundant phrases that were repeated too many times. Conversations and thoughts were explained over and over again. Concepts I had just absorbed were re-introduced in the very next paragraph so that I wondered if I was re-reading portions.
See how that just tripled my word count? Did your eyes start to glaze over with complete boredom? It almost became comical to note how many times the same information was repeated as I was skimming for anything that held a whiff of action or plot or any character actually being interesting.
Somewhere in there, there was a story I wanted to read, and towards the end it did begin to emerge. I was interested in the making of the Sword of Truth, and the first Confessor, and in the last 100 pages something actually happened with them. There are some other old familiars in there - references to the Boxes of Orden, the Temple of the Winds, the Sliph, and the world of the dead. But they are only talked about, not experienced like they would have been in the original series.
I had to trudge through so much extra exposition and junk dialog to get to the story, and the story was just not up to old standards. I honestly found it hard to imagine that the writing could be worse. I was bored out of my mind, and frustrated that just when I would start to get into it, I’d have to read/skim a couple of pages of repetition. Argh. It went way beyond the preachy exposition that he was fond of in the original series, and which I was able to ignore for the most part. The writing was just bad. It's the worst I've read in years and I'm amazed that I finished it. I feel as if I need to go re-read The Wizard’s First Rule to wash the memory of this away.
Nov 15, 2014:
Trying to decide whether to give a 2nd star or not. Maybe by the time I've written my review.
Wow, this could really have used a vigorous editor. It seems like Goodkind believes we need to hear everything three times in a row to comprehend it, and that we forget what we just learned after 10 pages. At 500 pages, I skimmed at least 200 of unnecessary repetition and redundant phrases that were repeated too many times. Conversations and thoughts were explained over and over again. Concepts I had just absorbed were re-introduced in the very next paragraph so that I wondered if I was re-reading portions.
See how that just tripled my word count? Did your eyes start to glaze over with complete boredom? It almost became comical to note how many times the same information was repeated as I was skimming for anything that held a whiff of action or plot or any character actually being interesting.
Somewhere in there, there was a story I wanted to read, and towards the end it did begin to emerge. I was interested in the making of the Sword of Truth, and the first Confessor, and in the last 100 pages something actually happened with them. There are some other old familiars in there - references to the Boxes of Orden, the Temple of the Winds, the Sliph, and the world of the dead. But they are only talked about, not experienced like they would have been in the original series.
I had to trudge through so much extra exposition and junk dialog to get to the story, and the story was just not up to old standards. I honestly found it hard to imagine that the writing could be worse. I was bored out of my mind, and frustrated that just when I would start to get into it, I’d have to read/skim a couple of pages of repetition. Argh. It went way beyond the preachy exposition that he was fond of in the original series, and which I was able to ignore for the most part. The writing was just bad. It's the worst I've read in years and I'm amazed that I finished it. I feel as if I need to go re-read The Wizard’s First Rule to wash the memory of this away.
Nov 15, 2014:
Trying to decide whether to give a 2nd star or not. Maybe by the time I've written my review.
July 19, 2012
This was a story that captivated me from the start and one I so wanted to be told, it did not disappoint in the least. From the Start, Magda Searus held my attention. If you recall Sprite, I believe Magda was the true embodiment of it. The things she goes through and her perseverance on her way to becoming the first confessor was astounding.
For those who have not read the Sword of Truth series, this is a good place to start as it will give you some insights into what ‘may’ come. As for those who have read and enjoyed the SoT series, one or more times, you will not be disappointed or left feeling too much was given away. A little twist at the end really helped to put a few things into perspective.
I can only hope that you pick this up and enjoy it as much as I did. In my opinion, this has been the best of the Sword of Truth books; even if it is only in e-book format. For those still refusing/delaying moving to e-readers, please give them a try. Using a tablet, smartphone, or computer is not the same as an e-reader. Don’t get me wrong, I am not pushing e-books, I still love to sit back with a book in my hands, but for convenience and ease of use you cannot beat an e-reader.
For those who have not read the Sword of Truth series, this is a good place to start as it will give you some insights into what ‘may’ come. As for those who have read and enjoyed the SoT series, one or more times, you will not be disappointed or left feeling too much was given away. A little twist at the end really helped to put a few things into perspective.
I can only hope that you pick this up and enjoy it as much as I did. In my opinion, this has been the best of the Sword of Truth books; even if it is only in e-book format. For those still refusing/delaying moving to e-readers, please give them a try. Using a tablet, smartphone, or computer is not the same as an e-reader. Don’t get me wrong, I am not pushing e-books, I still love to sit back with a book in my hands, but for convenience and ease of use you cannot beat an e-reader.
July 6, 2012
I loved The Sword of Truth novels. I eagerly awaited each massive volume and was disappointed when the story ended. This wasn't because of how the series concluded but because I was going to miss reading about Richard and Kahlan.
Now, Terry Goodkind has set the stage for an entirely new series with The First Confessor. The events in this novel predate those in The Sword of Truth by thousands of years. The reader is given insight to the origination of items integral to the original series including the Stone of Tears, Towers of Perdition, dream walkers, Lord Rahl's Devotion and, of course, confessors and The Sword of Truth. The link between confessors and the Sword of Truth becomes obvious and explains the dynamic between Richard and Kahlan.
This book neatly ties up loose threads from the original series but I'd strongly recommend you NOT read this book before completing The Sword of Truth series. There is a ruse involving the Boxes of Orden and The Book of Counted Shadows that is essential to the entire story. The First Confessor explains why this was done but knowing this ahead of time will spoil some of the plot twists and the ending of the Sword of Truth series.
I enjoyed the new characters of Magda and Merritt, the wizard that made the first confessor and the Sword of Truth. I'm not sure if it was intentional on Goodkind's part, but these characters seem slightly softer and more realistic. I'm looking forward to hearing more about them in another 10 or so volumes in this new series!
Now, Terry Goodkind has set the stage for an entirely new series with The First Confessor. The events in this novel predate those in The Sword of Truth by thousands of years. The reader is given insight to the origination of items integral to the original series including the Stone of Tears, Towers of Perdition, dream walkers, Lord Rahl's Devotion and, of course, confessors and The Sword of Truth. The link between confessors and the Sword of Truth becomes obvious and explains the dynamic between Richard and Kahlan.
This book neatly ties up loose threads from the original series but I'd strongly recommend you NOT read this book before completing The Sword of Truth series. There is a ruse involving the Boxes of Orden and The Book of Counted Shadows that is essential to the entire story. The First Confessor explains why this was done but knowing this ahead of time will spoil some of the plot twists and the ending of the Sword of Truth series.
I enjoyed the new characters of Magda and Merritt, the wizard that made the first confessor and the Sword of Truth. I'm not sure if it was intentional on Goodkind's part, but these characters seem slightly softer and more realistic. I'm looking forward to hearing more about them in another 10 or so volumes in this new series!
July 26, 2012
Here's the deal, this was my least favorite Terry Goodkind novel. I have to believe that my feelings were in part because Mr. Goodkind decided not to offer the book as a physical book to most of the general public. He decided to self-publish this novel which meant offering it as an e-book and having 300 collector's editions available as part of a $300 set. Guess what, your readers are not rich. Watching the comments on the fan page on facebook and twitter, it is easy to see that many of us weren't happy with the options presented. $300 may not seem like a lot, but if the only thing you were interested in from that set was one book, would you really want to pay all that money for it? I hope more authors don't go this way. It is one thing if you consistently publish your books as e-books. It is entirely different to have published all of your books in physical format then take away that option from your readers without considering the difficulties. Many of Mr. Goodkind's readers commented that they dislike e-readers or don't own one so they feel punished. I have a Nook Tablet, but that doesn't mean I want to buy this book as an e-book. I have all of his other books in physical format and would have liked to add it to my collection. Don't try to say that this way of publishing makes it easier for readers if you never consulted your readers, that's just ridiculous.
On to the review of the book. This really was not as well written as the Sword of Truth series. I'm used to the long explanations and things having a round about way of working the way Goodkind wants them to. However, this book just didn't have "it," whatever that is. I just didn't feel connected to it at all. Having read the series, I knew the short version of what had happened so I had an idea of the ending. I don't think that took away from the book at all, but I just didn't think it was an important story to be told.
Magda Searus is an extremely strong female character. She lets no one get in her way of finding the truth. I found her to be very similar to Kahlan. The only complaint I had for Magda was her continual reference to being a nobody and the number of times people had to reassure her that she is a somebody. After the second or third time, it got to be quite old.
In all, I was happy to finish the book mostly to just be done with it. I never had the excitement while reading it that I had while reading the Sword of Truth series.
On to the review of the book. This really was not as well written as the Sword of Truth series. I'm used to the long explanations and things having a round about way of working the way Goodkind wants them to. However, this book just didn't have "it," whatever that is. I just didn't feel connected to it at all. Having read the series, I knew the short version of what had happened so I had an idea of the ending. I don't think that took away from the book at all, but I just didn't think it was an important story to be told.
Magda Searus is an extremely strong female character. She lets no one get in her way of finding the truth. I found her to be very similar to Kahlan. The only complaint I had for Magda was her continual reference to being a nobody and the number of times people had to reassure her that she is a somebody. After the second or third time, it got to be quite old.
In all, I was happy to finish the book mostly to just be done with it. I never had the excitement while reading it that I had while reading the Sword of Truth series.
July 9, 2013
This is Goodkind's redemption from mediocracy
Being a fan of the Sword of Truth series, I have been massively disappointed in his last two offerings before The First Confessor. The change of style from epic fantasy to more thriller in Law of Nines and The Omen Machine left me with such a bad taste that I almost swore off of his books entirely. Indeed, if The First Confessor had been of the same style, he would have lost at least one fan forever (not that is probably means anything to Goodkind).
Fortunately, this novel was everything his two previous books were not. The writing style is definately more of the Sword of Truth style than the thriller style of his last two works. The story telling is an order of magnitude better in this volume than the previous two, and this one does not have the gaps that appeared in The Omen Machine.
For a fan of the Sword of Truth, this is a must read. I will not say that it is as well-written and compelling as Faith of the Fallen, but it is pretty darn close. The story, as expected, centers around the life of Magda Searus in the months leading up the the creation of the first confessor. Magda is mentioned several times throughout the original series, but this book fleshes out both her personality and her driving force. While doing so, it also answers questions about the origin of both the Sword of Truth and the Confessor's power.
Anyone that has read the Sword of Truth editions, will see that this volume at times follows the same template. In several scenes, you could almost substitute Richard and Kahlan for Magda and Merritt. Of course, the original series was supposed to be a cycle of reoccurance, so that is to be expected.
For those expecting this to be a historical biography of Magda's entire life, it is not. The story ends shortly after her elevation as the original Mother Confessor. Fans will remember that Magda and Merritt eventually wed, but this edition does not go much beyond the early stages of their relationship.
Being a fan of the Sword of Truth series, I have been massively disappointed in his last two offerings before The First Confessor. The change of style from epic fantasy to more thriller in Law of Nines and The Omen Machine left me with such a bad taste that I almost swore off of his books entirely. Indeed, if The First Confessor had been of the same style, he would have lost at least one fan forever (not that is probably means anything to Goodkind).
Fortunately, this novel was everything his two previous books were not. The writing style is definately more of the Sword of Truth style than the thriller style of his last two works. The story telling is an order of magnitude better in this volume than the previous two, and this one does not have the gaps that appeared in The Omen Machine.
For a fan of the Sword of Truth, this is a must read. I will not say that it is as well-written and compelling as Faith of the Fallen, but it is pretty darn close. The story, as expected, centers around the life of Magda Searus in the months leading up the the creation of the first confessor. Magda is mentioned several times throughout the original series, but this book fleshes out both her personality and her driving force. While doing so, it also answers questions about the origin of both the Sword of Truth and the Confessor's power.
Anyone that has read the Sword of Truth editions, will see that this volume at times follows the same template. In several scenes, you could almost substitute Richard and Kahlan for Magda and Merritt. Of course, the original series was supposed to be a cycle of reoccurance, so that is to be expected.
For those expecting this to be a historical biography of Magda's entire life, it is not. The story ends shortly after her elevation as the original Mother Confessor. Fans will remember that Magda and Merritt eventually wed, but this edition does not go much beyond the early stages of their relationship.
July 14, 2012
can't wait for it to come out, can't wait to read it
+++update+++
+++update+++
October 24, 2017
More like 3.5 stars but I decided to round it up.
Whenever I look at a series like Sword of Truth that comes with a lot of prequels and sequels I tend to get overwhelmed. Of course, it's great to get more books of your favorite series and I love to revisit a story world but sometimes the author isn't able to uphold the quality of a story. Let me tell you, this far, this is not the case with the Sword of Truth series.
As of now, I read book 1 and 2 in the original series. Both stayed pretty close to the TV series that I watched beforehand. While I loved both books I had problems with the pacing. Somehow it felt like everything was happening at the same time while nothing really happened. Needless to say reading them was tedious sometimes but I like to think that the series will be better once the books overtake the TV series.
I was curious to see how 'The First Confessor' would be like. Firstly, the existence of Confessors is a favorite of mine and secondly, it's an author self-publishing release. Not sure what happened there exactly but aspects like this always get to me.
Starting the book I expected to see a difference to the rest of the series and my expectations were met - in a good and sometimes not that great way.
I wasn't familiar with the origin story of Confessors which means the book was a fast read that taught me a lot about the Midlands.
Magda is a great character although she was your typical damsel in distress more than once. I also liked Merrit. Their relationship with each other didn't work for me at all. Not sure if only to blame the writing for this but when two characters meet and there's half a page of description of someone's eyes I can't really take it seriously. They also remembered me strongly of Kahlan and Richard (although this can be intentional).
While I loved to get to know more about their world, I struggled with the many coincidences. Any kind of solution just happened to lie around. When there was no easy solution available another character was introduced to justify an info dump. I won't even go into people just meeting each other and declaring trust/friendship/love within a couple of hours. But if I remember correctly this is an ongoing problem with Goodkind's books.
To sum it up, 'The First Confessor' certainly is a fast-paced book but characters and relationships just moved too fast in my opinion. The characters were great but not that original if you already know other books in the series. Deus ex machina was a constant nuisance but (and this is a big one) the book entertained me. I loved to read it and I look forward to more books in the series. It's a great story world with an interesting magic system that I like to visit again.
Whenever I look at a series like Sword of Truth that comes with a lot of prequels and sequels I tend to get overwhelmed. Of course, it's great to get more books of your favorite series and I love to revisit a story world but sometimes the author isn't able to uphold the quality of a story. Let me tell you, this far, this is not the case with the Sword of Truth series.
As of now, I read book 1 and 2 in the original series. Both stayed pretty close to the TV series that I watched beforehand. While I loved both books I had problems with the pacing. Somehow it felt like everything was happening at the same time while nothing really happened. Needless to say reading them was tedious sometimes but I like to think that the series will be better once the books overtake the TV series.
I was curious to see how 'The First Confessor' would be like. Firstly, the existence of Confessors is a favorite of mine and secondly, it's an author self-publishing release. Not sure what happened there exactly but aspects like this always get to me.
Starting the book I expected to see a difference to the rest of the series and my expectations were met - in a good and sometimes not that great way.
I wasn't familiar with the origin story of Confessors which means the book was a fast read that taught me a lot about the Midlands.
Magda is a great character although she was your typical damsel in distress more than once. I also liked Merrit. Their relationship with each other didn't work for me at all. Not sure if only to blame the writing for this but when two characters meet and there's half a page of description of someone's eyes I can't really take it seriously. They also remembered me strongly of Kahlan and Richard (although this can be intentional).
While I loved to get to know more about their world, I struggled with the many coincidences. Any kind of solution just happened to lie around. When there was no easy solution available another character was introduced to justify an info dump. I won't even go into people just meeting each other and declaring trust/friendship/love within a couple of hours. But if I remember correctly this is an ongoing problem with Goodkind's books.
To sum it up, 'The First Confessor' certainly is a fast-paced book but characters and relationships just moved too fast in my opinion. The characters were great but not that original if you already know other books in the series. Deus ex machina was a constant nuisance but (and this is a big one) the book entertained me. I loved to read it and I look forward to more books in the series. It's a great story world with an interesting magic system that I like to visit again.
July 23, 2012
When it became apparent this book would only be available as an e-book I was a bit upset. I'm one of those traditionalists that, while occasionaly reading on pads, vastly prefers the feel of a paper hardcover edition. But after reading this book, I realize the choice for this format had some very good effects.
I've always been a fan of Terry, and I loved every single book he wrote. But while they were all awesome, I have to be honest and admit his last books while excellent never gave me that 'must finish this in one go' feeling the first few 'sword of truth' novels gave me. It was as Terry, while still being an amazing storyteller, just lost a little bit of magic, the kind you usually only find with fresh writers still finding their way, still running on soul and spirit.
Not so with this book. I'm happy it's not that long, because I could not put it away. I finished it in one marathon session. I think Terry's obvious excitement for this new medium, this new project made him feel like the younger eager writer he once was, ready to conquer the world. And it shows.
Oh and of course, as a fan, it was a joy to delve into the life of characters and object you'd come to regard as legends.
But I still want a hardcover printed version :)
I've always been a fan of Terry, and I loved every single book he wrote. But while they were all awesome, I have to be honest and admit his last books while excellent never gave me that 'must finish this in one go' feeling the first few 'sword of truth' novels gave me. It was as Terry, while still being an amazing storyteller, just lost a little bit of magic, the kind you usually only find with fresh writers still finding their way, still running on soul and spirit.
Not so with this book. I'm happy it's not that long, because I could not put it away. I finished it in one marathon session. I think Terry's obvious excitement for this new medium, this new project made him feel like the younger eager writer he once was, ready to conquer the world. And it shows.
Oh and of course, as a fan, it was a joy to delve into the life of characters and object you'd come to regard as legends.
But I still want a hardcover printed version :)
July 3, 2012
Spoiler-Free Review:
First, If you haven't read through "Confessor" in the main series, do NOT read this book. It contains some pretty important spoilers for the series as a whole.
The First Confessor is an origin book, and it reads like one. Anyone familiar with the universe knows about most of what happens before even picking up the book. Goodkind banks on that, constantly referencing things in development that will ultimately affect the characters in the main series. Unfortunately in doing so, he spreads us too thin. I felt that in trying to hit all the bullet points, the story got in the way of true character development and kept me from becoming emotionally invested in the characters. I believe this origin storyline had great potential, but this one fell far short of my expectations. I still enjoyed it for what it was, but I wish it could have been more.
First, If you haven't read through "Confessor" in the main series, do NOT read this book. It contains some pretty important spoilers for the series as a whole.
The First Confessor is an origin book, and it reads like one. Anyone familiar with the universe knows about most of what happens before even picking up the book. Goodkind banks on that, constantly referencing things in development that will ultimately affect the characters in the main series. Unfortunately in doing so, he spreads us too thin. I felt that in trying to hit all the bullet points, the story got in the way of true character development and kept me from becoming emotionally invested in the characters. I believe this origin storyline had great potential, but this one fell far short of my expectations. I still enjoyed it for what it was, but I wish it could have been more.
July 6, 2012
July 2nd: Still trying to find this at B & N!
Yaay, just dl'd the book!
Another mesmerizing tale from Terry Goodkind and the first book read on Cleo, my new GlowNook! Yes, it's worth purchasing an e-reader just to read this book! Besides, if you experience joy from reading, any reader is a great investment.
If you've already finished this book (as of July 6th), you've already read the series and I recommend doing that first if you happen to be new to the story since the gradual unfolding of the story throughout the previous books is part of what makes for such a riveting read.
Kudos to Goodkind for joining the Brave New World of self e-publishing!
Yaay, just dl'd the book!
Another mesmerizing tale from Terry Goodkind and the first book read on Cleo, my new GlowNook! Yes, it's worth purchasing an e-reader just to read this book! Besides, if you experience joy from reading, any reader is a great investment.
If you've already finished this book (as of July 6th), you've already read the series and I recommend doing that first if you happen to be new to the story since the gradual unfolding of the story throughout the previous books is part of what makes for such a riveting read.
Kudos to Goodkind for joining the Brave New World of self e-publishing!
July 14, 2012
Terry outshines his own work once again! Readers will love seeing the origin of The Confessors and hearing the action-packed tale of Magda Searus. :D
September 10, 2012
It may be my unfamiliarity with Terry Goodkind's offerings that prompts this review. I've read the first three novels of the Sword of Truth series, but Goodkind's writing, specifically his dialogue, struck me as pedantic and unbelievable, even though the setting was interesting, so I stopped reading.
I heard about this book on the Sword & Laser podcast recently, so I decided to give it a look. I admire Goodkind's interest in self-publishing/distribution. I thought it was a step in the right direction. I detest his response to the piracy of his ebook... It's one thing to ask your readers to consider the odds you're going up against. It's quite another to throw out a single individual as the representative of all piracy to your adoring fan-base. I've heard the argument that he's just 'defending his property.' Had he dealt with the matter by contacting the individual himself, or dealing with the matter legally, I'd agree. Instead, he sicced his pack of hounds after a lone fox while he sat back and took righteous pride in ferreting out the 'traitor' the the ideal of his book. Oh look, you can write a facebook post that ruins someone's life for a relatively small transgression... You must feel so proud.
That being said, I was drawn in to the first chapter of the book from the sample, so I bought it from Amazon (legally, mind you). The story started off well - the world and background were very interesting. I was curious to find out why the First Wizard had committed suicide. I was interested to learn how the magic then had led to the magic of his latter books. But as I read on, I realized that background was ALL the book was about. It's like a Silmarillion for a far less interesting world. At least Tolkein's work was formatted as a historical novel. No such concessions were made for The First Confessor. It tempts you with a semblance of a plot... Then it bores you with pages upon pages of exposition disguised as dialogue. For instance, when Magda went down to meet with the spiritist. Theoretically, Magda was in a hurry because, you know, bad things were happening and time is short. But rather than getting things done, she instead chooses to sit there an listen to the crazy lady ramble on forever without ever asking questions or interjections of any sort.
And then the haphazard romance with Merritt: Gag me. My synopsis: Hmm, you're hot, I'm hot and I'm now conveniently single. Oh no, I'm feeling a small itty bitty teensy bit of remorse. Oh wait, I don't actually care. Let's make babies.
It annoyed me even more because it lured me in. Don't buy it! It's a trap!
I heard about this book on the Sword & Laser podcast recently, so I decided to give it a look. I admire Goodkind's interest in self-publishing/distribution. I thought it was a step in the right direction. I detest his response to the piracy of his ebook... It's one thing to ask your readers to consider the odds you're going up against. It's quite another to throw out a single individual as the representative of all piracy to your adoring fan-base. I've heard the argument that he's just 'defending his property.' Had he dealt with the matter by contacting the individual himself, or dealing with the matter legally, I'd agree. Instead, he sicced his pack of hounds after a lone fox while he sat back and took righteous pride in ferreting out the 'traitor' the the ideal of his book. Oh look, you can write a facebook post that ruins someone's life for a relatively small transgression... You must feel so proud.
That being said, I was drawn in to the first chapter of the book from the sample, so I bought it from Amazon (legally, mind you). The story started off well - the world and background were very interesting. I was curious to find out why the First Wizard had committed suicide. I was interested to learn how the magic then had led to the magic of his latter books. But as I read on, I realized that background was ALL the book was about. It's like a Silmarillion for a far less interesting world. At least Tolkein's work was formatted as a historical novel. No such concessions were made for The First Confessor. It tempts you with a semblance of a plot... Then it bores you with pages upon pages of exposition disguised as dialogue. For instance, when Magda went down to meet with the spiritist. Theoretically, Magda was in a hurry because, you know, bad things were happening and time is short. But rather than getting things done, she instead chooses to sit there an listen to the crazy lady ramble on forever without ever asking questions or interjections of any sort.
And then the haphazard romance with Merritt: Gag me. My synopsis: Hmm, you're hot, I'm hot and I'm now conveniently single. Oh no, I'm feeling a small itty bitty teensy bit of remorse. Oh wait, I don't actually care. Let's make babies.
It annoyed me even more because it lured me in. Don't buy it! It's a trap!
December 11, 2012
I just want to start off with saying that I LOVED SoT series. I really loved the first 7 books...YES, that means I really did love Pillars of Creation. (that is another discussion in itself.)
Ok, on to the book review for The First Confessor. As I was reading halfway through the book, I kept wondering to myself, WHEN is the character going to get out of the keep and DO something. It wasn't until the very end of the book that she actually swings a sword and that's about as much action you get out of this book besides her running through a maze as a dead corpse chases her. I got so bored of her hanging out at the keep for almost the entire book I couldn't understand why Terry couldn't have part of her quest go outside the keep? (Merritt's house down in the city doesn't count.)
95% of the book is conversations. I know Terry has a tendency to write a lot of dialog in which I don't mind, but give me some action to balance it out! I didn't think he was as preachy as the Omen Machine or compared to the end of the SoT series, so I was somewhat ok with it. I don't mind his points on anti-collectivism but it can get long-winded.
Another thing that bothered me is that it felt like it was written for a junior audience. There were no surprises in the plot, the characters were REALLY flat (basically a bad copy of the SoT characters) and there was no struggle between the characters emotions. And, where is the sexual smut that usually ends up in his books? I'm not saying that it wasn't a bad thing to omit sexual content, but at least give us some sort of sexual/emotion struggle that Merritt wants Magda or vise-versa. Look at an example of Richard and Kahlan wanting each other so badly in the Wizards First Rule. Terry showed the struggle between those two character very well and it made the reader want the characters to overcome their struggle. With Magda and Merritt, I was feeling very empty. I'm not even saying the characters have to get dirty, but show SOME sort of emotion between the two. I also kept expecting Prosecutor Lothain to rape Madga or try to get frisky with her when she was alone with him, but it never happened. I kept thinking...Terry had a perfect opportunity to go into his norm sexual/torture scenes he likes writing when talking about Lothain. He just seemed more of a douche bag than an actual evil villian.
I think that the story would've helped with different point of views to progress the story better which it would help give opportunities for emotions all the characters and action sequences. (example, Merritt's struggle with the guard at his house.) Terry has done this before with his SoT books (PoV with Richard, Kahlan, Ann, Zedd, Chase....) it just got too boring with Magda being the only PoV. YES, I know the story is about Magda, but if you show multiple points of view it can still progress Magda's story.
At this point, after reading The First Confessor and the Omen Machine, I'm giving up with Terry's books. I'm sad to say it but I'm tired of talking heads with flat personalities, no emotions or zero action. I will always love Terry's earlier books and will re-read them, but I just can't go on with the new books any longer.
Ok, on to the book review for The First Confessor. As I was reading halfway through the book, I kept wondering to myself, WHEN is the character going to get out of the keep and DO something. It wasn't until the very end of the book that she actually swings a sword and that's about as much action you get out of this book besides her running through a maze as a dead corpse chases her. I got so bored of her hanging out at the keep for almost the entire book I couldn't understand why Terry couldn't have part of her quest go outside the keep? (Merritt's house down in the city doesn't count.)
95% of the book is conversations. I know Terry has a tendency to write a lot of dialog in which I don't mind, but give me some action to balance it out! I didn't think he was as preachy as the Omen Machine or compared to the end of the SoT series, so I was somewhat ok with it. I don't mind his points on anti-collectivism but it can get long-winded.
Another thing that bothered me is that it felt like it was written for a junior audience. There were no surprises in the plot, the characters were REALLY flat (basically a bad copy of the SoT characters) and there was no struggle between the characters emotions. And, where is the sexual smut that usually ends up in his books? I'm not saying that it wasn't a bad thing to omit sexual content, but at least give us some sort of sexual/emotion struggle that Merritt wants Magda or vise-versa. Look at an example of Richard and Kahlan wanting each other so badly in the Wizards First Rule. Terry showed the struggle between those two character very well and it made the reader want the characters to overcome their struggle. With Magda and Merritt, I was feeling very empty. I'm not even saying the characters have to get dirty, but show SOME sort of emotion between the two. I also kept expecting Prosecutor Lothain to rape Madga or try to get frisky with her when she was alone with him, but it never happened. I kept thinking...Terry had a perfect opportunity to go into his norm sexual/torture scenes he likes writing when talking about Lothain. He just seemed more of a douche bag than an actual evil villian.
I think that the story would've helped with different point of views to progress the story better which it would help give opportunities for emotions all the characters and action sequences. (example, Merritt's struggle with the guard at his house.) Terry has done this before with his SoT books (PoV with Richard, Kahlan, Ann, Zedd, Chase....) it just got too boring with Magda being the only PoV. YES, I know the story is about Magda, but if you show multiple points of view it can still progress Magda's story.
At this point, after reading The First Confessor and the Omen Machine, I'm giving up with Terry's books. I'm sad to say it but I'm tired of talking heads with flat personalities, no emotions or zero action. I will always love Terry's earlier books and will re-read them, but I just can't go on with the new books any longer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2012
Where do I begin?
Like most Terry Goodkind fans, I was really looking forward to reading this story. I've read Goodkind's work since I was a teenager and enjoyed his latest installment, "The Omen Machine". So my expectations for this book were fairly high. Afterall, in my own opinion, Goodkind always delivers a good story.
This book just didn't cut it. There are so many reasons to justify this that I don't really know where to begin. I completely understand Goodkind's desire to publish his own book his own way; it's a smart move for such an established and well-known author. But I think Goodkind is suffering from the George Lucas phenomenon - there is no one around who will say "no" to his ideas. Therefore, Goodkind was given a free creative license to do what he wanted and how he wanted to do it (without those pesky publishers to tell him differently).
But this fact is why the book ultimately fails to impress.
The plot, first and foremost, is unflattering. It is very predictable and just solidified conclusions that long-time fans of the Sword of Truth series had already strung together by reading the fist twelve or so novels. But more importantly, there are critical errors within the text that aren't easy to ignore. For example, I came across two separate instances where "time" was inconsistent. Magda, on the bridge, greeted Sadlar "good morning", but later had to hurry off before it got "too dark". That's one long conversation. Another scene involved a lantern light being flashed in the faces of some guards, catching them unawares. However, the very next chapter, Magda and co. are running through a forest, guided by the moonlight. These inconsistencies grated at me as I was reading.
The pivotal moments in the plot fall flat. Most of the time I was merely grunting because I knew what was about to happen. However, the plot did shed some light of the Sword of Truth and the first Confessor. But it all seemed a bit artificial, designed to fit around the SOT series, rather than the other way around.
The characters are unimpressive too. Magda is Khalan; Merritt is Richard; Quinn is Zedd. There is no real fluctuation of personalities this time round. I was really disappointed that I wasn't able to experience an entire new culture, since it is set over a thousand years in the past. Everything seems like it could have happened the day before Richard's story began.
Another irking feature was the frequency in which "things" were stated, over and over again. I reached 45% of the ebook and suddenly thought to myself: "why didn't the book start here?" It just didn't make sense. Furthermore, I felt like I was being spoon-fed concepts the entire time; like Goodkind was assuming I was stupid and couldn't make my own connections. I'm talking about lines that look like this: "Magda knew she had to run, because saving *** was essential". I found myself thinking: "Um... yeah. That's pretty obvious." The book is littered with these lines.
I could go on and on, but I'll never be able to sum up my disappointment in one review. This book, unfortunately, may have spoiled my reading of future Goodkind novels.
Like most Terry Goodkind fans, I was really looking forward to reading this story. I've read Goodkind's work since I was a teenager and enjoyed his latest installment, "The Omen Machine". So my expectations for this book were fairly high. Afterall, in my own opinion, Goodkind always delivers a good story.
This book just didn't cut it. There are so many reasons to justify this that I don't really know where to begin. I completely understand Goodkind's desire to publish his own book his own way; it's a smart move for such an established and well-known author. But I think Goodkind is suffering from the George Lucas phenomenon - there is no one around who will say "no" to his ideas. Therefore, Goodkind was given a free creative license to do what he wanted and how he wanted to do it (without those pesky publishers to tell him differently).
But this fact is why the book ultimately fails to impress.
The plot, first and foremost, is unflattering. It is very predictable and just solidified conclusions that long-time fans of the Sword of Truth series had already strung together by reading the fist twelve or so novels. But more importantly, there are critical errors within the text that aren't easy to ignore. For example, I came across two separate instances where "time" was inconsistent. Magda, on the bridge, greeted Sadlar "good morning", but later had to hurry off before it got "too dark". That's one long conversation. Another scene involved a lantern light being flashed in the faces of some guards, catching them unawares. However, the very next chapter, Magda and co. are running through a forest, guided by the moonlight. These inconsistencies grated at me as I was reading.
The pivotal moments in the plot fall flat. Most of the time I was merely grunting because I knew what was about to happen. However, the plot did shed some light of the Sword of Truth and the first Confessor. But it all seemed a bit artificial, designed to fit around the SOT series, rather than the other way around.
The characters are unimpressive too. Magda is Khalan; Merritt is Richard; Quinn is Zedd. There is no real fluctuation of personalities this time round. I was really disappointed that I wasn't able to experience an entire new culture, since it is set over a thousand years in the past. Everything seems like it could have happened the day before Richard's story began.
Another irking feature was the frequency in which "things" were stated, over and over again. I reached 45% of the ebook and suddenly thought to myself: "why didn't the book start here?" It just didn't make sense. Furthermore, I felt like I was being spoon-fed concepts the entire time; like Goodkind was assuming I was stupid and couldn't make my own connections. I'm talking about lines that look like this: "Magda knew she had to run, because saving *** was essential". I found myself thinking: "Um... yeah. That's pretty obvious." The book is littered with these lines.
I could go on and on, but I'll never be able to sum up my disappointment in one review. This book, unfortunately, may have spoiled my reading of future Goodkind novels.
July 4, 2012
I started this book with a bit of apprehension. I wasn't sure if I was ready to invest time into a new set of characters. I am glad I did. While I knew more or less how it was going to end (this being a prequel) I was thoroughly engrossed in the journey. Mr. Goodkind managed to take figures from the "history" of his Sword of Truth series and bring them to vibrant life. I had thought of these figures as ancient and majestic ancestors that painstakingly laid down the path that the SoT characters currently following to this day.
Terry managed to make them human. He made them fallible. He made them live.
Terry managed to make them human. He made them fallible. He made them live.
July 4, 2012
This was a book that I have long hoped to read, one that set in place the background for a series that has provided many hours of enjoyment.
The wonder and magic that has been the world around the Sword of Truth is enhanced by this book and some of the earlier characters are fleshed out. Many of the questions that I had throughout the series have been answered and a few added which leaves me wanting more.
If you are a Sword of Truth fan then this is a must read, if you are new to the series then you are a lucky one that can start from the beginning on a wonderful trip.
The wonder and magic that has been the world around the Sword of Truth is enhanced by this book and some of the earlier characters are fleshed out. Many of the questions that I had throughout the series have been answered and a few added which leaves me wanting more.
If you are a Sword of Truth fan then this is a must read, if you are new to the series then you are a lucky one that can start from the beginning on a wonderful trip.
Read
February 26, 2017DNF -
Really disappointed in this was hoping for more of a actual tale about how the Confessors came to be as well as what male confessors are like. Instead we get a tale about dream walkers who are boring. Magda is a tedious character and again I don't get why a Rahl would be involved in this story it really is kind of dumb.
There is proof that Goodkind can write a good book that is set in the same world as The Sword of Truth Saga but this is bad.
Really disappointed in this was hoping for more of a actual tale about how the Confessors came to be as well as what male confessors are like. Instead we get a tale about dream walkers who are boring. Magda is a tedious character and again I don't get why a Rahl would be involved in this story it really is kind of dumb.
There is proof that Goodkind can write a good book that is set in the same world as The Sword of Truth Saga but this is bad.
July 5, 2012
Mr. Goodkind, thank you so much for releasing this beautiful story in its full, unedited version. I loved every moment of it. It was wonderful to finally find out what happened a thousand years prior to the Sword of Truth series, but this story was compelling all on its own. Beautifully crafted, and impossible to put down.
January 24, 2022
Quando non sai da quale parte far pendere la bilancia, opta per la metà.
Da anni avevo intenzione di iniziare questa serie, ovvero da quando avevo visto l'intera serie TV dedicata ai libri di Goodkind. Pensavo di partire dal primo volume di Sword of Truth, quando ho scoperto l'esistenza di due prequel che spiegavano l'origine di alcuni elementi della serie principale. La curiosità, ovviamente, era troppa. Così sono approdata dalla cara Magda.
Insomma, che dire? Mi accorgo che la sto prendendo alla lontana, un po' come il buon Goodkind (sarà effetto della lettura?), quindi sarò schematica.
What I loved:
1 - Linguaggio affascinante, ricco, vario. C'è una grande forza immaginifica nel restituire gli spazi, le architetture, i materiali, la bellezza degli oggetti, o la claustrofobia dei sotterranei, o l'immaterialità dei mondi invisibili e immaginari.
2 - Belli e intensi i personaggi. Magda, Merrit e Lord Rahl sopra tutti, ma anche i personaggi "secondari" hanno la loro piacevolezza. Ed è bello il percorso (sia in termine di azione che di introspezione) che compiono per realizzare ciò che poi sarà al centro della saga successiva.
3 - Ho trovato entusiasmante scoprire l'origine della Spada della Verità, delle Depositarie e del Libro delle Ombre Importanti. Nonché i vari vincoli di potere tra loro.
4 - Ho adorato soprattutto il finale.
Vi sembra tutto molto bello, fin qui? Bene, aspettate…
What I hated:
1 - Tutto troppo, troppo lungo. Immotivatamente lungo. Lungo fino allo stremo! Sarebbero bastate la metà delle pagine. Soprattutto per i primi 3/4 della narrazione. L'ultima parte può andare così come va, ha i tempi giusti, ma prima… dialoghi infiniti, scene che durano "x elevato a potenza" capitoli e soprattutto ripetizioni. Ripetizioni come se non ci fosse un domani, spesso utilizzando la stessa frase. Ora, capisco che parliamo di un mondo immaginario e complesso, che necessita di chiarimenti, ma sfinire il lettore (che ha già compreso), no! E poi utilizzare i dialoghi con un pingpong di botta e risposta per ribadire i concetti (con Personaggio 1 che fa le domande perché Personaggio 2 abbia l'assist per lo "spiegone") anche no.
Peccato per questo aspetto. Ho finito il libro perché ero presa dalla storia ed ero davvero curiosa di scoprire come si sarebbe arrivati a quegli elementi della serie che già conoscevo senza saperne le origini, ma sono arrivata alla fine davvero stremata.
Da anni avevo intenzione di iniziare questa serie, ovvero da quando avevo visto l'intera serie TV dedicata ai libri di Goodkind. Pensavo di partire dal primo volume di Sword of Truth, quando ho scoperto l'esistenza di due prequel che spiegavano l'origine di alcuni elementi della serie principale. La curiosità, ovviamente, era troppa. Così sono approdata dalla cara Magda.
Insomma, che dire? Mi accorgo che la sto prendendo alla lontana, un po' come il buon Goodkind (sarà effetto della lettura?), quindi sarò schematica.
What I loved:
1 - Linguaggio affascinante, ricco, vario. C'è una grande forza immaginifica nel restituire gli spazi, le architetture, i materiali, la bellezza degli oggetti, o la claustrofobia dei sotterranei, o l'immaterialità dei mondi invisibili e immaginari.
2 - Belli e intensi i personaggi. Magda, Merrit e Lord Rahl sopra tutti, ma anche i personaggi "secondari" hanno la loro piacevolezza. Ed è bello il percorso (sia in termine di azione che di introspezione) che compiono per realizzare ciò che poi sarà al centro della saga successiva.
3 - Ho trovato entusiasmante scoprire l'origine della Spada della Verità, delle Depositarie e del Libro delle Ombre Importanti. Nonché i vari vincoli di potere tra loro.
4 - Ho adorato soprattutto il finale.
Vi sembra tutto molto bello, fin qui? Bene, aspettate…
What I hated:
1 - Tutto troppo, troppo lungo. Immotivatamente lungo. Lungo fino allo stremo! Sarebbero bastate la metà delle pagine. Soprattutto per i primi 3/4 della narrazione. L'ultima parte può andare così come va, ha i tempi giusti, ma prima… dialoghi infiniti, scene che durano "x elevato a potenza" capitoli e soprattutto ripetizioni. Ripetizioni come se non ci fosse un domani, spesso utilizzando la stessa frase. Ora, capisco che parliamo di un mondo immaginario e complesso, che necessita di chiarimenti, ma sfinire il lettore (che ha già compreso), no! E poi utilizzare i dialoghi con un pingpong di botta e risposta per ribadire i concetti (con Personaggio 1 che fa le domande perché Personaggio 2 abbia l'assist per lo "spiegone") anche no.
Peccato per questo aspetto. Ho finito il libro perché ero presa dalla storia ed ero davvero curiosa di scoprire come si sarebbe arrivati a quegli elementi della serie che già conoscevo senza saperne le origini, ma sono arrivata alla fine davvero stremata.
July 9, 2012
No matter how badly some things occur in my life, there is always a place I can go looking for comfort and strength to move forward. Goodkind is truly a master story-teller, he brings to life characters that are unforgettable and embed themselves deeply in our hearts.
This novel is about how to move on, through even the most trying and unthinkable of events in life: to find and hold on to courage in dire situations; to do what is right, in search of the truth; to embrace opportunities that are available to us but which we may be afraid of; to find love.
The story of Magda Searus, the First Confessor, is another of Goodkind's masterpieces. For all of us Sword of Truth fans, it provides an expansion and deeper development of our knowledge of that world including the Midlands and D'Hara. We learn more of the hierarchy of the wizard world, such as wizards named as makers, who conceive radical and rather unimaginable ideas, such as wizard Merritt.
We learn of how the Sword of Truth came to be and the special bond to the creation of the line of Confessors. We get more in depth of how Lothain betrayed the people of Aydindril, the details of the plots to destroy the world of magic, and the creation of the Book of Counted Shadows, and its wonderfully deceptive purpose. Also sprinkled throughout the novel is the connection to character we have come to know and love.
I will admit that I was a little sad at first that this new novel was only available as an e-book. However I agree with Goodkind's reasoning: the purpose and message of his books is for all of us to be innovators, not to be sheep following along the traveled routes mindlessly. I highly respect him as a writer and feel extremely lucky to help support his work even if only minimally by purchasing his books.
This novel is about how to move on, through even the most trying and unthinkable of events in life: to find and hold on to courage in dire situations; to do what is right, in search of the truth; to embrace opportunities that are available to us but which we may be afraid of; to find love.
The story of Magda Searus, the First Confessor, is another of Goodkind's masterpieces. For all of us Sword of Truth fans, it provides an expansion and deeper development of our knowledge of that world including the Midlands and D'Hara. We learn more of the hierarchy of the wizard world, such as wizards named as makers, who conceive radical and rather unimaginable ideas, such as wizard Merritt.
We learn of how the Sword of Truth came to be and the special bond to the creation of the line of Confessors. We get more in depth of how Lothain betrayed the people of Aydindril, the details of the plots to destroy the world of magic, and the creation of the Book of Counted Shadows, and its wonderfully deceptive purpose. Also sprinkled throughout the novel is the connection to character we have come to know and love.
I will admit that I was a little sad at first that this new novel was only available as an e-book. However I agree with Goodkind's reasoning: the purpose and message of his books is for all of us to be innovators, not to be sheep following along the traveled routes mindlessly. I highly respect him as a writer and feel extremely lucky to help support his work even if only minimally by purchasing his books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2024
It was excellent to finally read this prequel. However, I don't recommend reading it until after you have read about 4 or 5 of the Regular series books because many ideas are brushed out that have thorough explanations in the main series line, such as the Temple of the Winds, etc. I thoroughly enjoyed Magda's narrative voice. I have read that Terry Goodkind himself did the original audio release. That would be interesting to check out as well.
With that being said, I loved Magda; I loved Merrit. I hated Lothane, as was to be expected. This was a great beginning to the story, even if it didn't feel all that different from the greater whole of Richard and Kahlan's story. The inside of a previous Rahl was exciting, and the speech by Barracus about Magda's future was pure romance.
I ended up with an excellent instead of 5 stars because of the vast difference in editing. This was Terry Goodkind's first foray into self-publishing, and the lack of a good professional editor was very apparent. Some sections explaining Magda's stance or where she stands in certain sections of the book seem to wander around the words in circles. The same thought is stated multiple times in a row, and a thorough edit could have easily rectified this. It was distracting and could have easily reduced page length in several book areas.
This one claims to be the 1st book in a Magda Searus line, but it came out five years ago, so where is book #2? <--welp... I know it won't happen since Mr. Goodkind has passed
It truly takes a great storyteller to provide us with such a terrible published version, yet I still love the story I just read. It's so hard to rate this one.
Going with a final 3.5 star rounded up to 4.
With that being said, I loved Magda; I loved Merrit. I hated Lothane, as was to be expected. This was a great beginning to the story, even if it didn't feel all that different from the greater whole of Richard and Kahlan's story. The inside of a previous Rahl was exciting, and the speech by Barracus about Magda's future was pure romance.
I ended up with an excellent instead of 5 stars because of the vast difference in editing. This was Terry Goodkind's first foray into self-publishing, and the lack of a good professional editor was very apparent. Some sections explaining Magda's stance or where she stands in certain sections of the book seem to wander around the words in circles. The same thought is stated multiple times in a row, and a thorough edit could have easily rectified this. It was distracting and could have easily reduced page length in several book areas.
This one claims to be the 1st book in a Magda Searus line, but it came out five years ago, so where is book #2? <--welp... I know it won't happen since Mr. Goodkind has passed
It truly takes a great storyteller to provide us with such a terrible published version, yet I still love the story I just read. It's so hard to rate this one.
Going with a final 3.5 star rounded up to 4.
July 10, 2012
I love the whole Sword of Truth series, and this book continues the brilliant tradition of following characters of immense integrity in really tough situations.
I'm a long time fan, so this review is biased. Even though I knew some of the things that were going to happen, there were a lot of surprises and it never felt predictable. It's really cool the way the old prophecies and references from the original 12 books are filled out and explained, especially with the Sword of Truth, the Boxes of Orden, the Temple of Winds, and the Book of Counted Shadows. I give it 5 stars because I love it, and I personally love Terry Goodkind's style.
That being said, Mr. Goodkind definitely continues the tradition of arguing his philosophy through his character's mouths. Fortunately I agree with the values of integrity, honesty, self-responsibility, independence, freedom, self-reliance, and protecting the innocent without trying to demonize people and things of great power. If you don't share those values, you will likely despise the book and the characters in it. If you don't like authors sharing their personal life philosophies in their books, you won't like it.
Also I felt like I could just switch out the names: Magda for Kahlan, Merritt for Richard, the Old World defector for Nicci, maybe even Baraccus with Zedd. Since I love the 3000 years newer characters, I didn't mind. :)
I'm a long time fan, so this review is biased. Even though I knew some of the things that were going to happen, there were a lot of surprises and it never felt predictable. It's really cool the way the old prophecies and references from the original 12 books are filled out and explained, especially with the Sword of Truth, the Boxes of Orden, the Temple of Winds, and the Book of Counted Shadows. I give it 5 stars because I love it, and I personally love Terry Goodkind's style.
That being said, Mr. Goodkind definitely continues the tradition of arguing his philosophy through his character's mouths. Fortunately I agree with the values of integrity, honesty, self-responsibility, independence, freedom, self-reliance, and protecting the innocent without trying to demonize people and things of great power. If you don't share those values, you will likely despise the book and the characters in it. If you don't like authors sharing their personal life philosophies in their books, you won't like it.
Also I felt like I could just switch out the names: Magda for Kahlan, Merritt for Richard, the Old World defector for Nicci, maybe even Baraccus with Zedd. Since I love the 3000 years newer characters, I didn't mind. :)
July 11, 2012
I like that Goodkind has returned to the world he knows so well (and that has so many stories to tell) (because Law of Nines was... interesting), but this book feels in it's info dump in it's entirety. There feels like there's no action, just Magda Serus going around and gathering "truth" from everyone. Most of the book is other characters filling in Magda to the full treachery of Lothan.
There is action towards the end when Magda realizes that she needs Merrit to turn her into a Confessor, and she takes up the Sword of Truth to attack the Lothan's guards who are dragging Merrit back into the Keep.
I don't know. On one hand, I did enjoy all of the background info. On the other, it didn't feel like a full story to me. It feels more like "hey, here let me wrap up all of this disparate info with a pretty bow so that you know how everything in Magda's time was concluded for the temporary peace that existed until Richard Cypher's generation 1000 years later".
I just feel like Goodkind had so much research information to share, and just dumped it all here.
But I would definitely read it again; it's just not up to par, in my opinion, with his older works.
There is action towards the end when Magda realizes that she needs Merrit to turn her into a Confessor, and she takes up the Sword of Truth to attack the Lothan's guards who are dragging Merrit back into the Keep.
I don't know. On one hand, I did enjoy all of the background info. On the other, it didn't feel like a full story to me. It feels more like "hey, here let me wrap up all of this disparate info with a pretty bow so that you know how everything in Magda's time was concluded for the temporary peace that existed until Richard Cypher's generation 1000 years later".
I just feel like Goodkind had so much research information to share, and just dumped it all here.
But I would definitely read it again; it's just not up to par, in my opinion, with his older works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2012
Fantastic read! I like that Mr. Goodkind took the time to develop the story, and just as you've settled back to leisurely stroll through the plot -- OFF you go on a wild ride that leaves you breathless.
January 18, 2022
I wouldn’t recommend Terry Goodkind books to anyone.
September 8, 2019
Stupendo
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