Terry Goodkind's "Wizard's First Rule"

     The first book in Terry Goodkind's series, The Sword of Truth, is Wizard's First Rule.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves epic fantasy.  I have yet to find an author who can develop a character the way Mr. Goodkind does.  Each of his characters is a person.  They seem real.  They have real emotions.  They have real shortcomings.  They experience real love and real pain.  Goodkind brings you into the story through his characters, and then all you can do is hang on for the ride.

     Having said that, the book, and series as a whole, has some gratuitous parts.  Gratuitous may be too harsh a word because the scenes aren't written for the sole purpose of promoting sex and violence, and aren't necessarily uncalled for.  Every fantasy book (at least all of the ones I've read) have violent battles, wars, or skirmishes.  Some have sexual references.  The difference would be that Mr. Goodkind exemplifies the horrific reality of evil men and women who combine sex and violence to force victims into submission.  He uses these things to show the true character of an evil man, and later the true character of an evil army.  He does not go into detail of any specific acts, except to say that a man raped a woman, or an army rapes and pillages, and then he focuses on the horrible aftermath of those crimes.  The main character is captured at a certain point, and trained like a dog.  The experience has a definite BDSM feel to it, as it is a woman who tortures and rapes him.  Some people may cringe through these parts of the story, so reader beware.  But I can assure you, they mold the hero into who he is, and play an essential part later on in the series.  These scenes do not last long, and are not explicit.  Mr. Goodkind leaves your mind to fill in the horrific details.

     Ok, now that I've given you a warning, we can move on to the wonderful story that unfolds in The Sword of Truth.  Richard, the protagonist, is a simple woods guild.  He lives in a simple  part of the world called Westland with good, honest people.  There is nothing magical in Westland, nothing fantastical or varied from the real world we live in.  Goodkind instantly brings you to a simpler time of peace.  Richard's father is murdered in a grotesque manner, which leads him to investigate.  While tracking in the forest, he sees a beautiful woman being chased by four men.  He decides to help her, and that decision is a catalyst to destroy his innocent, simple life.  The woman is, Kahlan, the Mother Confessor.  What a confessor is, is a major part of the mystery behind the green-eyed beauty, so I won't spoil the story for you by explaining her title.

     Kahlan has come from a magical land beyond a barrier of death to seek an old wizard's help.  I know what you're thinking, "Isn't that the plot for Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold by Terry Brooks?" The answer is a resounding, "No".  I can't go into all the differences because it would be a complete spoiler for the book.  Just know that Goodkind is unique in his storytelling and plot.  The world is all one, it has just been separated so that those who hate magic can live away from it.  At any rate, Kahlan's world has been invaded by Darken Rahl, the antagonist.  She needs the help of the old wizard to save her world from being enslaved by the indisputably evil tyrant, who is Darken Rahl.

     I know it sounds like I've given away the whole plot... that was just an explanation of the first couple of chapters, and I do not do it justice because Mr. Goodkind is a wordsmith.  The story is exciting, full of action, and exemplifies true love.  As I mentioned before, his characters are rich and real.  The emotions are real.  This is no fairy tale where love is easy, and at first sight.  There is struggle, heartache, fear, happiness, and an exhilarating feeling of accomplishment as you struggle with Kahlan and Richard through the story.  

     My favorite part of every one of Goodkinds novels is the end.  Even having read the books several times, it always feels like there won't be enough time to wrap up the story.  You get to the last few chapters of the book and think, "There's no way he can resolve all of this in these few pages!"  Goodkind is a wizard of words, and always ties his stories up in a way that makes you feel complete and content.  

     I recommend Wizard's First Rule to anyone who likes fantasy, but also to those who don't.  Some people have a stigma about fantasy because they find it cheesy.  There is nothing cheesy about Goodkind's work.  Yes, there is magic, but that is not the focus of the book.  It focuses on human struggle, and human emotion.  You almost feel like you are not reading a fantasy novel at all.  Whenever magic is mentioned, it is not a cure-all force, but intellectualized as a tool to be used just like a hammer or a screwdriver.  And it is mentioned in passing, as if it were normal, instead of being exalted as some fantastical force. 

I give this book