Sword of Truth: Reviewing the 12-Book Series, by Terry Goodkind

Rather than review each one of these books separately, I have chosen to pay tribute to Terry Goodkind's flowing fantasy saga. The author, in a world created completely in his own imagination, has entertained and enthralled in a way that not even J.R. R. Tolkien achieved.

In this epic story, Goodkind introduces Kahlan Amnell and Richard Cypher, two incredibly believable characters with extraordinary potential. The reader will have no choice but to sympathize with them from the very first chapter of Wizards First Rule. As the two journey from trial to adventure, both using and fighting magic, the reader is privy to an amazing love story. Faced with constant sacrifice, just to be together, Richard and Kahlan consistently endure, and eventually overcome the obstacles that they are faced with.

As I read on through Stone of Tears, Blood of the Fold, and Temple of the Winds, I realized that I had developed an addiction to Goodkind's story. I actually felt the sense of danger facing the War Wizard and the Mother Confessor. I was hard pressed to put the books down. It was impossible not to pick up the next installation in this series after reading the previous one.

Through Soul of the Fire, Faith of the Fallen, and Pillars of Creation, the main characters mature, as does there love and commitment to preserving the magic in their world. Terry Goodkind never fails to introduce new, engaging characters, while blending them with the stories of established ones. In a way I did not think was possible, there are no loose ends in this series. A constant myriad of creatures both terrifying, and evil is melded with mythical beasts that can only be described as lovable.

As the story progresses in Naked Empire and Chainfire and on through to the end with Phantom and Confessor, I was already planning on reading the entire series again. I have done this over and over again since I first picked up Wizards First Rule. It seems as if some nuance occurs to me each time I pick up one of the Sword of Truth books. As if all this was not reason enough to read them, Terry Goodkind wrote, Debt of Bones, the prequel to the series.

I am so excited that on November 1, 2008, The Legend of the Seeker premiers on television. I have high hopes that this weekly series will stay as close to The Sword of Truth as possible.