So guys basically I love legend of the seeker and the sword of truth book series! So this book is entirely about that if you have any questions about anything the TV series, the books, the actors, the author, the story line! Just being touched by an agiel causes extreme pain in any form the. Through her, he learned how to turn the Sword of Truth white and killed her with his love.
Goodkind's skill with exponential threat is easily evident in the books. He has a distinct pattern with monsters, for example. A fearsome creature is foreshadowed by a secondary set of characters, who will whisper some warning to Richard. Then there is an attack by that creature.
Then Richard fights the creature, manages to overcome it by his willpower, and wins. Thereafter, that creature will probably never be mentioned again. If it is mentioned, it will be only once or twice as an aside. On occasion, the creature will attack again en masse with companions before being abandoned. Heart hounds, living shadows, skreelings, skrins, nambles, and so on all suffer this fate. They generally just have one particular trait that is intended to menace, and almost always are so dreadful that no one near Richard could imagine him winning.
Usually he will have been the only person to kill one in two hundred years, or three thousand years, or ever. Each monster is scarier than the last – or so Goodkind tries to imply, with ever greater and more hyperbolic reactions on the part of his characters. This tend towards unimaginitive, exponential threats also occurs with the nations and wars in the books. Westland is a tiny country, magically bordered by the larger and dangerous Midlands. Both of them together are a tiny country, magically bordered by the larger and dangerous D'Hara. Later, all three are the New World, a tiny country magically bordered by the larger and dangerous Old World.
This also happens on a small scale, continually throughout the books. Galea and Kelton, Aydindril and the Midlands, the capital of the Jangang's empire and the empire itself. The only way Goodkind knows how to develop menace is with greater and greater underdog status and greater and greater magical threats made worse than their predecessors by nothing but fiat. The first Objectivist theme is the justness of capitalism.
In Stone of Tears, Kahlan spends much of the book with a group of tribesmen from the series' analog for aboriginals, called the “Mud People.” iii These tribesmen are ignorant of the basic workings of the greater society around them, and so Kahlan must explain such things as the concept of money to them. She discusses how goods and services are exchanged for something of rarity and innate worth, and can thus be traded for other items. Intriguingly, from this exchange and later ones it seems as though Goodkind opposes “fiat currency” like many other libertarians and Objectivists, but mistakenly gives the denominations of currency as gold, silver, and copper – even though copper does not appear to be particularly scarce. It's hard to imagine that this system could work in any other context but Goodkind's absurd world, but the conflict is not addressed.
Kahlan and the tribal character also discuss the justness of total war, thus signaling the start of the other major philosophical theme: justifiable violence. Goodkind has Kahlan concisely sum up almost the whole of his beliefs on the matter with a brief slogan: “If war is brought to you, then it is incumbent upon you to show no mercy.” iv This will later be elaborated on, at extraordinary length and with extraordinary repetition. Just like with capitalism, Goodkind devotes entire books to driving home the justness of total war with ridiculous straw-men and flimsy moralizing. Eventually, subtle parables v and asides give way to grander approaches. Near the end of the series, Richard is transported by a magical and senseless plot device into an enemy society, which uses a version of socialism.
Over the course of a couple of books, he demonstrates through heroic efforts the benefits of capitalism and individuality to the members of the society. Richard's lone example as an artist (and later as a soccer player) inspiring entire nations to rebel against their whole way of life, abandoning their culture, economic basis, religion, and government. In any other context, this would be difficult to believe, but Goodkind makes sure that Richard and his allies are so tremendously superior in every way to the bumbling and incompetent opposition that it instead seems like the simplest inevitability. It cannot be overstated how vicious and foolish are the villainous societies in the books. Their clear inferiority is the only thing that makes the success of the heroes anything like credible.
It is as if we are presented with a society based entirely around the idea that wheels should be triangular, and the brave and noble Terry – sorry, Richard Rahl – then appears and demonstrates how virtuous and good it is to have round wheels instead. It's a compelling story of a seemingly noble virtue succeeding through heroic efforts, and appeals to many readers.
In the first book, the evil Darken Rahl puts the magical Boxes of Orden in play, committing himself to opening one of them before winter. However, he only has two of the boxes, and all three must be in his possession before he can open any of them. A wizard named Giller hides the third box and manages to put it out of Rahl's reach by giving it to the girl Rachel, the only person able to evade the security of the castle where the box is kept. Later, Richard and his friends take the box from Rachel and give it to Richard's brother, who then gives it to Darken Rahl. It is only then that there is any real threat from Rahl, who otherwise would have died at the start of winter. If they had left Rachel alone, the same spell that had been protecting the box from detection would have meant that everything would have worked out fine.
In the second book, the peril is caused by the magical Stone of Tears and a “skrin bone,” which when used by the spirit of Darken Rahl could set the Keeper free from the underworld to destroy the world. The Stone of Tears wouldn't be in the world if it hadn't been for Richard's actions in the first book, and even more importantly, Darken's spirit wouldn't be in the world if Richard hadn't called a magical gathering and brought him back. Even though he was repeatedly warned specifically not to call a gathering, he does so and again puts the world in danger.
If he had left matters alone, then no one could have destroyed the world and everything would have worked out fine. In the third books and beyond, the Old World is intent on conquering the New World. The Old World is ruled by Jagang, the main villain of the series, who is only able to launch his war because Richard destroys the boundaries separating the Old and New World. Jagang couldn't have brought the magical boundaries down on his own. So the whole reason that the war occurs and the menace to the New World exists because Richard causes it. If he had left matters alone, then no one could have destroyed the world and everything would have worked out fine. In most situations, he solves the looming problem simply by discovering a new power.
He's the Seeker, a wizard, a war-wizard, a prophet, the Seeker who can turn the blade white, the only one who can enter the Temple of the Winds. In almost every book and at every turn, the reader can safely assume that everything will be fine just as soon as Richard gets there and solves it.
He kills hundreds single-handedly with his sword, he can fire arrows to within millimeters from miles away, he can destroy buildings and is the only one foretold by prophecy who can blah blah blah blah. If there is some quality that separates Richard Rahl from a demigod, it's not revealed.
What is worse, he never has to work for these powers. Throughout the series, the only thing he must work to acquire is a knowledge of the language High D'Haran. Otherwise, he innately possesses the powers or gains them by wishing really hard. It's a strange trait for a hero dedicated to individualistic self-achievement. When she offers him tea and tells him that she heated it with the candle, he is “surprised by her inventiveness.” While Richard is most attracted to the intelligence in her eyes when he first met her, even he seems to realize she's not very clever. Talk about damning with faint praise.
When they find a poor little girl with ragged hair in the Midlands – a land where we are often reminded that hair is a symbol of social status, and Kahlan's home from birth – Richard cuts the girl's hair neatly and then explains to an astonished Kahlan that ragged hair meant she was marked as property. Kahlan rides alone into the army camp of the first Imperial Order encountered in the books, even though she is warned that it's stupid and admits such to herself.
Predictably, the army attacks her after she speaks to their leaders and tells them she is declaring war on them. She manages to kill the wizard throwing fireballs and ride out of the camp.
Riding her horse in a weaving motion. This mistress of warfare is the same woman who had to be told, a few days before, that it is important to be able to shoot an arrow straight when distracted. The Midlands, located in the New World between Westland and D'Hara, is generally held up as a well-meaning but impotent federal system. The heroes of the series pay it's ideals lip service, but generally condemn the way it works at the time of the books. According to Wizard's First Rule, the Midlands are a set of independent kingdoms of varying sizes, which have their own laws and administer themselves, but make major decisions through the Central Council at the wizard-city of Aydindril. The exact nature of the Council's decision-making process is not explained, but presumably the different nations each get some sort of representation at the Council as long as they are large enough. The smaller nations and the magical ones are represented by a figure called the Mother Confessor, who also is accorded great respect by the Council and is the nominal leader.
Now, one can imagine a justifiable dictatorship in libertarian or Objectivist terms. An elected leader, or an emergency sovereign (like ancient Rome) could possibly be necessary and just. But Kahlan is the benefactor of a hereditary dictatorship that only keeps its place because of its military power!
She is the Kim Jung Il of the New World! Immediately after Kahlan no longer has a wizard to back up her rule with force (literally the very first day she attends a council meeting without a magical thug), the kingdoms under her dominion rise up and conspire to kill her.
Goodkind presents these rulers as evil and corrupt, and the loyal rulers as intelligent and kind, of course. Opposing the military dictatorship which makes your country pay taxes to support their wizard-city and which determines your policy at will means you must be some kind of immoral sociopath, it seems. By the time Jagang threatens the New World with invasion (thanks to Richard's actions, for which Jagang is appreciative in Blood of the Fold), Richard inherits his own kingdom. D'Hara is another kingdom with a hereditary autocrat in charge, although the one doesn't even have a pretense of independence for its lands like the Midlands. Richard is not culpable, perhaps, for the nature of D'Hara: he doesn't set up the government and is never in any position to engage in meaningful reforms. But he is most certainly responsible for his subsequent conquests, when he annexes the entirety of the New World for D'Hara, dissolving the sovereignty of each individual land and incorporating them into his autocratic empire.
As mentioned a moment ago, when the Central Council of the Midlands finds Kahlan without a wizard with which to enforce her will on them, they seize the opportunity to try her for various false charges and have her executed. Her actions probably didn't help matters, such as when she decided a personal slight by a delegate from the country of Kelton meant that she could suspend their delegation's diplomatic immunity and threaten them all with death. viii Those who vote to convict her are presumably evil and corrupt, since they manufactured a set of trumped-up criminal charges, but then it's hard not to see it their way: when the dictator makes the laws at will and uses them to ensure her own power, it's hard to see how they could win their freedom in any other way. Shortly after Kahlan's removal from office and escape, Richard arrives in town as the new leader of D'Hara. D'Hara, at this point in the story, has been invading and butchering the inhabitants of cities throughout the Midlands under the previous king, Darken Rahl. The new king, Richard Rahl, proceeds to kill every member of the Central Council, executing them for their legal (if immoral) trial and sentencing of his fiance. ix They don't stand any more chance before his magical sword than they would have before the magical fire of a wizard.
A new magical dictator is in town. The D'Haran Empire, under Richard, proceeds to demand every land in the Midlands submit to his rule. Taking control and residence of the Confessor's Palace (seat of the previous tyrant), Richard's army confiscates the weapons of every foreign power in the city of Aydindril – a city where he has no legal rights to speak of, since D'Hara was never even nominally part of the Midlands! - and requires capitulation. As he tells the assembled representatives of many sovereign nations: “Surrender is the price for peace.” Those nations that don't immediately capitulate will be forced to pay triple the normal tax to D'Hara for thirty years, presumably for doubting the good intentions of the D'Harans, who until the week previous had been murdering and looting their kingdoms.
Naturally, almost all who oppose Kahlan and Richard are villains or fools of the crudest sort. They are in the pay of the enemy, addled by foul magic, or misguided by patently absurd philosophies. But on occasion otherwise good characters usurp the righteous actions of Goodkind's heroic dictators. For example, at one point Galea's rulers decline to help Kahlan in her fight against the Old World and instead choose to seek terms with Jagang. Galea's queen, Cyrilla (Kahlan's half-sister) suffered incredible and poorly-described agonies in a rape dungeon earlier in the series, and it is suggested that the trauma drove her mad. But whatever the reason, Cyrilla opts to sue for terms rather than fight, opposing her to Kahlan. Cyrilla or her emissary (and brother) Harold aren't shown to be evil.
They simply are wrong and foolish, because they disagree with Kahlan and Richard, the heroes. It is worth noting that the heroes of the series never seek this power or resultant violence for its own sake. This is carefully pointed out each time they rise to a new position of authority, and we are reminded of the fact at every available turn. Richard doesn't intentionally set out to rule D'Hara or the Baka Ban Mana, it's an accident that results from his ignorance of some of the consequences of his actions. And while he does aggressively seek the rule of Westland and the Midlands, joining them to his own D'Haran Empire, we are assured that this is because there is no other way to fight the approaching Jagang. Kahlan is born into her rule of the Midlands, and Zedd is forced to rule in another capacity because of his inborn magical talent.
While the threat of the rape dungeon is terrible, it's not even the worse exhibit of monstrous behavior by the heroes. They frequently engage in behavior that goes far beyond what most reasonable people would consider to be moral, becoming more and more extreme as the series progresses and the philosophy illustrated by Goodkind becomes more heavy-handed. Later in the series, for example, Richard leads an army that massacres and destroys an unarmed group of peaceful protestors. It barely seems credible to present this is a just action, but in the context of the book these peace protestors are undermining his rule and leadership and so they deserve to be slaughtered. They are getting in the way of his cause and his total war.
Only in the most twisted view could this be seen as justifiable. It does, however, hearken back to the writings of Ayn Rand. At one point during her book Atlas Shrugged, a trainload of people die in an explosion. Rand tries to paint them as all being in some way responsible for their own deaths. One individual, for example, is a teacher who instructs that selfishness is wrong and competence is evil. Another is a mother who tells her children similarly wrong-headed ideas.
In Rand's eyes, this means that they deserve their death. Extrapolated and transported to a fantasy environment, where normal structures of right and wrong no longer exist, it is perhaps only a step farther to say that a peaceful peace march is similarly deserving of death - for being mistaken and wrong about the righteousness of the war at hand. This concept of “total war” is one frequently revisited by Goodkind. When one character describes a war in which they wiped out every single member of the enemy tribe – which we are told even extends to the children of the enemy, who are killed en masse – they are reassured by the hero Kahlan that “if war is brought to you, then let there be war like your enemy has never imagined in his most frightening nightmares.
Anything less, and you hand victory to your foe.' This is a message to which Kahlan will later stick, with terrible results. When she leads Galea against an Imperial Order army, she tells her soldiers that those who wish to leave before the battle may go. After they leave, she orders them hunted down and killed. As is common in fantasy fiction, the heroes are presented as always doing the right thing.
When they engage in these terrible actions, slaughtering protestors and collecting the ears of children, they are only challenged by secondary characters with the flimsiest of protests, easily reasoned away and dismissed. A rational bystander – not written by Goodkind, in other words - might be tempted to be less kind in their protests. But the only people around to challenge the heroes' actions are always suitably unimaginative and unintelligent.
Goodkind often backs himself into a corner when it comes to the rarity of magic, which has the unfortunate result of some racist implications. Early in the series, he declares that there are no more wizards, quite broadly and irrevocably. While this makes the status of Zedd and Richard all the more impressive, it also means that it becomes increasingly harder to find anyone to menace the heroic wizards. Accordingly, Goodkind gives various groups and individuals magical powers. But to be consistent, he has to make it a special kind of magic that won't threaten the heroes' monopoly on magic. The end result is that all the “civilized” groups are held to the “no wizards” rule, while the tribal peoples such as the Mud People, the Nagtong, the Si Doak, the Baka Ban Mana, and so on all have their own special racial magic.
Even when members of those peoples are described as “having the gift,” it's carefully qualified to make sure the reader doesn't confuse them with civilized and proper wizards. When one reflects that, historically, the “tribal” peoples of the modern world have generally been black or brown or red in skin tone, and the “civilized” peoples have generally been white, there is a distasteful whiff of racism about the “witch doctors” of the tribal peoples in Goodkind's work. It would seem, though, that this is more an artifact of his poor abilities as an author than any real evidence of racism. When it comes to less important women than Kahlan, Goodkind feels free to unleash himself.
This begins with allusions in the first book to the fate of Confessors caught by the “quads”, but soon the author discards tact and begins describing the fate of the women in his fiction in ever-worsening ways. In the second book, he spends an unusual amount of time detailing the destruction of the Galean town of Ebinissia, by their enemies the Keltons. xii Given Goodkind's methods and the number of conquering armies rampaging through innocent cities, it's no surprise that this scene is repeated over and over in escalating fashion. It begins when Richard is tortured by a Mord-Sith, one of a group of women who command Agiels, magical devices that inflict pain. Through comparisons and vivid description, we are told that the pain the Agiel inflicts is beyond all ken and all reason, and that it's only because of its magical nature that the victims do not simply die or go insane in short order. Thus, the pain Richard suffers is beyond anything a person in the real world would ever encounter. Naturally our hero he manages to defy this torture and remain unbroken, albeit through a magical technique that still leaves him mentally scarred.
And this is only in the first book. It's tempting to speculate on what these fascinations of rape and torture mean to Goodkind. But it's too facile to say that he somehow has some sort of fetish for this behavior.
It seems more likely that it's just an easy tool for him to manipulate the emotions of the reader. It's an old trick, of course, and an extension of his lack of imagination – rape makes us instantly revile a villain to a greater degree than nearly anything else. Rather than some key to his psyche, it's just a reminder that he's not a very good writer.
All too often, he resorts to increasing previous evils by another exponent, rather than thinking up something new. At his most imaginative, he merely switches out rape for pedophilia. Even though these images of misogynistic cruelty may not have implications for Goodkind's secret fantasies, it does mean that the series becomes more disturbing to read once the reader realizes that this is it: there are no more twists coming. Once we see the first looming rape of Kahlan and the first rampage through a city and the first extended torturing and the first scene of brutality against “evil” women, we've seen everything Goodkind has to offer. From then on, it's just a question of increasing degree and new magical devices.
He is not a good writer. v “It didn't start that way, though.
I started by myself, working, struggling, for years. Tending my trees day and night, trying to produce the best fruit anyone ever tasted. Many of the trees failed.
Many times I failed, and went hungry. But I finally was able to do better. I saved every copper, and bought more land in the years I could.
Planted, tended, picked, hauled, and sold it all by myself. Over time, people came to know my fruit as the best, and I became more successful. In the last few years, I've hired people to tend things for me. But I still keep my hand to the work, so that it lives up to what people know me for.
Would you hope for any less success, in your work?”. Yes, in a way, I guess.
You see, not all the lands are represented on the Central Council. Some are too small, like Queen Milena's Tamarang, and the Mud People, and a few others are lands of magic, the land of the night wisps, for example. The Mother Confessor is the advocate for these lesser lands. Left to their own wishes, the council would decide to carve up these smaller lands.
And they have the armies to do it easily. Only the Mother Confessor stands for those who have no voice. 'The other problem is that these lands are often in disagreement. Some have been bitter adversaries for as long as anyone can remember.
The council is often deadlocked as rulers or their representatives each stubbornly demands his own way, to the detriment of the greater interests of the Midlands. The Mother Confessor has no interest but the good of the Midlands.”.
vii 'No one holds claim to Aydindril. No ruler would dare to lay claim to it; they all fear it, fear the Confessors and the wizards. All the lands of the Midlands contribute to the support of Aydindril. They all pay tribute. Confessors are above the law of any one land, much the same way the Seeker is ultimately above any law but his own.
Yet at the same time, we serve all the people of the Midlands through the Central Council. 'In the past, arrogant rulers had thought to make the Confessors submit to their word. In those times, there were farsighted Confessors, now revered as legends, who knew they must lay the foundation for our independence, or forever submit to domination; so the. Mother Confessor took the rulers with her power. The rulers were removed from their thrones, and replaced with new rulers who understood that Confessors were to be left alone: The old rulers, those who were taken, were kept in Aydindril as little more than slaves. The Confessors took these old rulers with them when they traveled to the different lands, made them carry the provisions and luxuries of travel.
Back then, there was more ceremony surrounding the Confessors than there is now. Anyway, it made the intended impression.' 'Your other choice is to surrender to D'Hara.
You will follow the law of D'Hara. Once you are one with us, you will have a say in those laws.
We have no desire to extinguish the diversity that is the Midlands. You will have the right to the fruits of your labor and the right to trade and flourish, as long as you work within the larger context of law and the rights of others. Magic will be protected, and your children will be born into a world of freedom, where anything is possible. 'And once the Imperial Order is exterminated, there will be peace. xii Kahlan stopped at various beds, her back stiff, her head held high, her jaw rigid, as she reluctantly cast her eyes down at faces she knew. Juliana, one of the youngest, had always been self-confident and assertive.
She knew what she wanted and wasn't timid about going after it. She had always been smitten with young men in uniform: soldiers. One time, it had brought her to grief with her chaperone, Mistress Nelda.
Kahlan had surreptitiously interceded on her behalf, informing Mistress Nelda that despite Juliana's dalliances, the Aydindril Home Guard were all men of impeccable honor, and would never lay a finger on a queen's lady. Her wrists were now tied to the headpost, and by the way they had bled, looked to have been that way through the whole of her ordeal. Kahlan silently cursed the spirits for their cruel humor in giving the young innocent what she had thought she wanted. Little Elswyth was in the next blood-soaked bed. Her breasts had been stabbed countless times, and her throat slit, as were many of the rest, like hogs at slaughter. At the end of the room, Kahlan stopped at the foot of the last bed. Ashley, one of the older teenagers, had each ankle tied to a footpost.
She had been strangled with a curtain tieback. Her father was one of the Galean aides to the ambassador in Aydindril. Her mother had been thrilled to tears when Queen Cyrilla had agreed to take Ashley on as one of her ladies-in-waiting. xiii It was a namble. One of the Nameless One's minions. Oh, dear Creator, she prayed fervently, please protect us. Growling in a low rumble, its powerful muscles flexing, its haunted eyes glowing orange, the namble edged like a huge cat toward the woman on the ground.
Head low, it crawled between her legs. In a state of ragged fear, the woman still stared up at nothing. The namble sniffed at her crotch. Its long tongue flicked out, running over her. She flinched, making a small jerk of a sound against the cloth in her teeth, but she kept her legs open. Her eyes did not move. She did not look at the namble.
The Sisters in the circle began a soft chant. The namble licked her again, slower, grunting this time as it did so. She squealed against the rag. Beads of sweat shimmered on her flesh. She kept her legs wide apart.
Rising up on its knees, the beast gave a throaty roar to the black sky. Its pointed, barbed, erect phallus stood out, plainly silhouetted against the candles beyond. Muscles bulged in knotted cords along its arms and shoulders as the namble bent forward, putting a fist to each side of the woman. Its tongue licked out around her throat as it gave a vibrating rumble of a growl, and then it lowered itself, covering her with its massive form. Its hips hunched forward. The woman's eyes winced shut as she screamed against the cloth in her teeth. The namble gave a quick, powerful thrust and her eyes snapped open in a panic of pain.
Even with the cloth clenched in her teeth, her screams could be heard over the chanting each time the beast knocked the wind from her, adding more force to the shrieks. Margaret had to force herself to take a breath as she watched. She hated these women; they had given themselves over to something unspeakably evil. Still, they were her Sisters, and she could hardly bear to watch one being hurt. She realized she was shaking. She clenched the gold flower at her neck in one fist and Jedidiah's arm with her other as tears streamed down her face.
Denna Sword Of Truth
The beast thrashed at the Sister on the ground as the three Sisters held her. Her muffled screams of torment ripped at Margaret's heart. The Sister holding the cloth finally spoke. 'If you want the gift, you must encourage him to give it to you. He will not surrender it unless you overcome his control - unless you take it from him. You must win it from him. Do you understand?'
Crying, her eyes shut tight, the woman nodded. The Sister pulled the cloth away. “Then he is yours now. Take the gift, if you will.” The other two released her arms and the three of them returned to their places in the circle, taking up the chanting with the others. The woman let out a wail that turned Margaret's blood to ice. It made her ears hurt. Thank you for exposing the very serious flaws in this series.
I read only the first book, and I read about 100 pages into the second. It was more than enough to tell me all the things that you have mentioned.Goodkind's characters are flat.
Their motivations and reasoning only demonstrate over-simplified extremes. It is amazing how quickly Kahlan, for instance, will jump to some irrational conclusion after only receiving a few scanty facts. Throughout the first book, she seems little more than a spoiled child. Richard is too 'good' to be realistic, (even though his supposed good will suddenly lead him to some act that seems anything but.) Zedd is supposed to be a great and wise wizard, yet he comes across as hammy and dense. These problems with the characters are enough to drop my opinion of Goodkind's writing by more than a letter grade, but.The dark stuff is the main reason I decided to call it quits on this series early in book 2. Why does Goodkind feel the need to use extreme vileness to illicit our visceral reactions against the characters he wants us to understand are evil? Darken Rahl sacrifices a child to the gods of the underworld, getting an erection as he does it.
Richard's torture is described in high-definition lurid detail, and this goes on for four chapters, almost without interruption. Rahl's right-hand man gets his thrills from raping and murdering little boys. A Sister of the Dark rips a strip of skin off a guy's chest, and then tells another guy to rip all the rest off, giving him a magical device that will make it possible for him to rip every last bit off before the guy dies, (really? Every last bit of skin?) The dark stuff isn't limited to the bad guys. Kahlan, in a fit of rage, confesses the homosexual pedophile, then forces him to slice off his own genitals and eat them.This sort of writing is not only vile beyond belief, it is completely unnecessary to the story. I agree with this article's author; don't bother reading these books!
AnonymousI have to say, i can point out several major flaws in your summery of the sword of truth novels, for instance,1. You propose that Darken Rahl would not have won if Richard had not interviend, yet if you read the books as you say you would know then that he already knew where the third box was. So, going by that, Rahl would have had the third box, regardless of what Richard did.2.
Chase was a boundry warden, an organization, told the truth of the boundry. So yes he would have fore knowledge of the lands beyond.3. The Midlands was the larger of the three parts of the new world. Learn to read.From here on out i will only point out your bullet points.Richard discovers new powers constantly and without studying.In most situations, he solves the looming problem simply by discovering a new power. He's the Seeker, a wizard, a war-wizard, a prophet, the Seeker who can turn the blade white, the only one who can enter the Temple of the Winds. In almost every book and at every turn, the reader can safely assume that everything will be fine just as soon as Richard gets there and solves it. He kills hundreds single-handedly with his sword, he can fire arrows to within millimeters from miles away, he can destroy buildings and is the only one foretold by prophecy who can blah blah blah blah.
If there is some quality that separates Richard Rahl from a demigod, it's not revealed.What is worse, he never has to work for these powers. Throughout the series, the only thing he must work to acquire is a knowledge of the language High D'Haran. Otherwise, he innately possesses the powers or gains them by wishing really hard. It's a strange trait for a hero dedicated to individualistic self-achievement.again, learn to read, he learned high dharan by working for weeks, and yes it was stated in the books WEEKS to translate it. You over estimate the 'miles' away. I can tell because you have no concept or experience to even begin to talk about archery.throughout history, plenty of warriors have slain hundreds with just thier sword, granted they have died, but what kind of story would it be if there hero didnt survive?oh yes the 'never having to work for it' again read the books. It was not a one day event idiot, it took MONTHS.
Roughly three months timeline in the first book. Again it is a fantasy book for a reason not the autobiography you are making it sound like.
It isnt supposed to be believeable and if you think it is, do us all a favor and stop reading. You as well nathanael.Chandalen develops and strategizes about military engagements between two huge armies, even though prior to the same hour he had never never conceived of numbers of people greater than “thousand.” It's as though someone who just discovered fire went to work smelting titanium the same hour.do i even need to explain this one? Guess so since you wrote it like the blind little lemming you are. Chandalen did not develop jack. He carried through with orders, it was kahlan who stratagized, since she was trained in all things combat. Gee dont you feel the fool.Even though we are told there are only five wizards in the Midlands, we are also told that the dozens of Confessors never went anywhere without a wizard companion.it was also stated that all the wizards and confessors were hunted down and killed by rahl.At one point Richard knocks someone out with the flat end of his sword, something that is a little hard to picture.and AGAIN you show no knowledge of weapons.
Concidering, this has been known to be done. And if its so hard to picture, how do you explain it happeneing with blunted steel during theater?
Accidents have happened, and people have been knocked out by the flat of the blade, its a steel club, moron. You constantly name call as you tell these people; 'Learn to read','idiot','moron'. How about you learn how to spell, properly capitalize and figure out the ancient mystery of punctuation? Also, Are you like a weapons specialist, or something? You point out how the author of the article knows nothing of weapons but offer zero credentials of your own apparently, superior knowledge. We're you like, fourteen when you wrote this? Not everyone is going to like the same things you do, and just because they don't, it doesnt give you licence to name call and insult their intelligence levels when criticize your beloved fantasy novel.
I've read all of these books myself,some a few times. I've even read the new Richard and Khalan books. Though I found them entertaining and even amusing, the author of this post is right; they are shit books, all twenty of them. Why do I keep reading, you ask? I don't know? It's like Im addicted.
Kinda like smoking; you know its bad and bad for you but, those cigarettes are so good. Goodkind is indeed, a writer of one trick ponies who lacks any real originality. Anyhow, I hope in the few years since you've demonstrated your very thin skin on here, you've grown up a bit and leaned to respect the options of others.
AnonymousKahlan is incredibly stupid. Often.When she offers him tea and tells him that she heated it with the candle, he is “surprised by her inventiveness.” While Richard is most attracted to the intelligence in her eyes when he first met her, even he seems to realize she's not very clever. Talk about damning with faint praise.When they find a poor little girl with ragged hair in the Midlands – a land where we are often reminded that hair is a symbol of social status, and Kahlan's home from birth – Richard cuts the girl's hair neatly and then explains to an astonished Kahlan that ragged hair meant she was marked as property.Kahlan rides alone into the army camp of the first Imperial Order encountered in the books, even though she is warned that it's stupid and admits such to herself. Predictably, the army attacks her after she speaks to their leaders and tells them she is declaring war on them. She manages to kill the wizard throwing fireballs and ride out of the camp. Riding her horse in a weaving motion. This mistress of warfare is the same woman who had to be told, a few days before, that it is important to be able to shoot an arrow straight when distracted.you sir again have shown your inteligence.
She was not the one throwing the fireballs, it was a DRUNK WIZARD!!! So the arrows thing has no bearing. DENIED.the hair thing, understandable concidering he determined that, after TALKING TO RACHEL!!! What a concept, you skipped over that part, wow must of been the only part you missed (that was sarcasm, i know you wouldnt be able to tell)he was “surprised by her inventiveness” because not many would think of warming tea over a candle, most like you, who must have an IQ of pretty high levels (more sarcasm) must not know the difference between inventiveness and intelligence.i am going to stop here, for anyone who can read better than the two here, by that i mean the poster of this. Well diareah of the fingers, and the commenter previously mentioned, will be able to pick out your flaws as easily as you believe you have mr. Goodkinds work.
'Rahl would have had the third box, regardless of what Richard did.' Rachel had the box, and because of Giller's screening, Rahl hadn't been able to find it. If Richard hadn't taken the box from her and given it to his brother, then it would have gone undiscovered.' Chase was a boundry warden, an organization, told the truth of the boundry. So yes he would have fore knowledge of the lands beyond.'
I understand the justification for it. It's just inane.' Midlands was the larger of the three parts of the new world. Learn to read.' What does that matter?' He learned high dharan by working for weeks, and yes it was stated in the books WEEKS to translate it.'
As I said, that's the only skill he has to work to learn. You just quoted me saying that.'
You over estimate the 'miles' away. I can tell because you have no concept or experience to even begin to talk about archery.' That is hyperbole, or gross exaggeration for comic effect.' Chandalen did not develop jack.
He carried through with orders, it was kahlan who stratagized, since she was trained in all things combat. Gee dont you feel the fool.' You are mistaken, I believe. Chandalen helped her come up with strategies.' It was also stated that all the wizards and confessors were hunted down and killed by rahl.'
But BEFORE that, there were still only five wizards around, because wizards are so rare.' And AGAIN you show no knowledge of weapons. Concidering, this has been known to be done. And if its so hard to picture, how do you explain it happeneing with blunted steel during theater?' I am certainly not a weapon expert like you, but I would wager that because a blunted sword isn't sharp, it's a lot easier to accidentally knock someone out with it without cutting them.
You sir again have shown your inteligence. She was not the one throwing the fireballs, it was a DRUNK WIZARD!!! So the arrows thing has no bearing.
The point was that despite the fact that we are told she is a master of warfare, her plan is stupid and she knows nothing at all of archery.' The hair thing, understandable concidering he determined that, after TALKING TO RACHEL!!!' .why would that be understandable? Kahlan is a native of a land where hair is an important social symbol, so it was very stupid she didn't realize this before.' He was “surprised by her inventiveness” because not many would think of warming tea over a candle'Yes. It is truly a feat of genius. You make many,many excellent points on this.
I agree with all of them. But for some reason, like I mentioned to the fourteen year old weapons specialist above who can't spell, I just can't stop reading these awful books. It's like literary smack to me.
I'm addicted to this trash! And I'm an English major! I'm well versed in various literature, imagine that. But anyhow, thanks again for the great review, I cracked up so hard over the things you pointed out because of how true it all is. Well, there's a new Goodkind novel that just came out this year that I have to get back to reading so, ta ta for now!
The Sword of Truth is a series authored by Terry Good kind; an American writer born in Omaha Nebraska 1948. The series is composed of twelve initial novels based on epic fantasy. The author has written five other books that form part of the story to make a total of seventeen books under the series. The first book of the series that is, Wizards First Rule was written in 1994.
The books in the novel series follow a definite timeline and chronological flow of events that ensures the reader is both entertained and engaged by the events taking place in the book.Events in the novel series The Sword of Truth takes place in a medieval period where the world is under threat of being ruled by oppressors who threaten to unleash evil in the world. Amidst all the oppression and evil in the world, three characters; Richard Cypher, Kahlen Amnell, and Zeddicus Zul Zorander have taken the role of protagonist and devote their lives to fighting for the oppressed. The world is divided into two regions that are the New and the Old World.
The New world has three regions: the Westland in the west, the midlands at the Middle and DHara in the east. Details of the old world have not been vividly described in the novel.Each region has its form of leadership. DHara is ruled by the Rahl family that is magically gifted and controls a great army of soldiers and sorcerers. Confessors manage affairs of the Midlands. Confessors are a lineage of women who possess magical powers that they use to find the truth and can by touch, cause a person to be devoted to them until death. Confessors wield considerable power and influence over the Midlands, and their decision is final hence maintain order and justice.
Male confessors were considered evil and hence a male confessor was killed upon birth by being drowned. The Westland is a region of no magic and is separated from the rest of the parts by a magical boundary. The region is governed by a council of representatives and also has a small army of soldiers.There are three main characters in the novel series. The first character is Richard Cypher. Richard Cypher is introduced as a simple young man living in the woods of the Westland.
His life changes forever when he earns the title ‘the seeker of truth’ and is tasked with the job of upholding justice by fighting for the oppressed. Khalen Amnell is another central character. She is a Confessor of the Midlands that has managed to cross the magical border into the Westland.
She has to find a wizard of the first order and deliver the Book of Counted Shadows so that a seeker of truth can be named. Zeddicus Zul Zorander is an old man that seems crazy and lives in the Westland. Zeddicus is later depicted as a Wizard of the First order meaning; he is one of the most powerful wizards of the time and has the task of guiding the seeker of truth in his quest.
The three characters are united and set out to liberate the world by bringing justice.The first book, Wizard’s First Rule, describes how the three main characters meet. Khalen and her sister, who are both confessors of the Midlands, are on a quest to deliver the book of Counted Shadows to a wizard in the Westland. The duo has to pass through the magical boundary separating the two lands. The legendary book is said to be a guide of the seeker of truth. Khalen finally comes across Zeddicus, who turns out to be the wizard she was looking for.
The duo locates Richard Cypher, who according to prophecy was supposed to be the Seeker of Truth. They manage to convenience Richard to accept the title of Seeker, and he wields the Sword of Truth. The sword is said to possess magical powers that give the seeker immense power to fight evil. A magical power in the sword connects the sword to the seeker’s emotions such as anger and rage enabling him to fight with more conviction and stealth. The three set out to the midlands soon after the magical boundary is broken by the advancing troops of DHara under the Command of an evil ruler Darken Rahl.
This evil ruler seeks to gain control of a powerful ancient power by the name the Magic of Orden. The three characters set out on a quest to prevent this from happening.The second book of the series is the Stone of Tears. The separation and destruction of the boxes of Orden have caused the tearing of the veil that separates the world of the living and the underworld.
Richard and his accomplices are not aware of the situation but after they encounter a creature from the underworld they set out to such for the cracks and ways to seal them. In their quest, Richard is separated from his friends by a group of women called the sister of the light who are from the old world. Richard powers as a wizard are beginning to manifest and the sisters of the light capture him so that he can be trained.
Richard is taken into the Palace of the Prophets, home to the sister of the light where he learns about his powers and real roots. He later escapes out of the palace and returns to DHara to prevent the keeper of the world from taking over the land of the living.The novel series continues with the tale of the three characters out on quests to fight evil and bring justice into the new world. Their quests are faced with significant challenges sometimes life threatening but in most instances they emerge victoriously. The writer uses fantasy and epic creations to create a whole new world that is exciting to read about.
The vivid description gives the reader a real life perception of the events that are taking place in the novel series.The novel series was adapted into a TV series under the title Legend of the Seeker. The premier of the two season series was on 1st November 2008. The series was directed by Mark Beesley casting Craig Horner, Bridget Regan and Bruce Spence among others.The Sword of Truth is one of the most ingenious works of Terry Goodkind and is a must read for all those who enjoy epic fantasy. » » Sword of Truth.