Terry Goodkind

The Sword of Truth — (1995-2011) Debt of Bones is a prequel. Confessor is the “final” Sword of Truth novel, but a new “Richard and Kahlan novel” titled The Omen Machine which picks up immediately after Confessor is expected.
Publisher: In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help… and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In a dark age when it takes courage to live, and more than mere courage to challenge those who hold dominion, Richard and Kahlan must take up that challenge or become the next victims. Beyond awaits a bewitching land where even the beat of their hearts could betray them. Yet, Richard fears nothing so much as what secrets his sword might reveal about his own soul. Falling in love would destroy them — for reasons Richard can't imagine and Kahlan dare not tell him. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword — to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed... or that their time has run out. This is the beginning. One book. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.

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The Sword of Truth

Terry Goodkind’s first book, Wizard’s First Rule, was entertaining many years ago when I was a relatively new fantasy reader. Except for the actual First Rule ("People are Stupid"), which was... stupid. The story had some fascinating characters (mostly the secondary ones — I could never muster up much care for Kahlan) and Richard started out as a pretty good hero. The next couple of books of The Sword of Truth were also fun for a fantasy newbie.

Then, Terry Goodkind just TOTALLY lost it. His writing style became incredibly annoying and Richard was getting WAY too preachy (constant Ayn Rand-ish humanistic ranting). But, I kept going because I was invested by this time. And each time I bought one of his $25 hardback books, I found myself rolling my eyes at every passive sentence and starting to fall asleep during the sermons (when did Richard hire a speech writer??).

And the plot really got ssslllllloooowwww. Just look at the book covers for Chainfire, Phantom, and Confessor — you can tell we're not going anywhere. (I hope they got a 3-for-1 deal on that cover art.) But the weirdest thing is that I kept buying these 1 star books! I can’t explain my behavior, except to say that I kept thinking that things would get better, but they did not. How did he pull off that first booK?? I've learned from this experience that I can put down a book if it's not good. There's too much good literature to read.

According to Mr Goodkind, those of us who have bailed out are ignorant and uneducated. Wow. That is something I have never been called before. I should have realized right from the start ("Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid") what kind of fellow Terry Goodkind is. Here is a quote from a chat session conducted with Mr Goodkind (this used to be on his website, but has now been removed. It is well-documented on the internet, however.):

Why would they continue to read books they claim are bad? Because they hate that my novels exists. Values arouse hatred in these people. Their goal is not to enjoy life, but to destroy that which is good — much like a school child who does not wish to study for a test and instead beats up a classmate who does well. These people hate what is good because it is good. Their lives are limited to loathing and indifference. It isn't that they want to read a good book, what they want is to make sure that you do not. Ignore them. ~Terry Goodkind

I say Terry Goodkind is the one acting like a school child having a tantrum. I regret that he got so much of my money. I hope you won't give him any of yours. If you really want to try a Goodkind book, I would recommend that you go to the libraryand check out the first few, and then trust me that you don't need to read any further. I will not read the last book. I'm not even tempted. What an ass. —Kat Hooper

Faith of the Fallen

Help — I've fallen and I can't get up. Richard Rahl, please give me a half-hour sermon on the nobility of the human spirit. I'm sure then everything will be okay.
—Kat Hooper

The Pillars of Creation

Richard Rahl, if you'll give me a one hour sermon on the nobility of the human spirit, I'm sure everything will be okay.
—Kat Hooper

Naked Empire

The Sword of Truth, though a bit derivative, started off well and, while it has had its stops and starts, it has generally been well-worth reading.

Sadly, Naked Empire fails even the minimal standard of "if it's in a series, you've gotta read it if only to know what happens." So little of import happens here, and it's so painful to get to what little does, that it simply isn't worth it. The book is preachy, talkative, dogmatic, repetitive, one-sided, and simplistic, with the "arguments" ridiculously stacked. All of which possibly could have been forgiven if it weren't only those things — if you could have been drawn in by strength of character or plot or ideas. But there are no new characters of interest introduced, the main characters have become in this book either uninteresting or unlikeable, and the action (what little there is) is predictable and not particularly exciting. Read a recap someplace of the few plot details you might need for the next one, skip this one completely, and hope Terry Goodkind writes the next one while awake. —Bill Capossere

Chainfire

The good news about Chainfire is that it is a much better than book than the previous one, Naked Empire. The bad news is that Naked Empire set such a low standard that this isn't saying much. Chainfire isn't awful, like Naked Empire. It isn't even all that bad (except in parts). But it also isn't all that good. Mostly it's a serviceable novel moving us toward the series' end, one which probably should have come a few books ago.

Starting with the positive... Chainfire manages to escape the awfulness of Naked Empire by actually having a sense of plot and character. In fact, its premise is one of its best aspects and returns us to the excellence of the first few books. The story begins with Richard waking from being healed and being the only one to remember Kahlan; somehow memory of her very existence has been wiped clean. With the memories also goes the impact she has had on so many people, though much more gradually. The rest of the book focuses almost exclusively on Richard's search for Kahlan in the face of utter disbelief by those closest to him, who believe he has been damaged by his near-death experience and must be "healed" of his delusions. As mentioned, the good news is that we are back to a relatively tight plot, one which is pretty fast-paced throughout most of the book. The side plot involving Jagang's new villain "monster" in the story is also a nice touch of creativity, though not enough is done with it.

While nothing new comes from Richard or the other stock characters in the book (Cara, Zebb, etc.), there is some further exploration of Nicci. On the one hand, this return to focusing more on character than philosophy is a plus; on the other hand, her characterization is at times so simple that it is a negative.

The final positive note is that Goodkind has cut down severely on his preaching in this book. Unfortunately, it still isn't reduced enough and so the reader is beset by more long, obvious passages extolling Ayn Rand-style ideas of individualism, free will, the evil of altruism or socialism, etc. To be absolutely clear here, I am not criticizing the philosophy itself (my views on it are irrelevant) nor stating that Goodkind has no right to put philosophy in his books. What I am criticizing is his poor execution. In almost every one of these types of situations, the story comes to a halt while Richard waxes faux-eloquent on the grandness of free will. It is obvious, it is simplistic, it is repetitive, it is often contrived, it almost always drags the story to a stop. It's not bad writing because the philosophy is necessarily bad; it's bad writing because the writing is so bad. The only reason it is an improvement on Naked Empire is that there is less of it and it is surrounded by story.

If this were the only flaw, then Chainfire wouldn't be quite so disappointing. Outside of the interesting premise, we've seen too much of this story before. Richard and Kahlan separated, each one grittily holding to their "spirit," Richard pressured to do something he doesn't want to do, Cara's love of Richard imperiling her, the danger of prophecy, the speeches, and so on. The books are losing their freshness and the series probably should have been condensed into five or six books and allowed to end there. The characterization seems to be retreating as the hero-worship of Richard is getting to be a bit much. Cara loves him, Nicci loves him, Shota loves him, the blacksmith loves him. Again, with a little better writing, some sense of sophistication and depth to these relationships, Goodkind could have gotten away with this, but it's just too shallowly done. Some of the plotting is a bit contrived and the obtuseness of some of the characters a bit hard to believe in places.

Finally, I have to admit, the similarities to The Wheel of Time series are beginning to numb me a bit as a reader as I try to recall to myself "am I remembering this from an earlier Goodkind novel or an earlier Jordan novel?" The former head of a female order who pretends to be dead/powerless traveling with a former enemy/friend. The books one can write in across distances. The prophecies. One begins to wonder if one has entered a parallel universe where The Wheel of Time doesn't exist but the same story has been written, just under a different title.

In the end, Chainfire probably seems a better book than it is just because the last few have been so bad. It's a step up compared to recent memory, but still a lower tier book when placed in relation to the early ones. But it is readable, the speeches easily skimmed, and it is even enjoyable in much of it. Most importantly, it moves us toward a close, which has become a clear necessity. —Bill Capossere

Phantom

That's it. I quit. Really, I just can't stand it. It's not Terry Goodkind — it's me. I am stupid and uneducated. I hate that Terry Goodkind's novels exist. Values arise hatred in me. My goal is not to enjoy life, but to destroy that which is good — much like a school child who does not wish to study for a test and instead beats up a classmate who does well. I hate what is good because it is good. My life is limited to loathing and indifference. It isn't that I want to read a good book, what I want is to make sure that you do not. Ignore me.
—Kat Hooper

Confessor

Confessor is the last book in Terry Goodkind’s epic fantasy/philosophy series The Sword of Truth. When the series began, many readers thought this book would be a great fantasy trilogy, short and sweet. It quickly blossomed into eleven novels, each 500 or more pages in length, and the novella Debt of Bones. Throughout that time, it generated a lot of criticism from fans of speculative fiction and professional critics. Yet each novel has consistently stayed at the top of many bestseller lists, alongside many “mainstream” books. It is a strange sort of situation. The series is both widely popular and particularly reviled.

This is, I think, because Goodkind placed a great deal of his personal philosophy of Objectivism into the books. Many of the characters stop often to extemporize on the virtues or faults of faith, reason, force and prophecy. Many readers objected to this, while others enjoyed it, and so the series became a sort of like it or hate type of reading. I always liked it.

Confessor continues that trend, but as I have grown older and more critical (I was in my teens when I read the first books) I have begun to see why critics have so disliked Goodkind’s novels. Confessor concludes the story, finally solving the riddles of the chimes, the boxes of Orden, Jagang the dreamwalker, and Richard Rahl’s wizardly heritage. Yet it is also the culmination of Terry Goodkind’s philosophy, and all the questions raised in the previous novels are finally given an answer in this final volume. But that answer was very unsatisfying to me. It exalts reason over faith, and it finally came to me why people so dislike the novels. Reason has been shown in this age of postmodernism to not be what people want anymore. They want both reason and faith, and since Goodkind rejects the notion that a person can have both, many readers are upset.

Confessor still draws the reader in, bringing up philosophical puzzles that agile minds will want to think about and address. The story continues to show Richard Rahl, the everyman, succeeding against impossible odds through his own force of will and not through mystical power (although that is part of the tale). This is compelling, especially to fantasy fans, who always want to imagine themselves as such a hero. This then explains some of Goodkind’s success. Yet Goodkind has given himself over to too much philosophizing. In the earlier books, the philosophy and the action was much better integrated than in Confessor. For instance, when Nicci is captured by Jagang she spends several pages berating the man and denigrating his philosophy. Jagang, the rapist and murderer just sits there and takes it. He lets her finish and then brutalizes her. I just don’t see it happening that way. Jagang wouldn’t allow Nicci to speak ill of him, if he is as evil as Goodkind tries to make him. Additionally, Jagang has gone from being the antithesis of Richard Rahl to being little more than a petulant child. His character is reduced to little that is interesting, and this bogs the story down.

In wrapping up the series, Goodkind is also forced to do a two-step to try and wrap up all the threads of his narrative. While everything does weave together in the end, I think he had to make some convolutions to get there, and it is relatively obvious to the reader. And, of course, Goodkind relies on his Richard rescues Kahlan, Richard loses Kahlan plot outline for this story as well. Same old plot line with new solutions and situations, and I find I have tired of Richard being successful in one thing and then losing again. Fortunately this was the conclusion to the series so for once Richard’s successes stay successes, albeit with a couple of setbacks.

I found the final conclusion rather unsatisfying. But then, I don’t really like the philosophy Goodkind espouses, so the triumph of reason over faith left me feeling a little hollow. And the heavy-handed way he judged our world was annoying rather than motivating. Confessor was particularly full of philosophy, had a lot less action than previous books, made all faith blind and always on a level with brute force, and was simply too long.

Still, if you have been reading the series, you probably ought to finish it, but if you have not been reading the series, you could probably let it go entirely. If you are thinking of reading it, read Wizard’s First Rule and then the last three books Chainfire, Phantom, and Confessor and you would have essentially read the entire series. What happened in between those books is fluff and philosophy, and while interesting to some extent, you will rapidly burn out on rehashed plot. Sure, you wouldn’t have all the characterization or quite all the facts surrounding the tale, but it would be enough.

Confessor is the logical conclusion to the series, it just isn’t really all that fun. There are a few good action scenes, and of course we are glad for Kahlan and Richard, but sadly, Goodkind misses the point of faith. His disdain is a big turn-off and anyone who believes that faith is part of life is unlikely ever to enjoy the story. I appreciated the opportunity to read the series, and as a teen it was in some ways motivating, but as an adult I see the fallacy of the philosophy, the recycling of the plots, and the out-of-character actions of some of the characters. Would I go back and read The Sword of Truth series again? Yes, but only out of nostalgia, not because I believe the novels are of great value.
—John Ottinger
We thank John Ottinger from Grasping for the Wind for this contribution — none of the regular FanLit reviewers would read Confessor.