Wizard's First Rule
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4.4 • 55 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
The "wonderfully creative, seamless, and stirring" debut novel in the Sword of Truth epic fantasy series by the #1 New York Times bestselling author (Kirkus).
Terry Goodkind's debut novel, Wizard's First Rule, was a phenomenon from the moment it was first published by Tor Books in 1994. In it, readers are drawn into the magical New World, where ordinary Westland forest guide Richard Cypher accepts his extraordinary destiny. As a Seeker of Truth, Richard is the only one who can stop the tyrannical wizard Darken Rahl from seizing the all-powerful Boxes of Orden.
When the beautiful and mysterious Kahlan Amnell appears in Richard's forest seeking help, his humble world is turned on its head. After proving that he can wield the Sword of Truth, Richard knows that a confrontation with Darken Rahl looms. But Kahlan beseeches him to reach beyond his sword and invoke his inner nobility in order to face the dangerous challenges ahead.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Big, bland and conventional, Goodkind's first novel is an epic fantasy that doesn't conjure up much magic. Its hero, Richard Cypher, is no ordinary woodsman. He is, at first unknown to himself, the ``Seeker,'' wielder of the Sword of Truth and the only possessor of the arcane knowledge contained in the powerful Book of Counted Shadows. After his father is killed for refusing to disclose that book's location, Richard is wandering in his beloved forest when he spies a beautiful woman, Kahlan, being stalked by several assassins who have pursued her from her magic-filled homeland of the Midlands. Stalwart Richard saves Kahlan and, along with a wizard named Zedd, sets out to foil the power-hungry designs of the evil Midlands tyrant Darken Rahl. Many of the best moments here come during encounters with secondary characters: Adie, a crotchety old woman who traffics in Underworld magic by using bones; Rachel, an abused child who longs for her hair to be evenly trimmed; and Mistress Denna, a sadist who tortures Richard. Goodkind's writing improves as the book winds on, giving hope that the promised sequel will outclass this volume, but, for the most part, his prose is flat, his ideas hackneyed (Wizard's First Rule is, ``people are stupid''), his characters tediously moralistic and his plot without originality.
Customer Reviews
Good story
Enjoyed the story and its characters. The writing style took some getting used to. I found it simplistic, and repetitive. Lines are repeated almost word for word, sometimes within the same paragraph, and he also repeats, in detail, events that took place in previous chapters. It can be very annoying.