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mertenshire 's review for:
Wizard's First Rule
by Terry Goodkind
This book was ...okay. Actually, it was a little bit better than okay.
As much as I want to hate/dislike it, I cannot. The overall story was mild: an unassuming farm boy turns out to be a hero of legend and has to team up with two friends to beat the Big Bad. There is magic, fantasy creatures, and the Chosen One. The magic system and the political system are most often vaguely explained and kind of confusing, but don't think about it too deeply. And Terry Goodkind is a FREAK. He is still hung up on traditional gender roles and there is a lot of weird sexual things ranging from innuendo to full-on torture (Mord Sith, anyone?). However, for all its faults, there is still value here. The prose itself, I find to be quite simple and engaging. The characters are well-written, expressing complex emotions and motivations. For a story written in third person, it does a great job of conveying the protagonists inner thought processes without being too tedious or typical. It's really the cast of characters and the way that the style of narration changes significantly with each that make this book worth reading. I have never seen anything like that in a third person point of view! The very last thing I must point out is that in a land of fantasy and among those such as Kahlan Amnell, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, and Darken Rahl, our main character is just a regular ol' Richard. Richard freakin' Cypher. It doesn't get funnier than that.
I came to this book from the 2008 TV series adaptation "Legend of the Seeker," which a friend and I were watching, hating, and loving. While the show loosely follows the book, it does share its sense of ironic enjoyment. For me the Sword of Truth Series occupies a space similar to the Twilight Saga, its both bad and good, and you love to hate it. I will make fun of it, many inside jokes with my friends, but I will still consume it over and over again.
As much as I want to hate/dislike it, I cannot. The overall story was mild: an unassuming farm boy turns out to be a hero of legend and has to team up with two friends to beat the Big Bad. There is magic, fantasy creatures, and the Chosen One. The magic system and the political system are most often vaguely explained and kind of confusing, but don't think about it too deeply. And Terry Goodkind is a FREAK. He is still hung up on traditional gender roles and there is a lot of weird sexual things ranging from innuendo to full-on torture (Mord Sith, anyone?). However, for all its faults, there is still value here. The prose itself, I find to be quite simple and engaging. The characters are well-written, expressing complex emotions and motivations. For a story written in third person, it does a great job of conveying the protagonists inner thought processes without being too tedious or typical. It's really the cast of characters and the way that the style of narration changes significantly with each that make this book worth reading. I have never seen anything like that in a third person point of view! The very last thing I must point out is that in a land of fantasy and among those such as Kahlan Amnell, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, and Darken Rahl, our main character is just a regular ol' Richard. Richard freakin' Cypher. It doesn't get funnier than that.
I came to this book from the 2008 TV series adaptation "Legend of the Seeker," which a friend and I were watching, hating, and loving. While the show loosely follows the book, it does share its sense of ironic enjoyment. For me the Sword of Truth Series occupies a space similar to the Twilight Saga, its both bad and good, and you love to hate it. I will make fun of it, many inside jokes with my friends, but I will still consume it over and over again.