A review by britamac
Into Darkness: The Children of D'Hara, episode 5 by Terry Goodkind, Terry Goodkind

sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

And here we are, at the end of an era. Into Darkness is the 5th and final novella in the Children of D'Hara series. But, this novella marks another end. Into Darkness marks the final publication for Terry. It truly is the end of a an era in the Sword of Truth Series, Richard and Kahlan Novels, Nicci Chronicles, and Children of D'Hara Series. Thank you Mr. Goodkind for all the memories, both good and bad. You taught us all so much and you showed us what our world could come to if we didn't pay attention to it.

This wasn't the end I wanted it to be. I was happy knowing what happened next. But, I was frustrated by the plot holes that were left. 

There were glaring issues with this novella, especially with the magic system and that's so important to the plot. But, that can be skipped over in some ways. And in other ways that just brings you right out of the story itself. 

I have an issue with how the Golden Queen's death was accomplished saying the it was caused by the Glee. Richard's solution was just to easy and it was accomplished far to easily and her followers just suddenly reverted back without a fight and back to their original nature without any further magic or work? Nope, that's a plot hole in my estimation. That's an insult considering what they all put Kahlan and Richard through. 

I still don't get why this series was called The Children of D'Hara. I thought with that title. I thought this would take place years after The Sword of Truth series. I thought it would be about the kids of Richard and Kahlan and all the antics they got up to. But to find out that the twins themselves took the 5 books just to be born. The series should have been called D'Harna's Pregnancy or Richard and Kahlan's Pregnancy or something like that. 

Even trying to figure out the problem that Shota handed them was handled far to easily and solved far to simply considering the length of the books and I felt like I was being treated like a child. 

It felt like this novella was hurried because Terry needed more time then he had in the space he had. He was used to having all this room in a normal sized novel vs now a novella. This just felt rushed. 

I had to know the end, despite all the bad, I had to know the end, all the based on the basic premise of a great story with 2 main character's who I loved from the start. I had to end with them and I have rooted from them from the start and I will root for them till the end. 

The reality I have been with Terry for all 26 books. I wish he had a better editor. That would have really given us readers what we deserved and let Terry's talent shine the way it should have. They could have all been edited down honestly, Right now they are 26 books. I would imagine a good editor could take them down to 10 to 15 books and they would still be entertaining and amazing. 

I imagine the way this book ended that Terry thought he had time left to come back and really fix the mistakes that he had made and I honestly think he meant to return to this world and tell the stories of the twins. 

Sadly we will never know what Terry had planned to do and what he had hopped to write in the future. On September 17, 2020 tragically Terry Goodkind passed away, his light was snuffed out and we will never know what stories he might have told next. We never know what he might have done next and we will never know what changes he might have done if he had been given the chance. 

This book truly did take us Into Darkness of Terry imagination. 

RIP Terry Goodkind 

You are Missed