I read this one as a kid (I probably shouldn't have - there's a lot of graphic sex/violence; I would NOT recommend this for young readers) and thought it was wonderful, but I think it's telling that this is one of the first fantasy books I ever read, and for me it didn't stand up to re-reading.

Upon re-reading, the story feels rather tired and cliched - it's like any other fantasy quest story, and the good guys and the bad guys are both one dimensional. The good guys are obviously super-good and the bad guys obviously super-bad. There's also the gratuitous violence and sex (and violent sex!) with a fairly extended BDSM portion that for me really didn't make sense with the rest of the story - it didn't seem like there was a reason for that to be there, other than that Goodkind felt like it at the time.

I give it two stars because I don't think the writing was horrible, but overall the story is pretty generic. ( )

From the first page, I was captured. Just as I got hooked on one character's story, the overall story continues with a different character. Lots of wisdom scattered throughout the book. It's a shame the tv series doesn't follow it more closely.

A compelling start to Goodkind's epic series. This is a new take on the genre and it shows in Goodkind's unique writing and storytelling. Goodkind has tried to paint this as allegory rather than fantasy, but it's undeniable that fantasy fans will be the most appreciative audience. A lot has been made of the connection between this series and Objectivism. As someone who sees Objectivism as a foolish ideology, I can promise you that in the first few installments at least, you will find little if any hint of the deeper allegory Goodkind is reaching for. ( )

The first 50 pages I find is a little bit slow. But now this is where you get into the novel. ( )

Amazing book. Sexy, thrilling, scary and heartbreaking all at the same time. Looking forward to the next installment in the Sword of Truth series. ( )

Despite all of the bad press this guy gets, this was a superb book. ( )

Very well written and interesting. I love these books. ( )

This is a great book a lot of actions chracters are great as well ( )

It is always curious to see fantasy authors who don't consider themselves to be fantasy authors. Case-in-point: Terry Goodkind. The former landscape painter said in an interview that he wasn't writing fantasy, but 're-inventing the novel'. It always drives me to wonder whether he has read any fantasy. Goodkind doesn't reinvent the novel; he doesn't even reinvent the fantasy novel, but he does twist the knobs and get a little more steam out of it.

Michael Moorcock critiqued Tolkien as a false Tory romantic, which is rather apt considering that the love story takes place almost entirely in absentia (prompting Peter Jackson to infuse some extra loving with that hot, elven, psychic dream sequence).

Most fantasy authors rectify this by having the girl come along for the journey. Goodkind likes to keep the separation for much of the story as our hero tries to seek her out across a continent (though she is often just in the next room! Oh! What a tragic coincidence! Actually, after the first time it's just an annoying and painfully artificial way to try to make the story more exciting while keeping the characters apart).

However, the other half of the time, the hero finds the girl and transfixes her on his mighty sword. No, really. I'm not sure why these authors always end up feeling as if they have to dump their sex fetish issues at this particular juncture: "Huh, I secretly dig BDSM. Maybe I should confide my fantasies in a book for mass publication".

I cannot think of a single female character in the entire series who isn't either raped or threatened with rape. If you want to give me an example of one, remember: I'm counting magical psychic blowjob rape as rape. I wish I never had the opportunity to qualify a statement with 'don't forget the psychic blowjob rape'.

I don't mind actual BDSM literature, but I'd rather have my own reaction to it than be told "isn't it totally dirty and wrong!? (but still super sexy, right?)"

Goodkind's book is cookie-cutter genre fantasy, but it's not badly done, and if you like people narrowly missing one another, bondage, masochism, rape, and dragons, it's pretty good. The series also dies on arrival part-way through, so prepare for disappointment. ( )

very very good book,i mean wow just a very good story line and everything!!!!!!!!

Review by Stuart Mayne:

Terry Goodkind has made a comfortable place for himself on bookshelves, shoving even the most eloquent fantasy writer out of the way with his 800+ page epics. I was sent his entire Sword of Truth oevre, bar the second title of this new packaging and it runs to over 290mm in width! And the collection I was sent didn't include any of the Chainfire Trilogy!
Goodkind has made his name being compared with Jordan, rather than Tolkein. His epic fantasy is a mixture of the traditional and modern. He is able to mix up the genre by including some BDSM with the usual tropes of dragons and talking animals. His characterisation is above average, crafting characters who, while archetypal to the genre, are easy for the reader to care for and with whom they can forge an emotional bond.
The cynical say reissuing a collection without addition is a marketing ploy by publishers to entice devoted readers to collect a series so their bookshelves look ordered and complete. I like to see this reissue as the publisher restocking bookshop shelves for new readers to read and immerse themselves in wonderful worlds.

Verbose and clichéd, but not as bad as Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time novels. ( )

Pre09:
I give this *book* a full rating. The series died for me pretty quickly.
Characters: Unforgetable.
Plot: Solid in this one. Defeat the bad guy, but have logical troubles on the way.
Style: So epic and personal at the same time. ( )

This book is about a woodsguide named Richard Cypher who is trying to find his father's killer. This book is a good read for anyone who enjoys the rise and triumph of a seemingly nobody, magic, and alittle romance. It also gives pretty good lessons about people such as people will believe anything because they fear it is true or because they want it to be true.

Fun sword and sorcery stuff with heroic heroes (both male and female) and villainous bad guys. Overall an enjoyable book. ( )

This is one of the worst fantasy novels I've ever read. The story was trite, the characters laughable, and the plot predictable. I won't be picking up any more Terry Goodkind.

The worst of it is this book got made into an even worse tv series. What a shame when there are so many other better fantasy novels begging to be made. ( )

So, I have mixed feelings on this book. • The characters seem very real to me in a way that fantasy characters often don't. They have emotional lives that aren't one-dimensional. They have interrelated relationships.• You can't say that it doesn't include strong women.• The world isn't just another rehash of Lord of the Rings, even though it is very clearly and explicitly high fantasy.----• The women are all defined in relation to the men. They don't stand on their own or have relationships with each other; all of the strong women are depicted as islands in a man's world.• The writing is pretty stilted and awful.• The bad guys are all pedophilic child-torturers. Okay, I get that high fantasy is black and white, but seriously, do we have to go there? There are other ways of showing that someone is eeeeeeeevil.• "Darken Rahl." "Panis Rahl." "Kahlan." "Zeddicus Zu'ul Zorander." And, on the other hand, we have... Michael and Richard. Um. Enough said.Probably more worth reading than other books in its vein, but still kind of bad.This was a reread and I'm not going to be rereading the rest of the series. ( )

So, I have mixed feelings on this book. • The characters seem very real to me in a way that fantasy characters often don't. They have emotional lives that aren't one-dimensional. They have interrelated relationships.• You can't say that it doesn't include strong women.• The world isn't just another rehash of Lord of the Rings, even though it is very clearly and explicitly high fantasy.----• The women are all defined in relation to the men. They don't stand on their own or have relationships with each other; all of the strong women are depicted as islands in a man's world.• The writing is pretty stilted and awful.• The bad guys are all pedophilic child-torturers. Okay, I get that high fantasy is black and white, but seriously, do we have to go there? There are other ways of showing that someone is eeeeeeeevil.• "Darken Rahl." "Panis Rahl." "Kahlan." "Zeddicus Zu'ul Zorander." And, on the other hand, we have... Michael and Richard. Um. Enough said.Probably more worth reading than other books in its vein, but still kind of bad.This was a reread and I'm not going to be rereading the rest of the series. ( )

Although I'm not a regular reader of epic fantasy, occasionally I get a wild hair to read something different. This is what led me to pick up Wizard's First Rule, and I'm eternally grateful for it. This first volume of Terry Goodkind's epic Sword of Truth series delivers everything that the label of epic fantasy promises. There's a wide, sweeping struggle between good and evil, strongly written and well-developed characters, vivid worldbuilding, exotic creatures, and magic. It's also a hefty book, as are all the volumes in the series, and its resemblance to a doorstop might intimidate some readers, but don't let that stop you! It's fast-paced and engrossing, and it will take very little time to fall in love with the characters! I was shocked at how quickly I sped through it, and immediately started the second in the series. My one piece of advice: buy these two at a time. If you finish one in the middle of the night, and don't have the next one near, panic may ensue. You have been warned! ( )

The Premise: Richard Cypher's decision to help a woman in the Upper Ven near the Boundary between the Midlands and Westland sires more trouble than first appears. Kahlan Amnell seeks the help of a wizard in the Westland, and she brings with her dark news from the other side of the Boundary: Darken Rahl, Ruler of D'Hara, has brought down the other Boundary between D'Hara and the Midlands. This menacing ruler continues his dead father's quest for control by pressing war on the now vulnerable Midlands. Kahlan wants the wizard to name a Seeker of Truth who can try to stop Darken Rahl. When she finds the Old Wizard, he names Richard to be the Seeker and starts him on the quest that will forever alter the world. (from Wikipedia)

My Take on the Book: This is one of those books - the kind that leaves you wanting more when you're finished. Lucky me, I think there are 10 more books in the series. This is also the type of book that has you wondering what to read next because it is hard for anything to measure up. The characters keep coming to mind, even in my dreams. That's a sure sign that a book has deeply affected me. I have a request for the 2nd book on paperbackswap.com - hopefully it will be coming soon, otherwise, I see a visit to Borders in my near future:)

There is a lot of violence in this book, both mystical and natural. There is a war going on between the D'Harans and the people of the Midlands, and many of the atrocities of war show up here. There are also some sexual situations, most not by choice, so if that offends you, this may not be the book for you. One of the things I really liked is the intelligence Richard Cypher shows in his behavior and in the way he handles difficult experiences. He questions things rather than just accepting them. In one instance, rather than offending the people he is staying with by not accepting their customs because it goes against what he believes, he comes up with a unique solution that stops him from doing something he is morally against, while allowing his hosts to "save face". ( )

This book has the honor of being the only one I have ever stopped reading after 400 pages. Goodkind's Richard character defines the term one dimensional and the entire book repeats the same pattern over and over and over again. Richard arrives at a moral dilemma, chooses to follow his moral compass, and through a lucky coincidence is not brutally decapitated. According to the chapter summaries which I skimmed through the book has some extreme dom/sub erotic chapters, the brutal murder of a young boy, and ends with a gimmick.

Indeed, this book is bad enough that it could ruin friendships. How can you be friends with someone if this is their favorite series? Twilight you can forgive. But not Goodkind's The Sword of Truth.

Smash yourself in the face with a brick and save yourself the pain of reading this. ( )

Wizard's First Rule is the first book in the Sword of Truth series, written by Terry Goodkind. This is his debut novel.

I recently reread this book. The first time I read it was in 2006 when a friend forced it on me. It sat on my desk for weeks. I had never read a fantasy before in my life, and I really didn't think it was something I could get into. I still have that same copy. I have read it multiple times and shared it with friends, family, and random people I hardly know. I always make sure I get it back. I am so glad that I finally chose to give it a chance. The reason I am rereading it again now is because I still haven't read the final book in the series, Confessor, and I would like to soon, but it has been too long, and I have lost many of the details of the series.

Wizard's First Rule is the beginning of an epic journey, starting with a simple man named Richard who is thrown into a whirlwind adventure that he did not choose for himself. Much of the book is his struggle with accepting that the fate of the world rests on his shoulders, and all because he helped save a woman's life. Little does he know that Kahlan is more than a simple woman. An evil wizard named Darken Rahl is attempting to take over the world using dark magic from the Underworld and only one man can stop him - The Seeker of Truth. Will Richard find a way to stop Darken Rahl from opening the Boxes of Orden and ruling the world? How will he find a way for Kahlan and himself to be together?

I don't want to give too much away. I consider this series to be one of my all-time favorites and would recommend them to anyone who knows how to read. My husband never read a book in his life and he read this series. Even the last one, which I haven't read yet!

Terry Goodkind takes you into his world and makes you fall in love with the characters. Once you meet Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd - there is no going back. These books are each around 1000 pages and take some time to read, but every second is worth it!

Some Sci-Fi/Fantasy fans do not like this series. Sorry, not everyone can be Tolkien, and if you expect this book to hold up to Lord of the Rings or The Wheel of Time, you may be disappointed. Terry Goodkind's writing style is very different. I think the difference is what makes it easier for non-fantasy folks like myself to get into this series.

If you have an opportunity to pick this up - DO IT! ( )

Normally, I despise the "epic fantasy" genre, but I was sucked in by the endearing characters. ( )

Very enjoyable book with a slightly different take on magic, and a very interesting world. ( )

From the very beginning, the story of Richard Cypher is a mesmerizing and hypnotic roller coaster ride.
A simple woodsman finds himself thrust into a life and death quest to stop a madman named Darken Rahl. With the help of his friends and a woman he desperately wants but cant have, Richard does what he needs to confront the true evil of this story.
A great read - it was able to keep me from my video games, which is saying a lot. ( )