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| Review Summary |
Thrown into anguish by the death of his father, the young woodsman and guide Richard Cypher seeks solace in his oldest friend- the forest. However, a search for solace turns into the struggle of a lifetime when he comes across a mysterious woman named Kahlan being menaced by a quad- a group of four killers. Richard saves her, then ultimately brings her to Zedd, an aged wizard who determines that she has seen dispatched to find the Seeker- one who can deliver the world from the evil of Darken Rahl, a monstrous king of phenomenal magical power. One by one, the illusions that Richard has held all his life melt away, and he is soon battling his way across three kingdoms. Darken Rahl has procured the three Boxes of Orden, which if opened in the proper order, could give the power to dominate all life in the world. Richard possesses the knowledge of the Book of Counted Shadows, which provides the key to using the Boxes properly.
While the plot is fairly conventional and the characters fairly predictable and almost stereotyped, some highly innovative ideas raise this tome to its heights. The supporting characters are fascinating, such as Rachel, an abused, ten-year old servant girl, monsters who use bloosucking flies to drive out their prey, as well as the Sword of Truth, which instills the bearer with a potent rage.
Robert Stiles, Resident Scholar
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A young man in a pre-mechanical fantasy age is drawn into a battle of good versus evil. He must learn who he is and defeat an evil wizard to save a people and win his true love. (Quest theme.)
Amy Wilson, Resident Scholar
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Richard Cypher is a young woods guide, and all of a sudden is thrown into a fight for the freedom of the lands known and unknown to him. Cypher begins understanding that he is the most dangerous man because of his title "the Seeker". He must learn who he is, and face many hardships before he can complete his fight against darken rahl.
Paul T Zamora, Resident Scholar
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Richard Cypher, a young woodsguide, saves a young woman, little knowing that this good deed would change his life forever. Struggling to control his newly discovered powers, he sets off with a wizard and the mysterious young woman he rescued from the clutches of death, on a quest that would change the world.
An epic fantasy which leaves the reader enthralled and seemingly spellbound to the wonderful workings of Terry Goodkind.
A Johnson, Resident Scholar
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0A simple woods-guide, is unsuspectingly given great power and finds out he is one of the most powerful magicians in thousands of years. He is given a quest against nearly impossible odds- to kill a great wizard and save the world from slavery or destruction. But he, a strange girl he met and his grandfather have no other choice...
Daniel Smith, Resident Scholar
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Sword of Truth is a poorly written, highly derivative story about a forest guide who is given the titular weapon. It has an excessive, prolonged section of torture. Redundant writing and a lack of originality plague this book.
Rebecca Davis, Resident Scholar
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Ordinary person being chased by Wizard and king of country for a magical book. With book can control world.Finds magical women. Gets magical powers and learns about himself while finding components to book. Countries got to war. Hero gets captured. Escapes, kills bad guy.
Drew Dismukes, Resident Scholar
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WIZARD'S FIRST RULE
Tor, Jun 2001, 17.95, 573 pp.
ISBN: 0765300273
The evil Darken Rahl is succeeding in making a grab to possess the three boxes of Orden in order to control the magic that is contained within them. Darken Rahl's strategic goal is conquering the three kingdoms (Westland, The Midlands, and D'Hara) currently separated by a seemingly impenetrable mystic boundary.
To stop Darken Rahl, the wizards send Kahlan Amnell across the barrier to find the “Seeker of Truth” somewhere in Westland where magic is outlawed. She meets Richard Cypher who immediately takes her to his teacher Zedd, who he believes is the great wizard who can identify the Seeker. The last things Richard expected were to fall in love and learn he is the Seeker. With the aid of a wizard and his beloved, Richard must fight Darken. Richard realizes he uses the very weapons that make his foe so malevolent for without them he cannot win, but using them can easily turn him into a darker Darken.
WIZARD'S FIRST RULE is a reprint of the fabulous first tale in Terry Goodkind's “Sword of Truth” saga. The story line remains a powerful epic fantasy that never slows down though like most opening genre books leaves threads for the next novel. The characters, especially the “good guys”, are engaging as they struggle to contain the evil within themselves from turning them into Darken clones. The WIZARD'S FIRST RULE does not apply to anyone who reads this book because this mesmerizing novel is worth the time and money.
Harriet Klausner
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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First book in a series of 5 (soon to be 6).
"Twilight had fallen upon the Three Kingdoms: a grey time that could foretell either dawn or descent into bitter night. Richard Cypher, a woodsman and warrior, is chosen to bear the Sword of Truth, but his enemy, Darken Rahl, is a royal mage who commands armies, hideous beasts and--more terrible by far--a twisted magic."
Aven, Resident Scholar
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This is Book 1 of the sword of truth novels. You do not have to read them in any order because they are all pretty much self contained though they revolve around the same main character, Richard. Richard is a woodsguide who gets appointed as the seeker by being given the magical sword of truth, to stop a wizard who rules one of the 3 lands. This evil wizard, Darken Rahl, is trying to open the box of orden which will give him control of all things in the universe. I highly recommend this book
David, Resident Scholar
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 20.7%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 29.3%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 30%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%
Tone of book
- very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION?
- fantasy world/fantasy past
Coming of age
Yes
Youngster becomes
- a powerful magician
Mental/magical powers focus
Yes
magical powers:
- bad magical powers hunting non/weaker magical(s) (fantasy)
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- champion of justice
Age:
- 20's-30's
Has magical/special powers?
Yes
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Has magical powers?
Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist:
- fire/thunder/weather cntrl
- can cast all sorts of spells
Eccentric:
Yes
- obsessed
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Setting
Terrain
- Mountains
- Forests
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body:
- humans in a primitive/fantasy society
Planet outside solar system?
Yes
Style
Person?
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- very explicit references to deaths and torture
Sex in book?
Yes
How much dialogue?
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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