Wizard's First Rule

by Terry Goodkind and Goodkind

Book Overview

The masterpiece that started The New York Times bestselling epic Sword of Truth In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help . . . and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In a dark age it takes courage to live, and more than mere courage to challenge those who hold dominion, Richard...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765346524
• ISBN13: 9780765346520
• Release Date: April 2003
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 848 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

Not in the condition that I ordered

I ordered a copy of this book in very good condition and it arrived very beat up with the pages bent, and the front cover with a clear fold mark across the entire front. The pages are dirty and not at all in very good condition. It’s unfortunate.

Oops

Ordered Wizard's First Rule in hardcover. Received Stone of Tears in a Wizard's dust jacket. It's book two so I'm not mad, but I am very amused.

Great fantasy. Interesting characters, immersive plot.

Great book! Read it! Do it now! Mother Confessor demands it!

Great beginning to an awesome series

This is a captivating version of the classic good against evil. Intriguingly written, keeps you turning pages. My advice.... make sure you have the second book ready to read when you finish this one. You won't want to have to wait to get it.

Read this book, no wait the whole series l!

Okay. So, I was introduced to this book and author in my early twenties. The people who suggested it were big fans of the first book (this one), but not the rest of the series. They suggested I read this one and stop. Thankfully, I got away from those crazy people (no really they were, hope they are well but glad they are out of my life) and I read the entire series. Do it! This is such an amazingly thoughtful, insightful series. The characters are people I aspire to be. There was one I found a bit slow. Thankfully, I kept reading the entire series. Do it! It will change your life. For the better. I assure you.

I recommend this to everyone.

There are a lot of negative reviews from people who dislike Terry Goodkind's writing, but this will not be one of them. I am a big fan of the Sword of Truth series, and I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to open their minds to a story that is imaginitive and enthralling. There may be moments that are predictable, but I have yet to read one story in which that is untrue. Even the common favorites of J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordon (who at times blatantly copies Tolkien), David Eddings, etc. have their moments of predictability. And no one is immune to "borrowing" ideas from anyone, not even Tolkien. We can only write what we know, even if in allegory. Wizard's First Rule is a strong beginning for the Sword of Truth series and one of my favorites (along with #6, Faith of the Fallen). Within all of his stories, Goodkind projects themes that he wishes to write about. His motives for writing are not necessarily to make the most money, but are more to express a message that he feels needs to be thrust out into the world. Everyone writes with his or her own desires--some to sell, and some to teach. Goodkind is a teacher at the heart of the matter and shows this throughout his whole series. You will most enjoy his writing if you are willing to learn. If you're looking for your regular fantasy, there are pleanty of other books on the shelf. If you're looking for a story where women are overpoweringly strong, go read Melanie Rawn's Exiles, the Ruins of Ambrais. If you want quality, open the pages of Goodkind's work and dive into the world he has created. As for the book itself, it has a diverse cast of invitiing characters. The story is mostly told from the perspective of Richard Cypher, a commoner who has recently suffered the tragic loss of his father. The greatest heros often come from the most humble of places, though, and he is soon thrust into a world-wide conflict involving real magic that he has been a stranger to his whole life. Once he finds himself in the company of a strange, mysterious woman whom he chooses to help out of danger, his life is disrupted with a perilous adventure to protect the world from a maniacal tyrant who seeks to claim dark magic from the underworld itself. Give it a try. If you don't like it, then you're no worse off than when you started. If you enjoy this book, though, keep reading. The series goes on for what will be 11 books (currently at 9--Chainfire). I have the Dick Hill version of this book on tape and have listened to it twice. I don't typically enjoy Jim Bond's readings, but I haven't heard this one. I recommend reading the story for yourself if it's your first time.

Wow!!!

This series was recommended to me by a close friend and I must say that i am quite thrilled that i took him up on that offer. WRITING: I must say, after coming off a badly written quartet, Goodkind was a breath of fresh air. I have been looking for a first-person fantasy narrativie ever since Fitz in Robin Hobb's books, and this has been the closet that has come to that. His descriptions and flow of events makes the book go by quite fast. I really zipped through this one. There was no point in which I stopped, not because of plot, but just because of was tired of it or something as i have done with other novels. The long pause inbetween events were very well handled, and i really loved the touch of philsophy he sneaks in at times. PLOT: To sum it up this book could stand on its own. If you don't feel compled to continue the series, stop now. The ending is pretty much conclusive, and really doesn't make that last cliff-hanger push to force you into the next novel. Just ignore the few sentences that alude to future problems and finish the epilogue in your own mind. "Finish as chosen". The plot throughout the novel trully kept me hooked. The character description was in-depth and I was more than thrilled to have Goodkind focus more soley on Richard as a fake-first-person narrative. CONCLUSION: The adultness of the book doesn't truly come out until the second half the book when the readers meet the Mod-Sith's (now THAT was interesting). The series in itself takes a big commiment, on average each book of the current eight is 800 pages + (just look at the second). But should be much more worth it than Wheel of Time, in which Richard is probably a full brain ahead of most of Jordan's characters. In all the writing is fresh and new (not the normal manufactured writings under massed produced labels), the plot simple but intricate, and the characters in a league of their own. I totally recommend this novel (and Robin Hobb's works as well!!!)

A Developing Threat

Wizard's First Rule is the first novel in the Sword of Truth series. Richard Cypher is having a bad day. When his father had been killed three weeks previous, a sprig of vine had been left for Richard in the message jar. He didn't know what it meant, but had been searching for such a vine ever since. This day he finds it strangling a fir tree in the upper Ven Forest, but it bites him as he tries to tear it off the tree, leaving a thorn burrowing into his hand. Then something really big and red flies over and shortly thereafter he sees four men stalking a women.Richard intercepts the woman and takes her up a side trail, hiding their tracks. They climb upward, making as little sound as possible, until they are at the foot of the bluff. Suddenly, the four men appear, blocking all escape. The leader tells Richard to leave, but he declares for the woman. When the four attack, Richard kicks one man off the side of the mountain and delays another, but that man swings on Richard with deadly intent. Just then, however, the other man attacks Richard's assailant, taking both over the side, and Richard is saved. Suddenly the fight is over.Afterwards, the woman asks his name and tells him that she is Kahlan. Richard is puzzled about the outcome of the fight (he was sure that he was going to be killed), but is certain that Kahlan doesn't want to talk about it. She does tell him that she is from the Midlands on the other side of the sealed boundary.Richard first takes Kahlan to his brother Michael's house, where she meets Chase, a boundary warden and Richard's friend. They dine later with Michael and Michael makes a pass at Kahlan, which she firmly rebuffs with minimum bloodshed. After that Richard takes her to meet Zedd.This story is about a war that has been temporarily stalled, but is now about the erupt once more. Richard learns some interesting things regarding Zedd as well as himself. And when he accompanies Kahland as she returns to the Midlands, events began to move quickly.This story is much like Edding's Belgariad series, with a hero hid among the common people and having their friendliness and folk wisdom. Luckily, Richard has Kahlan and Zedd to advise him, for his tasks are as much political as military. The plot and monsters are very derivative and the writing is very linear, but the story is engrossing and some of the gimmicks are very innovative. The sexual content is often very hot and not recommended for the younger set.In one respect, the author is lousy at plotting: each book is generally able to stand alone. Other than the characters, most of the storylines are tied up neatly at the end of each volume; no cliff-hangers to be resolved in the next volume. However, the next threat is always reasonable after the fact, so the threads were there but we failed to notice them. I am always satisfied after every volume, yet ready to read the next one when it arrives. What more could you ask?Recommended for Edding's fans and an

Adventure/Romance

I love this book it has awsome adventures along with a little bit of heroic romance. Goodkind is one of the best authors I have ever read and has a gift of making you think you know the characters personanly. When you think every thing has come to a terrible end a sudden turn of events changes it into another wounderous adventure. I have also read the Tolkien books and loved them and thought no books where better...until I read this one. I have already recomended this book to all my friends and would do the same to every body else this is deffinetly a 5 star book. I have just started reading the next one and i love it already.

Loved it..... Very refreshing!

This is the most original and refreshing fantasy work I have picked up in a long time - since I discovered Thomas Covenant in the 1980's, in fact. At its most basic, this is your fairly standard "small company goes on a dangerous quest to stop the bad guy and save the world" story that is fairly common in the Fantasy genre. But, Terry Goodkind stands out in two major respects: (1) his excellent characterizations, and (2) his unique take on the nature of magic.Goodkind has drawn a number of rich, powerful characters: Richard Cypher, the book's hero, who suddenly finds himself drawn into the battle to stop the evil Darken Rahl and his minions from taking over the world; Kahlan, a young woman at the heart of the struggle, but is a LOT more than she seems at first; and Richard's old friend Zedd, a likable old man who is also more than he seems, though his role in the story is fairly obvious from the start.The antagonists are also well drawn out. The main villan, Darken Rahl, is a unique take on fantasy villans. Although none of the story is told directly from his point of view, he spends enough time talking about his thoughts and feelings to make him very interesting. Most fantasy villans (even a master like Tolkein is guilty of this) are simply mysterious presences, with no insight into their characters. Goodkind breaks with this tradition, and his work is richer for it. Another very interesting antagonist is the Mord Sith Denna, though she does not show up until fairly late in the book. Denna at first seems to be nothing more than a sadistic witch who lives for causing pain, but again, Goodkind does such a great job of drawing her that I almost cried along with Richard when Denna met her fate.There are many other characters, both good and evil, that populate this 820 page novel. While there are a few "cutout" types, most notably Demmin Nass and Princess Violet, most of the characters are effective and believeable. Now for the warning: this book is NOT for children. There is one chapter where Rahl brainwashes and uses an innocent child that will make your blood run cold, and yet have you turning pages one after another, eager for the resolution. The scenes between Prnicess Violet and her "playmate", Rachel, are also very disturbing for a child to read, but they will make you appreciate it more when Violet meets up with Richard. There is also a long bit late in the novel that is concerned chiefly with graphic descriptions of torture and mental cruelty. Finally, the book is liberally sprinkled with sexual and romantic tension between Richard and Kahlan. This tension is obvious from almost the moment they meet.I thought that, overall, this is a GREAT novel, and I am eager to read the next one in the series. Although this novel leaves quite a few plot threads hanging out there for the next book to pick up, this book has a definite resolution and can be read as a stand-alone work. The first part of the book is very fast-paced, then th