Wizard's First Rule
The Sword of Truth series, Book 1
Terry Goodkind
Tor
Fiction, Fantasy
Themes: Epics, Girl Power, Wizards
*****
Description
Long ago, after a frightful war, the land was divided into three regions, separated by boundaries that could never be crossed by any living thing.
D'Hara and the Midlands were lands of magic, while the Westlanders long ago rid themselves of it and all the perils of its presence. Now, the
boundaries are falling as a new threat, in the form of Darken Rahl, seeks dominion of the world through three boxes of exceedingly powerful
magic.
Richard Cypher is a woods guide near the Westland boundary. After his father dies by horrific and mysterious means, he devotes himself to finding the
killer, who may well have been after the family secret he is sworn to guard with his life. In his searching, he crosses the path of Kahlan, who risked
the crossing from the Midlands in search of the world's last hope against Rahl. It seems that there is a powerful wizard who may be able to stop the
man's demented plans, but he fled to the Westlands before the boundary was erected. Together, Richard and Kahlan must find this wizard and stop Darken
Rahl before time runs out.
The boundary is already weakening...
Review
This is an excellent fantasy story, fast-paced and with many original twists. I'm used to epics that throw half a hundred characters at you, leaving you to sort them out as the plot slowly takes off. This story breaks the mold by having a fairly small central cast, and it's off and running by page ten, hardly leting up thereafter. Richard and Kahlan are more than the standard fantasy heroes. Each comes across with a real personality, with real problems and struggles. In fact, few of the characters are reduced to clichés. A refreshing tale, it is also the first in a series. I already have the second, and am just starting to read it. (If I can ever find it, I'll finish reading it... darned book piles...)