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Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind
Goodkind’s debut novel, Wizard’s First Rule,
is an epic fantasy adventure. The tale begins as Richard Cypher, a not-so-simple
woods guide from Westland, rescues the fair Kahlan Amnell from a vicious-looking
group of men. Richard soon finds that there is much more to Kahlan than meets
the eye. She is from the Midlands, a country steeped in magic and, until now,
sealed away from Westland by a magical boundary. Kahlan informs Richard that the
boundary is failing and a great evil is threatening them all. She has come to
Westland seeking a great wizard. Richard is also searching for something – the
person or thing that murdered his father. By agreeing to help Kahlan, Richard
begins a journey that will forever change him. It will also shape the future of
the world.
Without giving away more of the plot, suffice it
to say that Goodkind has crafted an intricate and well-designed novel full of
unexpected twists and turns. Richard Cypher and Kahlan Amnell are absorbing and
likable characters. They both have secrets, some of which the reader knows,
others which have yet to be discovered. They are surrounded by a supporting cast
of interesting and quirky characters, both good and evil. The world that
Goodkind has created is very real in some aspects. Although there is magic
aplenty, Goodkind does not rely solely on magic to resolve the problems his
characters confront. The only sour note in this novel occurs about three
quarters of the way through. Goodkind introduces some very dark and disturbing
elements which include pedophilia and sado-masochism. He does use these devices
quite effectively to move the plot along, but I still found them to be rather
jarring and unexpected. Goodkind also pays quite a bit of attention to character
development and motivation.
It takes a while to find out what the wizard’s
first rule is, but once you find out you’ll be amazed you didn’t think of it
first! I’m not sure if Goodkind intended to begin a series when he wrote this
first book, but that’s what happened. The Sword of Truth series is now heading
into its sixth novel, with Faith of the Fallen scheduled for release in
August 2000. Fortunately, Goodkind is a considerate author. Wizard’s First
Rule is a perfectly complete story. While there are definitely more
adventures in store for Richard and Kahlan, you won’t have to wait with bated
breath for the next book to find out if they are rescued from the peril du
jour as some authors of series would have you do. That’s quite a relief,
because at 836 pages for just the first novel, you’re looking at a
considerable investment in time! Still, I definitely recommend reading Wizard’s
First Rule; I think you’ll find it will be time well spent.
Reviewed by Diane
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