A clunker at 979 pages, but an outstanding novel in its own right. I was extremely impressed at how Goodkind further developed Richard and Kahlan. The two characters had to deal with their own feelings towards each other and with how their world treated them as well. Richard has to also deal with the "return" of Darken Rahl (his father) and the attempt to tear the veil of the underworld to basically allow the Keeper complete control of the world of the Creator. Kahlan sends Richard away under the control of the Sisters of the Light, and the majority of the novel is driven by Richard's growth into a powerful wizard who has to deal with the above mentioned events as well as trying to reunite with Kahlan to save her life. This book also sets up upcoming novels in this series as Richard will have to deal with and conquer forces who are aligned with the Sisters of the Dark and the underworld as well.

I love Fantasy. Yes, I've seen these ideas and read these plot points elsewhere, but I love them so much I don't mind reading something similar, yet new, again.

I really feel that the repetition of words and phrases are ridiculously overdone as many other reviewers have stated. I have come to accept this (a little bit) and am able to continue on without throwing anything across the room. This will be the breaking point for most readers who give the Sword of Truth series a try. 

Mr. Goodkind has a knack for action and he's pretty good at Kahlan's, Zedd's, and other secondary character's dialogue. However, Richard's character, when he's not fighting, seem to suffer at times. His skull is so thick, I would like to thump it with a big rock. Once he's stuck on an idea, there is no changing it. I take that back. Kahlan has the ability to make him see reason most of the time.

There were so many awesome moments/revelations/situations (there really were) that I was easily able to skip over the parts that were unnecessary. This read has some darker elements that I was surprised to find, but I'm okay with that though.

 

The Dark Sisters are now scurrying away from the Palace. Richard is...married? Richard is also soon-to-be married. We'll see how that all plays out. Kahlan is the last Confessor and is supposed to be dead. Zedd was not around much. Richard has decided to accept his powers. I also like the fact that he has a cloak of invisibility. Ring any bells? 

(spoiler show)

I'm off to the next one at a more slower pace this time.

#BuddyRead If anyone would like to read Stone of Tears by Terry Goodkind, please join us here on #Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1861193-stone-of-tears-sword-of-truth-2-by-terry-goodkind-spoilers

I have to admit--I rather giggle at some of the rather snarky reviews of this book. There are times I found this book cheesy, and its sadomasochistic touches disturbing. Enough that I feel a bit sheepish I do like it that much (after book 7 I didn't like the series at all, so fair warning) but yes, overall I did greatly enjoy this sequel to Wizard's First Rule--and that book I loved. A blurb for that first book from Piers Anthony called the book "endlessly inventive" and I do think that's a lot of the book's charm. I've seen some parts of the books in the series compared to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, of which I only have read the first book. But what I liked, at least at first, and certainly in the first two books, is that the magical system and world-building felt fresh. This did not, unlike Jordan and Brooks, feel like a Middle-Earth wannabe. And if I liked Richard and Kahlan, well I loved Zedd. So I was happy to follow their adventures here as they sought to save the Midlands. This starts off just as Wizard's Last Rule ends, and I found it a seamless continuation.

Best Series

 

I love few series but the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind would have to be my favorite. Wizards First Rule was given to me by my fiance when we first started dating 10+ years ago and it was the first fantasy book I'd ever read.