From the Bookshelf of Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy…

Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth, #1)

Terry Goodkind

Why we're reading this: #62 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...
# on Loc…more
[close] #62 on NPR's Top 100 SF/F novels of all time (2011 poll) http://www.npr.org/2011/08/11/1390858...
# on Locus Magazines Best Fantasy novels of the 20th century http://www.locusmag.com/2012/AllCentu...

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May 05, 2009 Michael rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2009

In an attempt to broaden my view of the fantasy genre, I decided I'd give this epic fantasy story another chance, this time approaching it with an open mind and determined to make it past the first 100 or so pages. I've tried reading this before and always give up after the first hundred or so page for one reason or another. Interestingly every time I've picked this up and been seen reading it, I always have someone approach me talking about how great the story and series is and asking if this i In an attempt to broaden my view of the fantasy genre, I decided I'd give this epic fantasy story another chance, this time approaching it with an open mind and determined to make it past the first 100 or so pages. I've tried reading this before and always give up after the first hundred or so page for one reason or another. Interestingly every time I've picked this up and been seen reading it, I always have someone approach me talking about how great the story and series is and asking if this is my first time reading it. And then a general sense of envy that I'm discovering this world for the first time and how I won't be able to put the book down once I've started.

Honestly, I wish that were the case. I love a book that is so enthralling, captivating and exciting that you just can't put it down, can't wait for the next page to turn, yet at the same time dread that because you know the joy of reading it will soon be over. I've had that experience with a lot of books--unfortunately this isn't one of them.

"Wizard's First Rule" is an epic fantasy novel--if your definition of epic happens to be, a book big enough to be a doorstop. The story starts off well with an interesting hook--our hero sees a damsel in distress and steps in to help her. It starts off well and kind of fizzles out slowly from there. Our hero is Richard, whose father has just passed away. He's a student of a wizard named Zedd and he meet the mysterious and beautiful Khalen, who quickly changes his life. Richard, it seems, has a destiny. He's to be the Seeker and his goal is stop the evil Darken Rhal from bringing down the boundaries that separate various magical areas of his world. It's not a terribly new premise when it comes to the fantasy genre, which may be part of my beef with the book. But I kept trying to put myself into the place of someone reading this book when it first came out and wondering it was playing with the general tropes of fantasy or if it was recreating them in a new way.

Cliches become cliches for a reason. I keep wondering if "Wizard's Last Rule" is a patient zero or just another novel showing all the same symptoms.

Everyone is withholding secrets from everyone else and soon we're all engaged in a epic journey and struggle to stop the forces of evil.

All of that might make for a good book. And there is a good book in here. It's just buried in 800 pages of navel-gazing and epic wandering around. The swift start to things had me hopeful we'd avoid the excessive need to chronicle every last step of the journey. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. Then you add in that there is a lot of navel gazing in this one as various characters reflect on their circumstances and what's happened until now in the story...for pages on end. It's one thing to refresh the reader's memory, it's another to have an info-dump every ten or so pages (or so it feels). I found myself wondering if maybe I read more rapidly than others and the summing up what's gone on until now is appreciated by other readers. Or maybe they find it character depth.

Anyway, all of this is to say that by the midpoint of this one, I was more engaged in thinking about these issues than the story itself. Not a good thing for a story that wants to immerse the readers in the universe and situation it has created.

I realize that to some this is a beloved book. I don't mean to stomp all over it, but I just don't see it. It's an OK story, but it's not great. ...more

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Aug 28, 2008 Jim rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, 3series, sword-sorcery, 2fiction, 1paper

I read this in paper format & liked it a lot when it first came out. At the time, it was a neat new fantasy with a really interesting world. My tastes have changed since then & when I later listened to it as an audio book, I could barely finish it. That review is here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

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Mar 14, 2010 R rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, series

Not the worst fantasy I've ever read, but pretty close to it. I've known of the series for years but had heard how horrible it was. After having seen a few episodes of "The Seeker" and liking the show, I thought I would give it a try. To be fair the book had some interesting moments, but too few and far between.

I started this book in October and just finished it in March. I seldom do this, but I kept setting this book aside as I acquired books that were more interesting, or set it aside to play ...more

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Mar 29, 2011 flajol rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, fantasy, did-not-finish, ebook, kindle

I quit. There are much better things to read than this. I gave it a good run, but I don't want to waste any more time on it. Shame really, as it seems like a promising storyline with interesting elements, but I just can't get past Goodkind's writing style. ...more

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