Debt of Bones (Sword of Truth Prequel Novel) by Terry Goodkind (2004-11-01)

Ploughing through the Sword of Truth series is like watching grass grow. The characters are so self righteous that it made me want to vomit. This prequel is garbage, with a silly alls well that ends well ending. Don't waste a minute of your life reading this.

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Review Originally Posted At: www.FictionForesight.com

Review:

Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth Series was one of the first “long-series” that I ever read. So when looking for my next book to review, I decided to go back and re-read Debt of Bones. When I originally purchased it, I was very interested to learn what this prequel could add to what I already knew about how the story Wizards First Rule came to be. It’s a very short book compared to his others, with only 160 pages; and is further shortened by being Terry Goodkind’s only book that provides pictures for the more intense scenes. Since this was a short book, this review will also be brief.

The Good:

It added some good flavor to the back story in regards to how “The New World” came to be divided. It gave the reader a greater understanding of the motives behind older characters; which led them to take actions that would change the course of history.

The Bad:

The story added some more detail to what the other books in the series told. However, it wasn’t all that much surprising (other than one event towards the end). Aside from this, my complaint with most of the books in this series, including this one, is that Terry Goodkind has a tendency to give a bit more detail than necessary to describe locations. Although this was not quite as apparent here as it was in his other books, the first half was still afflicted.

Overall:

For fans of the series looking for more depth and back story, it was an enjoyable read. Even though I’m a slow reader, this book only took me a day to finish. Although others may not like this series, it will always be one of my favorites. Upon finishing this book for my second time, I think I may have to go through and re-read the entire series. Don’t worry, if I do, I’ll be sure to keep you guys in the loop!

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'First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus; works much better as a prequel than this one does although this one doesn't do anything wrong except keep it's focus rather narrow and rather brief. One notable lapse on Goodkind's part is that Zedd's side of the family's relationships and genealogical information are both kept rather sketchy. For instance, very little is known or talked about Richard's Mother / Zedd's Daughter. We know a lot more about Kahlan's Backstory than we do Richard's. Nonetheless, it's a good read and completists need to add this to their collection and Goodkind resume.

Terry Good kind is an excellent writer and overall this story was a great one with surprises at the end. There were places where it seemed to drag and it almost took too long to get into the story. I did not enjoy all the elaborate description although I know some really like that nor did I like the drawn out casting of the final spell. The characters were well done and sympathetic. Excellent prequel that did more than just set up the next book, had a great plot, but let you know they still had an enemy to fight. The whole idea of a debt of bones was intriguing, and I loved the concept of the Mord-sith. Will definitely read more of Terry Goodkind

Okay. This has me intrigued. Although I do wish the world-building was more pronounced, but I guess that's for the actual first installment.

One part had my stomach churning in the worst way possible though. So that makes me.. wonder if this series will have more events like that one.. If so, it won't be for me. Maybe I'll find out one day, but I am intrigued by the world Goodkind created though.

A prequel in the Sword of Truth fantasy adventure series that demonstrates Zedd's inherent goodness.

My Take
This story sets up the background for the boundaries, the boundary wardens, and how they came about. Although, Goodkind doesn't spend much time explaining the actual boundaries. You'll have to read the full-length stories for that!

Goodkind also does very well in providing an easily understood example of the need to sacrifice the few for the many. Our culture generally prides itself on never leaving a man behind and, yet, there are times when it is necessary to do the opposite in cases such as this.

He also provides a curious twist with a great sense of generosity!

The Story
It's war in Aydindril and the wizards, sorcerers, sorceresses, and confessors are worn, anxious, and busy as they attempt to thwart the latest of Panis Rahl's witchcraft and his armies. That particular morning finds Abby waiting in line for a chance to meet a wizard and present her petition for aid before her entire village is wiped out.

A young wife from a tiny town, Abby is overwhelmed and doesn't understand the conditions in which Zedd works but the Mother Confessor and a sorceress take pity on her and promise to gain her another audience. One in which Abby is finally successful even as she bemoans her compelling need.

Luckily for the Midlands, Abby is a terrible liar...

The Characters
Abby is from a town overrun by D'Haran soldiers. Every citizen taken hostage including her husband Phillip and daughter Jana. Her mother's magic may have bypassed her, but Abby still feels the need to protect.

Mother Confessor is the de facto ruler of all the lands; her touch can read the mind of any one. She is also Kahlan's mother. Delora is the sorceress who first aids Abby. First Wizard Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander is the Mother Confessor's opposite number and the strongest wielder of magic there is in all the lands.

Mariska is a sorceress holding Abby's daughter and husband. Anargo is Rahl's head wizard holding the army at Coney Crossing. Mord-Sith are women who are trained to give pain and absorb any magic used against them as they torture the magic-user to welcome death.

First mention of boundary wardens.

The Cover
The cover is accurate enough with its forest green background and a window that crosses a bit above the bottom as we look in on the young Wizard Zedd examining the skull that Abby has brought to compel Zedd's aid.

The title is too accurate for it is a Debt of Bones that Abby claims, but not the debt she expects.

Please be forewarned that this is not a novel; it is a novella. You could most likely read the book in a day, more or less a few hours, if you had the mind to do it. Instead of buying the individual book, I would actually go for buying a compilation of science-fiction and fantasy short stories that has this story in it. An example is the Legends series. You get more bang for your buck.

Regardless, the story is focused around Zedd, our dear old grandfatherly wizard of Richard, well before Richard is born. It's set in the time period where Panis Rahl wages war on the Midlands from the seat of D'Hara, wishing to take down Aydindril and all it represents. This is a time before the boundaries, before boundary wardens, and before Westland. This is a time when Zedd must figure out a way to stop Panis Rahl from bringing his scourge onto his lands and to create a land free of magic. To do so, the fulcrum of the story is presented to us: a young woman named Abby, a daughter (and a skip) of a sorceress, who lives at Coney Crossing with her husband and daughter. She brings to Zedd a debt of bones, the title of the story, in hopes that he will help her, her people, and her family from the D'Haran troops residing there.

The story is fine as is, but it's very short, and typical of the Goodkind writing style. He builds up and builds up and builds up until the last few pages and everything falls into place. That makes the story, not even 200 pages with large font, a bit rushed. It also isn't very good at making you feel much for Abby. Zedd is our main focus because we know of him and what he will do for the Midlands.

Ultimately, it's a fair read, but as I mentioned earlier you might get more reader's bang for your buck if you find the story in a compilation instead of as is. Happy reading!

This prequel makes a nice little read and gives the reader a glimpse into the past. The background is set D'Hara invades the Midlands under the leadership of Panis Rahl. It is the final stages of the war and the forces of D'Hara have captured a small village. It is up to Abigail to venture to the wizard's keep and plead with First Wizard Zeddicus Zul Zorander. Abigail must wait in a long line to see the most important wizard of the Midlands. Of course not only does she want her village to be rescued but more importantly she want to rescue her husband, father and daughter. At first Zed refuses to rescue those lives and risk the whole Midlands is something that Zed does not want to contemplate. When Abigail shows Zed and the mother Confessor her mother's skull Zed is obligated and off they go.

The covers a lot of background in just under 200 pages. The prequel explains how the boundaries were set up between the MidLands, D'Hara and The WestLands. The West Lands is a realm entirely without magic. To create the boundaries Zed open a fissure in the surface realm that brings up the green light from the Keeper's realm of the Underworld. This brings up some inconsistencies because first off when Richard drives Darken Rahl to the Keeper it open a rift that threaten to get out of control. How come when Zedd opened a rift it did not get out of control. In the first book and other book Richard and Darken Rahl knock down some barriers that are better left up. Why can't Zed raise those barriers like before? Just some questions for the observant reader to consider.

I love the Sword of Truth Series, having just finished Soul of The Fire, but this book is disappointing. I would have liked to know more about Kahlan's mother, who was the Mother Confessor in this book.

****POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT***

****POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT***

About the only characters in this book that fans of the SOT series will recognize are Zed, Panis Rawl, and Kahlan's mother, who had apparently not yet chosen her mate. Richard's mother was only a child. Since Richard is only a little older than Kahlan, neither had yet been born.

The only really new information is regarding Zed: his amazing intelligence (Oops, wait, we already knew that!)and how he came to be known as the wind of death (Oops, wait, we already knew that too!)

Other than the fact that Abby saved Richard's mother's life, she is a completely forgettable character.

I tend to believe the rumors that this work was originally unauthorized fan fiction, 'cause the writing style does not seem to be Goodkind's. Furthermore, it is doubtful that Abby would have been successful at pretending to be a Mord-Sith in a D'Haran army camp. The D'Harans would have immediately spotted an impostor because of their bond with the Lord Rawl, so this doesn't fit either.

To its credit, the book does have some excellent artwork, albeit in pencil or charcoal, including a great illustration of a Grace, described in detail in Soul Of The Fire.

The only really new info in this book is how that Zed came by his gray hair, which is not completely because of natural aging. Also, Zed is not as old as one might think.

More backstory of the characters and history of the Midlands would have been great. More backstory about the real "Lurk" would have been humorous. Darken Rawl is not mentioned, though we know from Wizard's First Rule that he was a young boy and was injured by the Wizard's fire sent by Zed in this book. More backstory here would have been good as well.

In short, the book is just an OK read, but nothing great. Save your money and borrow this book from a library rather than buying it. If you are such a fan of the SOT series that you want this book for your collection, as do I, buy it used and save a few bucks.

It doesn't get all philosophically preachy like the later series does, but instead settles for being just a great story. But it's short, novella length. Personally I paid sixty cents for my copy at the closing of Borders, which seemed like a fair deal, so I can evaluate the work on the content without feeling cheated about overpaying (seems a theme of other reviews).

The story itself revolves around a bone, representing a debt owed, featuring a 'normal' perspective character interacting with Zedd, during the conflict of the Midlands vs. Darken Rahl, pre-Sword of Truth. It's twisty and emotional, and I did enjoy it. If you like Terry Goodkind's writing around book 2-4 of "The Sword of Truth", you'll like this.

This mini-novella is a wonderful addition the Sword of the Truth series. Set when Zedd was still a young man (although already First Wizard), we get the backstory on his daughter and the events leading up to the creation of boundary and the defeat of Panis Rahl.

This book does a terrific job of providing a lot of the details we didn't get to see in "Wizard's First Rule." After reading this, I understood Goodkind's universe much better.

I highly recommend reading this after you read "Wizard's First Rule" and "Stone of Tears."

I really hate buying a novella and then discovering it was already published. Glad I read through the Legends collection before buying this book. I was balking at the high price (for a novella) and then was surprised to find it in Legends. Love the SoT series!

I am disappointed in this book. I had to discuss quite a number of points with a friend to clear up inconsistencies. As other readers point out, Zedd's daughter is too young to bear Richard. In the Sword of Truth series, the boundary went up many years ago and only the elderly remember it. The Mother Confessor's daughter in this book is 12. How does that relate to Kahlan? I am sure that Terry Goodkind could clear up the timeline if he wanted, but as it stands, this book creates an inconsistent timeline.
Most confusing, is in the introduction Goodkind explains that this book is about two characters he has not been able to write enough about, Abby and Zedd. Who is Abby? She resembles Adie in some regards, however, is definitely not the same character. Both a friend of mine and I originally had the two characters confused, until we remembered that the character was named Adie and not Abby. I would reword the introduction to avoid confusing the reader.

Terry Goodkind has become well-known amongst fantasy fans for his epic "Sword of Truth" series. Now, with "Debt of Bones", he revisits the world of his creation with a tale of old history.
This is a story about Zedd, the First Wizard of the Midlands. Readers of Goodkind's books will know some of the events that took place when Zedd's wife was killed and his daughter's life also at stake; now the story is revealed in detail. Grieving, bitter and disillusioned, Zedd closets himself from the world and its troubles. It takes a courageous young woman with a desperate need of her own to reach him and convince him to help her. The events that follow will change the world and shape the course of history.
Although I enjoyed reading this book- Goodkind's skill at weaving a convincing, enthralling story is as obvious as ever- I was somewhat disappointed with it. The book is quite short, more a novella than a novel, and is largely a reworking of a story by the same title that was previously published as part of an anthology, "Legends". Excellent novels can sometimes be produced in a similar manner, and many classic books (especially of the sci-fi genre) had their start as a short story. However, I feel that in this case, little has been added to the original in terms of quality or quantity.
In summary: I will always read Goodkind's books, but this one wasn't as worthwhile as I have come to expect.
7 stars out of 10

I enjoyed this brief little introduction to Zedd and the brief glimpse at the D'Haran war and the erection of the boundaries.

I must say though, that it does feel more like scenes that didn't make it into the first book and were left on the cutting room floor.

However, it was a quick read, and was entertaining, and was still a good little story.

The rating is a bit harsh, as it actually deserves a 2 1/2, but I`m comparing it to the other books, which would have been going at a steady four. The massive Sword of Truth books aroused great expectations of Debt of Bones, which I think have not been fulfilled. The book is short)in comparison with 400 page up books) and the storyline is weak. Fine, people want to know about Zedd and his life, but not really like this. Pieces of his story hidden in each book would have created a better effect. As it is this book contains no mention of the main characters of the series whatsoever, and is quite dissapointing.

I am writing to provide a little perspective after reading other reviews of Debt of Bones. I own the book Legends (several wonderful stories by several great authors including Goodkind). If you are familiar with Legends you will know that this is where Debt of Bones was originally published. It was published several years after Wizards' First Rule. While I cannot say definitely I think that Debt of Bones may have been the beginnings of Terry's ideas for SOT. It feels like he was a new writer learning his craft and testing out concepts. Also if you read Wizard's First Rule, or any of SOT, Debt of Bones doesn't make a lot of sense. Nowhere do in SOT do Zedd and Abby seem to have any prior knowledge of each other. Even after Zedd removes the wizard's web in Wizard's First Rule, which may have prevented Abby from recognizing him at first, none of their subsequent encounters seem to have the feeling of a shared past. Honestly I think that when Legends was published they asked Terry to contribute and he polished up his original notes a little and it became the story we read in Legends. Of course with SOT becoming so popular and now with the TV series, Legend of the Seeker, the publisher is looking for a way to make even more money out of us readers. My advise - read DOB in Legends as it was originally released. Even if you don't like it you'll get some other good stories with it. But take DOB for what it is, the bones (pun intended) of an idea for an epic fantasy which when fleshed out became SOT. Only if you are a collector and want it for your library should you spend $8 to buy it new. Of course if you are really interested in having it as part of your collection try to find the original illustrated edition.

I personally thought this mini story was great it is about a woman whos entire village is held hostage by D'haran forces. The woman is forced to seek the First Wizard for help in rescuing her family and friends. Waht she doesn't know is she will have a greater purpose then simply freeing her village but in saving someone who will have a major effect on the world. If you have read the Sword of Truth series i would highly suggest reading this story it is a great add on to the series.

Unfortunately, many reviewers have not given Debt of Bones it's due. As this was originally released as a short story to sideline the Sword of Truth series, this is not as long as a novel.

Debt of bones is about a woman who has a bone debt with First Wizard, Zeddicus Zu'l Zorandor. She uses this debt to attempt to get Zedd to save her daughter from the forced from Dhara, but in doing so, helps to start events that we've read in the Sword of Truth series' past.

It is wonderful to be able to have a small segment of Zedd's past plus the opportunity to see the events that happened when the boundaries were put up. While short, it is, all in all, a fun read.

I read this right after I finished Pillars of Creation, and I found it a lot better then book number 7 of the actual series. It was great, although a tad short. It made sense, and actually added something to Zedd I hadn't expected. It was great, though I felt a bit robbed, seeing as it only took me a half an hour or so. I had hoped that it would be a bit longer, and have some more development on early Zedd. He changes a lot over the years, and getting even a small glimpse of him was really fun, but there wasn't much. I do suggest you read it, but if you don't, it's not going to affect your enjoyment of the entire series.

Realizing that the Debt of Bones was originally found in the Legends anthology and is primarily a short story, not a novel, I found it to be a very interesting piece of "history." It provides more detail about Zedd's past, and it also clears up a bit of the Mord-Sith:Confessor interaction found in later stories.

Though published at a different time and in a different way from the series, Debt of Bones is a must read about the character, Zedd. This book is a GREAT set up for the story. And though you can read the story without it, I don't recommend skipping this one over.

I really enjoyed reading Debt of Bones. It gives you a small picture of an event that happened before the main series. This book is perfect for anyone who likes Zedd and wants to see what he was like when he was younger. Some may not like how short it is, or that it lacks the philosophy of the series, niether were an issue to me. So if you are looking for Zedd or SoT backgroung this book may be for you, But if you are looking for Richard and Kahlan or Heavy Philosophy, This book doesnt have either. And just a small piece of advice, if you havn't read any of the Sword of Truth novels but plan to, i advise you to read Wizard's First Rule first as the Debt of Bones has spoilers for it.