Blood of the Fold (Sword of Truth Book 3)

This third book in the series continues to frustrate the most seasoned of readers with its unwavering suspense throughout. I was pleased that at least some of the loose ends were finally resolved in this book. I am thoroughly intrigued and cannot wait to see what the next book has in store.

This book has good style, a well-organized plot, a solid cast of characters and keeps your attention from start to finish. However, Brooks borrows entirely too much from his predecessors in the fantasy genre. One gets the sense that Brooks has taken ideas that he liked from authors who influenced him (Tolkien, MacDonald, LeGuin, etc.) and combined them all into this story. This is a light, entertaining read--just good enough to make me want to read more of Brooks but not good enough to catapult me into total fandom. If you like fantasy, you will probably like this book so don't hesitate to give it a try.

Great series. The author is very descriptive allowing the reader to imagine in their mind what the buildings and surrounding area look like. Some "old world" words used that required a "look up" but appropriate for the time when the story takes place. Plus, it's always good to learn some new words even though they are no longer used.

Not Goodkind's finest (Temple of the Wind and the last three books imho) but still good and engaging. Here you will be introduced to the Blood of the Fold, a group whose ideas will become important at the culmination of the series.

This is my second journey through this amazing series .Because I started reading so many years ago its like reading a brand new story . I had forgotten so much . I highly recommend this wild roller ride

Excellent prequel to Sword of Shannara! Sword has always been my favorite book of the series. Elfstones and later books.. not so much. Nice to have two books now with the Warlock Lord and the Skull Bearers as the bad guys. Demons as villains in the other books always struck me as kind of generic and uninteresting.
Now all we need is a book detailing the First War of the Races, and we will have a Warlock Lord trilogy. Please get busy writing Mr. Brooks! :)

Last weekend, I blazed through The Wizard's First Rule and loved it. Decided to watch it after being so disappointed that Legend of the Seeker was cancelled. I have not read novels in years, before becoming a MA and PhD student... I just read the last book from the Harry Potter's series and that wet my appetite for similar books.
So, I enjoyed the first book via Kindle (though would have enjoyed being able to listen to it via Kindle). I was disappointed when I could not get Book #2, Stone of Tears, on Kindle. So, I went on to Book #3... what on earth has happened to Richard???? First of all, he uses language that is not in keeping with his character of a woodman's guide. How has he become this crazy ruler? Did I miss that much in Stone of Tears? I don't recognize him and his character leaves me cold. I miss the relationships with Zedd and Kahlan. He has no true peers and he has no one to be his checks and balances.
My plan was to read the series to get me away from my school studies once in awhile but if the the characters and story goes the way of Book 3, I will have to find some other distraction.

Goodkind open our eyes to the true nature of evil!

I've read many a book, but none reach me like this series has. The entire Sword of Truth series, sets a pretty high standard for epic fantasy, let along a good book series. Early books had some places that were a bit clunky, (it was the authors first books if I'm not mistaken), but don't we ALL start out something a bit green, and then hone our skills?

The more books by Goodkind you read, you clearly see the excellent progress he's made in his craft. Goodkind does what so few fantasy authors do, that being have true heroes, heroes who use reason, heroes who do not become the enemy or become cowards and most important, heroes that stand up for what is honorable and true. And heroes that do not sacrifice their values to accomplish their goals.

You will not see nasty words, vulgarity, incest (unlike some series), porno, or any kind of depravity in the name of literature. This series touches on some violence and deals with real world issues like war and the true horrors of war. It exposes evil for what it is and it shows that mankind can rise up and be truly noble!

While I see there are a few people who want to vote poorly and post negative comments, it is your right. But when you post such acerbic comments, it is easy to see that you simply think it funny. Like anyone would take your petty comments as anything but jealousy and immaturity.

While this series has its merits, it has its problems as well. No book will have everything to speak to every person.

This series starts in easy, and right away you grasp the wonderful story telling ability of Goodkind, and as you go on, it delves deeper into the nature of man. This series explores deep human themes and exposes the fallacy of collectivism.

This book has a striking romantic aspect as well as plenty of heart wrenching twists. While I personally love the philosophy, I can see why some may not. That (IOHP), is why we have arena such as this, so that we can offer up likes and dislikes. Most who do that have offered up an HONEST review. The rest simply are offering up vitriol, because they fear this series for the good that it does and they fear it because they feel it a threat to their favorite author.

BE HONEST, give the book its due.

Support your book stores! Support the Publishing world, and for goodness sake buy a book so we can drive these whacked out "save the rain forest" freaks crazy by cutting down a few more trees!

Once again, Terry Brooks masterfully weaves his
storytelling magic in The First King of Shannara, the
eighth installment in the popular Shannara series. A
prequel to the series, this book embodies the classic
fantasy world in which the battle between good and evil
predominates in the story. Brooks, master of his art,
allows these "Tolkein-esque" elements to form only the
backdrop of a solidly forged epic, powerful and moving,
allowing readers to embrace characters as only Brooks can
create and develop them.
In great detail, The First King of Shannara answers
many of the questions raised in previous books: the fall of
Paranor and the Druids, the forging of the Sword of Shannara
, the discovery of the Black Elfstone, the origin of Allanon
, and more. Hundreds of years after the First War of the
Races, the outcast Bremen, the last of the Druids, is the
only force that convince the people of the Four Lands that
their only hope to prevent subjugation lies in uniting --
and in using the magic they fear above all else.
Whether dedicated fan or first time reader, this novel
will enthrall you, capturing your full attention and binding
you to the web woven by Terry Brooks. This book in the
least deserves the highest recommendation, and connot be
done justice by any summary, however massive. Only by
personally experiencing the latest work of Brooks can one
understand the wonder and proportion of it.

A millennia has passed since the great war that brought an end to civilization as we know it. In the meantime, the survivors – from mankind and those races that resulted from various mutations – have learned to cope with the shifting tides of significance.

Old knowledge resurfaces in a different world, but the future’s descendants haven’t learned the lessons of the past and discover too late that the abuse of magic also bears a consequence...and no one more so than the former Druid, Brona.

After the fateful misuse of magic during the First War of the Races, the Druids of Paranor – protectors of history and ancient knowledge – combine their wisdom and resources in a concerted effort to protect those who are left.

But evil has a way of fomenting in secret, and if the Four Lands are ever to escape the ravages of the past then they need to unite behind a talisman powerful enough to answer the challenge

The First King of Shanarra is an action-packed, epic tale of adventure from one of the best fantasy writers of our times. It is also an excellent precursor to the story that started it all nearly forty years ago.

Don’t miss out.

As per usual, Goodkind continues to Rape > Pillage > Re-Assemble the works of Robert Jordan, Terry Brooks, and David & Leigh Eddings shamelessly but does so in interesting original ways and is willing to go further with Sadism and Sexuality than most Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors. Still, his original re-use of others ideas is problematic. Temple of Prophets & Tanimura = The White Tower & Tar Valon, The Sisters of Light & Darkness = The Aes Sedai & The Black Ajah, The Rada'Han = The A'dam, The Branching Prophecies (Unspecified) = The Branching Prophecies of The Dragon and/or The Rivan & The M'Rinn Codex, The Final Battle = The Last Battle, and The Sword of Truth = The Sword of Shannara. Furthermore, The Rahl Bloodline and The Theocratic D'Haran Bond is too similar to that of The Rivan Line and Belgarion and/or The Aiel and Rand Al'Thor.

Third in the Sword of Truth fantasy series revolving around Richard Rahl, the new Master Rahl, and Kahlan, once and future Mother Confessor and Queen of Galea.

My Take
He writes a marvelous story, I just wish that he gave me a bit more credit for being intelligent. If we could just cross this with Dorothy Dunnett, bringing her extremely intellectual story down a bit to merely very intelligent...I would enjoy it so much more!
Is there any way Brandon Sanderson could rewrite this? Okay, okay, I'm being rude. But so is Goodkind with his jerky sentences. He'll have a stretch of lovely sentences and then short, juvenile statements crop up. I don't know if he thinks I'm stupid and won't notice or if he's tired of writing. I wish Goodkind had been a bit more forthcoming about the yabree--its effects and purpose--and the effect of the cape. I'll hope he plans to be more informative in Temple of the Winds (Sword of Truth, #4).

I loved the scene where Richard dissolved the Midlands and gave `em all what for! Just imagining the fear, anger, and frustration on all those countries who did not step up for Kahlan is...such a joy. Oh, too funny...I love Kahlan's response to Berdine's comments at the end about Raina's hands! Hoist with her own petard!

We finally learn just how the book of magic got into George Cypher's hands and why Richard was left in Westland. There's an interesting interpretation of the Third Rule, passion rules reason. A twist upon the twist.

Brogan's collapse and descent were too easy. Goodkind was doing such a great job having him start to question the "Creator" who appeared in his dreams, and then all of a sudden he goes nuts??

It's wheels within wheels within yet more wheels and betrayals abound. It's a bit like the sisters from the Wheel of Time, don't trust a Sister of the Light to keep a promise. I certainly can't wait to see what Nathan plans for Annalina now that he's free. And with that little display Zedd makes...hmmm...seems Zedd has his own wheels turning.

The Story
Six Dark Sisters have fled the Palace of the Prophets and the Sisters of the Light must cremate the old prelate before they elect a new one, Kahlan has secretly escaped execution, and Richard has found his way back to Aydindril only to find it occupied by
D'Haran troops working for the Imperial Order and mriswith invading the city in small bands.

Luckily, the Mord-Sith find Richard before he gets into too much trouble. -Never thought I'd say Mord-Sith and luck in the same breath! So, now all Richard has to do is conquer all of the Midlands and put down the Imperial Order. It seems that he'll have a variety of magical help from a bond devised by a Rahl ancestor to a clever bit of economic sleight of hand to the secret of the mriswith. All delivered with a very firm hand.

The Characters
Richard formerly-Cypher, now-Rahl, Master Rahl, has left his newly-loyal troops behind in D'Hara. He has a duty as the Seeker, wearing the Sword of Truth to protect the innocent. Cara, Hally, Berdine, and Raina are Mord-Sith who have come with Egan and Ulic (D'Haran soldiers and personal bodyguards to Rahl) to find and protect Richard. Gratch is the short-tailed gar Richard rescued and raised.

Even though she is under a death spell, Kahlan Amnell is now Queen of Galea. At least until her sister Cyrilla can recover from the torture and rape she endured. Seems she will garner yet more crowns, too. Accompanying her back to Ebinissia are Orsk, Jebra, Ahern, Prince Harold, and Captain Ryan. They intend to reclaim Ebinissia and restore it as the capital of Galea.

Zedd Zorander is Richard's grandfather and the First Wizard. Adie is with Zedd and Kahlan heading for Ebinissia until Gratch arrives with Richard's letter.

Mistress Sanderholt is the head cook at the Confessors' Palace. General Reibisch is in command of the D'Haran troops for the emperor in Aydindril.

Cathryn, Duchess of Lumholtz is next in line for the throne of Kelton but Brogan gets to her first. Valdora and her granddaughter Holly sell honeycakes in Aydindril, but it seems there is quite a bit more to Valdora than expected. General
Baldwin leads the Keltan army; I can't figure out if he was subtle in his leading Richard or was simply that blunt.

The Sisters of the Light are all sorceresses dedicated to the Creator; the Sisters of the Dark give their souls over to the Keeper. Nathan Rahl is an ancestor of Richard's and about 1,000-years-old. His magical Gift is Prophecy, which has caused him to be held prisoner by the Sisters of the Light. Sister Verna Sauventreen is the one who collared Richard and took him back to the Palace of the Prophets for training. Warren is one of the wizards collared by the Sisters; turns out he has an unexpected Gift. Sisters Leoma Marsick, Philippa, Dulcinia, Maren, Phoebe, Christabel, Amelia, Janet, Becky, and the tormented Simona--some are of the Dark, and Annalina is expecting Verna to figure out which. Kevin is one of the Imperial Guards at the Palace who was befriended by Richard. Millie is the maid who cleans for the prelate.

The Dark Sisters who fled include Ulicia, Tovia, Cecilia, Armina, Nicci, and Merissa. They use and abuse Captain Blake and sailors of the Lady Sefa upon which they've fled only to find themselves used and abused in turn. Not that it seems to engender any compassion in them. Emperor Jagang is a dream walker. A being not seen in this world in over 3,000 years. It's taken him 20 years to conquer the Old World. He doesn't intend to for his Imperial Order to take that long with the New.

Lord General Tobias Brogan leads the Blood of the Fold who are from Nicobarese. He believes all magic is evil, a tool of the Keeper, and casually accuses anyone he dislikes of being a baneling. His sister Lunetta has Han and he abuses her even as he uses her. He believes that love means being willing to slit her throat himself. Funnily enough, Brogan may want to eliminate all magic, but he certainly uses it for his own purposes happily enough.

The Keeper is who we might see as Satan while the Creator is God. The Palace of the Prophets is where the Sisters of the Light live and work in the Old World. The Wizard's Keep and the Confessors' Palace are located in Aydindril in the Midlands, the former seat of power. Han is the force of magic with Additive and Subtractive Magic. Mriswith are monsters who become invisible. The Mord-Sith are usually women unbearably tortured for years into becoming torturers themselves. They generally dress in red leather--doesn't show the blood. The Sliph is another of those beings created during that long-ago war. "Kolo" is a long-dead wizard with a message.

The Title
The title is the most immediate threat to the peace of the Midlands for the Blood of the Fold is more interested in an Imperial alliance.

I love Goodkind and the message he sends with his books. And of course the amazing and fantastic creatures and magic, but I find in all of his books that the characters make speeches more than they talk. After the first paragraph of dialogue the characters really just repeat themselves for another 2-6 paragraphs. I like to think that I am bright enough to get the idea the first time. And these books are a bit rapey. Not something I want to read to my daughter no matter how much I approve the political message.

Why do people like these ridiculously high fantasy books that just meander on and on and just drag on forever? I truly don’t get it. I can do beautiful writing. That’s never a problem. But something being overwritten is not the same as being beautifully written. One uses the right words in a melodic way, the other just uses too many words. Not the same.

So my interest in the Shannara trilogy came from the TV show. The TV show is a raging pile of trash that I love quite a bit. Since season two is coming next year I figured I’d try out the book. I’d already had THE ELFSTONES OF SHANNARA that I picked up at Phoenix Comic Con a couple years ago, but why not start at the beginning? FIRST KING is actually a prequel, not the first book in the trilogy. Not sure if that makes a difference to the trilogy readers, but I highly doubt that the style of writing in the prequel is going to vary much from the actual trilogy. Which is why I won’t be reading it.

It took FOREVER to read as the story outlined every moments in these characters lives in excruciating detail and I just wanted it to end. With a title of FIRST KING OF SHANNARA, the guy didn’t actually make an appearance until halfway through the story. My eyes were already crossed at that point.

I felt completely disconnected from everything going on. The battles were written at arm’s length, the characters were developed at the same distance and they all sounded the same.

I just don’t get it. Is this series popular because it’s what high fantasy is “supposed” to be? The thing is I actually liked the story and I would read on if I didn’t have to slog through such heavy-handed writing. I just can’t do it. It’s not even fun to read; it’s a chore.

Plus, and no surprise, it looks like MTV took quite a bit of liberties with the timeline and some of the characters. And I picked up the book because I wanted to find out what actually happened to the world to make our current society disappear and these elven people crop up. I got nothing. For a prequel it was surprisingly scant on pertinent world information. I got a lot of funky named things and places that are uber-fantasy names and all. But the characters only alluded to the fall of man and that particular world. No one went into detail. Considering all the “as you know, Bob” moments, you’d thinking SOMEONE would mention it. Nope.

Despite my better judgment I’m still intrigued as to how drastically the show differs from the book. It’s not much of a stretch to insinuate that it’s pretty big. MTV obviously wrote the show for a certain demographic, while the book was written for quite a different set of people. I’m okay with it. I can get sucked into the show far easier than I can this book. I’ll stick with that.

2

I was (as usual) pleasantly surprised to see Terry Brooks attempt to give us a prequel to his enormously successful and fantastic debut, 'Sword of Shannara'. As I started to read 'First King' I began to think that a few facts brought into evidence seemed out of whack with what had been written before in the original first book ('Sword'). After I finished the book, I went and re-read 'Sword of Shannara' and sure enough, there are just a few places where the facts originally set forth by Allanon were re-written a bit different in 'First King'. Now this is just a small annoyance, but for some reason it really got to me. Other than this, I had to say that it was an exceptional fantasy novel. I also have to say that even though the events pre-date the 'Sword of Shannara' you don't have to read it before beginning the series (although if you haven't read any of them, I would recommend going in order if you can). What Brooks does best is develop characters you can identify with, ones with flaws and problems, sometimes impossibly difficult problems...but that is why we root for them and feel like we can understand with them, they are like US. The bad guys are really bad (in this case, I don't think ANY evil creature in ALL the Shannara books is as bad as the Warlock Lord) and the good guys are good, and there are a few who are questionable...he gets you to wondering whether or not they will step up to the plate when necessary or will they fold and cause a tragedy...well without ruining the story (which should be familiar if you have read 'Sword') some do and some do not (I'll let you find out who they are on your own--it's much more fun that way). Let me just say this: IF you are a Terry Brooks fan, you will probably LOVE this book. If you are NOT a fan of Brooks, you should STILL LOVE this book. I just can't see anyone who is a fan of fantasy not enjoying EVERYTHING written by Brooks...I just can't fathom it. Anyway, 'First King' IS a great addition to the series, and after reading it for the 2nd time, I STILL enjoyed it, but those little details that were altered still managed to get under my skin. If you don't catch them, then don't worry, just sit back and enjoy a great read.

Wizard's First Rule was an absolutely amazing book, despite its rough spots. Stone of Tears seemed almost as good, especially since I didn't smell the foul rot lurking under the surface. I was looking forward to Blood of the Fold, but what did I get? Goodkind presents me with a painfully boring book that takes all the problems in Stone of Tears and multiplies them.

I'll start with the NO. 1 problem first: The POV of Verna. Half the book is devoted to the Sisters of the Light, mainly Verna. These chapters were so mind-numbingly boring I could barely stand to slug through them; they were a chore just to read through. The rest of the plot was okay, but started to lose the darker atmosphere that I liked so much. The least that the author could have done was treat us to less of this Sisters of the Light nonsence. I didn't buy this book to read about a bunch of fanatics and their abysmally boring politics and maneuvers. I bought the Sword of Truth series to read about Richard, Kahlan, Zedd, and the other good characters.

The characterization and character development is all downhill from here, friends. Chandalen disappears early on, leaving a cold void where his interesting personality and opinions were. Many other interesting themes and characters were downplayed, just so that Goodkind would have room to cram more Sisters of the Light chapters into a book already desperately in need of a respite from them.

What other characters populate this book? Well, Goodkind seems to be missing the good old days of describing Darken Rahl vivisecting and torturing people, so he thoughtfully introduces a new gang of perverts and sadists. At this point all the ceaseless waves of antagonists wallowing in depravity and violence is just getting numbing.

I knew the plot was degrading as soon as I looked at the description on the back: it's the same plot, yet again. A terrifying force, headed by a Dark Lord, (Emperor Jagang of the Imperial Order this time. Where do all of these guys come from?) threaten the New World and Richard must stop them, though he'll endure many trials and tortures and remain separated from Kahlan throughout it. You'd think that Goodkind would attempt to come up with something new for once.

I'm really getting tired of Richard and Kahlan being separated. One of my favorite parts of Wizard's First Rule was the character interaction between them. In this book, it seems like that's over and done with.

There is some good witty dialogue in some places, but it mostly comes from the Mord-Sith, who have gone from being a genuinely terrifying group of enemies to a bunch of lapdogs to act as the hero's bodyguards. We also get the POV of another new antagonist, the leader of the Blood of the Fold. Frankly, I'm beginning to think Goodkind likes getting inside the heads of idiots and sadists, because he does it so often.

Blood of the Fold is easily the worst book in the Sword of Truth series so far. A genuinely epic and engaging series has evaporated and left this mediocre remnant behind. I hope Terry Goodkind can somehow get his series out of the mud, because at the rate it's degrading at, he'll end up writing some of the worst and most boring books imaginable.

All those events you hear Allanon talking about - well here's the first hand look into the life of Bremen, the fall of the Druids and the first battle with Brona. Seeing the events unfold all together as a single story was a lot of fun. You pick up on the various parts of the legends and the histories that you hear in bits and pieces throughout the series. As such, it can easily be read as a stand alone and you will still get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

In fact, you may get more enjoyment out of it. I found I had learned a little too much about the events and characters, and when they didn't live up to my expectations, especially Jerle Shannara, who I found to be very un-heroic and a little whiny at times.

The druid Bremen, on the other hand, was great. I loved his tenacity and his sorrow that he wasn't able to make people (like the Druids) change their mind about how they would react to events. Overall the adventure was a little predictable (but I already knew what was going to happen), and the hero was a little too underwhelming, but it was still fun.

Terry Goodkind's first book, Wizard's First Rule, was entertaining many years ago when I was a relatively new fantasy reader. Except for the actual First Rule ("People are Stupid"), which was... stupid. The story had some fascinating characters (mostly the secondary ones -- I could never muster up much care for Kahlan) and Richard started out as a pretty good hero. The next couple of books of The Sword of Truth were also fun for a fantasy newbie.

Then, Terry Goodkind just TOTALLY lost it. His writing style became incredibly annoying and Richard was getting WAY too preachy (constant Ayn Rand-ish humanistic ranting). But, I kept going because I was invested by this time. And each time I bought one of his $25 hardback books, I found myself rolling my eyes at every passive sentence and starting to fall asleep during the sermons (when did Richard hire a speech writer??).

And the plot really got ssslllllloooow[...] Just look at the book covers for Chainfire, Phantom, and Confessor -- you can tell we're not going anywhere. (I hope they got a 3-for-1 deal on that cover art.) But the weirdest thing is that I kept buying these 1 star books! I can't explain my behavior, except to say that I kept thinking that things would get better, but they did not. How did he pull off that first booK?? I've learned from this experience that I can put down a book if it's not good. There's too much good literature to read.

According to Mr Goodkind, those of us who have bailed out are ignorant and uneducated. Wow. That is something I have never been called before. I should have realized right from the start ("Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid") what kind of fellow Terry Goodkind is. Here is a quote from a chat session conducted with Mr Goodkind (this used to be on his website, but has now been removed. It is well-documented on the internet, however.):

"Why would they continue to read books they claim are bad? Because they hate that my novels exists. Values arouse hatred in these people. Their goal is not to enjoy life, but to destroy that which is good -- much like a school child who does not wish to study for a test and instead beats up a classmate who does well. These people hate what is good because it is good. Their lives are limited to loathing and indifference. It isn't that they want to read a good book, what they want is to make sure that you do not. Ignore them." ~Terry Goodkind

I say Terry Goodkind is the one acting like a school child having a tantrum. I regret that he got so much of my money. I hope you won't give him any of yours. If you really want to try a Goodkind book, I would recommend that you go to the library and check out the first few, and then trust me that you don't need to read any further. I will not read the last book. I'm not even tempted.

Well, maybe (more on this later). I really didn't like the first two books, but I have to admit, that this one was somewhat better written. The action is a little better here. but the love theme is getting a bit worn out at this point. This book moves better than the first two, but that's not saying much. I give this 2 1/2 stars, but would have given it 3 except that parts of the ending are so contrived and rushed that its as if the author had had enough of writing and just wanted to tie things up. Since all of the loose ends were neatly and quickly tied in the last couple pages, I'm taking this time to bow out of this series. I've had enough.

...but already the Kahlan/Richard storyline is growing really, really, tired. Richard overreacts...Richard apologizes...Kahlan cries and swears she will never betray Richard...Richard and Kahlan talk about getting married and sharing Kahlan's big, big bed...Richard somehow thwarts the advances of every hot woman known to mankind but listens to Kahlan prattle on and on about some nonsense...other characters become angry then apologize...someone else cries...someone else apologizes for crying...someone else apologizes for yelling...Richard theorizes about this, that and the other thing....Richard talks about how he lacks control over the magic...We get the 15,000th recapitulation of the history of the Confessors, the Wizards, the Palace of Prophets, the Keeper, Darken Rahl... we read the 1,000,000th inartfully drafted prophecy which mysteriously works itself out by way of some tortured plot twist...Richard befriends more enemies and inexplicably converts them into longtime friends...the Mord Sith prance around in red leather grabbing their Agiel and make cute comments but do little else...Richard grinds his teeth for the umpteenth time and grabs the Sword of Truth and lets the rage flow through him...just send me to the Keeper already!

Wizard's Fourth Rule: Read George RR Martin

With Wizard's First Rule Goodkind had a little promise. It was not realized in the sequel and it is all but gone in this, the third installment. The theme of rape running through all three novels is also quite disturbing, with the exception of the female lead, every woman in the novels has been in the past, or is presently being raped. It's a very powerful emotional device to throw around so casually. But this is all moot, the plot is trivial - stealing pieces from Jordan and Eddings - the characters are morons and worst of all Goodkind has lost all hope of ever growing as an author. Too many fans (aka book-buyers) are more than happy to read this recycled trash. Some people complain about Robert Jordan dragging out his novels, after you read this book -think to yourself, what actually happened that couldn't have been put in 50 pages

After the HERITAGE OF SHANNARA series, I was afraid that Brooks had lost his touch with that world. This book proves otherwise. It tells a story of the past and does it well. Like the first "trilogy", this book gets the reader involved emotionally. You care about the characters...deeply, or at least I did. It tugged on my heartstrings and made my spine tingle throughout.
The pacing is also very good. The book starts out quickly and continues at a breakneck pace. Not that there isn't time for introspection...there's a lot of that, but not an overabundance. It's definitely a page turner.
I think I would have appreciated it more if it hadn't been so many years since I'd read the other books. There's such a sense of history here and Brooks works in a lot of foreshadowing of the other books. Unfortunately, I didn't remember details enough to fully appreciate all of it.
The one thing that bothered me about this book was the lack of a map. I got confused sometimes as to where certain characters were in relation to others. Aside from that, this was a very satisfying read.

I listened to the audio version of Firstling of Shannara, and while I enjoyed the narration, I found the story a little boring and predictable. For some reason the plot just failed to grab me. In the story there are elves. There is a dwarf. There is a druid muttering some mystic mumbo-jumbo. They are out to find/forge the sword of Shannara, and everyone is reluctant. Reluctant to become involved, reluctant to believe, reluctant to wield the sword properly. Reluctant to fall in love.
Relationships are passionless and handled poorly. The three major romantic relationships featured in this book are quite dysfunctional. Tay loves Preia, Preiea loves the king Jerle, the King loves Tay's sister who is married, Merrith loves the ranger who is supposed to be 40+ years old? Ech. The only person I actually really liked was Bremen. I felt sorry for him and the pain/sacrifice he bore at times. But the rest of the characters had as much personality as department store mannequins.
Look. If a story is going to have romance in it. Make it ROMANTIC. The romances were hasty and very contrived.
Not quite up to par with the rest of the books. And what's with all the female character's being called 'girl'? The author refers to Preia as 'the elf girl' and Merrith as the 'druid girl' but the male characters are all called 'men' come on now. These characters are WOMEN. Lets call them such, shall we?

In the First King of Shannara, Brooks attempts to provide the back story to a series, and not just any series, but the series that catapulted Brooks to fame and fortune, the Shannara triology. This is indeed and ambitious project, since The Sword of Shannara, and its companion books are among the best loved of all of Brooks works, and any attempt to 'tack on' a prequil could be considered dangerous to his reputation, should it fall short of expectations. Whether or not Terry failed his fans with this book is still undecided. For some, clearly it recaptured the magic. For others, it was some brilliant writing interspersed with a few small bits of predictable drivel. I really think YOU should decide for yourself... because there is enough in this book to make it required reading for Brooks fans.

If you want to read this, and reread the Shannara trilogy to try and recapture the whole first story, you will find out one of the problems. This book does not have the feel of the original series. While the first series is filled with many personal insights into the characters thoughts and emotions at each step of the journey, this book provides somewhat less than that. Some of the character portrayals feel underdone, and somewhat less their potential would allow. This is really evident in the ending, where readers are hammered by how an unfortunate death keeps ruining the confidence of the leader. We are constantly nagged by the leaders self doubt, and how it is always related to the unfortunate death. Since self doubt usually brings up all our painful failings, why doesn't it in this character? In the end the character borders on self-loathing and his whole emotional state becomes more of an annoyance than any semblence of real depth.

I felt that the whole "forging of the Sword of Shannara" bit was a little predictable, since Brooks chose the straight path of accomplishing his desired end. Basically, if you read the "Sword of Shannara" you have the short version. This is the long version, with absolutely no unexpected twists. You have a sword made of steel (from a recipe nearly lost to time) in the iron age forged with druid fire, a talented sword maker and a whole lot of special effects. You go to the Hadeshorn to get the dead druids to put their magic in it. The long version adds nothing to the old short version. I felt really stupid reading a whole lot of pages to find out what exactly I already knew or expected would happen, plus a few exaggerated rumors.

Other than this unnecessary bit of anticlimax, the book has a solid feel about it, with a grand style of storytelling. The stories, and the characters are really special, and even if you knew the what the final result would be, the journey from point A to point B was really where the meaning could be found. Despite its faults, the story and the style shines like a beacon in his collective work as one of the truly great books he has written. In fact, with a little bit more aggressive editing, this might be his very best book. Unfortunately, as is, this book has a great beginning, a faultering middle, and an uneven ending.

The books strikes a chord with 'nostalgia' when were learn the origins of a few characters from later books, and a little bit more about old legends. Yet, no amount of nostalgia allows for a free ride I feel, and any book should stand on its own merits, and not on the shoulders of past glory. This book counts on that a little too much in the middle, and faulters on what should have been a stronger ending. Still, a great book, and writen in a wonderful style. The beginning is without a doubt the best he has written. This book just didn't follow through with that till the end.

This is another very pleasant book by Terry Brooks, and if you have read the sequels to this book, then it may feel weird to be reading about more than one Druid, but it is a very self binding book that definately deserves five stars, and like all Terry Brooks' books, I would give my own personal to this book.

If you have never read a "Shannara" book, I would not suggest starting with this one, even though the events in this book are chronologically first in the Shannara timeline.

This is better suited to readers who have already read at least the original trilogy, or better yet, the original as well as the Heritage of Shannara books, and want a more complete telling of the history of the Four Lands, and a story revolving around characters who preceded Allanon and the Ohmsfords, such as Bremen and Jerle Shannara.

Now with that out of the way...

The plot should be fairly well known to veterans of the series, as it is mentioned here and there in other books. The Warlock Lord is attempting to conquer the Four Lands, and all that stands in his way is the druid Bremen, and a handful of companions who must go on various quests, and overcome the challenges presented to them along the way, if there is to be any hope of stopping Brona and his Northland army.

This book, while maybe not the best of the bunch, has enough to offer longstanding fans that I would recommend it to any who have read and liked the series. It was interesting to read about people and events in this time, where the actions and decisions made here had a huge impact on the subsequent course of history throughout the Four Lands.

While the book did drag in some spots, the last part grabs your attention right until the very end. And while it's probably predictable for Shannara fans, it's written in such a way that you still want to find out how it happens, even if you already know the end result.

All in all, a very worthy addition to the Shannara series.

This book really entertains the bejeepers out of me. First, it's got a lot of threat flowing around the characters. Second, it fills in some back story. Third, it introduces some new interesting folks.

Book three was certainly not a disappointment.

Greetings Reviewer,
The 1996-3rd writing about the "Sword of Truth" series by Goodkind, excites our imaginations with a world of good vs evil in the dark ages; magic, love and truth. The well chosen reader of this CD book series varies his voice for the different characters and emotional tone adds a realistic dimension to the story. Unlike Kindle type devices which has a mechanical voice void of tone and emotion which flat-lines the story.
Also I recommend these CDs be played on more current mp3 format devices. My 2006 car audio system and some of my older CD player devices I tried using will NOT play mp3. I did purchased a portable mp3 CD player unit which works fine with these CD mp3 disks.
For those lengthy trips, listening to these CD book series keeps my mind engaged on those long travels.
Enjoy the series,
SacMac1

Great book in an amazing series definite worthwhile read!!! Richard is personification of what a real man should be! Story is engaging fight scenes are exciting characters are endearing and the villains you love to hate

Terry Goodkind does it yet again. Even the bad guys are believable and have allot of character depth. Is no wonder is a New York Best Seller!!!! If you're a fan of Dragonlance or enjoy R. A. Salvador I whole heartedly recommended this series and this awesome book. Another must read thanks again Terry Goodkind

Has all the qualities of a great book with action, lust, love, and one adventure after another all seeming to go on at the same time. The content is more adult then you might expect as well. Over all a great read