Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth) (edició 2003)

The middle was good. I like reading of adventures. The end was disappointing. Disgustingly predictable would be another way to describe the final showdown. Not an ounce of creative writing. Scripted. So disappointing. ( )

Mr. Goodkind has, ahem, "borrowed", (I use this term as loosely as possible) from pretty much every fantasy author that has come before. To make things worse, every character, and I mean _every_ character, is completely one dimensional. Then the story really starts to go downhill. Avoid at all costs. ( )

Didn't like the writing. Kinda juvenile writing. One dimensional characterization. ( )

This is a book that begs to be finished before you lay it down. It will hold your interest through out all the twist and turns in tale. ( )

The first entry into Goodkind's Sword of Truth universe.

First off: Don't watch the show. It changes too many critical points. Come in with a fresh perspective.

As a series, it is very, very uneven- the worst books are full-novel length Scouring of the Shire/Tom Bombadil pointless, with the added boredom of Ayn Rand-style lecturing on individualism.

The best books, though, are absolutely incredible and I would not fail to recommend.

As a personal opinion- and I say this as someone who eagerly grabbed each installment as a teen- I think Goodkind's voice and talents as an author weren't aligned with what he wanted to write, and that this caused that seesaw effect.

This opening entry is, in my opinion, the third-best of the series- and that marks it as very, very good.

Be warned: Goodkind has some background BDSM tendencies and is absolutely unafraid of graphically described violence. The former happens suddenly here and there throughout the series, the latter is fairly common.

Goodkind's strengths are absolutely gripping action, an interesting main character, and making everything seem obvious at the end with identifiable foreshadowing throughout on a review. His weaknesses are a tendency to lecture, and an almost pathological avoidance of doing world building ahead of time- large, powerful nations suddenly appear midway through the series as if they had always been there, just never talked about. He's a bit obsessed with keeping the books fairly self-contained in that manner.

The core conceit of this book is one of the best in modern fantasy- during times of need, the wizards appoint a Seeker and give them the Sword of Truth. The Sword gives them magical teeth, as it were, and a Seeker is a law unto themselves, free to follow their conscience, execute who they believe they need to execute, and seek out what they decide to seek out. It's a bit reminiscent of the Green Lanterns in DC Comics- the wizards identify the right kind of person, someone who asks the right kind of questions, has to find out for themselves, and is incorruptible- the kind of person who makes a bad enemy and peerless friend. These people bring the power to the position- the wizard, as an old wizard notes- just makes it "official" by granting the sword.

When there is an unsolvable problem, and the world is at threat, a Seeker is unleashed to find the solution. That is their strength: They find solutions, they don't solve problems. It is a really novel take on a heroic characteristic, and Goodkind writes that side of the series with exceptional talent.

The title derives from the Wizard Rules- one revealed in each book. The First is the first because it's the most important: People are stupid. They'll believe any lie because they want it to be true or are afraid it might be true.

The humor is of the first order, the magic interesting, the Seeker a wonderful concept; Goodkind manages to balance his magic with a kind of unintended consequences that makes it engaging and not overpower the series. This entry is highly recommended, and it does exceptionally well as a standalone. ( )