Review // Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth #1) - Terry Goodkind

Published - 15th July 1997
Published By - Tor Fantasy
Format - Paperback
Goodreads Synopsis - In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help ... and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-- to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed ... or that their time has run out.
This is the beginning. One book. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.

 I have been meaning to read Wizard's First Rule for a long time now after it being recommended to me by a handful of people over the last few years. I finally decided to get past the fact that it is one hell of a hefty book and get stuck in.

Terry Goodkind is a fan of long descriptive passages that usually I don't like to read (I prefer my imagination to create the image, rather than being spoon-fed) but somehow he managed to draw me in and I was genuinely interested in the world that he was creating. World building is important but sometimes in fantasy novels, the author can get a little carried away. Goodkind does sometimes go into too much detail and I had to skim through but 90% of the time, I was enjoying what was being described to me.

I don't even know where to start when it comes to the characters. Literally within minutes I was more than just attached to them. Even when I wasn't reading the book, my mind was wondering what was happening with Kahlen, Richard, Zedd and others. Luckily, I had someone at my beck and call who had read the book already so that I could discuss the story as it happened, and the characters. I was truly enthralled by Wizard's First Rule.

I read an awful lot of books for both study purposes and for pleasure. Unfortunately this sometimes means that I don't get as emotionally involved with books as I used to. This time however, I was there. I felt physically sick, I laughed out loud until it hurt, I cried so much that my friend was actually comforting me! 

The Sword of Truth books are a LONG series and I anticipate it will be years until i'm through with them but I will definitely be finishing them. I recommend them to any fantasy lover!

- A little side note: There was a short TV show based on this series; The Legend of the Seeker. It only lasted for 2 seasons but they are worth checking out if you're not sure you want to commit to such a huge collection of books.