Sword of Truth series?

[white_wolf]

So I've read Lord of the Rings at least 5 times, I'm growing old waiting on Martin to finish a Song of Ice and Fire, and the Wheel of Time has ended(not the ending for there are no endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time, but it was an ending), so I thought I'd check out the Sword of Truth series. Is it any good? Thoughts? Spoiler-free opinions?

[Negativity]

1. Sword of truth

Is a wonderful series, it's the only series I have reread continuously, I'm actually rereading the series again because I can't get enough! Highly recommend this series to you, if you enjoy fantasy, which seems like you do!

[getting old in mke]

2. Several books I liked a lot

and several premises.

Intermixed is a lot of philosophy only Rand Paul could love. Pages and pages and pages of it. Who is Richard Cypher? John Gault with a dragon.

On top of that, Goodkind's writing can be truly plodding, narrating detail after detail that don't really push things through (though giving his characters time to cogitate on "individual good, community bad" a lot). Did I mention that there's a certain amount of objectivist drivel thrown in?

That thrown out there, I HAVE been through it twice, so there is SOMETHING compelling going on, even if I don't feel clean afterwards...

Song of Ice and Fire has some truly terrible characters and that's part of the fascination, I think. You care for some of the characters because they're so bad.

Sword of Truth has boring philosophy, but still a rich, interesting world and that's part of its fascination. You care for some of the characters in spite of their thought processes.

I went through Wheel of Time last year (in the run up to the conclusion). It was probably most interesting in its characters' blindnesses and politics. And one where the sidekicks rule.

Finally, for sheer romp through the fantasy tropes, value, Jim Butcher's "The Alera Codex" gave me the most bang for the reading time involved over the last couple of years. Tavi isn't Dresden and doesn't try to be, but the writing is light enough that the approach of the end of the world as they know it is still fun to read.

[Xyzse]

4. I'd have to agree with your assessment.

I mean, I did like the Sword of Truth series, even if it did have quite a few instances of rape, and some parts of the magic system was a bit contrived. (Particularly the solution to the poison he had taken in at some point). The stories were repeats at some points as well, but it can be compelling.

I enjoyed the Codex Alera, and tend to enjoy Jim Butcher's stories.

Although, I must say the Mistborn series by Sanderson is something I'd have to add as a recommendation.

[getting old in mke]

5. I've read the first of the Mistborn

but petered out on the second one. I don't think the problem was the book--I'd just been reading soooo much fantasy in the last year that my mystery/thriller genes were kicking in saying "Feed me, Seymour".

I really like his trying to balance the magic with physics. Makes the powers much more skills to be mastered than something that "just is."

[Captain Stern]

7. I enjoyed Sanderson's Mistborn series also.

Great visuals, good characters, and a unique magic system that actually makes some sense (not just powerful wizards that can just do random magic stuff).

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

3. If you like being preached at from a huge right-winger, sure.

He starts around...book three with that right-winger crap and doesn't stop until he's done with the series. (And then continues to do so in the books he's written after that.)

The first two books didn't really have much of that. More of a standard Fantasy romp. Some interesting ideas there, but the books are also quite gruesome.

It's the only series I've regretted reading any part.

[Captain Stern]

6. I'd skip it....there's way better stuff out there.

The series actually starts really well. Goodkind isn't a bad writer. He builds a good fantasy world, and actually creates a few characters that you can emphasize with. He moves the story along pretty well, and I felt that I was getting a rewarding read for the money. This feeling lasted for all of five books.

The sixth book (Faith of the Fallen) takes a complete side track from the main story. 'Faith of the Fallen' should be called 'Atlas Shrugged- Fantasy Style......or 'Richard Shrugged'. I wish I was kidding. It's not like the author is sneaking a little Objectivism in, like he already had......this is actually the book Ayn Rand would write if she wrote Fantasy. It's embarrassing.
I could have lived with that, if Goodkind had gotten back to telling the main story in the subsequent book, but he didn't. The next book focuses on entirely new characters, and barely touches on the central storyline developed, and left unresolved, in the first five books.

At that point, I accepted that Goodkind had found a cash cow, and was milking it for all it was worth. I haven't read any of the subsequent books in the series.

[KG]

8. didn't finish the first book.

[mythology]

9. Get the syndicated series off of Netflix

You get the general story idea but without the Objectivist philosophy.