"Confessor" by Terry Goodkind
© Brilliance Audio Unabridged
Some Hard Truths to Face
By: Pat FerraraDate: Monday, November 12, 2007
The Sword of Truth series debuted in 1994 with Wizard’s First Rule and has been chugging on ever since. Translated into 20 foreign languages with 10 million copies in print, Terry Goodkind’s leviathan of an epic clocks in at over 7700 pages and concludes this week with the hardback release of Confessor, the 11th and final installment. Yet no matter how many copies the current volume has sold or how good the previous installments were, an epic is only as good as its beginning, middle, and end. Here on the Buzz the only judge and jury are those who make the books more than just words on a page: you the readers.
In keeping with the discussion of fantasy epics begun a few weeks ago, I’d like to switch our attention to this other fantasy giant: Goodkind’s philosophically-slanted medieval series the Sword of Truth.
I was 16 years old when the first Goodkind aficionado assaulted me. I was working at a two screen theatre one slow summer, fully engrossed in other genre fare, when a co-worker interrupted me by waiving a hardback edition of Soul of the Fire in my face. Maybe it was because I was on my first run-through of Wheel of Time, or possibly because this particular co-worker was the most annoying bastard I’ve ever had to work with, but regardless of the reason I didn’t give Goodkind’s story a second thought then. A few years later though I did get a chance to read the first volume in the series, Wizard’s First Rule, and I must say that, despite my initial skepticism, I was pleasantly surprised. In Goodkind’s work I had found another author that clearly identified with his protagonist and put the time and effort needed to flesh out believable characters. The Midlands were a new and strange place, rich in detail and filled with nuances that clearly set the story apart from others.
Since Wizard’s’ 1994 debut Goodkind has steadily churned out the Sword of Truth follow-up volumes and finally concludes the epic this week after 13 years of tireless work. July of ‘06 saw a sharp spike in Rahl-related buzz as Tor Books released the 10th volume Phantom on hardback and Sam Raimi announced optioning the series for a TV spin-off after nearly 10 months of negotiations. Now with this newest release it seems the Seeker of Truth tale does not lack for commercial momentum, but just how well has the meandering series stacked up with fans?
Wizard’s First Rule offered us a look into Richard Cypher’s profound transformation from a simple woodsman to a self-actualized leader. Throughout the first six novels this arc was built upon, and Richard’s journey was fortified with moral and philosophical arguments as well as the necessary smattering of crowd-pleasing action. Faith of the Fallen is perhaps Goodkind’s most transparent proponent of Ayn Rand’s objectivist teachings, but that doesn’t negate the fact that it is one of the series’ best installments. With thought-provoking conundrums and the “wizard’s rules” thematic foci, those Sword of Truth novels were not just entertaining reads, they were empowering texts.
But whereas George R.R. Martin got ensnared by the stagnation of book delay, Terry Goodkind got tripped up by another pitfall of the fantasy epics: he lost touch with his own story.
The Sword of Truth reached a crossroads with the release of the seventh volume, The Pillars of Creation, and in my opinion this installment has all but determined the caliber of the rest of the series. In changing up narrative tact, Goodkind decided to recite Pillars through an entirely new character perspective. This may have worked if the new POV was interspersed between the perspectives of the characters we had all come to know and love, but instead the whole novel was recounted through the eyes of Jennsen Rahl… a figure that’s been brazenly unimportant since her book-long intro.
Since Pillars the Sword of Truth series has noticeably suffered, with each subsequent volume seeming less like the imaginative original and more like just another crappy fantasy novel. Instead of trumping up broad plot movements in the conflict with Emperor Jagang, Goodkind opts for more frustratingly strained tension between Richard and his Confessor wife Kahlan. The Wizard Rules which anchored each novel’s major theme have become more convoluted, and at times more confusing, with each new book. Though early on these rules were intelligently integrated into the book’s plot, it now seems like the author will sacrifice any and every notion of logic, bending over backwards in the process, just to make a specific lesson stick to and represent the story action.
The inventive side personalities of Zedd, Cara, and Nathan have all lost the dynamic spin which made their characters pop in the early books and the preachy, lecturing dialogue that appeared at first only in snippets now dominate the final tomes. Even after restructuring the pacing of the last three novels, the Sword of Truth series still feels like its stuttering to the finish line.
Normally I would have my panties in a twist worrying about a book-to-film translation of any fantasy epic, but now I’m beginning to think a Sam Raimi TV adaptation of the Truth series could be just what’s needed to revitalize this saga… a saga that, regrettably, I can no longer muster up any excitement for.
New in Hardcover:
Confessor, Terry Goodkind (Tor Books)
Descending into darkness, about to be overwhelmed by evil, those people still free are powerless to stop the coming dawn of a savage new world, while Richard faces the guilt of knowing that he must let it happen. Alone, he must bear the weight of a sin he dare not confess to the one person he loves…and has lost. Join Richard and Kahlan in the concluding novel of one of the most remarkable and memorable journeys ever written. It started with one rule and will end with the rule of all rules, the rule unwritten, the rule unspoken since the dawn of history. When next the sun rises, the world will be forever changed. The eleventh and final installment in the Sword of Truth series.
The Golden Apples of the Sun, Ray Bradbury (Subterranean Press)
Ray Bradbury is a modern cultural treasure. And here, presented in a new trade edition, are thirty-two of his most famous tales - prime examples of the poignant and mysterious poetry which Bradbury uniquely uncovers in the depths of the human soul, the otherworldly portraits of outre fascination which spring from the canvas of one of the century's great men of imagination. From a lonely coastal lighthouse to a sixty-million-year-old safari, from the pouring rain of Venus to the ominous silence of a murder scene, Ray Bradbury is our sure-handed guide not only to surprising and outrageous manifestations of the future, but also to the wonders of the present that we could never have imagined on our own. Limited to only 300 copies with never before published material.
Pirate Freedom, Gene Wolf (Tor Books)
As a young parish priest, Father Christopher has heard many confessions, but his own tale is more astounding than any revelation he has ever encountered in the confessional… for Chris was once a pirate captain, hundreds of years before his birth. Fresh from the monastery, the former novice finds himself inexplicably transported back to the Golden Age of Piracy, where an unexpected new life awaits him. At first, he resists joining the notorious Brethren of the Coast, but he soon embraces the life of a buccaneer, even as he succumbs to the seductive charms of a beautiful and enigmatic senorita. As the captain of his own swift ship, which may or may not be cursed, he plunders the West Indies in search of Spanish gold. From Tortuga to Port Royal, from the stormy waters of the Caribbean to steamy tropical jungles, Captain Chris finds danger, passion, adventure, and treachery as he hoists the black flag and sets sail for the Spanish mainland. Where he will finally come to port only God knows… Pirate Freedom is a captivating new masterpiece by the award-winning author of The Wizard Knightand Soldier of Sidon.
Dark Lord, Ed Greenwood (Solaris Books)
Dark Lord is the first of three novels in The Falconfar Saga. Rod Everlar is a writer who has created a fantasy world called Falconfar, into which he is drawn. There, he discovers that three dark wizards dominate the land. Now he must learn to seize control of Falconfar and find a way of defeating the corruption within. Dark Lord displays all the hallmarks of Ed's reputation for creating a richly realized fantasy setting, and characters that shine.
Time and Relative Dissertations in Space: Critical Perspectives on Doctor Who, Ed. by David Butler (Manchester University Press)
This book is the first study of "Doctor Who" to explore the Doctor’s adventures in all their manifestations: on television, audio, in print and beyond. Although focusing on the original series (1963-89), the collection recognizes that Doctor Who is a cultural phenomenon that has been "told" in many ways through a myriad of texts. Combining essays from academics as well as practitioners who have contributed to the ongoing narrative of Doctor Who, the collection encourages debate with contrasting opinions on the strengths (and weaknesses) of the program, offering a multi-perspective view of Doctor Who and the reasons for its endurance.
Warhammer 40k: Imperial Munitorium Manual, Graham McNeill (Games Workshop)
A Warhammer 40,000 background book that resembles an artifact of the 41st millennium in tone. In the style of a military weapons catalogue, it features over sixty sketches of equipment and kits utilized by the Imperial Guard as well as details about the organization that provides it, the Deparmento Munitorum.
Futures from Nature, Henry Gee (Tor Books)
Here are 100 very short stories on the subject of the future and what it might be like. The authors include scientists, journalists, and many of the most famous SF writers in the world. Futures from Nature includes everything from satires and vignettes to compressed stories and fictional book reviews, science articles, and journalism, in eight-hundred word modules. All of them are entertaining and as a group they are a startling repository of ideas and attitudes about the future. Appearing in book form fo the first time, these one hundred pieces were originally published in the great science journal, Nature, between 1999 and 2006, as one-page features. That proved very popular with the readers of the journal. This is a unique book, by scientists and writers, of interest to any reader who might like to speculate about the future. With stories from: Arthur C. Clarke; Bruce Sterling; Charles Stross; Cory Doctorow; Greg Bear; Gregory Benford; Oliver Morton; Ian Macleod; Rudy Rucker; Greg Egan; Stephan Baxter; Barrington J. Bayley; Brian Stableford; Frederik Pohl; Vernor Vinge; Nancy Kress, Michael Moorcock, Vonda N. McIntyr; Kim Stanley Robinson; John M. Ford; and eighty more.
New in Paperback:
The Starcraft Archive: An Anthology, Jeff Grubb, Gabriel Mesta, & Tracy Hickman (Pocket Books)
In the distant future, a loose confederacy of terran exiles is locked in battle sixty thousand light-years from Earth, caught in the crossfire between two powerful alien races: the enigmatic protoss and the ruthless zerg swarm. Conflicts rage across the Koprulu sector as each of the three species fights for its existence among the stars. Liberty’s Crusade: Behind the attacks of the zerg and the protoss lies the story of a lifetime, and investigative reporter Mike Liberty is determined to uncover it. But every new piece of information only deepens the mystery. Thrown into the middle of a war that may determine the fate of humanity in the Koprulu sector, Liberty reports on the escalating conflict and wonders whom he can afford to trust. Shadow of the Xel’Naga: Bhekar Ro is a bleak, backwater world on the fringe of the Terran Dominion, and every day is a struggle to survive for the planet's human colonists. Yet when a violent storm unearths an unfathomable alien structure, Bhekar Ro becomes the greatest prize in the Koprulu sector. Zerg, protoss, and terran forces turn the planet into a bloody battlefield in their haste to claim the lost secrets of the most powerful species the universe has ever known. Speed of Darkness: All Ardo Melnikov ever dreamed of was living in peace on the verdant colony of Bountiful. That dream was shattered when the zerg attacked the colony and annihilated his loved ones. Now a marine charged with defending the worlds of the Terran Confederacy, he must come to terms with the painful memories of his past...and the unsettling truths that may dominate his future. Uprising: She is the Queen of Blades. Her name has become legend throughout the galaxy, and that legend is death for all who dare oppose the swarm. Nevertheless, Sarah Kerrigan was once human, and an extraordinary human at that. Forced to become one of the Terran Confederacy's merciless psionic assassins, she carried out her orders without question until a twist of fate propelled her toward a destiny no one could have foreseen. This is the tale of Kerrigan's shadowy origins -- and the war that was fought for her very soul.
Weird Tales: The 21st Century, Vol. 1, Ed. by Sean Wallace & Stephen H. Segal (Prime Books)
Originally founded in the 1920s with the mission of finding and publishing "the next Edgar Allan Poe," the dark-fantasy magazine Weird Tales has featured such mind-bending authors of unearthly fiction as H. P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, Robert E. Howard, Robert Bloch and Stephen King... and now you could discover the myriad horrors of Weird Tales in a brand-new format!
Dragonlance TNA: Warrior’s Bones, Stephen D. Sullivan (Mirrorstone Books)
Catriona Goodlund returns to face her past and save her future. Buried alive and left for dead, Catriona awakes in a tomb, sealed off from her family and friends. At the culmination of her long journey home, will shw prove that she has the strength to be the warrior she was born to become? In this final installment of the Goodlund Trilogy, Catriona finds she has -- the heart and soul of a warrior.
Dragonlance: Protecting Palanthas – Champions, Douglas Clark (Wizards of the Coast)
Discover a World of Champions in Dragonlance! While in Palanthas to convince the Knights of Solamnia to aid Solace against her neighbor Samuval, Gerard uth Mondar finds himself pitted against an old opponent from the War of Souls, Galdar the minotaur. But when the Knights' council adjourns due to a devastating magical storm that threatens Palanthas, Gerard and Galdar become uneasy allies on a quest to protect the city by recovering a mysterious stolen chest. The pair must track down the chest before its thief discovers the secret that will allow him to unlock it, thereby unleashing its terrible contents onto the world of Krynn.
Eifelheim, Michael Flynn (Tor Books)
In 1349, one small town in Germany disappeared and has never been resettled. Tom, a contemporary historian, and his theoretical physicist girlfriend Sharon, become interested. Tom indeed becomes obsessed. By all logic, the town should have survived, but it didn't and that violates everything Tom knows about history. What's was special about Eifelheim that it utterly disappeared more than 600 years ago? Father Deitrich is the village priest of Oberhochwald, the village that will soon gain the name of Teufelheim, in later years corrupted to Eifelheim, in the year 1348, when the Black Death is gathering strength across Europe but is still not nearby. Deitrich is an educated man, knows science and philosophy, and to his astonishment becomes the first contact between humanity and an alien race from a distant star when their interstellar ship crashes in the nearby forest. It is a time of wonders, in the shadow of the plague.
Tom and Sharon, and Father Deitrich, have a strange and intertwined destiny of tragedy and triumph in this brilliant SF novel by the winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award.
Tom and Sharon, and Father Deitrich, have a strange and intertwined destiny of tragedy and triumph in this brilliant SF novel by the winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award.
Chronicles of the Black Company, Glen Cook (Tor Books)
Darkness wars with darkness as the hard-bitten men of the Black Company take their pay and do what they must. They bury their doubts with their dead. Then comes the prophecy: The White Rose has been reborn, somewhere, to embody good once more… This omnibus edition comprises The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose.
Combat-K: War Marchine, Andy Remic (Solaris Books)
In a time of post-Singularity and FTL, the Helix War has raged across galaxies. Ex-soldier Keenan is now working as a private investigator on a planet at the peaceful fringes of the Tri-Gal. Since his family has died he's run up debts and become a heavy drinker, but he cannot refuse business. Especially when a prince from the Jervai Province offers him a case on a dangerous colony world in exchange for clues that may lead him to the murderer of his family.However, to have any chance of success he must gather together his old military unit, a group who swore they'd never work together again... Full of hardcore military action, Andy Remic returns with a brand new novel. A Combat-K Novel.
New in Audiobook:
Confessor, Terry Goodkind (Brilliance Audio Unabridged)
Descending into darkness, about to be overwhelmed by evil, those people still free are powerless to stop the coming dawn of a savage new world, while Richard faces the guilt of knowing that he must let it happen. Alone, he must bear the weight of a sin he dare not confess to the one person he loves…and has lost. Join Richard and Kahlan in the concluding novel of one of the most remarkable and memorable journeys ever written. It started with one rule and will end with the rule of all rules, the rule unwritten, the rule unspoken since the dawn of history. When next the sun rises, the world will be forever changed. Narrated by Sam Tsoutsouvas.
