Goodkind, Terry. Faith of the Fallen. A Sword of Truth Novel.

If you like the High Fantasy of Tolkein, Brooks, and Eddings, then run--don't walk--and pick up the first Terry Goodkind in this fabulous series, Wizard's First Rule, just so you can get to the sixth book in the series, Faith of the Fallen. All of them are long but well-written stories of adventure, magic, moral consequences, and the dance between good and evil. Goodkind uses the length of these books well, unlike some other Fantasy novels, and there are few moments when you feel like he is padding the prose to add on unnecessary pages.

Goodkind has exquisite characters--especially Richard, Kahlan, and Jedd. Even the villains--the Emperor Jagang and the Sisters of the Dark have a delightful propensity to madden and infuriate the other characters and the reader with witty dialogue and sparce spates of preaching.

This sequel is the best since the first book--and all of them are page-turners. Kahlan and Richard must part company under duress to forge their own ways in the quest for truth and justice. And to do so they must swap their known roles in order to fulfill their destiny. The traditional female role of creator is seen in Richard's struggle in the Old World and the male role of warrior becomes Kahlan's heavy mantle in the New World.

Goodkind does an admirable job of painting believable tableaux because his Fantasy world is constructed so tightly. The reader often discovers the rhymes and reasons of this universe just as the characters do themselves. But it always makes sense based on a solid foundation of lore and character-building. He is also capable of throwing a real curve ball in the narrative, and courageously killing off people the reader comes to care about and assumes is fictionally immortal.

The other books in the series are in order Stone of Tears, Blood of the Fold, Temple of the Winds, and Soul of the Fire. Read them in order for the full impact, and start with the first one Wizard's First Rule and I guarantee that you be converted to Goodkind's masterful prose.

Leane M. Ellis, October 26, 2000.