Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Emily's Comments: While flipping through my five TV channels on a gloomy Sunday afternoon I stumbled upon an entertaining, yet somewhat cheesy, fantasy show about this guy named Richard who was a “Seeker” destined to save his world from some evil guy named Rahl. After some good old-fashioned internet investigating, I discovered that this television show, Legend of the Seeker, is based on an adult fantasy novel by Terry Goodkind. Everyone else in the viewing area must have discovered the same thing about the same time, so I put my name on the list for the book and waited.

Wizard’s First Rule, the first in the series by Goodkind, tells Richard’s story. Richard is a young, humble trail guide in Westerland who is chosen to become the next Seeker, an individual who is given the Sword of Truth to defeat evil. Reluctantly, Richard accepts the task of stopping Darken Rahl, a tyrant who has learned to wield the magic of the underworld. Darken Rahl is trying to gather the three magical boxes of Orden which will give him unlimited power. With the help of his friends, the Seeker travels across the country to D’Hara, Darken Rahl’s homeland to find the last remaining box and save the world.

The book was definitely worth the wait. The “cheesy-ness” factor of the book mirrors its TV adaptation, but the characters are likable, the writing is decent, and the storyline is entertaining. There are a daunting eleven books in the series…maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to continue, but if you’re looking for a clean, fun, fantasy novel, I would definitely recommend Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series.