Stone of Tears
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Author | Terry Goodkind |
|---|---|
| Cover Artist | Keith Parkinson |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Sword of Truth |
| Genre(s) | Epic fantasy |
| Publisher | Tor Fantasy |
| Released | September 1995 |
| Media Type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 703 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-312-85706-3 |
| Preceded by | Wizard's First Rule |
| Followed by | Blood of the Fold |
Stone Of Tears is the second book in Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy series, The Sword of Truth.
Contents |
[edit] Plot introduction
With Darken Rahl defeated, Richard and Kahlan head back to the Mud People to be married. As they wait for their wedding day to approach, they discover the Sisters of the Light are pursuing Richard, intending to take him back to the Old World to be trained as a Wizard. Additionally, unbeknownst to Richard and Kahlan, the veil has been torn and the Stone of Tears has entered the world. According to prophecy, the only person who has a chance at closing the veil is the one bonded to the blade, the one born true.
[edit] Plot summary
After the death of Darken Rahl, Richard is afflicted by a series of painful headaches. He also learns from Shota of his lineage as the bastard son of Darken Rahl and the grandson (on his mother's side) of Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander.
After having mastered the Wizard's First Rule, Richard learns that the opening of the boxes of Orden has torn the veil between the world of the living and the underworld and thus, he has made a grave mistake; the violation of the Wizard's Second Rule.
While trying to receive guidance on how to repair the veil, Richard violates the second rule again, inadvertently bringing his father Darken Rahl through the veil and back into the world of the living. This allows him to continue his task of bringing the Keeper into the world.
Richard later gets a visit from the Sisters of the Light, who inform him that his headaches are caused by the awakening of the gift within him and are fatal and unstoppable. The sisters tell him that he must go with them, and wear a magical collar in order to control his headaches and the gift.
Having been collared before in Wizard's First Rule by Denna, the Mord-Sith, Richard is extremely reluctant to have another one around his neck, let alone voluntarily putting it there himself. After having a surprise meeting with Denna's sprit, Kahlan comes to understand that if she want's Richard to live, she must convince him to put the collar on, whatever the cost.
The cost for Richard, ends up being the thought that Kahlan does not love him, and so the struggle to find freedom and the cure for his headaches, which ultimately is the ability to control his gift, begins.
Richard travels with Verna, the last Sister of the Light to the Palace of the Prophets, which is located in the Old World. The sisters see their job as spreading knowledge of the Creator to the world via their trained wizards.
Before reaching the palace, he is forced into a battle with thirty Baka Ban Mana blademasters, whose job it is to teach the Seeker to dance with the spirits -- using the Sword of Truth's magic to access the collective knowledge of all previous users of it... Be a feather, not a rock. Float on the wind of the storm is the first tactical advice he receives from the Sword's magic.
During his stay at the palace, Richard comes to terms with the fact that he has the gift of magic and moreover discovers he is a War Wizard, one who has the gift of both additive and subtractive magic. Later, he learns from Nathan Rahl that he is the first to be born with such power in three thousand years.
It is revealed that the Prelate took Richard to the Palace to flush out the Sisters of the Dark, a secret society within the Sisters of the Light dedicated to the task of unleashing the Keeper into the world of the living. As the Prelate herself says: "When your house is overrun with rats, the only thing you can do is bring in a cat. This cat sees us all as rats. Maybe with good reason..."
Richard also finds out that it was the Prelate and Nathan that helped Richard's step father, George Cypher, retrieve the Book of Counted Shadows.
Richard also realizes belatedly that the Palace of the Prophets is the "trap in time" foretold by Shota the witch woman for the palace is spelled so that those within its walls, age at a much slower rate. Nathan Rahl himself is close to one thousand years old.
Kahlan embarks on a long trek back to her home of Aydindril along with three Mud People. Along the way they come across a sacked city with the inhabitant's corpses filling the streets and the surrounding countryside. A new enemy has come.
Kahlan and the three mud people race to catch up with a band of some 5000 strong troops that are trailing the enemy. After getting over her shock, she assumes command of the army and begins her strategies of taking on the far superiour army of what she now knows to be The Imperial Order.
Escaping the trap after months of imprisonment, Richard races to stop a prophecy from coming to pass, one he received in the Valley of the Lost: Of all there were, but a single one born of the magic to bring forth truth will remain alive when the shadow's threat is lifted. Therefore comes the greater darkness of the dead. For there to be a chance at life's bond, this one in white must be offered to her people, to bring their joy and good cheer.
The prophecy speaks of the beheading of his love, Kahlan, whom he now realises was only trying to help him by sending him with the sisters.
The prophecy fulfulled (though not in the way that everyone thinks) allows him to close the veil and thwart Darken Rahl by casting the Keeper back into the underworld with the Stone of Tears.
To fulfill the prophecy, the First Wizard uses a death spell to fool everyone into thinking the Mother Confessor is dead, thereby both saving her and allowing the prophecy to occur.
[edit] Characters in "Stone of Tears"
- Richard Rahl
- Kahlan Amnell
- Gratch
- Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander
- Adie
- Prelate Annalina
- Sister Verna
- Sister Armina
- Sister Tovi
- Sister Ulicia
- Sister Nicci
- Nathan Rahl
- Chase
- Rachel
- Bird Man
- Savidlin
- Weselan
- Siddin
- Shota
[edit] Wizard's Second Rule
In this volume we discover the Wizard's Second Rule: "The greatest harm can result from the best intentions."
| Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind | |
|
Prequel: Debt of Bones |
Book 6: Faith of the Fallen |
| List of the Wizard's Rules | |
