Wizard's First Rule
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| Author | Terry Goodkind |
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| Cover artist | Doug Beekman |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Sword of Truth |
| Genre(s) | Epic fantasy |
| Publisher | Tor Fantasy |
| Released | August 1994 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 479 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-312-85705-5 |
| Preceded by | Debt of Bones |
| Followed by | Stone of Tears |
Wizard's First Rule is written by Terry Goodkind and is the first book in the epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth. Published by Tor Books, it was released on August 15, 1994 in hardcover and in paperback on July 15, 1997. The book also was re-released with new cover artwork by Keith Parkinson in paperback on June 23, 2001.
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[edit] Success
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At age 45, Terry Goodkind decided to fulfill his lifelong dream of being a novelist. A year later he sent a query letter describing his first effort, the three hundred thousand word opus titled Wizard's First Rule, to Russell Galen. Galen, one of the genre's most influential agents quickly wrote back, "I feel a ripple of history in the making. Send me your book."
Ten weeks later, Wizard's First Rule made news long before its actual publication due to the fact that the first-time novelist received an advance far above the average: $275,000, with a $300,000 ad/promo budget. Published in August, 1994 with a first print run of sixty thousand copies - three to five thousand is the norm - it has become an international bestseller and garnered praise from the likes of Marion Zimmer Bradley, Piers Anthony, Anne McCaffery, and the Kirkus Review. It is also one of the most successful debut fantasy novels in the history of trade publishing. Immediately following its success, Tor published a sequel, Stone of Tears, which was given an equally impressive launch and led to the purchase of the rights to three more books and the entire Sword of Truth series.
Currently, there is a television mini-series in the works.
[edit] Plot introduction
Richard Cypher's decision to help a woman in the Upper Ven near the Boundary between the Midlands and Westland sires more trouble than first appears. Kahlan Amnell seeks the help of a wizard in the Westland, and she brings with her dark news from the other side of the Boundary: Darken Rahl, Ruler of D'Hara, has brought down the other Boundary between D'Hara and the Midlands. This menacing ruler continues his dead father's quest for control by pressing war on the now vulnerable Midlands. Kahlan wants the wizard to name a Seeker of Truth who can try to stop Darken Rahl. When she finds the Old Wizard, he names Richard to be the Seeker and starts him on the quest that will forever alter the world.
[edit] Plot summary
Wizard’s First Rule stars a young man by the name of Richard Cypher, a single young woods guide. Richard lives in an area of the fantasy world known as Westland, which is the only part of the fantasy that at the time contained no magic. The Westland is separated from everyone else by a dangerous magical boundary that prevents anyone from passing through it. On the other side of the boundary lie many sovereign nations, jointly known as the Midlands, and the large empires D'Hara and The Old World. Richard works as a woods guide leading important political figures through dangerous forests, while his brother's interests lay entirely in politics.
Richard is naturally compelled to investigate the mysterious murder of his father when he happens upon a woman named Kahlan Amnell, whom he helps keep alive, as she is being hunted by a group of four men known as a quad.
After saving Kahlan’s life, it is revealed that Kahlan has somehow come through the boundary and is now searching for the First Wizard, who is rumored to have crossed into the Westland before the creation of the boundaries. Richard feels that this woman is in need of protection and takes her to the only man he can trust, his best friend and mentor, Zedd.
Richard discovers that this close friend of his has kept many secrets from him for his entire life; Zedd is not the simple man that Richard had presumed him to be, but rather the wizard for whom Kahlan is looking.
Kahlan tells him of the events taking place on the other side of the boundary. An evil leader called Darken Rahl is leading his army against the Midlands. At the same time, Zedd comes to the decision that Richard is the one Seeker of Truth and gives him the Sword of Truth. They begin their journey together to stop Darken Rahl and prevent him from opening the boxes of Orden, magical devices which could destroy the world.
However, due to a series of events, Richard and Kahlan are forced to cross the boundary alone and go on to the village of the Mud People in hopes of finding out where the third box of Orden is hidden. From there, they learn that only the witch woman, Shota, in Agaden Reach, has the power to reveal to them the location of the last box of Orden.
The story continues as it follows the team of Richard, Kahlan, Zedd and Chase as they attempt to collect one of the mysterious boxes of Orden and prevent Darken Rahl from gaining absolute power.
[edit] Characters in "Wizard's First Rule"
- Richard Cypher
- Kahlan Amnell
- Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander
- Adie
- George Cypher
- Michael Cypher
- Darken Rahl
- Demmin Nass
- Chase
- The Mud People
- Giller
- Queen Milena
- Princess Violet
- Rachel
- Denna
- Shota
- Samuel
- Brophy
- Scarlet
[edit] Wizard's First Rule
In this volume we discover the Wizard's First Rule:
From the text: "People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it's true, or because they are afraid it might be true. People's heads are full of knowledge, facts, and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so all are easier to fool."
Further "Wizard's Rules" are revealed in the subsequent novels of the Sword of Truth series.
| The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind | |
|---|---|
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Prequel: Debt of Bones |
Book 6: Faith of the Fallen |
| List of the Wizard's Rules | |
