Wizard's First Rule - (Sword of Truth) by Terry Goodkind (Hardcover)

About the Book

Terry Goodkind joins the ranks of great fantasy storytellers with this first book of a thrilling new fantasy saga. Epic in scope and burning with intensity, this brilliant novel is a timeless story of courage and faith locked in battle with the ultimate adversary. Only a single man can meet the challenge of the dark destroyer.

Book Synopsis

The masterpiece that started Terry Goodkind's New York Times bestselling epic Sword of Truth series, and the basis for the TV show Legend of the Seeker.

Wizard's First Rule is the beginning. One book. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.

In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help . . . and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence.

In a dark age it takes courage to live, and more than mere courage to challenge those who hold dominion, Richard and Kahlan must take up that challenge or become the next victims. Beyond awaits a bewitching land where even the best of their hearts could betray them. Yet, Richard fears nothing so much as what secrets his sword might reveal about his own soul. Falling in love would destroy them--for reasons Richard can't imagine and Kahlan dare not say.

In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword--to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed . . . or that their time has run out.

From the Back Cover

Wizard's First Rule marks the debut of a new fantasy writer. Truly epic in scope and filled with burning intensity, it is the story of Richard Cypher, a modest woodsman in a world achingly beautiful, alive with the joys of nature: a world the reader comes to love as fiercely as do Richard and those around him. Though a mere woodsman, he is the one destined to battle the ultimate adversary - Darken Rahl, an evil mage who bids to destroy all that Richard holds good and beautiful, dooming him and the rest of the people of Westland to a living Hell of subjugation and degradation.

Review Quotes

"This is a phenomenal fantasy, endlessly inventive, that surely marks the commencement of one of the major careers in the genre. It has three things I find rare in combination: an interesting, lucid narrative; almost unremitting development and action; and some genuinely original and thoughtful aspects. Wizard's First Rule may be Terry Goodkind's first novel; his career is nevertheless already impressive." --Piers Anthony

"A wonderfully creative, seamless, and stirring epic fantasy debut." --Kirkus Reviews

"Goodkind choreographs and intricate duality in which the dividing line between good and evil is often turned upside down." --Romantic Times

About the Author

Terry Goodkind (1948-2020) was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. His books include the multi-volume epic fantasy Sword of Truth series--beginning with Wizard's First Rule--and related series Richard and Kahlan and The Nicci Chronicles. Goodkind was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, where he also attended art school. Alongside a career in wildlife art, he was also a cabinetmaker and a violin maker, and did restoration work on rare and exotic artifacts from around the world. In the 1990s he relocated to Nevada, where, when not writing novels, he was a racing-car enthusiast.