The Sword of Truth - Converting Readers to Objectivism Since 1994
Written: Mar 24 '05
Product Rating:
Pros: There's still a good plot
Cons: Unfortunately, it's mired in too much philosophy
The Bottom Line: If you've read this far into the series, you know you'll keep reading. If you've given up already, you're probably better off than I am...
I've been reading Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth books for a little over three years or so. I've always considered the series to be an excellent read and enjoyed the fact that the plots were very character driven. This was not a typical fantasy that depends on fantastic creatures and magical deeds. This was a story about people who feel, who search and yearn to do good. Some of them have magical powers, but it's not what defines them. The magic is simply a tool the they use. Instead, it's the characters' actions that make them who they are. For many of the same reasons, I love George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice books. They succeed because of the characters, as well.
At the same time, I've noticed a trend that Goodkind seems to have allowed the philosophy he has carefully laid out through his books to overshadow those characters that drew me into the story in the first place. The first book, Wizards First Rule was an entertaining tale about Richard Cypher, a simple woods guide who is drawn into a battle against the forces of darkness. He is named to be the Seeker for the Truth and begins to learn to utilize the magic of the Sword of Truth in his quest. As a Seeker, Richard becomes a law unto himself, a power that has been misused by many others before him. Entering a land filled with magic, guided by Kahlan, a woman with her own powers and secrets, Richard must face a fearsome enemy and save the lands from certain destruction.
The sword gives Richard the power to create his own law and do whatever he pleases. However, the gift of the sword and the title of Seeker merely gave name to what was already naturally inside Richard, rather than endowing him with any special powers. It is certain that Richard would have behaved exactly the same way, whether he was given the Sword of Truth or not. Wizards First Rule is just the start of a long journey in which Richard and Kahlan work together and develop a deeper relationship, while they strive to live their lives to fight for a place that will give everyone the freedom to live their lives as they wish and make them worthwhile.
This leads up to Chainfire, where Richard suddenly finds himself alone and without Kahlan. His camp was ambushed and Richard wakes up to find that everyone was killed but him. He remembers that Kahlan was present before the ambush, but there is no trace of her and nobody seems to remember that Kahlan even existed in the first place. With everyone else believing Kahlan to be a delusion, Richard must find a way to rescue her even when he begins to doubt the truth of it himself. Meanwhile the last battle is approaching and Richard finds himself torn between doing what he knows he needs to do and filling the role that he was meant to in that final fight.
In general, the plot is excellent. I found myself waiting to find out if the last eight books could really have been one long dream and Richard was actually chasing after a phantom. Finally, the end of the story is coming and I am still anxious to see how it turns out. Chainfire is part of a trilogy, so there still is much left unresolved. That should be one of the bigger suprises to any fans of Goodkind, since normally the other books stand alone and don't leave much in the way of loose ends. However, Goodkind's characters continue to be engaging and in Chainfire, the reader gets to see them act in different ways, since they act as if Kahlan never existed for them. It shows how much impact one person can have on people, because of that. Because of these reasons, I will be waiting for the next book.
On the other hand, I will also be dreading the next book. Goodkind has slowly allowed his books to be mired in philosophy to the point that it puts a stranglehold on what could have been an excellent book. It's hard to dig through the speeches, the moralizing and the debates in order to reach the next point in the story. Goodkind is spending less time on action and more time developing the tenets of his own personal beliefs. I recognized that his books tend to be written as an allegory for what he believes the world should be like many books ago. It didn't bother me initially because it complemented the action in the books. However, it seems like the philosophy is driving what happens now. Situations occur only to give Goodkind the opportunity to expound his views and allow his characters to make speeches or enter into some sort of Socratic dialogue. And now, I'm getting to the point that it's becoming tiresome.
I suppose it's also becoming more difficult to swallow now that I've recently read Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Coincidentally, I also recently learnd that Terry Goodkind is an objectivist. For those who don't know, it is a philosophy that Ayn Rand created. It basically states that a human being naturally knows the truth and how to do the right thing by the use of reason. If a person is following what they know to be right without hurting others, they have the right by virtue of free will to live their lives as they see fit and work to their own betterment. Although, that's a pretty quick and dirty explanation. Learning this puts the whole series in a different light as a result and Goodkind's later novels now seem to be a blatant attempt at indoctrinating his readers on objectivism. I'm not going to debate the merits or faults of objectivism, because that's just opening up one ugly can of worms. However, I have no problem expressing my displeasure in learning that Goodkind is losing that edge to his books that drove his books by focusing on the characters and how their actions shape their beliefs and those of the world around them. Instead, the exact opposite occurs.
It probably doesn't help that Goodkind is beyond blatant in copying Ayn Rand. For example, Richard's statue in Faith of the Fallen is obviously copying Howard Roark's statue of Dominique in The Fountainhead. Likewise, Zedd's advice to Richard that there are no contradictions is well beyond similar to John Galt's conversation with Dagny in Atlas Shrugged. I suppose for many objectivists it could be seen as an homage to Ayn Rand or a way of bringing in new people to the philosophy. For me, however, it becomes unoriginal and the philosophy takes away from the story itself.
However, I know that I will continue to read the next book when it comes out because I still have to find out what happens next. The fact that such a fascinating tale can still shine through the muck shows that Goodkind is a good writer. I just wish that he would stop preaching for a few minutes and spend more time focusing on the story itself.
With Wizard s First Rule and seven subsequent masterpieces, Terry Goodkind has thrilled readers worldwide with the unique sweep of his storytelling. N...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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