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Review of The Sword of Truth: Wizard's First Rule (Terry Goodkind)

Massively entertaining, if only because it was comically one-dimensional, shamelessly-plagiaristic, and unintentionally hilarious. Truly the embodiment of "so bad it's good" in fantasy.

Why it's One-Dimensional
The main characters (Richard and Kahlan) are the protagonists of the series, along with a wizard who's literally called Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander (no seriously). Goodkind's idea of forming a deep relationship between Richard and Kahlan is clunky dialogue with an overuse of teaching Kahlan the meaning of the word "friend". Goodkind's description of the most delicious food in his book: "spice soup". It is called spice soup, and it has spices. And ZZZ (that's the wizard's initials, I haven't fallen asleep from writing this) is always hungry and gobbles up everything in sight. Isn't that funny?! No? Well too bad, because that's the entirety of the book's humor.

Why it's Shamelessly-Plagiaristic
Let me paint a picture, and you guess what story I'm describing: A talented youth who is encouraged to study the ways of magic by an old magician because the youth's dead father was very talented in the ways of magic as well. Fast forward through the story and bang the father is alive, and is actually the main villian and antagonist of the series. What a cruel twist of fate. Ok, where was that story from?
That's right, Wizard's First Rule!

Let's paint another picture: a wretched gangly creature dressed in nothing but a loincloth, walks on all fours, and serves as an unwilling guide to the main protagonist.
The main protagonist wields a powerful tool which, when wielded carelessly, transforms the user into a shadow of a person with a personality reduced to an obsession for said powerful tool which destroyed them. The creature used to own said tool and thinks it belongs to it rather than the protagonist. It eyes the tool hungrily and attempts to recover it back into its posession yelling things like "Mine!"
Ok, where was that story from?
Right, from Wizard's First Rule, obviously. Why, what were you thinking?

Why it's Unintentionally-Hilarious
Out of nowhere Richard gets BDSM tortured by a sexy "Mord Sith" (does this belong above?) for a third of the book and is forced to become her "mate". In the middle of a torture session a depraved child princess sticks an electric taser in his ear. Richard breaks free and Falcon-Knee's the 10 year old in the chin, destroying her jaw and knocking her teeth out.

Should You Read it?
Absolutely.