Goodkind, Terry 1948–

views updated

Goodkind, Terry 1948–

PERSONAL: Born 1948, in Omaha, NE; married; wife's name Jeri. Hobbies and other interests: Walking in the woods, painting.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Russell Galen, Scovil, Chichak, Galen Literary Agency, Inc., 381 Park Ave. S., Ste. 1020, New York, NY 10016.

CAREER: Writer. Worked previously as a carpenter, violin-maker, hypnotherapist, wildlife artist, and restorer of rare artifacts.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS; "SWORD OF TRUTH" SERIES,

Wizard's First Rule, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Stone of Tears, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Blood of the Fold, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Temple of the Winds, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1997.

Soul of the Fire, Tor Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Faith of the Fallen, Tor Books (New York, NY), 2000.

The Pillars of Creation, Tor Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Debt of Bones, Gollancz (London, England), 2001.

Naked Empire, Tor Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Chainfire, Tor Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Phantom, Tor Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to anthologies.

ADAPTATIONS: Many of the authors novels have been adapted as audio books, including Blood of the Fold; Soul of the Fire; and The Pillars of Creation Brilliance Audio, 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: Terry Goodkind's first novel, Wizard's First Rule, was sold at auction in 1994 for more than six times the record price ever paid for a first fantasy novel at that time, and it went on to become an international bestseller. Goodkind followed with other novels, all part of a series called "Sword of Truth."

Wizard's First Rule introduces the series' protagonists: a naive and reluctant woods guide named Richard Cypher and the beautiful and enigmatic Kahlan Amnell, a woman who tries to conceal her past. Swept up into a war, Richard is called upon to become the "Seeker" and is given the Sword of Truth. He is also the only one who knows the arcane truths contained in the "Book of Counted Shadows." As Wizard's First Rule opens, Richard has just learned of the death of his father, who was slain because he refused to reveal the location of the Book of Counted Shadows. After roaming in the forest, Richard sees Kahlan, who is being pursued by assassins who have driven her from her magical Midlands. Richard rescues Kahlan, and the two then join a wizard called Zedd to stop the Midlands' evil tyrant Darken Rahl. Using the wizard's "first rule," Richard tricks Darken Rahl into opening the wrong Box of Or-den, which causes Rahl to disappear into another world and thereby saves humanity.

During the novel, readers are introduced to such secondary characters as the old woman who uses bones to traffic in Underworld magic, an abused child who wants evenly trimmed hair, and Mistress Denna, a scarlet-clad dominatrix who tortures Richard. Though most of the violence is not explicit, there are frequent references to unsavory things, even rape, torture, and ritual murder. According to Library Journal contributor Jackie Cassada, Wizard's First Rule "offers an intriguing variant on the standard fantasy quest"; Cassada suggested that it will "appeal to mature fantasy aficionados."

In the second book of the series, Stone of Tears, a reluctant Richard discovers that Darken Rahl, whom he dispatched to another world, was actually his father—and that the good wizard, Zedd, is his grandfather. Worse still, Rahl's opening the wrong box has made it possible for the Keeper of the Underworld to reach into Richard's world and seize control of the living. To prevent this, Richard has to accept his birthright as a wizard. While he struggles with his gift of magic, Kahlan leads her underage troops against the hardened warriors Rahl left behind, "in one of the most vigorous battle sequences written for a heroine in modern fantasy," commented a Publishers Weekly contributor. Again, as in Goodkind's first novel, there are graphic scenes of sex and violence.

In Blood of the Fold, Kahlan goes into hiding to avoid execution by her former people, while Richard has to accept his ancestry and take on the rule of D'Hara in order to unite the Midlands to stand against the evil Emperor Jagang. He also has to keep the prophecies from falling into Jagang's hands and save his beloved Kahlan, who, as Roland Green wrote in Booklist, "emerges here as one of the outstanding female principals in current fantasy." The fourth book in the series, Temple of the Winds, has the protagonists seeking a legendary temple that disappeared three thousand years ago and will aid them in finding a cure for a plague released by the fanatical Imperial Order. A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that readers of this series "will delight in a complex epic fantasy that crackles with vigor and magical derring-do."

Soul of the Fire sets Kahlan and Richard against the Chimes—otherworldly beings capable of destroying magic. The Chimes were accidentally set loose in a desperate moment, and Kahlan and Richard must find a way to contain them once again before they drain the world of all its magical properties. A Publishers Weekly contributor praised the author for his "ingenious world-building" evidenced in this novel, as well as his "engaging secondary characters" and "flashes of sly wit." Faith of the Fallen finds Kahlan gravely wounded and hidden away in a mountain retreat by Richard. But Richard is soon endangered himself when Nicci, the cruel, beautiful mistress of the evil Emperor Jagang, entices him into bondage. She casts a spell that ensures that any harm befalling her also visits Kahlan. A desperate Kahlan leads an army against the emperor's forces, who are protected by black magic. The story gives Goodkind "an ample canvas for … disemboweling, spit roasting and miscellaneous mutilating of men, women, and children," reported another Publishers Weekly contributor, who predicted that Goodkind's fans would "revel in vicarious berserker battle scenes," which make an "indelible impact." Reviewing the novel in Booklist, Roland Green praised Goodkind for his ability to build "marginally plausible plot elements into a credible story," and even manages to say "something serious about the abuse of guilt and selflessness to motivate social behavior."

In The Pillars of Creation, Richard must depose his aging father and compete with his illegitimate brothers for the throne. Violence abounds, as do the political commentaries that marked the other books in the series. A Publishers Weekly contributor found the author's exposition somewhat "clumsy," marked by "unlikely coincidences and feeble attempts at humor," yet assured that it will certainly "please Goodkind's legions of fans." Goodkind has added to the "Sword of Truth" canon with Debt of Bones, published in 2001. This expanded version of a novella originally published in a fantasy anthology illuminates events that took place before the "Sword of Truth" saga. It is, according to Jackie Cas-sada in Library Journal, a "gracefully written story."

Goodkind's eighth book in the "Sword of Truth" series, Naked Empire, finds Richard and Kahlan and their group continuing their battle with Emperor Jagang as they are recruited to help the pacifistic Bandakaran Empire, which has been conquered by the Imperial Order. Fortunately, the empire has a weapon in human form that may be just as powerful as Emperor Jagang. Rick Kleffel, writing on the Agony Column Book Reviews and Commentary Web site, noted that the author's incorporation of the philosophies of writer Ayn Rand in the story provides the novel with "a kick that this genre certainly requires." Kleffel went on to note: "Goodkind has a nice way of contracting and expanding time with this prose. The result is that pages are easily whisked aside as scenes of action unfold." Noting that the book can be read as a stand-alone novel by people who are not familiar with the series, Kleffel added: "Goodkind writes with enough passion to provide an emotional payoff."

Chainfire, unlike its predecessors, ends as a cliffhanger. When Richard awakes to find Khalan missing, his group thinks he's hallucinating. No one seems to know who Khalan is. In the meantime, Richard is being hunted by an amorphous magical creature created by Jagang. Since the divide between the old and new world has fallen, prophecies indicate that unless Richard is able to lead the final battle against Jagang, the emperor will prevail. The story "is an excellent beginning to a trilogy that may prove to be an exciting conclusion to the 'Sword of Truth' series" wrote Gary Romero in an article posted on the Fantastic Reviews Web site. Throughout the review, Romero noted that not only has the story in the series evolved, but so, too, has Goodkind's craft. Good-kind's "ability to bring his world to light has gotten much stronger," he stated. Romero ultimately concluded that "waiting for the next book will not be easy for any Terry Goodkind fan."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1996.

PERIODICALS

Bangor Daily News, November, 1995, Lynn Flewelling, interview with Terry Goodkind.

Booklist, September 1, 1994, Roland Green, review of Wizard's First Rule, p. 28; October 1, 1995, Roland Green, review of Stone of Tears, p. 254; November 15, 1996, Roland Green, review of Blood of the Fold, p. 576; November 1, 1997, Roland Green, review of Temple of the Winds, p. 576; May 1, 1999, review of Soul of the Fire, p. 1582; February 15, 2000, Whitney Scott, review of Blood of the Fold, p. 1128; August, 2000, Roland Green, review of Faith of the Fallen, p. 2073.

Half Moon Bay Review, October 23, 1996, Stacy Trevenon, "Top Fantasy Author Terry Goodkind Visits."

Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 1996, review of Blood of the Fold, p. 1434; March 1, 1999, review of Soul of the Fire, p. 340.

Kliatt, January, 1999, review of Temple of the Winds, p. 16; March, 2003, Ginger Armstrong, review of The Pillars of Creation, p. 34.

Library Journal, June, 1994, Carolyn Cushman, review of Wizard's First Rule, p. 35; September 15, 1994, Jackie Cassada, review of Wizard's First Rule, p. 94; October 15, 1995, Jackie Cassada, review of Stone of Tears, p. 91; May 15, 1999, Jackie Cassada, review of Soul of the Fire, p. 131; September 15, 1999, December, 2001, Jackie Cassada, review of Debt of Bones, p. 181; February 15, 2004, Barbara Perkins, review of Naked Empire, p. 179.

Publishers Weekly, August 29, 1994, review of Wizard's First Rule, p. 65; September 25, 1995, review of Stone of Tears, p. 48; October 7, 1996, review of Blood of the Fold, p. 66; October 13, 1997, review of Temple of the Winds, p. 60; April 19, 1999, review of Soul of the Fire, p. 66; July 24, 2000, review of Faith of the Fallen, p. 73; November 19, 2001, "December Publications," p. 52; December 3, 2001, review of The Pillars of Creation, p. 45; December 3, 2001, review of The Pillars of Creation, p. 45; December 17, 2001, John F. Baker, "The Selling of Goodkind," p. 13; August 4, 2003, Daisy Maryles, "Building Momentum," briefly discusses author's book Naked Empire, p. 18.

Voice of Youth Advocates, February, 1995, Elaine M. McGuire, review of Wizard's First Rule, p. 347; June, 1996, Elaine M. McGuire, review of Stone of Tears, p. 107; April, 1997, review of Stone of Tears, p. 12; April, 2002, review of The Voice of Youth Advocates, p. 51.