Wizards First Rule - Terry Goodkind

Well after the discussions that I don't read a lot of fantasy and follwoing all the hype after this lot has been on the telly recently I decided once again to try to find some fantasy that would hold my interest. I am now 56% (kindle) of the way through and struggling! Trying to decide why it is. I find it all a little too contrived and too neatly tied up at the moment. The dangers in a lot of the sections do not seem real and I can't put my finger on why not.

So are any of you fans of this series and is it really worth me continuing (NB I rarely do get far in fantasy, most recent disasters included Robin Hobb and Trudi Canavan. Both held my interest with premiss till the third book of a trilogy, only to deliver the most awful concluding books).

If this is not worth the bother, any recomendations that are not going to let me down in the end?

You may laugh, but give Harry Potter a go. I know they're children's books but I still love them (though I'm not sure whether that's because of nostalgia or something else!). If only GB was here I'm sure he would have told you why they're good from an adult reader's point of view I hope he comes back soon, but I suppose a beard comes and goes as it pleases!

Never heard of this book I'm afraid. But as a rule of thumb I'll give a book up halfway through if I'm not enjoying it, no point reading something that's giving you no pleasure I always say! As for recomendations , if you miraculously haven't read the Potter series (if you haven't, how?) do as Ringdrotten suggests and read them. I've recently read a good chunk of the A Song of Ice and Fire- great series for me, though it's a bit hit and miss with casual readers, there's a lot of reading with them! But I find them very enticing books. Also read The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan recently, not bad, but not brilliant either!

I echo those voices about Gandalf's beard, intelligent and knows good book series when he sees them! He's on Narniaweb too sometimes, great guy, and I hope we see him posting on Hobbitmovie soon!

I don't know about fantasy- I have much the same problem with most of it as you Kafria. But I would recommend Dune by Frank Herbert as a series of books well worth the read, they are sci-fi but incredibly insightful, not immediately accessable perhaps (it took me three attempts to get passed the opening chapter-but when I did I read the rest with the sort of voracity I did LotR).

Thanks for the suggestions..

I have read Potter and enjoyed them a lot, although less so the further along we got.

I haven't read Dune and will definately add that to my wish list for the future.

With Game of Thrones about to start I am tempted by ice and fire, but think it may affect my enjoyment of the show, so may hold off a while.
(co incidentally it will be the second time Sean Bean has led me to an author as I started reading Bernard Cornwell due to Sharpe. I've now read pretty much everything except the american revolution series - read the first two and got bored - including the histroical romances he wrote with his wife)

I look at wheel of time periodically, but the length of the series and the occasional bad reviews keep puting me off. I need to find a new series to get my teeth into, I re-read stuff I like, but am resorting to historical romance at the mo. If I don't find someting soon I am going to end up reading vampire fiction (sookie stackouse to be specific, what true blood is based on!!

Having said that, I have samples of Brian Aldiss' hothouse, a galaxy unknown (Thoms DePrima) and origins (spinward fringe - Randolph Lalonde) to have a go at on the sci fi front yet! Also yet to read Peter Hamiltons Void series, so maybe not all bad then!

You mentioned Sharpe Kafria, have you tried the Hornblower series of books by C.S. Forrester? I can recommend them. (The tv how was a pretty damn good adaptation of them too)

Yes, I have read through the whole series as well as Patrick O'Briens Aubrey series.
I tried Mattisons Napoleonic cavalry set, but couldn't get into them. I have also read a number of Julian Stockwins Kydd series, which I enjoyed, but I'm struggling to track them down in order. I also read a number of seafaing books in another series who's author has currently slipped my mind, again- good, but difficult to get in order. Most recently I have read Simon Scarrows Napoleon/Wellington series, which was good, may read the roman empire based series soon - think this is currently being adapted for the telly!

I really do need to find job that leaves more time for reading!! too many books and not enough time!

From the names you mention you might like the works of Nigel Trantor. His historical novels are very good (he's also a historian) and if you like his stuff there is plenty of it. First one I read was Children of the Mist set in Scotland during the time of the clans.

Another author to try at some point! and remembered the other sea author - Alexander Kent.... v good too!

Well i did finish this is the end!!

Just past the sticky bit I found another bit that caugth my interest and so made it to 75% at which point it seemed silly to stop!

I'm left frustrated. There are bits that are interesting and compelling, intertwined with too many easy get outs/ coincidences... some bits of how the story was tied up where somewhat obvious. The author also throws in some incredibly violent imagery, mostly implied, but occasionally over described (the massacare of a towns men and boys and the rape of all women and girls is mentioned, while the calculated torture of one character and the attempted rape of another are described in quite a lot of detail). This is often very jarring when it happens and dosen't seem to fit with the overall narrative. i suspect it is an attempt to keep the story 'real'. The shame of it is that at some points it is well written, compelling and unexpected. There is a nice unexpected twist at the end to set up the following books. But not enough in this one to make me particulary interested in the next one.

having read it i do wonder at how anyone thought it would make a good telly series!

Kafria wrote:Well i did finish this is the end!!

Just past the sticky bit I found another bit that caugth my interest and so made it to 75% at which point it seemed silly to stop!

I'm left frustrated. There are bits that are interesting and compelling, intertwined with too many easy get outs/ coincidences... some bits of how the story was tied up where somewhat obvious. The author also throws in some incredibly violent imagery, mostly implied, but occasionally over described (the massacare of a towns men and boys and the rape of all women and girls is mentioned, while the calculated torture of one character and the attempted rape of another are described in quite a lot of detail). This is often very jarring when it happens and dosen't seem to fit with the overall narrative. i suspect it is an attempt to keep the story 'real'. The shame of it is that at some points it is well written, compelling and unexpected. There is a nice unexpected twist at the end to set up the following books. But not enough in this one to make me particulary interested in the next one.

having read it i do wonder at how anyone thought it would make a good telly series!

By the way, is this about A Game of Thrones? Rape really creeps me out, especially when it occurs to a main character, and I prefer to avoid it in my reading, but if the detailed descriptions of incest, murder of small children actually progress the an interesting and thought provoking plot, I can live with it. If they do film the rest of the series, and keep to the book, it'll become pretty graphic, women in the background are always getting raped, tavern wenches etc.

I don't enjoy reading psychological anguish, so naturally when things like rape and torture happens, it makes me uncomfortable, but I think the environment that the series is set in, these things are only to be expected, and as you said, to add realism to the story.


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My comments were on Wizards first rule, which is the series that legend of the seeker is based on.

I agree that some violent or graphic imagery can be intrinsic to a plot, my problem with it in this book is it jarred with other writing passages in the text to my mind the author couldn't make up his mind if it was light (none of the characters you are meant to care about die, or suffer harm that is not overcome) or real (the villian is indiscriminantly cruel from the begining, with no build or change to his violence and cruelty).


Not read Fire and Ice books, may try after this dissapointment has worn off!

Ally wrote:By the way, is this about A Game of Thrones? Rape really creeps me out, especially when it occurs to a main character, and I prefer to avoid it in my reading, but if the detailed descriptions of incest, murder of small children actually progress the an interesting and thought provoking plot, I can live with it. If they do film the rest of the series, and keep to the book, it'll become pretty graphic, women in the background are always getting raped, tavern wenches etc.

I think Martin has thus far been able to keep the darker elements a natural part of the story, but there have been a few times where it got disturbing for me and I started to wonder why I was reading the books for enjoyment. All in all I do very much enjoy A Song of Ice and Fire, but I think that GRRM skirts too close to Darkness Induced Audience Apathy, and it's possible that the last few books could become too much for me. One of the excerpts from A Dance With Dragons on GRRM's website (since replaced by another chapter; they get cycled through regularly), about a character who was imprisoned and tortured, was really uncomfortable to read.

Still, I am looking forward to the new book coming out this summer. Hopefully my fears will prove to be unfounded.

Kafria wrote:My comments were on Wizards first rule, which is the series that legend of the seeker is based on.

I agree that some violent or graphic imagery can be intrinsic to a plot, my problem with it in this book is it jarred with other writing passages in the text to my mind the author couldn't make up his mind if it was light (none of the characters you are meant to care about die, or suffer harm that is not overcome) or real (the villian is indiscriminantly cruel from the begining, with no build or change to his violence and cruelty).


Not read Fire and Ice books, may try after this dissapointment has worn off!

I'm sure other people like that style of writing, after all horrible aspects combined with lovely ones is a realism of life on earth. But I read to escape, while there should be sadness and death in the books I read, there has to be a reason, not just because it's the nature of whatever race I'm reading about, or because it's the kind of thing the character does.

Haven't really phrased this post very well, looking back over it!

Eldorion wrote:

Ally wrote:By the way, is this about A Game of Thrones? Rape really creeps me out, especially when it occurs to a main character, and I prefer to avoid it in my reading, but if the detailed descriptions of incest, murder of small children actually progress the an interesting and thought provoking plot, I can live with it. If they do film the rest of the series, and keep to the book, it'll become pretty graphic, women in the background are always getting raped, tavern wenches etc.

I think Martin has thus far been able to keep the darker elements a natural part of the story, but there have been a few times where it got disturbing for me and I started to wonder why I was reading the books for enjoyment. All in all I do very much enjoy A Song of Ice and Fire, but I think that GRRM skirts too close to Darkness Induced Audience Apathy, and it's possible that the last few books could become too much for me. One of the excerpts from A Dance With Dragons on GRRM's website (since replaced by another chapter; they get cycled through regularly), about a character who was imprisoned and tortured, was really uncomfortable to read.



Still, I am looking forward to the new book coming out this summer. Hopefully my fears will prove to be unfounded.

Yes, there were a few times when I felt like stopping reading, while I haven't reached a part where either Arya or Sansa suffer serious injury or torment, something seems to have been on the verge for nearly the whole of Clash of Kings now. I had a theory that Ser Dontos was to take Sansa away, get her drunk and rape her- but that seems unlikely now.

Also after the death of Bran and Rickkon, I very nearly gave up, it's starting to get very depressing, I think it would be fair to say that more men than women enjoy this series!

But Martin had written a compelling story, and one where you feel attached to all the characters, whether good or bad. Lord Eddard's death nearly brought me to tears, it was very unexpected (though as a result it was to be expected) but I had to pull myself together and compose myself, for I was sitting at a station waiting for a train!!

I saw 'The Social Network' a few weeks ago. Very good but the stop was a bitt sudden and i wanted to see more! I had wanted to see it for ages and i was ecstatic (finally - a chance to prove my awesomeness) to watch it. Cool story of how Face book was made

P.S if i seem a bit jumpy today, it's because this horrible boy in my set has been expelled for two days and has been moved down to a lower set than me!!! No more being upset!

What a lovely turn of events, Squach.

Kinda quite liked Taylor Swift since one of her songs played over the credits of The Hunger Games. Can't play my ipod on shuffle at parties now tho

wot? Bran and Ricckon die? oh no thats really not cool, when does it happen? cos in series 2 on tv they think they have been killed by Theon but its a trick and its really two other boys, and they escape from Winterfell, now you say they die, is it further on in the story, I thought Bran was an important part of the story, as he has dreams and such.