Terry Goodkind's Warheart

[Davidjb]

This is his concluding novel in the series. I think the last one I read was Confessor so not sure what I've missed. Given it's the last in the series it is a must, I think. I really liked the series bar one book which was painstakingly slow.

The conclusion should be good. I hope.

I may wait for the paper back edition though so plenty of time to read some reviews

 

[Gonk the Insane]

Confessor, I seem to remember, rounded off the main story about the Empire and Jagang. As much as I loved the earlier books, for me those that followed Confessor haven't lived up to the same standard. Even so, I've read them and I'm hoping that Warheart will be a return to form. You have missed a bit since Confessor, but I'm sure there'll be a recap at the beginning of Warheart that should get you caught up to speed. I haven't figured out how to do that magic roll-over-the-spoiler-text-label-to-make-it-expand trick that I've seen used here on the site so the spoiler-free version is.... they've wandered away from the capital and got themselves in a bit of a pickle. So, that's 3 novels in one sentence - surely that's some kind of record? Take that, Reduced Shakespeare Company!

 

[Brian G Turner]

I haven't figured out how to do that magic roll-over-the-spoiler-text-label-to-make-it-expand trick

Psst! Type this without the spaces within the brackets:

[ spoiler ] Your spoiler here [ /spoiler ]

Or use the button in the editing bar - 5th button from the right (looks like a document) - click that and select "Insert spoiler".

 

[Gonk the Insane]

Psst! Type this without the spaces within the brackets

Thanks, @Brian Turner
In truth, I'm probably going to

Spoiler

use this feature at every opportunity

but to use it for its intended purpose, here's a brief summary of the 3 books between Confessor and Warheart:

Spoiler

Richard and Kahlan discover a machine underneath the People's Palace called the Omen Machine, a device which spouts prophecy in the language of Creation that Richard learns to decipher. Through an emissary of Bishop Hannis Arc of the dark lands (a region in D'Hara) they learn of occult powers - something different to both Additive and Subtractive magic - and that the Bishop collects prophecy.
Kahlan is captured by a Hedge Maid, an occult practitioner. Richard rescues her, but both of them end up with a fragment of death inside them. This begins to kill them as they journey into the Dark Lands.

In the Dark Lands they discover a barrier failing. Behind it lurk the Half People, soulless zombie-like people created by the Emperor Sulachan (enemy of Baraccus et al in the great war long ago), and held in place by magic from . The creatures believe they can gain souls by eating people.

Richard and Kahlan are captured separately. Bishop Hannis Arc wields occult powers (something which Additive/Subtractive magic users have no defence against) and uses Richard's blood to free the Emperor Sulachan from beyond the veil, and the two of them take an army of Half People towards the People's Palace.

Zedd is killed by a sorceress in service to Hannis Arc. Her daughter, Samantha, helped Richard in the Dark Lands, but when she witnesses him kill her mother in retribution, she becomes his enemy and murders Kahlan. Richard finds a way to take Kahlan's place beyond the veil and returns her to life, without the touch of death that would have killed her anyway. Cara's husband, Benjamin, is also killed and Cara leaves to mourn alone.
At the end of the book before Warheart, Richard lies dead, with Kahlan having just been returned to life in his place.

I've started reading Warheart now, and it does seem a return to form. There's a fair amount of recapping early on so you should be able to follow it without reading the 3 books after Confessor.

 

[Davidjb]

Thanks, @Brian Turner
In truth, I'm probably going to

Spoiler

use this feature at every opportunity

but to use it for its intended purpose, here's a brief summary of the 3 books between Confessor and Warheart:



I've started reading Warheart now, and it does seem a return to form. There's a fair amount of recapping early on so you should be able to follow it without reading the 3 books after Confessor.

I'm going to read them in order so more books for my reading list

 

[DENTON P. WALTER]

Confessor, I seem to remember, rounded off the main story about the Empire and Jagang. As much as I loved the earlier books, for me those that followed Confessor haven't lived up to the same standard. Even so, I've read them and I'm hoping that Warheart will be a return to form. You have missed a bit since Confessor, but I'm sure there'll be a recap at the beginning of Warheart that should get you caught up to speed. I haven't figured out how to do that magic roll-over-the-spoiler-text-label-to-make-it-expand trick that I've seen used here on the site so the spoiler-free version is.... they've wandered away from the capital and got themselves in a bit of a pickle. So, that's 3 novels in one sentence - surely that's some kind of record? Take that, Reduced Shakespeare Company!

I enjoyed Warheart, though somewhat sad at the death - you know WHO I'm talking about! Also really liked the fact that the Mord-Sith kind of saved the day you might say. Always liked them, my favourite characters right from Denna onwards. I wonder if Terry will write more? It could be that the 'end' of the SOT is like a Frank Sinatra farewell concert. So much he could still do, for example a child for Richard and Kahlan - a boy! There's a thought. Or even another prequel, the adventures of Alric Rahl perhaps or how about the creation of the first Mord-Sith? We shall see.

 

[Heather Myst]

Denton,

I always liked the Mord-Sith too but I must say Nicci was my favorite character. I love how she evolved during the series.

 

[DENTON P. WALTER]

Denton,

I always liked the Mord-Sith too but I must say Nicci was my favorite character. I love how she evolved during the series.

Yes, Nicci was great. I too loved how she went from Death's Mistress to such a really nice, likeable person. But even when she was at her worst there was a niceness about her, as the time she's about to burn a little girl to death but sees she has lice, and instead of killing her scrubs her head and gives her hygiene advice. That was beautiful. I liked that duel character about Denna also, who at first seemed a pretty nasty piece of work, but turned out to be a lovely woman behind it, bad not of herself but made so by others, and the way Richard came to love her and defend her. I thought her giving herself to the Keeper to save him was the most beautiful act of pure love in the whole series, up to Richard doing a similar thing in Severed Souls. I think that duel thing was why I liked the Mord-Sith so much: seemingly evil but actually very fine women, who show their true worth when someone shows them kindness and respect for the first time in their lives. Drop me a line anytime!

 

[SilentRoamer]

Yes, Nicci was great. I too loved how she went from Death's Mistress to such a really nice, likeable person. But even when she was at her worst there was a niceness about her, as the time she's about to burn a little girl to death but sees she has lice, and instead of killing her scrubs her head and gives her hygiene advice. That was beautiful.

There is nothing beautiful about deciding not to burn a child alive on a whim.... Nicci is an absolute deranged lunatic who only turns good because she obviously can't help it when presented with the awesomeness that is Richard Rahl.... Same with the "seemingly evil" Mord Sith who prior to falling in love with Richard have been torturing countless people to death.

The "evil" six year old deserves a kick to the face resulting in a broken jaw while one of the most evil magic users of the age deserves redemption and why? Obviously because she loves Richard Rahl. The morality throughout the series is so broken!

 

[SilentRoamer]

PS: Sorry I keep disagreeing with you but at least it makes for discussion!

 

[Brian G Turner]

The morality throughout the series is so broken!

To be fair, this is arguably common in fantasy. But that might be another topic.

 

[DENTON P. WALTER]

PS: Sorry I keep disagreeing with you but at least it makes for discussion!

Why not? if everyone thought the same it would be rather dull. As to the Mord-Sith, I regard them as doing evil but not in themselves evil, since they are what they are because someone else made them that way. As Denna said to Richard, she did what she did by training not desire. They never wanted to be evil, and in fact suffered more than their victims, since they were tortured themselves for years rather than a few weeks like their victims, and they were just children, and even have to endure pain when holding their own weapons. I often think the greatest victims of the Mord-Sith were the Mord-Sith themselves. To me they seem still to have something of what they were left in them, hence Berdine's love for Raina for example and Raina's enjoyment of feeding chipmunks, which couldn't happen if they were truly devoid of emotion. The same with Nikki. She has been made into what she is, and she is pretty nasty, but there is still a spark of goodness in her which comes out now and again, like her genuine concern for the poor. I wasn't suggesting that deciding not to kill the little girl was great in itself, since she shouldn't have thought of it in the first place, but my point would be that seeing the lice triggered the nice part of her to override if you like her original intention. Perhaps I didn't put it clearly enough, but that was what I intended, that it was nice that something could reach that part of her that was still decent, buried as it was under years of being Death's Mistress. The same with the Mord-Sith: despite all the training their former niceness was still there in some form, buried under years of brutal training and horrible treatment by those they served so devotedly. I've always found it sad that they served their master so well and yet he would rape them, kill them if they got pregnant, be quite unconcerned what happened to them, taking a 'plenty more where they came from' attitude to them, yet any of them would give her life for him without a moment's hesitation. Anyway, as I said, disagreement is interesting. (Even though I am obviously totally 100% right in everything I say, being as I am gifted with infinite and infallible wisdom, which I am always willing to share with lesser mortals - oh yes, and I'm totally modest as well)

 

[SilentRoamer]

As Denna said to Richard, she did what she did by training not desire. They never wanted to be evil, and in fact suffered more than their victims, since they were tortured themselves for years rather than a few weeks like their victims, and they were just children, and even have to endure pain when holding their own weapons.

Well I agree with this defence somewhat - the only problem: it is contradictory to your post on the other threat that the six year old Violet was evil and Richard was justified in kicking her jaw off.

I find it hard to believe that all of these traumatised people spend their whole lives inflicting misery up until they meet Richard Rahl - because we know Richard is just oh so awesome.

(Even though I am obviously totally 100% right in everything I say, being as I am gifted with infinite and infallible wisdom, which I am always willing to share with lesser mortals - oh yes, and I'm totally modest as well)

I know you meant this in jest but this is the subtext every time Richard Rahl has a 5 page monologue.

 

[DENTON P. WALTER]

Well I agree with this defence somewhat - the only problem: it is contradictory to your post on the other threat that the six year old Violet was evil and Richard was justified in kicking her jaw off.

I find it hard to believe that all of these traumatised people spend their whole lives inflicting misery up until they meet Richard Rahl - because we know Richard is just oh so awesome.



I know you meant this in jest but this is the subtext every time Richard Rahl has a 5 page monologue.

I don't think it's contradictory. That's because I see a moral difference between a kid who is evil because she is, born that way, and always will be and a woman who was once a lovely, sweet kid but ended up evil only because other people spent years making her that way. Violet enjoys being nasty, like some kids who get their kicks pulling fly's wings off. The Mord-Sith were nice kids, extra nice in fact, since that was a requirement of their being chosen. So I'd say they deserve sympathy while Violet doesn't. As regards me being so wonderful, well I took the Richard Rahl course in wonderfulness. Isn't it obvious?

 

[SilentRoamer]

I don't think it's contradictory. That's because I see a moral difference between a kid who is evil because she is, born that way,

For me that's a problem. I don't believe anyone is born evil. Sure some people are probably more inclined to "evil" acts due to some quirk of their biological nature but I don't believe in an "evil gene".

Take the Richard Rahl course in wonderfulness, but avoid the "Kicking Kids in the Jaw" seminar and the "Slaughter pacifists for not doing as commanded" 101.

 

[DENTON P. WALTER]

For me that's a problem. I don't believe anyone is born evil. Sure some people are probably more inclined to "evil" acts due to some quirk of their biological nature but I don't believe in an "evil gene".

Take the Richard Rahl course in wonderfulness, but avoid the "Kicking Kids in the Jaw" seminar and the "Slaughter pacifists for not doing as commanded" 101.

The debate moves ever onwards, which is good. As I've said, if everyone thought exactly the same way life would be dull. (Except in North Korea, then it's OK)

 

[Heather Myst]

Having finished Warheart recently I am already missing the Mord-Sith and Nicci. I love the role Cara played in the final book too.

 

[Bick]

Is this classic SFF?

 

[Brian G Turner]

Good point - have moved it to General Book Discussion.

 

[Gonk the Insane]

Now that Terry Goodkind's finished the series, I find myself wondering what - if anything - he's going to write next. He did a sort-of-a-spin-off of the Sword of Truth series set on Earth (The Law of Nines), although the connection between them was pretty tenuous. Personally I didn't rate it, so I'm hoping he does stick with the more traditional fantasy - but I'm not even sure whether he'll write again or not. Not sure if anyone's heard about his next project?