What defines an epic fantasy? Good question, perhaps it’s the 700+ page number, or the clear cut, unquestionable bad guy, or maybe the average Joe main character that all of us can identify with. Maybe it is the party of adventurers, consisting of an elf, a dwarf, and a wizard. Or is it the uncountable names that we can’t pronounce or the vast landscapes that can only exist in our minds?

            What ever your own definition of an epic fantasy is, it is easy to see that Wizard’s First Rule fits into this category. Now don’t get me wrong, I am by no means trying to say this is a cookie cutter fantasy. Far from it; I don’t think there are dwarfs or elves in the Westlands, Midlands or D’hara. But we do get to see the average Joe main character whom we can all identify with.

            In the case of Wizard’s First Rule, the eyes we see through during most of the journey is a man named Richard Cypher; a woods guide, living in one of the three land masses; the Westlands. The other two land masses mentioned here are the Midlands and D’hara. But it isn’t water or mountains that separate these lands, but a magical boundary that if entered, will instantly banish the unfortunate soul into the underworld.

            I won’t go too far into the description of the world because it is much more interesting to find out as you read, but just like all fantasies, our friend Richard soon finds himself with a strange woman who brings dire news of the happenings outside of the Westlands. Now this is part of the Sword of Truth series, so you might be asking what is the Sword of Truth and why is it so special? I asked myself this exact question when I first heard of the book, although my reasoning was because I have written my own story with a magical sword and I was worried I might have inadvertently copied Terry Goodkind.

            Thankfully, that didn’t happen, his magical blade exists and operates different from mine *phew* but it is certainly a magical blade to be remembered.

            Just to give a general idea of the sword, it is assigned to the one they call the “seeker,” a person who is best fit to seek out the truth, hence the name of the sword. Its magical abilities stem from an emotion of the person who wields it, though there are always hints that the magic in its entirety will be revealed later in the series. So don’t think that is all it does.

            Personally I loved this book. It gave me everything I loved about epic fantasies while keeping the ideas fresh and bringing new locations, creatures and characters to the table.

            Terry Goodkind has a great way of exploiting Murphy’s Law and so many times I found myself in great suspense or anticipation. So much so that several times I should have stopped reading to ease the tension. But notice I said, should have. I couldn’t put the book down long enough to do that. It is the kind of book that you have to know how it ends; you have to know if the characters you have grown to love will die, or if evil will prevail. This is a great quality for a book, but when it is a book this long, you had better be ready for a small chunk of your life to be consumed.

            But it isn’t all perfect. Despite a lot of new and original ideas, we see some reused ones as well. One particular character to note was Samuel, someone who had, over time, turned into a small hunched over grey creature, who constantly grabs for the main item in the story. If that isn’t a reference to Gollum then I don’t know what is.

            I also had a few issues with repetitious facial animations. It would seem that these characters do a lot of peering under their eyebrows and smile exercises. By smile exercises I mean he would say that they were smiling, then after a few more lines of dialogue he would say they smiled again. This isn’t really a bad thing, and it is hardly noticeable, but since it is a habit I myself am trying to break, I couldn’t help but notice it.

            So in short, if you are a fan of epics, epic fantasies, or just fantasies, this book is definitely worth checking out.