The First Confessor is in traditional Goodkind style, filled with suspence and gripping action sequences. Even though I already had an idea of where the book was heading, being a fan of the Sword of Truth series, I still found elements that were new and exciting.I gave this book only four stars, because there were some sections where I felt that Goodkind was repeating himself. This repetition at times distracted from the tension of the scenes. Regardless, I loved the book and can't wait to add a paperback copy to my shelf to suppliment the others that I have. I really liked the first few novels in the Sword of Truth series. The latter half of the series however, didn't go down quite as well. And I'm afraid that the first Magda Searus book is in with the latter. I'll characterize it too as a novel that I really wanted to enjoy that ended up letting me down.I wanted to give this book a try because it was a new series, though set in the same world as the Sword of Truth, only 3000 years before, at the time both the confessors and the sword were made. But the thing is, the world is exactly the same; it could have been yesterday. Where I expected to find an earlier stage of cultural development, of architectural development, and other such changes in the world, I'm sorry to say that there were none.The same is true for the general plot: An invading emperor threatens war upon the wizard's keep, wanting to spread his communist-like tyranny, using infiltrators and raising the dead to aid him. ...which is exactly what went on in the later Sword of Truth novels, no?I also have a similar reaction to the morals of this story as I had to the last half of Sword of Truth. The characters here too have principles that I'm having real issues with, that make it very hard to call them my heroes. I can't help but think that this book is an attempt to get across some sort of right wing politic, which isn't really what I'm looking for, or expect from a fantasy novel. Then there's the language. I absolutely detest hearing the same word over and over again in the same sentence (comes from being a poet), and this book is full of that. That's something I expect an editor to pick up on, but that doesn't seem to have happened here. It would definitely have improved the smoothness of the reading if the language had been more varied, less repetitive.As far as the audiobook narration goes... It's abysmal. Everything is read in the same tone, so not only is it hard to guess who's talking, but it's also hard to pick out the questions from all the other dialogue. What's more, for a single character that only has a few sentences of dialogue, the narrator inexplicably slips into a New Zealand accent for no apparent reason, which, of course, stood out like nobody's business....but I can hardly blame the author for *that*, now can I?The book also bears the mark of being an inbetween sort of novel. As you read, it's very clear that there will be more books in this series. In the end, the series might work as a whole, but this book alone reads like just the beginning, and doesn't work very well as a standalone novel, and is structured in a way that makes you wait for the story to take off, when in fact, it's almost over.I guess the only thing that remains is to ask the author: "Why have you written this, Terry?" Because we've definitely been here before.Most disappointing.
What do You think about La Première Inquisitrice (2013)?
Reading The First Confessor was an absolute joy - seriously! I feel like Goodkind got back to what made The Sword of Truth universe so compelling when it originally started so many years ago. Gone was the sweeping Ayn Rand commentary. In its place was a fantastic story that gave great insight and background into how the Confessors were established. Plus, this book really fleshed out the wizard war which is a central part of the later books. If Goodkind will keep writing like this, I'll read any SoT book he chooses to publish. I loved it!
—Koti
Well done. Good to know the source of the confessors. I did have trouble with all the violence (I'm beginning to have this problem with a lot of the "current" science fiction/ fantasy). At times it felt over the top, similar reaction to Wizard's First Rule. If you can get through all of that then the story holds together and I now have an understanding of the world these characters live in. Depending on my mood I may venture into this world again but right now I need a simpler storyline that is less violent.
—Rhansell
Loved the back story of The First Confessor. Can't help feeling that the story goes on.
—Lovegirl468
A bit disappointing, not as good as the Sword of Truth series.
—blkbull0
