New Terry Goodkind Book!

[chriSchaeffer]

I just saw the announcement on terrygoodkind.com that the next Richard and Kahlan book will be coming out in early 2011! The announcement video looks really awesome and I'm so excited to hear that he's bringing back the main stars. The last book was interesting, but I missed my favorite couple.

The title has not yet been released.

[maulkin]

Yes, I noticed that too, although I wonder where the saga can possibly go after the events of Confessor. I have grown to loathe Richard over the years and my own wish would be to see Kahlan come to her senses and lead a rebellion against her former husband. I can't see that happening though. TG identifies with Richard and his Randian "philosophy" far too strongly ever to cast him as a villain. By the way, did anyone else notice the similarities between Richard's ideals and Greft's?

[chriSchaeffer]

"...lead a rebellion against her former husband."

You want Kahlan to divorce Richard and rebel against him?! Wow. What is it that you don't like about Richard? Though I disagree with some of what he rambles on about, I find his courage and sense of honor to be refreshing.

[maulkin]

Richard is an autocrat. He has unlimited power and is not afraid to use it. In fact, he feels justified in using it because he believes that his decisions are based on "reason" while those of others are not. He is encouraged in these beliefs by Zed and his other henchmen. Like all autocrats, Richard cannot tolerate dissent and he responds to it by physically eliminating the dissenters. Richard's actions at the conclusion of Confessor constitute genocide. The fact that his ideological opponents are "transported to another world" rather than killed is irrelevant. From the perspective of his world he has destroyed them.

The narrative of the story excuses Richard's actions by portraying his enemies as brutal thugs with no redeeming characteristics at all (and therefore deserving of the fate that is meted out to them by the benevolent dictator). Richard is also constantly portrayed as the underdog so that all of his actions, however brutal, have the gloss of victory against overwhelming odds. The story could almost have been written by Richard himself.

One of the many things that appeals to me in Hobb's writing is that, unlike Goodkind's, her characters are complex and flawed and her plots are based around the complex interactions between these characters rather than around simplistic clashes of ideologies.

Having said all of this, I have actually enjoy reading most of Goodkind's books. I just disagree with the philosophy that underlies them.

[chriSchaeffer]

I have to admit that Richard and Kahlan's lack of flaws annoys me. More specifically we never see them get angery at each other or do anything other than live in the honeymoon phase of relationship. That aspect seemed very naive.

Hobb definitely has deeper and more realistic characters due to flaws and a lack of perfection in their decisions and actions...

...but, darn it, sometimes I sure do like to drop all that drama and just read a bloody fast paced novel.

[maulkin]

I know what you mean. Goodkind does what he does very well and his books are always worth reading for the action and suspense.

[Nuytsia]

Yes, I noticed that too, although I wonder where the saga can possibly go after the events of Confessor. I have grown to loathe Richard over the years and my own wish would be to see Kahlan come to her senses and lead a rebellion against her former husband. I can't see that happening though. TG identifies with Richard and his Randian "philosophy" far too strongly ever to cast him as a villain. By the way, did anyone else notice the similarities between Richard's ideals and Greft's?

Hah no wonder I find Greft unbelievably creepy!!
I can't remember where I stopped reading Terry Goodkind's books, but I found Richard annoying after, geee book 1 ??
I did like those books I read a lot, but I just lost interest after a while and couldn't find the will to read yet another one.