It it time for some Terry Goodkind books, you may already known this American writer because of this famous The Sword of Truth books even though some call it The Legend of the Seeker books. A saga that was adapted into a tv series produced by ABC Studios and distributed by Disney, this is why some fans of this adaptation call this series The Legend of the Seeker books. No matter how you know this series, if you are looking for all the Terry Goodkind books in order just keep reading.
Not only you wil find the Sword of Truth series order but you will also find lots of answers here, are The Sworth of Truth books worth reading? should you call it The Sword Truth books or is The Legend of the seeker books a more appropiate name? Along this article, I will refer to this series using both of these titles indistinctly, so don’t forget both refer to the same series.
Terry Goodkind books in order: The Sword of Truth book reading order
If you want to start this Terry Goodkind books the The Sword of Truth reading order is not either the chronological order nor the publication order. Instead, I suggest you read The Sword of Truth books (or Legend of the seeker books ) in this customized order: you have to read Terry Goodkind books in publication order except for the two prequels which you should read at the end.
That is, you should read Terry Goodkind books in publication order, except for a small twist leaving the first prequel (Debt of Bones, which was published in between the original book series) after the original series. As a result, here you have The legend of the seeker books in order:
As you see the Legend of the Seeker books is divided into several arcs, this way it might be easier for you to start it.
Now that you know the sword of truth reading order you can get all Terry Goodkind books by getting this book set!
You already know the Sword of Truth series order, in case you are considering getting all the books by Terrry Goodkind then this book set is perfect for you, since it collects all the books in this series:
A list with the Sword of Truth reading order- Terry Goodkind books
You had the Sword of Truth series order shown before, but if you want a list showing all Terry Goodkind’s books for this series then here you have it:
Terry Goodkind books in order
Sword of truth books or legend of the seeker books reading order
Wizard’s First Rule ( Darken Rahl)
Stone of Tears ( Darken Rahl)
Blood of the Fold ( Imperial Order)
Temple of the Winds ( Imperial Order)
Soul of the Fire ( Imperial Order)
Faith of the Fallen ( Imperial Order)
The Pillars of Creation ( Pristinely Ungifted)
Naked Empire ( Pristinely Ungifted)
Chainfire ( Chainfire)
Phantom ( Chainfire)
Confessor ( Chainfire)
The Omen Machine ( The Darklands)
The Third Kingdom ( The Darklands)
Severed Souls ( The Darklands)
Warheart ( The Darklands)
Debt of Bones (Prequel)
The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus (pre-prequel)
How should call the Terry Goodkind books? The Legend of The Seeker books or The Sword of Truth books?
While the book saga is called The Sword of Truth the tv series producers decided to call their adaptation The Legend of the Seeker. It is similar to what happens to George R.R Martin’s work, whose adaptation of his series (A Song of Ice and Fire) was titled as the first book: Game of Thrones.
Is it correct to call this series The Legend of The Seeker books then?
The correct name is The Sword of Truth books in any case, but it’s okay to call them that way as well since lots of fans know this series thanks to the adaptation produced by ABC Studios.
What genre are Terry Goodkind books?
The Sword of Truth is a high fantasy series that started with Wizard’s First Rule, and ended in 2007 with Confessor. After the original series, several novels have followed being mainly composed of two sequels: The Richard and Kahlan series and The Nicci Chronicles.
The number of published books for this saga account to 21, two of them, Siege of Stone and The Scribbly Man, published in 2019. The last novel, Heart of Black Ice, was published in 2020.
What is The Sword of Truth about?
The world of the Sword of Truth is divided into two regions, The New Wold and the Old World. The beginning of this story is set in the New world, and the story will take place weeks after the father of the main character, Richard Cypher, is murdered. In the subsequent books, action will also take place in the Old world, after a series of events which happen in the second book, Stone of Tears.
In this universe the magic is powerful, having some regions such as D’Hara ruled by wizards. One of the main elements of this magic world is The Confessors, magically gifted women who can force people to work for them and therefore fulfill their purposes.
This series center on Richard Cypher, a woods guide whose life will change after becoming the Seeker of Truth. As a seeker, Richard will have to search for the truth and act upon it. Along with him will travel Kahlan Amnell, a Confessor seeking the First Wizard and Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, a powerful wizard.
A Seeker of Truth
“A Seeker does exactly as the name implies; he seeks. He seeks the answers to things. Things of his own choosing. If he is the right person, he will seek the answers that will help others, not just himself. The whole purpose of a Seeker is to be free to quest on his own, to go where he wants, ask what he wants, learn what he wants, find answers to what he wants to know, and if need be, do whatever it is the answers demand.” Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander
Because of being a seeker of Truth Richard will wield the Sword of Truth. This sword will provide to its wielder additional strength and agility but nevertheless, it will also instill great anger. During his journey Richard Cypher will have to fight the forces of evil, having to defeat the wizard ruler of the Midlands, Darken Rahl.
The books revolve around the eleven Wizard Rules, a series of teachings taught to wizards, each of the books of the original saga is linked to one of these Wizard rules. This is why, the first book, is named Wizard’s First Rule, being the first one of this Wizard rules is the following:
“People are stupid; given proper motivation, almost anyone will believe almost anything. Because people are stupid, they will believe a lie because they want to believe it’s true, or because they’re afraid it might be true. Peoples’ heads are full of knowledge, facts and beliefs, and most of it is false, yet they think it all true. People are stupid; they can only rarely tell the difference between a lie and the truth, and yet they are confident they can, and so are all the easier to fool.”
The Sword of Truth tv series, the reason this saga is called The Legend of the Seeker books
Did you know this saga had a tv series adaptation? It was named The Legend of the Seeker and it had 44 episodes comprised in two seasons. After this, it got canceled, therefore not having a third season.
The cast of The Legend of the Seeker
The main characters had the following cast:
Richard Cypher: Craig Horner
Kahlan Amnell: Bridget Regan.
Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander: Bruce Spence.
You can check more info at IMDB, see here.
Why was Legend of the Seeker Canceled?
Even though there was no explanation why The Legend of the Seeker got canceled, probably his score at Metacritic of 55 might serve as a good indicator of why this happened. Also, the general opinion was that the show lacked originality not having anything that made this tv series special.
The Sword of Truth books quotes
Here are some quotes of this saga:
“Sometimes, making the wrong choice is better than making no choice. You have the courage to go forward, that is rare. A person who stands at the fork, unable to pick, will never get anywhere.” Wizard’s First Rule.
“Love is a passion for life shared with another person. You fall in love with a person who you think is wonderful. It’s your deepest appreciation of the value of that individual, and that individual is a reflection of what you value most in life. Love, for sound reasons, can be one of life’s greatest rewards.” Chainfire.
If you want to read more The Sword of Truth Book quotes just check this link on Goodreads.
The Scribbly Man, the last book in The Legend of the Seeker books
The last book on the list, The Scribbly Man, depicts Richard and Khalan after having kids. As Terry Goodkind himself states:
“The Sword of Truth series was my masterwork. Yet, life for these characters goes on after the conclusion of that series. For years readers have been asking about Richard and Kahlan having kids. This is that story. The Children of D’Hara picks up within days of where Sword of Truth ended with WARHEART and continues the story of Richard and Kahlan and their children.” —Terry Goodkind
Is The Sword of Truth series finished?
Yes, and no. The original series is indeed finished. However, as you see in the previous how to read, the story keeps going through its prequels.
Is The Sword of Truth series worth reading?
Even though this series has gotten a lot of criticism, you should give The Sword of Truth a chance and read at least the first book, Wizard’s First Rule. You will be introduced in a new engagin fantasy world. The suggestion here is to start reading this series and decide if they are worth reading or not.
Who wrote The Sword of Truth books
The Sword of Truth saga is written by the American author Terry Goodkind. The Sword of Truth is by far his most notorious work, having sold more than 25 million copies worldwide. He has published other works, such as The Law of Nines, a thriller set in the real world or The Sky People, an alternate history novel which takes place on the planet Venus.
Is The Sword of Truth related to the Holy Bible?
No, for some reason lots of people think it is but The Sword of Truth and the Bible are not related. Maybe it is because of these bible verses:
“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,”
Ephesians 6:17 ESV
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Hebrews 4:12 ESV
As you see, there is no connection between The Sword of Truth and The Holy Bible. It’s just these two verses are similar to the title of the saga and lead to confusion.
Hope you enjoyed this article as much as you enjoy Terry Goodkind books. Will you call it The Legend of the Seeker books or The Sword Truth books? leave a comment and let’s see which of both wins!
This saga is certainly not as complex as Malazan: Book of The Fallen reading order order and not funny as Discworld reading order. Take a look at the Mitford reading order.
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