10 epic sci-fi/fantasy book series to binge
By Daniel Roman
Wizard’s First Rule – Precious Metals Supply and Demandhttps://t.co/LBKDWpxO1F pic.twitter.com/J0bwDNf7fj
— Pater Tenebrarum (@Acting_Man) November 6, 2018
6. Sword of Truth
Depending on who you ask, Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth is either one of the best fantasy series ever, or one of the absolute worst. There are a lot of reasons for this conflict: Goodkind’s heavy-handedness with the morals of his stories, his use of sexual danger to drive the plot (a trope much more common in romance than SF/F), his shining interview personality — but at the end of the day, there’s no denying that Sword of Truth is a huge, epic series with a ton of books for the avid reader.
The series follows Richard Cypher and Kahlan Amnell, a power couple among power couples. Richard is the wielder of the Sword of Truth, a shining bastion of goodness in a world that is all but overrun by the will of several evil rulers. Kahlan is the Mother Confessor, the last in a line of women whose touch can obliterate the free will of a person and cause them to follow her every command. Richard and Kahlan’s adventures often find them traveling to exotic locales, unearthing magical revelations and fighting against all sorts of interesting creatures. Say what you will of Goodkind’s heavy Ayn Randian themes, but the magic system and monsters of his world are pretty solid. These books are sword and sorcery to a T…just don’t tell the author that.
The original Sword of Truth saga was comprised of 11 books, but several years later Goodkind decided to expand on them with another four “Richard and Kahlan” novels that continue the story. After that, there’s the Nicci Chronicles, four more books that follow two of the most prominent side characters on their own post-Sword of Truth adventures. Oh, and there’s also a stand-alone novel about one of Kahlan’s predecessors, set hundreds of years before the main story. And a prequel novella that leads directly into the first book.
That brings the total up to an impressive 20 books, each one so thick enough you could use it to defend yourself in a fight. Whatever can be said about Terry Goodkind, and there’s a lot, the man can certainly churn out books.