Soul of the Fire FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
April 1999
Good Times Are Here at Last
A highly readable, engaging, and thoroughly enjoyable tale, Soul of the Fire -- the fifth novel in Terry Goodkind's famous high-fantasy Sword of Truth series -- brims with all the drama, enchantment, and exploits we've come to expect from the author. Along with Robert Jordan, Goodkind has established himself as one of the luminaries of the extended fantasy megaseries subgenre, turning out huge, action-packed, magic-filled tomes of sword and sorcery. Soul of the Fire is a sweeping high-fantasy adventure that is bound to enrapture Goodkind fans and garner him a good many new devotees. Here the reader is presented with a quest to protect not only family and honor but also the very nature of the magical world at large.
The Seeker of Truth -- Richard, Lord Rahl -- and his longtime love, Kahlan Amnell, a.k.a. the Mother Confessor, have finally married. In an effort to keep politics and extravaganza out of their wedding day, Richard and Kahlan decided not to be wed in any of the major cities of the realm, but instead among the sincere and simple Mud People. After a wedding night spent in the Mud People's Spirit House, Richard finally meets up with his crafty grandfather, Zedd the wizard. The curious Zedd now wishes to learn all about the adventures Richard has encountered since they last spoke face-to-face. However, before the day is over, one of the Mud People mysteriously dies, and the shaman of the tribe, known as the Bird Man, claims that oneof the chickens is in reality something far more.
At first no one believes the superstitious and backward Bird Man, but after the chicken continues to attack members of the tribe and eventually attempts to kill Kahlan, Richard realizes that an overwhelming evil is at work. The chicken is eventually exposed by Zedd as a "lurker," a being possibly sent by the dream walker, Jagang. In addition, all forms of magic are beginning to fail. This is perhaps due to a spell that Kahlan once cast, in an effort to save Richard's life, that involved speaking the names of the three powerful "chimes." In the wake of these new developments, Zedd sends Richard on an urgent mission back to Aydindril and the Wizard's Keep to retrieve the Sword of Truth. Rather than relying on the mystical sliph, a being capable of transporting anyone across the land in a matter of hours rather than days, Richard, Kahlan, and their bodyguard, Cara, must now cross the realm on foot. A plague has been unleashed upon the land, destroying magic wherever it touches. The chimes themselves are capable of stealing souls and are now being manipulated by an otherworldly creature of malice. Once again, the powerful Imperial Order is on the attack, and this time there may be no way to avoid a full-scale war.
Reminiscent of Larry Niven's thought-provoking novel The Magic Goes Away, this latest entry in the Sword of Truth series depicts a smoothly constructed, well-thought-out world based in sorcery that shows how the disruption of magic in even the smallest animals and insects will eventually doom the human population. Goodkind is wise to establish the plot within a self-contained story line so that new fans to the series won't be lost if they venture into later novels in the series first. Despite a huge cast and a vast store of history and previous escapades, this carefully unfolding novel will never lose the new reader. Goodkind should be praised for having such respect for his growing readership, and to that end the Sword of Truth books make up one of the most highly developed, engrossing epic fantasy series yet.
--Tom Piccirilli
Tom Piccirilli is the author of the critically acclaimed supernatural novel Pentacle, as well as the dark suspense mysteries Shards and The Dead Past. His short fiction has appeared in many anthologies, including The Conspiracy Files. His two latest, an exciting mystery called Sorrow's Crown and a horror novel called Hexes, have just been released.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Richard Rahl has traveled far from his roots as a simple woods guide. Emperor of the D'Haran Empire, war wizard, the Seeker of Truth—none of these roles mean as much to him as his newest: husband to his beloved Kahlan Amnell, Mother Confessor of the Midlands.
But their wedding is the key that unlocks a spell sealed away long ago in a faraway country. Now a deadly power pours forth that threatens to turn the world into a lifeless waste.
Separated from the Sword of Truth and stripped of their magic, Richard and Kahlan must journey across the Midlands to discover a dark secret from the past and a trap that could tear them apart forever. For their fate has become inextricably entwined with that of the Midlands—and there's no place so dangerous as a world without magic...
SYNOPSIS
One of the decade's most spectacular fantasy epics is Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. Unknown in the early '90s, Goodkind is now one of the bestselling contributors to the exceedingly popular high-fantasy subgenre. Soul of the Fire will enrapture Goodkind's large, devoted following and draw others into the fun as well.
FROM THE CRITICS
Romantic Times
Mr. Goodkind has the extraordinary ability to imbue rousing fantasy adventure with a rare emotional depth, once again exploring the power of love an dofgiveness ina tour de force of mesmerizing storytelling.
Publishing News
Few writers have Goodkind's power of creation....The Sword of Truth sequence is a phenomenal piece of imaginative writing, exhaustive in its scope and riveting in its detail.
Library Journal
An act of desperation sets loose the three Chimes, otherworldly creatures with the power to destroy magic. While Richard Rahl, the Seeker of Truth, and his wife, Kahlan, the Mother Confessor, search for a way to recall the Chimes, the emperor Jagang continues his savage war against the lands of D'Hara. The fifth installment in the author's "Sword of Truth" series reveals further complications in an already complex story that shows no signs of coming to an end. Libraries that own the previous volumes in the series should add this title to their fantasy collections. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
San Diego Union-Tribune
Terry Goodkind once again demonstrates that fantasy writing works as a vehicle for exploring adult themes. While employing all of the action and magic typical of the genre, he incorporates a sense of realism.
Kirkus Reviews
Another entry in Goodkind's fantasy Sword of Truth series (Temple of the Winds, 1997, etc.) and a new adventure for Richard, Lord Rahl, the Seeker of Truth and wielder of the Sword of Truth, his wife Kahlen Amnell, the Mother Confessor, and grandfather Zedd the wizard. The D'Haran Empire faces new challenges: the mysterious "chimes" possess a magical power that can steal souls; and war with the powerful Imperial Order may be unavoidable. Richard will discover that the chimes are themselves slaves of an undead being who has created for himself an impenetrable otherworldly fortress. Goodkind demonstrates that it's perfectly possible — from the reader's point of view, highly desirable — to write a commendably self-contained, shapely yarn within a previously defined scenario while leaving scope for plenty of new discoveries and embellishments. . .
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