Confessors go into prisons to touch those who are charged with serious crimes. They are called confessors because a person they touch must tell them the truth. Kahlan is the Mother Confessor, the last in a line of women who have great magical power. Another character who is more than meets the eye is Kahlan Amnell, first seen walking through the forest in a long white dress. He not only inspires loyalty, as all good leaders do, but he demands that all who rally to him make their own decisions. As a leader, however, Richard is different from any other. In the course of the novels, Richard becomes more than just the Seeker of Truth he also becomes the leader of the D’Haran house of Rahl. Goodkind is far and away the most widely read Objectivist novelist since Rand herself. As it happens, Richard often experiences anger, though it is always a righteous anger at the injustices of the world. The blade severed one of the man’s raised arms before exploding through his skull.” Interestingly, Richard is able to use the Sword of Truth and his other powers only when he reaches a state of anger. The sword’s tip whistled as it came around driven by deadly commitment. “A man rushing onward threw his arms up to seize Richard before his sword could be brought to bear. For example, in the eighth book, Naked Empire, Richard is traveling with a group of people when they are attacked by a body of men greatly outnumbering them. Richard is slow to draw that sword, but, when he does, he fights with implacable deadliness. His sword is called “Truth,” and the word is emblazoned on it. Richard becomes the Seeker of Truth, the latest and most powerful in that line of individuals who search for truth as their mission in life. Indeed, he is the most powerful magician to have been born in thousands of years. He is also descended from great wizards and can perform magic. He is, in fact, a man of great strength, both physically and morally. Richard Cypher is introduced as a simple woods guide, but from the moment he appears, the reader knows that Richard is more. According to his official Web site: “Terry has very expressly stated his own distaste for ‘world-building’ stories, where characters are vehicles used to explore the worlds the author creates.” Goodkind’s novels are used to explore people they are character-driven. But the other reason is simply that he tells interesting stories about intriguing characters.Īlthough Goodkind has created a complex fantasy world, he did not design his novels to explore that world. In part, no doubt, this success stems from the popular genre in which Goodkind writes. Fans around the world eagerly anticipate them, and his stories are the subject of both official and unofficial chat rooms and Web sites. His books appear on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. Of course, several Objectivists other than Ayn Rand have written novels, but Goodkind is far and away the most widely read Objectivist novelist since Rand herself.
They are clearly and directly influenced by Rand’s work, and the book’s heroes occasionally invoke Objectivist principles. Far more important, however, are the characters, plots, and themes of Goodkind’s novels. His official Web sitehad a philosophy section with quotations from Rand about esthetics and other areas of her philosophy.
Can a sword-and-sorcery author inherit the mantle of Ayn Rand ? Terry Goodkind, who writes in that fantasy genre, has explicitly stated that he is an Objectivist.