THE THIRD KINGDOM is the latest Richard and Kahlan novel by author
Terry Goodkind who returns readers to the wondrous and dangerous
lives of the Seeker and the Mother Confessor as they are drawn back
into a darkness that threatens their world. The novel also continues
from the previous book, THE OMEN MACHINE and begins with a
devastating attack on Richard and his consorts by a group of
soulless
men after they were tainted by death during the defeat of the Hedge
Maid Jit. Weakened and almost dead, Richard awakes to find these men
talking about cannibalism that forces him to draw upon the powers of
the Sword of
Truth.
Fortunately for Richard and the comatosed Kahlan, they are rescued by a group
of local villagers who take them back to their secluded city in The
Dark Lands. As the Seeker, it is here that Richard pieces together
the events of the attack and that with the help of a young sorcereress
named Samantha, he learns that he has been tainted by the Hedge Maid
and he now walks between two worlds of life and death. It is here
where Richard discovers a message left by Merritt and Magda Searus,
the First Confessor (See The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda
Searus 2012) that he has been given the task of ending prophecy and
must venture into the Third Kingdom to not only face an ancient evil
but also that of Lord Arc, a powerful necromancer who threatens the
very foundations of their world.
Terry Goodkind returns to the world of Richard and Kahlan in a very
powerful way in THE THIRD KINGDOM and unfortunately for our two protagonists, the journey
ahead of them is riddled with uncertainty and death. Initially the
story is a little slow to start but Goodkind is building the
momentum of the story and linking it back to his e-book and audio
book, The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus. In actual
fact, this novel could be considered a sequel to that book which
took place thousands of years before the current story. However even
if you missed his previous book due to the format, you will not be
disadvantaged whatsoever and Goodkind ensures enough information is
given to the reader.
My one negativity about THE THIRD KINGDOM was the pacing of the
story which did suffer some issues at the start, including lengthy
and sometimes repetitive dialogue and the conclusion which I enjoyed,
seemed a little rushed. Nonetheless Terry Goodkind is back in form
and if you're a fan of the Sword of Truth series than I would
happily recommend this novel to you.
