Book Review: Stone of Tears (and Save our Seeker!)

Below you will find a review I wrote for Stone of Tears, the second book in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. After you read it, I ask that you please continue as I will be briefly discussing the television show based on these books and the fanbase's continuing efforts to save it.

Book Review: Stone of Tears

Terry Goodkind has done it again with the sequel to Wizard’s First Rule. I must admit that I was impressed when I read the first book in the Sword of Truth series, and only a few days after completing it I picked up the sequel and began reading. I am happy to say that it is just as good as the first and in many ways excels above it.

Stone of Tears picks up almost exactly where the previous book left off, taking the perspective of Zedd to reveal the newest dilemma to plague the midlands and D'hara. Despite the fall of Darken Rahl, it appears that the opening of one of the boxes of Orden has caused more problems than our heroes realized. A black shaped tear has come out of the box and the sudden appearance of an underworld monster suggests that the veil has been torn and the Keeper of the Underworld might be released into the world of the living. Added on top of this problem are mysterious headaches that are getting worse and worse for Richard.

I don’t want to give too much away because every bit of this book was a joy to read for me. Terry Goodkind is skilled when it comes to ratcheting up suspense and keeping the character's desires just a hairs breadth out of reach. I was kept in suspense for all 979 pages, and you know it can't be easy to maintain interest that long, so the author deserves some credit there. It all flows together seemlessly and I'm glad that the characters are still interesting even after their more traditional fantasy adventure (from Wizard's First Rule) is over. Goodkind really explores where fantasy characters go after the smoke clears and its a refreshing journey.

Stone of Tears is a testament to what sequels should be, it keeps all the magic of the original while expanding on the universe and delving deeper into the elements we thought we already knew.

The only flaws I can really think of are spelling and punctuation errors. At first I thought it was just me, and that it was text I didn’t understand, but as it happened more and more, I couldn’t deny it. I often saw missing periods or capitals in the middle of sentences for no reason. Maybe there was reasoning for this, but who knows.

I also found that Terry Goodkind used rape too often as a device to demonize the enemy. It works, but after a while you can become numb to the descriptions which is the opposite of what the author was shooting for. It doesn't get too descriptive of the act taking place, but he doesn't entirely shy away from the results either. When I think about it, I don’t really blame him though; I mean in this day and age what will shock us? He wanted us to hate the enemy and somehow regular violence doesn’t work anymore. This is kind of a sad realization, but I won’t place any blame on Terry Goodkind, he just did what he had to and it worked.

I recommend this book to everyone who loved the first book, and if you never read the first one, then go read that one and then read this one, they are both an experience not to be missed.

5 out of 5

For those who don't know, the Sword of Truth books have been adapted into a television show called "Legend of the Seeker". The show just finished its second season, though due to poor advertising the ratings weren't enough to warrant a third season. Since that announcement, fans of the show have gathered together under a movement called "Save our Seeker". You can visit their website here. While the show isn't a direct adaptation of the work, it has taken the material and created its own universe and storylines. Personally, I am a huge fan of the show and it is clear there are others as well. If you haven't already given the show a try, I would highly recommend it. It is airing re-runs right now which you can find the air times for here. Or you can purchase the first season which is already available. You can read my review for the first book in the Sword of Truth series as well as find a link to purchase the first season of the show here.

Below you will find several seeker wallpapers for your enjoyment. (They are all in 1440x900 resolution). Though I edited these wallpapers, I claim no ownership over the pictures I found.