The Lair

Read Terry Goodkind’s Phantom on Sunday. I started on the Sword of Truth series a few years ago while waiting for Robert Jordan to hurry up and write his next book. The Sword of Truth series has diverged from the conventional fantasy genre since I started but overall, I still have to say that Richard Rahl and his doings are far from a breath of fresh air for fantasy writers, whatever the author may claim.

In Phantom, there are only about 4 major plot advances of note throughout the book. Having said that, I did enjoy reading it more than my world weary cynical tone might suggest… Terry Goodkind is predictable in the sense of good triumphing over evil (eventually - after much gnashing of teeth, pontific pronouncements by Richard and several wails to “dear spirits”) and he’s good for a lighthearted escapist read. Somewhat unusually, this book is the 10th in the SoT series; but it also is the 2nd in a mini trilogy embedded into the series. For an added note of cheer, the eleventh book (which is also the concluding book in the embedded trilogy) will end the series. That means that a fantasy writer will actually finish a series in my lifetime. My jaw is agape at this shocking state of affairs.

To give away a few spoilers - it begins to look like Richard’s order for the D’Haran army to go kommando on the much larger force of the Order is working; some weirdass interplay with Violet (last seen sans tongue) and a witch woman with a truly unimaginative name (dear spirits Mr Goodkind, explanation regardless; couldn’t you have come up with a better name for an evil witch woman than Six? I mean, seriously). Richard, as usual, excels at something towards the end of the book (this time at a game named Ja’La) and thus; worms his way ever closer to Jagang’s army for the final showdown as a pro Ja’La player. Can anyone think of a Gladiator (the movie) style showdown as the climax of the next book? I knew you could.

Perhaps I’m not the only person who thinks that things have taken a slightly simplistic (crisis, more crises, Richard finds a magical answer, we’re all saved, huzzah) formula since about book 5 or so … Darken Rahl was a genuinely scary arch foe, but after he was seemingly killed off (or banished to the Underworld) every other villain that has been summoned to fill the void (Jagang, the Sisters of the Dark) seem to lack that menace, that overarching purpose that seems convincing to me. Having said that, at least the series is going to finish. Which brings me, unsurprisingly enough, to the Wheel of Time.

Robert Jordan has been stricken with amyloidosis. He’s been desperately unlucky, given the odds of contracting the disease and from the picture painted; the odds of surviving it don’t look all that great either. Nuff said, I reckon.

Oh, and I have a new respect for Frederick Forsyth after I saw him on “Celebrity Who Wants to be a Millionaire” last weekend. He certainly wasn’t Ken Jennings, but he answered most (obscure) questions with an assurance which had me rooting for him. £125,000 was only 3 questions off the top prize and he did get that £250,000 question right too - just didn’t want to risk squandering the money, he said.