The Sword of Truth is a fantasy series written by Terry Goodkind consisting of 11 novels.
The story of The Sword of Truth is a familiar one: a boy turns out to be legendary hero, destined to face evil enemies with incredible powers and of course he gets help from an old wizard and a beautiful girl.
However, as most of the well-known and influential fantasy series, The Sword of Truth is well written and has quite a few innovative ideas and angles to it.
Story
Richard Cypher is a boy growing up the Westland, where no magic exists due to a barrier with the Midlands created long ago. But Richard turns out to be the Seeker of Truth, a champion of good with a great destiny. He is found by the Confessor Kahlan and aided by the wizard Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander, who has watched over him all of life.
Over the course of the series, Richard discovers his powers and falls in love with Kahlan, who by then has become the Mother Confessor. He first takes on the evil Darken Rahl, ruler of D’Hara. Richard discovers that Darken Rahl is father and, after killing him, becomes ruler of D’Hara. Then a new foe arises and Richard Rahl has to face the dream walker Emperor Jagang of the Old World who intends to take over the New World.
Theme and Setting
The novels of The Sword of Truth contain clear cut stories of good versus evil with a strong focus on morality. Each of the novels in the series are constructed around a wizard’s rule, which is a moral lesson to be heeded if one wants to be a good wizard or human being in general. This is in line with the focus on the growth of the characters, especially those of Richard and Kahlan. Combined with the epic fight against evil, this makes the series as a clear example of high fantasy with heroic elements.
The overall story and underlying themes and plots will therefore often sound somewhat familiar and repetitive but they are well written. Also, Terry Goodkind has been able to include original (fantasy) elements in his books.
Criticism
Some love the series, some hate it: let’s say that The Sword of Truth is not exactly my cup of tea. The first couple of books were pretty good but I have to admit that I stopped reading after 5the Soul of the Fire. The story became a bit too romantic and tedious for my taste. I can handle a bit of romance and morality in a series but it is not the main thing I am looking for when reading fantasy. On the other hand, millions have read Terry Goodkinds books and it is one of the few fantasy series that has been turned in a television series.
The Books
1994 – Wizard’s First Rule
1996 – Stone of Tears
1997 – Blood of the Fold
1998 – Temple of the Winds
1999 – Soul of the Fire
2001 – Faith of the Fallen
2002 – The Pillars of Creation
2003 – Naked Empire
2005 – Chainfire
2005 – Phantom
2007 – Confessor
It is hardly surprising but the latest World of Warcraft expansion “Cataclysm”, launched early December 2010, is a huge success.
Blizzard Entertainment has announced the the expansion pack, in which most of the game world Azeroth is destroyed by disastrous events, has been sold 3.3 million times in the first 24 hours. How many more copies have followed since, has not been made public but the number will easily have doubled.
To promote the expansion even further, Cataclysm can now be played for free during a 10 day trial period.
Sales numbers like these leave both other fantasy games as well as other MMORPGs at a very, very far distance.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm trailer
Marvel has released a trailer for their next superhero movie: Thor. The movie will be in theaters in May 2011.
The movie Thor is based on the Marvel Comics series that was created in the sixties by Stan Lee and friends. The original characters of course originate from Norse mythology but the stories of old have been twisted a tiny bit. This has resulted in a bold mix between fantasy and science-fiction with storylines that are set in the modern day United States.
This is also why I have got mixed feelings about Thor: the trailer looks great and slick but at the same time it is not difficult to imagine that the movie can become a cheesy, heavy on the one-liners, action flick.
There is still several months to go till the movie will be in theaters so let’s stay tuned for more information to help decide if Thor is something for the best fantasy movies list or not.
The Trailer
Like Warcraft, Diablo is also made by Blizzard Entertainment. The player is a hero who has to face monsters, undead beings and demons from Hell, eventually facing the three Prime Evils from Hell (the end-bosses of the games): Mephisto, Baal and of course the Lord of Terror: Diablo.
Diablo I and II are among the most popular fantasy games ever made and Diablo III is expected to do just as well when it is released in 2011.
Theme & Setting
The Diablo games are real-time, action-RPGs with a lot of focus on fighting. The games are of the “hack and slash” type in a setting often described as “dungeon roaming” as the player travels through several levels that are situated in dungeons.
The type of fantasy to which Diablo belongs, clearly is dark fantasy as the games are set in a gritty world filled with demons and other unnatural, demonic beings.
Diablo I
Released in 1997, Diablo I has become one of the most popular and influential role-playing games ever made. It is considered to have had a large influence on many other games.
The player is either a warrior (sword fighter), a rogue (archer) or a sorcerer and can increase the abilities of their hero by collecting experience. After travelling through 16 dungeon levels the hero eventually battles Diablo, the Lord of Terror, and traps him in a soulstone.
Diablo II
Diablo II was released in 2000 and tell the story of what happened after Diablo I. The evil Diablo has not been imprissoned but has taken over the body of the hero of the first game. Once again, the player has to hunt down Diablo but now also has to face Mephisto and Baal.
Diablo II was also received positively, winning game of the year awards, and many millions of copies were sold.
Diablo III
Diablo III is under development and several trailers of the game have already been released. Anticipation is high but when this third installment will be released has not yet been made public. Most likely, it will be somewhere in 2011.
Watch trailers for Diablo III.
HBO has offered us a look inside the upcoming fantasy series Game of Thrones.
Robert Jordan was the pseudonym of James Oliver Rigney Jr., the author of the world famous Wheel of Time series. Sadly, he passed away 2007 and was unable to finish this series before his death.
Life and Death
Robert Jordan was born in South Carolina in 1948. He did two tours in the Vietnam was and, after getting his degree in physics, became a nuclear engineer. It took till 1977 before he started writing. Jordan married Harriet McDougal, who would also become his editor. Jordan was a Christian and a Freemason, which showed in the themes he used in his books.
Having announced being ill in 2006, Robert Jordan died of Cardiac amyloidosis (“stiff heart syndrome”) on September 16, 2007.
The Wheel of Time
Robert Jordan has written several other books (the Fallon series and Conan stories) but by writing the Wheel of Time series, he has created a landmark in the fantasy genre. The Wheel of Time is a great and influential series with the cliché story of a simple boy who turns out to be the great hero. The series is well written with original ideas and approaches, both when it comes to story telling and in relation to the use of magic.
I hope that Brandon Sanderson will honor him by writing a fitting end to the series through The Gathering Storm, Towers of Midnight, and A Memory of Light.
Official blog of Robert Jordan.
A new trailer of the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones has been released, this time showing several scenes and giving a good impressions of the look and feel of the series.
The TV show is based on George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire and by the looks of the trailer, the production of the television series is well underway and on the right track!
The trailer
Official Game of Thrones website.
Universal Pictures has released a so-called restricted trailer for an upcoming fantasy comedy movie called Your Highness. The theater release of the movie is scheduled for April 8, 2011.
It may not get up to the list of best fantasy movies but by judging by the trailer, Your Highness will be a very funny movie. And that is quite something, because humorous fantasy is a very rare phenomenon on the screen.
The movie tells the story the arrogant prince Thadeous (played by Danny McBride) and his brother, the heroic Fabious (played by James Franco) who, against their will, depart on an epic quest in order to save their father’s kingdom while falling in love wil a warrior princess (played by Natalie Portman).
HD trailer:
20th Century Fox has released a new trailer for the latest movie in the The Chronicles of Narnia series, called The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
With Peter studying and Susan travelling, the youngest Pevensie children Edmund and Lucy, together their cousin Eustace, enter Narnia through a painting and end up helping King Caspian find the seven banished lords of Narnia.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be in theaters on December 10, 2010.
The new trailer:
The first trailer:
Created in 1986 and having sold about 60 million copies since, Zelda is one of the major game series of Nintendo and one of the best and most popular fantasy game series ever made.
The setting is classical high fantasy with a storyline revolving around magic, gods and artifacts.
The main character Link is an elf-like character who, throughout the games, is continuously trying to save Princess Zelda and/ or looking for pieces of the Triforce in order to prevent evil forces from taking over the world.
Type of game & Popularity
The Zelda games are best described as action-adventures. There is a lot of exploring to be done but puzzle and riddle solving also plays a fair part. It is the combination between action and puzzles that attracts so many people both in Asia and in Europe and the US. Also contributing to the popularity are the charismatic setting and atmosphere of the games and the great music that is used.
Many Zelda games have been made over the last 15 years and most of these games, especially the original The Legend of Zelda, are considered to be among the best games ever made. The latest Zelda game “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” is expected for 2011.
List of Zelda games
The list below shows the official Zelda games that were published over the years. However, many spin-offs and remakes were also made.
The Legend of Zelda – 1986
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link -1987
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past – 1991
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – 1993
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – 1998
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – 2000
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages – 2001
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons – 2001
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker – 2002
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures – 2004
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap – 2004
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – 2006
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass – 2007
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks – 2009
The Farseer Trilogy is fantasy series written by Robin Hobb, one of the few successful female fantasy authors. It consists of the novels Assassin’s Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin’s Quest.
It is a pretty classic story with a hero who at first is quite insignificant and becomes more and more important but it is written well and has original elements, which is why it is in my list of favorite fantasy series.
Story
The series tells the tale of a nameless, young boy, the bastard son of Prince Chivalry, who gets the name Fitz (or FitzChivalry). He makes a pact with his grandfather, king Shrewd, to get shelter and safety in turn for absolute loyalty.
Fitz is taught the ways of an assassin and puts his telepathic Skills to use by defending the kingdom of the Six Duchies throughout the three novels against the Red-Ship Raiders and political ploys at the court.
Style & Themes
Robin Hobb, perhaps because she is a woman, puts a lot of emotion in her writing and the main characters in her books really come to life and develop themselves throughout the series. I believe this is one of the main reasons why her books are that popular and why she is on the list of best fantasy authors.
The story does contain action and magic but is also very much focused at political ploys and intrigues. The focus on character building and the relatively minor role of magic clearly makes The Farseer Trilogy as a more low fantasy series than a high fantasy one.
Conclusion
The Farseer series may not be very action-oriented, but it is well written, has great story lines and plot twists and very solid character building. Hobb has written several other major series like The Liveship Traders Trilogy and The Tawny Man Trilogy but The Farseer Trilogy remains my favorite.
