Not That Kind of Wind! (Temple of The Winds - Terry Goodkind)

Member Name: katygriff

Product:	Temple of The Winds - Terry Goodkind
Date:	09/08/06 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Everything.

Disadvantages: None.

Fantasy books in my opinion are some of the most entertaining and I really do enjoy reading them. When I was at University and one of my housemates introduced me to an author called terry Goodkind then I never imagined that I would be sitting here over four years later still reading his books over and over again as I love them that much. The book I am going to review is Temple of the winds and is the fourth in the sword of truth series and my second favourite out of all ten books Goodkind has written and here is why.

I am going to point out that this book is fourth in a series so although I am making a huge effort not to mention anything that can be considered a spoiler because it is the fourth in a series some things that would have been a surprise in earlier books may be realised by you if you decide to read the series but trust me nothing really major will be spoiled.

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What is the Book About?

The book takes off straight from where we left it in Blood of the Fold. A plague is haunting the lands set on by Emperor Jagang and Richard is 100% clueless on what must be done to stop it. Kahlan and Cara capture a wizard Marlin and through Marlins connection with the evil Emperor Jagang they are able to learn some valid information.

A young woman called Nadine arrives and it soon becomes apparent that she knows Richard from Westland where he grew up. She believes Richard is her betrothed and although Kahlan is standing there with him, this does not stop Nadine trying to persuade Richard that they belong together.

Shortly after a young guy called Drefan arrives claiming to be Richards’s half brother. Richard is pleased to see some family but it soon shows that Drefan has secrets that he is not going to tell anybody.

Richard and Kahlan come to realise that to stop the plague from killing millions of innocent people, Richard must enter the temple of the winds but the prices for doing so are extremely high. Can either of them truly realise the implications of entering and will they be able to still be as enthusiastic to the good cause knowing what must happen.


Verdict on the Story:

Yes I know much of the story synopsis I have done is in riddle but I just don’t want to give anything away because it is such an enjoyable book to read I would rather you find out yourselves. This story is fantastic as from the very start of the book you have picked off where you left off with the last so you are straight back into the action. Throughout the book the many stories become entangled and each is as engaging as each other. The story is strong and I did no get bored once. In fact if I could I would have read the book in one sitting but it is way too long to do that.

The thing is if you are going to read this book then you should have read the other three so by this time you know about the characters and what they are like and also you know about Terry Goodkind’s writing style and if you like it. I have to say that I think this book is one of the strongest in the series due to how amazing its story. I cannot fault it because everything from the character development to the descriptions are spot on and the book is so easy to read.

Throughout the book you want to keep on reading and do not want it to end and then the ending is so satisfying it actually makes you really sad the book is over. I think when you get a story like this it is a wonderful thing and especially if you can read every page and love every word. Now that is a great and successful story.

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Characters:

Richard – In this book he must fight the plague and also contend with prophecies that the one he loves will betray him. He is strong throughout this novel and remains the main character.

Kahlan – Stressed out that Richard is in such distress Kahlan does what she must to do right by him and also solve his problems for him. She is very intelligent and knows what must be done and also in this book she shows what a good judge of character she is.

Cara – Richard and Kahlan’s protector is as ever wary of the new additions to the palace they are staying in. She is also willing to help in all ways to stop the plague.

Nadine – An absolutely mad but quite loveable character who wants Richard to be with her (and who can blame her as he sounds gorgeous). She has a point to the stoy but I cannot tell you what.

Drefan – The other Rahl who has some dark secrets. He is a fun character who is extremely mysterious and you never quite know what he is going to do next.


Verdict on the Characters:

As I say with every single one of these books I read the characters cannot be faulted. In this book you are the fourth in a series so you know most of the characters well enough by now to really care for them. The new additions are quite fun and add some drama to the tale.

My favourite character in this book though has to be Kahlan as she truly shows what she is willing to do to save the lands and Richard. Richard is great in this book as always and just makes you fall in love with him more. What stands out for me in this novel is that feelings between certain characters are shown more and you get to know a little bit more about how they feel and why they act the way they do. Goodkind writes exceptionally well and shows us with ease what we are supposed to think of each character. By the end of the book you feel like you know them all personally.

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Things to know:

Number of Pages – 800
Price – £6.39 from Amazon. This is for the paperback version.
Author – Terry Goodkind
Publisher – Gollancz
Number four in the sword of truth series.

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Verdict:

I love this book and am not afraid to scream it from the hilltops to everybody that is willing to listen as I think it is that fantastic. I did not particularly find the third book in the series amazing so I was pleased with this fourth book that the story is back to being absolutely engrossing and that Goodkind’s writing is back to keeping the reader going back for more.

The reason this book does keep you reading is because the story is that strong. It is one of those books where so much is going on that is interesting that you feel like you have to get to the end of chapters to find out what happens. The characters are ones that are so memorable that you want the best for them so the first time I sat there with this book I was screaming at the book, making shocked faces and I also had a tear in my eye at one point as I was that addicted.

Although the book is 800 pages I think that when you read this it feels like under half that amount. I managed to read it in a few days but I was addicted. The book does not get bogged down by unnecessary descriptions and every word is important so it is not a book to skim read. The other reason I love this book is because it is one of those that gets you thinking and long after I had put the book down I was still thinking and reflecting on what I had just read. I have now read it about four times and could easily pick it up again.

There are a couple of things I should point out with this novel. The first is that it is the fourth in a series so without reading the first three you will just get confused and probably not enjoy it. Start with Wizards first rule which is the first in the sword of truth series. The second thing is that this book does offer some pretty violent and distressing scenes at times so do be aware that this book is not really suitable for the very younger readers as I think it would disturb them.

In conclusion this book gets a whopping five stars and if I could give it six out of five I would as it is just that brilliant. The story is wonderful, the characters are wonderful and the writing style is wonderful. This novel shows just what a talented writer Goodkind is and I think other fantasy writers should take his lead.

Thanks for reading.

xxx

Summary: Wicked Book!!!