The Third Kingdom: A Richard and Kahlan Novel (Richard and Kahlan, 2) Mass Market Paperback – July 1, 2014

Wow, Mr. Goodkind does it again. Brings up back to the world of Richard and Kahlan Rahl, our beloved characters from the Sword of Truth series.Now, here's my review - oh, I don't want to give you any spoilers, but unfortunately I have to do so to really explain my what went on in this book, and why it's a mixture of good and bad. i.e. what I expect from Mr. G.First, this book is a direct Sequel to "The Omen Machine." So it follows the SoT series.The Story, so far, is about the Darklands, and how they are tied to the past, and Magda Searus (the First Confessor), and her Protector Wizard. We find out how they forced out all the half-people and zombies from the midlands, placed them in the north, and by building barrier spells and a Giant Wall (shades of Game of Thrones), have had them locked away for thousands of years.Now, with the barrier down, the Gate to the North, is open. Masses of the northern people - half people and zombies, are now moving south into D'hara, So it's up to our little group of Wizards, Sorcerers, Confessor, and followers, that will try to defeat these half people, and return them to whence they came.Okay, I'm not sure where the author will take this story, will it be just a trilogy, or will it be multiple volumes to take this story to a satisfying end? For me, I hope he continues the work with more volumes, though I wish he would make the action go a bit faster.As others have said, the story itself doesn't progress much at all. Perhaps only a week or two in time. I really cannot tell because, as usual, Mr. Goodkind is kind enough to provide us with detailed explanations of what is going on. Oh, I don't mind them, (I love his prose), but he shouldn't have to do it over and over and over. And then when we get near the end of the book, he changes his tactics, and decides to leave an entire section out. What was missing? Well, Mr. Goodkind never wrote about Richard and his group's travel down to the Village where he left Kahlan. Then in the Village, finding out that Kahlan was taken away. And then traveling to where she was being held. All that was missing, and very noticeable. Why? Like I said, before that part, the author meticulously detailed every step, every stone, every brook, and every tree Richard passed on his journey.Why hadn't the author continued that storyline?Was he told that he had written too many pages?Was he told to finish the book quickly (hey, your deadline is tomorrow!)?It just didn't make any sense to me, and probably to other fans of Mr. Goodkind.All I know is that when an author writes in one kind of style, and then abruptly changes course in mid-stream, something happened. Something definitely happened.Still, it was a great story. a perfect middle book to a trilogy. But, one in need of an Editor to cut some of the bloat, and to advise Mr. Goodkind to remain loyal to his way of writing.Now - to await the further adventures of Richard and Kahlen. I only hope that more then their healing takes place in that one.

I've read the whole SWORD OF TRUTH series three times (as of this writing), including LAW OF NINES and THE FIRST CONFESSOR. I love Goodkind's work.It was interesting seeing what Goodkind could come up with once the main storyline of THE SWORD OF TRUTH was completed a few years ago. We got THE OMEN MACHINE, and with that, some idea of where the story could go with new adversary Hannis Arc. THE THIRD KINGDOM brings this to us in a big way. Arc has the potential to 'rise up' as a worthwhile villain, but in TTK, ANOTHER baddie is introduced that has the intelligence, cunning, and experience to really complicate Richard and Kahlan's lives for the forseeable future.Technically, Goodkind continues his new writing style which, to these eyes at least, mirrors the approach of James Patterson: short chapters. I can only speculate that Goodkind may be doing this to make the reading experience easier for potential readers, or maybe this approach makes it easier for him to put his new stories together. I really don't know, but either way I like it. I never minded the longer chapters of his previous books, but even so... while the shorter chapters could be a bit jarring to long time readers, it's not really a big deal. Another thing... the books are also a lot shorter. Gone are the days of Goodkind's 1000 page tomes. I'm not happy about that, but if he can put out a book a year... then that somewhat makes up for it.The story kicks in right away, and we are thrust into the middle of a dangerous situation. There are many questions to be answered, and for roughly the first half, there is much exposition giving us a LOT of backstory. We are filled in on the situation going on in the dark lands, and many questions are answered. There is a lot of action... I never got bored. There is always something interesting going on. By the time I got to roughly 75% of the book... the scope of the book quadrupled. The philosphical heart of the book, IMHO... happens in chapter 27. My opinion only, but this brought home the themes of the book for me. After that, it's off to a mini-quest for Richard... one he has no choice about. There are some interesting new characters: a young sorceress, some non-loyal Mord Sith, and a new enigmatic BAD GUY. There are ties to Magda Searus (the first confessor), many references to the original SOT series (natch), even some ties to the LAW OF NINES which I'm really interested in. There is a lot to keep SOT fans happy.Overall, I think this (if possible) is an improvement in THE OMEN MACHINE in that while that last one opened up a lot of questions without answers, this one answers a lot. All I can say is... the dark lands are REALLY dark.Highly recommended. (Thank you, Terry!)I worry about how new readers can find a way into the series without knowing what has come before. There are many allusions, and this kind of stuff is really rewarding if you have read the whole series... but it could be lost on new readers. That doesn't detract from the storytelling, but it is a rich addition that is nice to experience. All I can say is... buy this one... read it now if you want... but by all means... start reading from the beginning!

Yet another fantastic book!Terry Goodkind is very quickly becoming my favourite author. The world that he has created in throughout this entire book series is so vivid and wonderful. His writing takes you on the full journey of the charachters with clear direction. I don't believe I have ever felt like his idea's were drying up. I never want this series to end.Highly recommended to all!Not just this mini series but the entire sword of truth saga!*MINOR SPOILERI do hope that the heartbreaking conclusion resolves itself quickly 😢

Prefecto nuevo y rapidez en el envío!!

Merci

I rarely read a series like this back to back as I get bored, BUT I did read the whole 15.5 books back to back and loved everyone of them. I fell in love with all the main characters and now feel bereft I've no more books to read in this series. Highly recommend.

At first it seemed to be Long winded and repetitive. The way Most Books get when the series Hits 8-10 books and you need to fill up the 500 pages everyone expects. But then he pulls it together nicely in the end to save it from a 2 Star up to a 5 Star rating! Wow!