The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus - A Sword of Truth Prequel (The Legend of Magda Searus, 1) Mass Market Paperback – June 28, 2016

I must say that I absolutely loved this book, and it's probably my favorite prequel I've ever experienced in any format. I had been pretty disappointed with The Omen Machine, but after reading The First Confessor I know that Goodkind definitely still has it in him to write an amazing story. Any fan of the Sword of Truth series should buy this book, as it includes a lot of very interesting details to an important time in the history of the SoT world. Specifically, it occurs around 1000 years before Wizards First Rule when the New World is in the middle of a horrific battle with the Old World. For many readers, there will be a lot of cool moments where you see how important events unfolded and magical items are created. A reader new to Goodkind's books would definitely be able to start with this book, but I would warn that parts of the book may be very confusing. To keep the pace moving in this book there aren't too many moments of World Building, and a lot of the previously established facets of the World aren't explained again for new readers.In this book, Magda and Merritt are great mirrors for Richard and Kahlan, but they are different characters, not copies. The whole book takes place in a first-person viewpoint of Magda, which is a bit of a departure compared to his other books. Because of this, you get a great view into the character of Magda, but you still don't learn too much about her past. [Slight Spoilers] You really don't learn about the past lives of any of the characters except for one, where her past is delved into for multiple chapters, and then right after you really grow to like the character she's killed off. I understand why this happened, as she was really just used as a plot device to move the story along and provide insight to the beginning of the war, and that the death is very visceral along with the fact that if her character lived it would have complicated things, but it still sucked. I also found the main villain in this book to be a little lacking, right from the first meeting Goodkind designed the character to be absolutely hated by the reader, and we never really learn his motivation other than the generic goal of the Old World, which is to destroy magic. However, I really enjoyed the story, and especially the end of this book. It's also interesting to see that this isn't a one-off prequel story, there's still a lot to tell in this timeline, and I really want more of Magda and Merrit, perhaps more than I want of Richard and Kahlan (as I really see their story as being over with Confessor). From the author's AMA, the sequel to Magda's story is his next work after The Omen Machine 2, so we may see it either in late 2013 or early-ish 2014. I hate waiting. :/ [/spoiler]The only other issue with this book is that there were over a hundred mini-chapters. This isn't a big deal for most people, as it just results in a page-turn/button-push, but for me personally I use normal chapter breaks as a reminder to stop reading and savor the great story a little longer. For example, in The First Confessor there are multiple chapter breaks that occur in the middle of conversations or large dramatic scenes. When I see these, part of my brain tells me that I should stop reading, but then another part of me yells "YOU HAVE TO KEEP READING TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!" resulting in me reading chapter after chapter until the book is over. I hate when I read great books (like TFC) really quick, but more mediocre books take me forever to read. However, I asked a question about this in Goodkind's AMA, and he said this was actually a formatting decision he made because many people would be experiencing the book on tablets or phones, to have an almost condensed experience and to all moments in the book to settle.Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to any fan of Goodkind, and probably any fan of great Fantasy novels.

I was not aware that Terry had published this prequel prior to "The Third Kingdom"; although I'm glad I hadn't read it because it would have made an already dreadful 100+ pages of dialogue in "The Third Kingdom" between Richard and Samantha even worse (see my other review).Mr. Goodkind's self-published prequel "The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus" was, unlike the previous two books, absolutely breathtaking. As a story-series progresses, readers often become over-familiar with the world the author has created, which causes much of the magic and "fantasy" to be lost, a disenchantment of sorts. However, this story rekindles that novice-like wonder, the delight and awe that even the most well-verse Goodkind-reader first experienced when reading "Wizard's First Rule". Terry Goodkind, in the SoT series, painted a wondrous mural that became alive in the complex and dynamic characters, and multifaceted relationships between them, that drew us to these books like moths to the flame. I found myself wanting to go back to the beginning, to "Wizard's First Rule", to read all the books in the series again to find the things I must have missed, the things that "The First Confessor" makes so painfully (it's a good kind, no pun intended) obvious. The previous two books were almost a chore and a right of passage. This book was fast-paced, thrilling, invited you be invested in the characters, and gave the series fresh perspective. 5/5, any day of the week.A minor note on grammar and editing in "The First Confessor". While this book was self-published, I'm sure Terry Goodkind had someone edit this before releasing it, even if it was a friend or colleague. Compared to the two most recent books, "The Omen Machine" and "The Third Kingdom", I thought there were less grammatical and editorial mistakes in "The First Confessor", and that's saying something. If this is the level of quality we can expect from Mr. Goodkind without publishers, then I hope he never goes through a publisher again!

Sicuramente interessante, giustifica quello che succederà poi nella saga spin-off della Omen Machine. Non pensavo mi sarebbe interessato molto leggere di Magda e Merritt ma mi sono ricreduta completamente e alla fine ho amato con tutta me stessa vedere l'origine della loro storia.

Make sure NOT to read this book before you have read all the other Sword of Truth parts first. It's a prequel but if you read it first it would give away all the interesting parts too early and explain too much. After years of reading the series, finally, I got some long awaited answers. It is really astonishing how much depth Terry Goodkind managed to work into his stories. I didn't love the Chainfire trilogy and the Omen Machine so much, but The First Confessor is the puzzle piece that puts the whole story into perspective!

This book answers so many questions, it held me on the edge of my seat the entire time and I loved it. The new main characters that are introduced are as intelligent, noble and real-seeming as any, and I immediately found myself feeling a connection with them and felt the connection they have to the other characters. The First Confessor is a must-read for those who have read the rest of the series - you won't be disappointed. For those who are new to Terry Goodkind's work The First Confessor is a prequel to a long, utterly amazing series and I highly recommend you check out all of this Author's books. You won't regret it :)

Wer den Zyklus um "Das Schwert der Wahrheit" gelesen hat, dem wird es mit diesem Buch ein wenig so gehen, wie den Star Wars Fans, als mit "Episode 1" die Vorgeschichte all dessen erzählt wurde, was sie bis dahin kannten: Immer wieder trifft man auf alte bekannte Namen und denkt: "Ach daher!"Dabei zieht gerade das wundervolle Englisch von Terry Goodkind den Leser schon an sich in seinen Bann. Dazu eine Geschichte, der es nicht an den nötigen Zutaten für ein Fantasy-Abenteuer mangelt - große Liebe, abgrundtiefer Schrecken, schwarze und weiße Magie und Übersinnliches in Hülle und Fülle - und ein Stil, der die Sogwirkung eines Wirbelsturms entwickelt.Ich liebe die Welt, die Terry Goodkind erschaffen hat und die Konsequenz, mit der er ihre Regeln und Gegebenheiten zu einer Romanwelt verdichtet, die in ihrer grausamen Härte ebenso ihresgleichen sucht, wie in der Feinheit, mit der sie gestaltet ist.Ein Buch zum Immer-wieder-Lesen.

J'ai découvert par hasard Terry Goodkind en octobre 2007 et depuis j'ai acheté tous ses livres, aussi bien en français qu'en anglais (lorsque je n'en pouvais plus d'attendre les traductions). Après la fin du cycle "l'épée de vérité" sont parus "la loi des neuf" et "la machine à présage". Grosse déception ! Mal écrits, bâclés, intrigues plates, j'en passe et des plus mauvais encore... Comme si M. Goodkind avait décidé de se faire quelques dollars de plus à nos dépends sans se fatiguer ! Bref j'étais dans l'expectative... lorsque "la légende de Magda Searus" est sortie. J'ai hésité et puis j'ai décidé de tenter le coup une dernière fois. Et là !!!! Une grande joie ! On retrouve le Goodkind des grands jours : intrigue solide, personnages attachants, de vrais traîtres... L'écriture est souple, bien rythmée avec une progression sans faille dans le développement de l'histoire. Et l'on apprend plein de choses : sur l'Epée de Vérité, sur les Inquisitrices. Si vous comprenez l'anglais, n'hésitez pas à acheter cette édition Kindle (j'ai cru comprendre que le livre ne paraîtrait pas en format papier...) Achetez-le et savourez chaque page. C'est le pur plaisir retrouvé de la lecture de ce grand auteur. D'ailleurs, dès qu'il paraîtra en format papier dans sa version française, je l'ajouterai à ma collection... Alors n'hésitez plus : achetez cet ouvrage et retournez à nouveau dans les contrées du Milieu. Une grande aventure vous y attend.