humble

Wizard's First Rule is a pretty good book, overall. The writing is compelling, for the most part, the plot is interesting, again for the most part, and the characters are... well... Some of them are pretty good. In no way is there much ambiguity going on in the story. Call it stock fantasy: a chosen one goes on a quest. He's hounded by bad guys. There's a love interest, but it's given life (sarcasm) by it being forbidden (yawn). The villains are evil, their motivations are pretty darn clear, and the good guys are virtuous and super-courageous. It's by no means bad, but morality and whatnot is pretty well defined in the book. The main gripe I have with it, aside from the fact that it's a series which repeats the same plot over and over ad nauseum, is that there are lots of little lampshades and conveniences explained in the moment rather than established. They also seem to come in at deus ex machina moments. Sure, the tension leading up to those points is exciting, but it just seems unsatisfying to say, "Oh yeah, he had that ability the whole time and now, after the tension is dissolved, I'll explain just how awesome the main character is for having this ability." I find Richard incredibly annoying, for whatever reason. Sure, bad stuff happens to him, but he just doesn't have near enough ineptitude to make him interesting. I'd rather he succeed a few times through blind luck than from some hidden ability explained after the fact. It makes me kind of wonder if Richard is one of those "author in search of fantasy persona" things for Goodkind. And why does Goodkind always look so angry in his photographs? Does he have a really flatulent camera-man?

2022-09-27 01:50