Which of us does not like to watch a couple of episodes of our favorite series after a hard day's work? Or spend time in the company of a beloved book read out to holes? But what is better - a movie or a book? You can answer only if you compare any specific work.
In 1983, Terry Goodkind moved to the wilderness in the mountains of North-East America. And he spent the days there with his wife, spending the main forces on the construction of his own house. It was then that in his head, free from the thoughts and worries of the big city, the idea was born to write a book about Confessor Kahlan. More than 10 years passed, and finally in 1994 the first book of a large series about Kahlan and Richard was created and published. It was called the "First rule of the wizard."
In 2008, ABS Studios presented to the world the series The Legend of the Seeker, based on the works of Terry Goodkind. And you can compare them only partially, since the series and books are noticeably different.
Series of books “Sword of Truth”
The series about Richard and Kahlan Terry Goodkind has grown very much over the years of the writer's work, and there is no end in sight.
The main part of the story consists of 11 novels: “The First Rule of the Wizard” was released in 1994, “The Last Rule of the Wizard, or Confessor” - in 2007. In 1998, Terry Goodkind wrote the story “Sword of Truth” - the story “Debts of the Ancestors” .
Then the Law of Nines was written (2009), in which the action takes place in the same world as in The Sword of Truth, but centuries later. In Russia, this novel was published in 2012.
After it came the turn of sequels, and Richard and Kahlan again struggle with the vicissitudes of fate. So far, 4 more novels have been written that continue to develop the main series:
- “The Prediction Machine” (2011).
- “The Third Kingdom” (2013).
- Separated Souls (2014).
- “The Heart of War” (2015).
Separately, a series of novels dedicated to one of the secondary characters called "Nikki Chronicles" was released:
- "Lady Death" (2017).
- The Shroud of Eternity (2018).
- Siege of Stone (2018)
Heroes of the series
A series of books about Richard Cypher and Kahlan is one of the most successful projects in the literary world. In many ways, this happened because readers liked the book pair of the main characters, and the secondary characters in the series are very entertaining. The main characters of the first part are as follows:
- Richard Cypher - ranger, hunter, forest guide. And he is the new Seeker of Truth and has not yet guessed his destiny.
- Kahlan Amnell - a pupil of the Mother Confessor, in the future she herself takes her place. He has the ability to subjugate people and because of this gift is not able to touch Richard.
- Darken Rahl - the main villain, the lord of D'Hara, who dreams of capturing the Middle Earth.
- Zeddicus Z'ul Zorander is a wizard who guarded Richard from childhood and secretly kept the Sword of Truth from everyone.
- Michael Cypher is Richard's brother, who treats him with slight neglect, since he himself has achieved the post of first Counselor of Westland.
- Shota is a witch.
- Chase is a longtime friend of Cypher, a ranger and border guard.
- Eddie is a witch who helps heroes and heals Zedd.
The plot of the whole story is as follows: once upon a time there were two states - the Middle Earth and D'Hara. The Middle Earths are a kind of confederation where many nations are united under a common government. D'Hara is a tyrannical state under the leadership of Ral, who tried to seize neighboring lands. In response, the wizards erected a wall that divided the countries, simultaneously creating a third - Westland, an area without magic. But now the borders are collapsing, and the only one who can save everyone is the new Seeker of Truth.
Who Should Read The Sword of Truth Series
Books about the adventures of Richard and Kahlan can be evaluated on a solid four, maybe even with a plus. Most fantasy lovers like them, because they have everything you need for an exciting reading: a dynamic storyline, a pronounced love line with tragic notes and touching moments, an abundance of entertaining and characteristic characters and other attributes of excellent fantasy.
What prevented this series from turning from just good books into masterpieces? The protractedness of the series frightens many, and for some readers it is very important that the writer stops on time and clearly indicates the fate of the heroes, best of all with a happy ending. The author is constantly developing the world, adding more and more characters to it. In addition, it seems that Terry Goodkind really does not like his main characters. Otherwise, why is he so mocking them? After all, passions in books boil such that not a single Brazilian series has ever dreamed of!
Series
The series The Legend of the Seeker about Richard and Kahlan lasted only two seasons, with 22 episodes each. It is based on the first two books of the series - “The First Rule of the Wizard” and “The Second Rule of the Wizard, or the Stone of Tears”. However, events are so mixed up that it is useless to compare them with a book. The main characters and storylines were taken from a literary source.
It was remembered by the audience as entertaining, with beautiful shots (landscapes were shot in New Zealand).
Relations of lovers in the series
In the film, the audience was most interested in the love line of the main characters, the whole tragedy of which was based on the fact that Kahlan could not touch Richard. And everyone, without exception, argued about the series in which Kahlan and Richard slept.
This happened in the 11th episode of the second season, in a series called "Heart and Mind." She says that Kahlan was divided into two people - one became a rational and strict Mother Confessor, the second - an ordinary girl, without abilities.
However, to maintain the intrigue, by the end of the series everything returned to its place. And Kahlan with Richard could only become a couple in the last episode of the season.
TV series reviews
A lot of money was invested in the film, but critics met it ambiguously. They acknowledged that the creators had taken all the best from Star Wars and Xena the Warrior Queens, and immediately accused the film of stealing ideas. As for the audience, they met the series about Richard and Kahlan well, but without fanaticism. That is, they watched with pleasure everything that was filmed, but they do not crave sequels. In fact, they rated the film at four, maybe with a plus.
So which is better - a book or a series? Their ratings are about the same. So, if you want to drown headlong in an endless book series, then you should start reading The Sword of Truth. If you need a complete beautiful fantasy with a love story, then you can watch all 44 episodes of the Legend of the Seeker. The episodes in the series are short, and it won't take much to watch.