The Death of Terry Goodkind

I read his Sword of Truth series way back when in the early 2000’s until I caught up to where he was writing then pursued other books. Fast forward over 15 years, and a couple of months ago, I decided to start re-reading them as I’d heard much more had been written. So I started over with the first book, Wizard’s First Rule, and carried on from there. Now I’m on the 7th book, The Pillars of Creation.

Then, this weekend, I heard about his death. Man, what a shame. The guy was an amazing writer, sold something like 25 million books, and did it with a strong touch of Ayn Rand guiding his hand. The philosophical commentary he implemented into his writings was superb, especially about individual freedom.

Ok, yeah it also has a great love story and icky stuff like that. But there’s also some awesome BATTLES and of course, wisdom such as this:

“Cut. Once committed to the fight, cut. Everything else is secondary. Cut. That is your duty, your purpose, your hunger. There is no rule more important, no commitment that overrides that one. Cut. The lines are a portrayal of the dance. Cut from the void, not from bewilderment. Cut the enemy as quickly and directly as possible. Cut with certainty. Cut decisively, resolutely. Cut into his strength. Flow through the gap in his guard. Cut him. Cut him down utterly. Don’t allow him a breath. Crush him. Cut him without mercy to the depths of his spirit. It’s the balance of life: death. It is the dance with death.” – Faith of the Fallen.

I highly recommend reading his books. They are fantastic. (If a bit…. verbose in their descriptions.)

And for fun, here’s a few more great quotes:

“Charity, if you have the means, is a personal choice, but charity which is expected or compelled is simply a polite word for slavery.” – Pillars of Creation.

“Pity for the guilty is treason to the innocent.” – Faith of the Fallen.

“Not everyone is willing to embrace liberty; liberty requires not just effort, but risk. Some people choose to delude themselves and see their chains as protective armor.” – Chainfire.

“Wrong doing must be punished. If not, it will proliferate until anarchy wears the robes of tolerance and understanding.” – Blood of the Fold.

“If something is wrong, it matters not if a thousand men are for it; you must still oppose it. If something is just, no amount of popular outcry should stay you from your course.” – Naked Empire.

“Laugh all you want. I know my own worth and don’t need to prove it to someone who doesn’t know theirs.” – Faith of the Fallen.

“Culture carries no privilege to exist. Cultures do not have value simply because they are. Some cultures, the world is better off without.” – Soul of the Fire.

“Enemies,’ the wizard said, ‘are the price of honour.” – Debt of Bones.

Rest easy Terry Goodkind. You’ll be missed.