The Sword of Truth

The Sword of Truth
Cover of Legend of the Seeker box set volume one

In chronological order:[1]
AuthorTerry Goodkind
Cover artist
  • Keith Parkinson,
  • Doug Beekman (Wizard's First Rule),
  • Kevin Murphy (Blood of the Fold)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre
Publisher
Published15 August 1994 – 30 June 2020
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), audiobook
Preceded byDebt of Bones

The Sword of Truth is a series of 21 sword and sorcery novels and six novellas written by Terry Goodkind. The books follow the protagonists Richard Cypher, Kahlan Amnell, Nicci, Cara, and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander on their quest to defeat oppressors who seek to control the world and those who wish to unleash evil upon the world of the living. While each novel was written to stand alone, except for the final three that were intended to be a trilogy, they follow a common timeline and are linked by ongoing events that occur throughout the series.

The series began in 1994 with Wizard's First Rule and Goodkind wrote eighteen more novels in addition to a novella titled Debt of Bones. The latest novel in the series, Heart of Black Ice, was released in 2020. As of 2008, 25 million copies of the series' books have been sold worldwide,[2] and the series has been translated into more than 20 languages.[3] A television series adaptation of the novels, titled Legend of the Seeker, produced by ABC Studios and broadcast via syndication, first aired on November 1, 2008. The TV series loosely adapts the book series, mixing together elements of several volumes.

Keith Parkinson served as the cover artist for all the novels of the first edition, apart from Wizard's First Rule and Blood of the Fold. New hardback and paperback editions of those two books were later published with new cover illustrations by Parkinson. Parkinson died on October 26, 2005, but not before completing the cover art for two more novels in the series.

  1. ^ Terry Goodkind: The Official Website. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  2. ^ Barnes, Brooks (26 October 2008). "Swords and Sorcery Return to Syndication". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  3. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (2008-01-29). "Raimi brings fantasy to syndication with 'Wizard'". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-12-02.