G--DK-ND(BBHN)XI

[Sad King Billy]

You can try subtitles?

[Jaxom 1974]

Re: The Goodkind Interview.

(Paraphrasing) TG: "The magic of my world is incidental..."

BUT IT'S JUST THE ONLY THING SAVING RICHARD EVERY FIFTY PAGES BETWEEN SPEECHES! ARRRRGGGHHHHH!

Gods it's hard to watch more than a couple minutes of that. He does have a couple of interesting points about writing in general and "putting a little of one's self into their characters", but it isn't followed up with what some of those characters do and say in the actual novels.

Pat, you lemming of discord, aren't you glad you didn't get that interview now?

[Werthead]

Well I never read WoT either, but the concept of a lightning/fire/magic bolt is certainly not a new one. Roll for initiative!

Well, balefire isn't quite like that. Every time Jordan describes it he uses words like 'white fire', 'afterimage' etc, pretty much identical to Goodkind's description.

[zach]

The phrase has been used a few times. "Melon-sized hole" is to Nicci as "Bringer of death" is to Richard. Only now that I've said it, it sounds perverse.

melon-sized hole is annoying enough, but it's the "internal pressure forcing organs" together thing that bugs me even more, and that he's used more than once. probably each time there's a melon-sized hole, I guess.

[The Wolf Maid]

Yes, the melon-sized hole, coupled with the "peekaboo" second that you can see through it into the astonished faces of others, IIRC has been done. Leading one to wonder: can you plagiarize yourself? Or does it just make you a bad writer?

According to my prof...it is quite possible to plagiarize yourself. And yes, that also makes you a bad writer.

LICE? My God, is nothing free from TG (BBNC) raptor-like gaze?

[Draco the Lizard]

Wait a minute, I thought Richard was the only special little snowflake who could use the two different types of magic?

And regarding the interview, from his first description about the world of Phantom (magic is incidental, it's about love, romance, adventure, political intrigue, wars on a grand scale) you could think he was talking about Martin's books

[ChaosTheory]

Washing lice out of a small girl's hair is enough to make anyone mad but...

Many more took a step back as the four reports, to her so separate yet so close atop one another that they almost merged into one ripping blast, still echoed off the buildings.

Erm, is it just me? But just how bad can anyone's prose get...my eyes!

And a few lines on, the bit about silence and the wind between the buildings...and where pray was the tumbleweed??

[Crazydog7]

Either your friend is really dumb, or he has some sort of jedi mind trick that prevents his brain from being penetrated by TG's crap. The fact that he enjoys it though....hmmm, I think he's just dumb. Get new friends.

Maybe some sadist that gets off on plots involving child torture, I still remember the exact instant I put down Wizard's First Rule and went forth to preach agianst the evil that is Terry Goodkind.

[Jerol]

Many more took a step back as the four reports, to her so separate yet so close atop one another that they almost merged into one ripping blast, still echoed off the buildings.

Sounds like someone didn't take her Beano.

[Daralys]

Thought I'd save people the trouble of plodding through the TG interviews by posting a quote every so often. I know I can't handle an entire interview at any one time, but some of the quotes are just too hilarious to miss.

So, from the mouth of Terry Goodkind:

Marc from Baton Rouge: Do you have time to read for fun, and what was the last book you read -- fantasy or otherwise?

TG: I don't have time to read for fun. Mostly I read books for research, for what I write. Surprisingly enough, even though they're fantasy, I have to do a lot of research, much in the same way that I want the covers to accurately reflect the story -- I want my stories to accurately reflect life. This means I need to do a lot of research, so most of my reading is non-fiction.

In regards to that QOTD about Richard giving instructions on how to make the antidote, I'd just like to point out one of TG's more obvious blunders: when Richard takes the antidotes (the two that he was able to get a hold of), his friends/religious followers make sure he drinks every last drop, but then the third one's lost or destroyed (I can't remember which). What wasn't mentioned in the QOTD was that, when Richard was originally poisoned, Kahlan was meant to be poisoned too, but it's never mentioned where her half of the antidote is.

I'd also like to point out another quote (from an older interview) because it just fits in so well with this plot hole:

Alfredo Cantu from Dallas, TX: Mr. Goodkind, I know that you mentioned before that you were not writing to build a world, I was just wondering if you were ever going to write more about Chase or about the Boundary Wardens? Maybe something in the past like you did about Zed in Legends.

TG: That's always a possibility; but at the moment, I have no concrete plans for doing anything other than writing this series. As a matter of fact, I've sold book seven to Tor, and I'm looking forward to writing it now. I can't say specifically what it will be about, because I don't ever reveal what I'm going to write about. And also because I haven't worked out the whole story yet!

Translation: Even when he's writing the book, TG doesn't know where he's going.

And a third quote that also has to do with the "Richard ex Machina" QOTD:

Tom De Smedt from Belgium, Europe: Dear Mr. Goodkind, I'm still frantically biting my nails here in Belgium, waiting for FOTF to hit the stores, but I thought I'd still my hunger for the moment by asking this hopefully answerable question. Isn't Richard (and Kahlan for that matter)sometimes a bit too stupid (naive?) to be believable? They think highly of themselves though.

TG: If I wrote a story about people who knew everything -- and always knew what to do and the answer to every problem -- it would be pretty boring, now, wouldn't it? I disagree that Richard and Kahlan are too stupid to be believable. I think that their nobility is their application of intellect to the problem at hand. Other than that, I'm not entirely understanding what the question means.

I thought it was a rather cut-and-dry question, but he seemed unable to answer it in the same way. You can see him grasping for straws and finally just saying "I didn't understand the question" in order to run in the other direction while making the other person look bad instead of himself.

To say it again: "If I wrote a story about people who knew everything -- and always knew what to do and the answer to every problem -- it would be pretty boring, now, wouldn't it?" You know, I really do have to agree with him on this. The problem is that he's pointing out his own flaws and not even realising it.

[Draco the Lizard]

"Other than that, I'm not entirely understanding what the question means."

I'm not entirely understanding where Goodkind learned his English!

[Moosicus]

Well, I say TG (BBNC) is mistaken. Writing about characters who know everything and are in essence perfect (from his pov.) doesn't make for a boring story, just a stupid one. It's really only the speeches that are boring, otherwise I'm sure we could come up with plenty more adjectives to describe what he does. Ridiculous, awful, disgusting, absurd....well, the list goes on and on.

[Ser Barry]

'She felt the concussion of the following bolt deep in her chest'

I thought she had been shot. I lack the moral celery needed to understand the great one. I am off to wash the heads of lice ridden children to try and gain further understanding.

[williamjm]

"Other than that, I'm not entirely understanding what the question means."

I'm not entirely understanding where Goodkind learned his English!

Probably in the Ayn Rand's School for Tots (as featured in The Simpsons)

[Elrostar]

Wow, I fail to read this thread for a day and discover that someone's managed to make my thesis write itself Thanks for that

And whoa... that interview was pretty painful to get through. I thought the animation and video they had made to go along with it all was kind of amusing, though. But seriously, it would seem that he doesn't read his books. Magic is incidental? Yet it's the fact that Richard has magic and no-one else does that makes for the whole storyline, isn't it?

If you argue that magic is equivalent to technology, then it's like saying that he's the only person in the world who gets to use anything developed after 1950, though. Because he's special]/i].

I all seriousness, here, do you know what I think would be a seriously positive addition to Goodkind's world? Owlbears. There, I've said it.

[Tempo]

I find it unfortunate that not only can the fantasy author Terry Goodkind cause my retina's to go on strike, but it seems his influence extends even to my private life in my small corner of the world.

You see, I had called into my local Waterstones to browse, in case of anything new having come into the store (as you do). Well, something new HAD arrived in that bookshop, and what a thing of beauty she was. The perfect features of an elder goddess (though not Kilmandaros), the smile of a angel, the poise of a dancer, and here she was, standing in the fantasy section. "The fantasy section indeed" I mused, and decided, "This must be fate, better get on over there" (Yeah, a real smoothie me).

So imagine my horror to see what book she was holding as I approached. No, NO, it couldnt be....but it was. She was browsing through Naked Empire, by the fantasy author Terry Goodkind. My heart.....broken, my dreams....crushed.

What should I do? What could I do? I couldnt take the chance that this vison, as enchanting as she was, could actually be a rabid, snarling believer in killing peace protesters. What if she believed in being a whore like all Goodkinds "girls"?. What if she had goats? Could I listen to her speeches? What if she grew a yeard?

I admit it, I ran, I even knocked over the "3 for 1" Dan Brown stand in my haste, but I just had to get out of there. But my question to you today is, was I too hasty?

It occurs to me that maybe, just maybe, she wasnt a fan of the fantasy author Terry Goodkind. What if she was new to the fantasy genre, and had just picked up the first book that caught her eye? What if she was part of this site, and was looking for quotes for the QotD? Should I have gave her some friendly advice and gently led her to the Erikson or Gemmell section? Hell, should I have been brave, and upon finding that she was a Terryatric tried my best to show her the light, to wean her from her addiction and maybe save her soul.

What do you think? Did I do the right thing?

(And one other question, is there a criticism thread on this site a la Malazanempires sticky criticism thread? I think there should be....)

[Crazydog7]

I find it unfortunate that not only can the fantasy author Terry Goodkind cause my retina's to go on strike, but it seems his influence extends even to my private life in my small corner of the world.

You see, I had called into my local Waterstones to browse, in case of anything new having come into the store (as you do). Well, something new HAD arrived in that bookshop, and what a thing of beauty she was. The perfect features of an elder goddess (though not Kilmandaros), the smile of a angel, the poise of a dancer, and here she was, standing in the fantasy section. "The fantasy section indeed" I mused, and decided, "This must be fate, better get on over there" (Yeah, a real smoothie me).

So imagine my horror to see what book she was holding as I approached. No, NO, it couldnt be....but it was. She was browsing through Naked Empire, by the fantasy author Terry Goodkind. My heart.....broken, my dreams....crushed.

What should I do? What could I do? I couldnt take the chance that this vison, as enchanting as she was, could actually be a rabid, snarling believer in killing peace protesters. What if she believed in being a whore like all Goodkinds "girls"?. What if she had goats? Could I listen to her speeches? What if she grew a yeard?

I admit it, I ran, I even knocked over the "3 for 1" Dan Brown stand in my haste, but I just had to get out of there. But my question to you today is, was I too hasty?

It occurs to me that maybe, just maybe, she wasnt a fan of the fantasy author Terry Goodkind. What if she was new to the fantasy genre, and had just picked up the first book that caught her eye? What if she was part of this site, and was looking for quotes for the QotD? Should I have gave her some friendly advice and gently led her to the Erikson or Gemmell section? Hell, should I have been brave, and upon finding that she was a Terryatric tried my best to show her the light, to wean her from her addiction and maybe save her soul.

What do you think? Did I do the right thing?

(And one other question, is there a criticism thread on this site a la Malazanempires sticky criticism thread? I think there should be....)

You did the right thing Terry Goodkind fans shouldn't be having children. Maybe the running was a little over the top.

[Daralys]

She was browsing through Naked Empire, by the fantasy author Terry Goodkind. My heart.....broken, my dreams....crushed.

Sounds to me more like she was, as you suggested, new to the genre. It's neither the first book nor the most recently released, but it's a book with big bold letters saying NAKED EMPIRE. Seriously, sounds more like she's got a dirty mind rather than a fanatical one.

You shouldn't have run.

[The Wolf Maid]

Wait a minute, I thought Richard was the only special little snowflake who could use the two different types of magic?

...Once you've been touched by Richard, you stand the chance to get his abilities, too.

[Jaxom 1974]

What do you think? Did I do the right thing?

No. Moral celery would have gotten you over there to try to save that poor soul...

(And one other question, is there a criticism thread on this site a la Malazanempires sticky criticism thread? I think there should be....)

Que?