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Goodkind XII


MinDonner

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Will, that was indeed a delightfully eloquent and well-phrased letter. It spoke to me on a very deep and emotional level. I'm almost tempted to read the SoT books now simply in order to be able to appreciate them in this new context, albeit one which I had secretly been thinking was possible for some time now. The contradictions all make sense in this new paradigm.

It's brilliant.

I may have to lie down for a while.

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According to certain sources who claim to be best friends with TG (BBNC), he doesn't have any internet access at all. Too bad.

This explains even more about his closed-mind. Closed hell, he's got great beams and timbers nailed all over the thing, and the whole mess is draped with an impenetrable titanium chain-mesh tarp.

Naked avatar with a hat on? I knew there was a reason I stayed away from general chatter. :rofl:

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jeez, I can't believe the 'wiki wars' involved over 'the yeards' status. after glacing at a certain someone's myspace page, it's even harder to correlate such childish behavior with the outward facade. strange world...

He's got a MySpace page! :lol:

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My turn.

-----------Will, Will, Will---------------

Why be so arrogant about you being "stronger, smarter, faster" over Terry Goodkind when he is only writing what he thinks?

I don't agree with everything he puts on paper or his site but I wouldn't turn my nose up in the air at an author because I disagree with some preachy remarks in his books. The guy believes what he says.

I like many books and authors but not every single word they put to paper is what I do or will believe. You will be disappointed every time you read if you expect to agree with everything an author writes.

If you don't like someones stuff why do you keep reading it? Are you that small a person that you need your ego secretly inflated temporarily by downing someone else who doesn't know you even exist?

-------------Goodkind's Writing Errors-----------

As for his so-so writing style, Goodkind is not the "bestest" writer to ever walk the earth. Sorry you and others expected that but i'm half-heartedly still looking myself for "the one tome to end them all".

Come on, don't be so easy to dismiss someone's work because you are smart but poor and with little direction in life. Write your own stuff and see how it is received. Bet you won't get all glowing reviews either and I also suspect that somewhere on some obscure forum virgins, geeks, outcasts, and obese individuals will mock you as well.

As for what you wrote people, an opinion is a wonderful thing to have and it says you have a thinking mind but your being way to critical about this(as are the rest of you). The character Richard and the writer Goodkind are human beings not saintly all-knowing angels who together have created the blueprint to supreme morality. If you want to criticize something refer to the Koran or the Bible for that blessed blessedness of the correct way to do life silliness. You'll have to fight most of the world though if you disagree with those doctrines.

--------------Back to Goodkind's books---------------------

I like the overall story in his books. I like most of the characters too. The repetition of Rand's ideals is nauseating at times even to a fan like me but I skip text when I see the same point re-written on the next page or ten.

The magical elements, the kingdoms at war, the characters in conflict is what draws me to Goodkind's books not necessarily the philosophy he imbues in it. I have a brain I can see he thinks this way and wants his readers to follow him in his quest but I don't have to if I don't but some of his readers can be fanatical about it. It's all about choice.

As for that skewered Rand philosophy, where exactly in the books(not his forum) does Goodkind say in print this is "the way" and if you don't do it you will go to hell? Oh my mistake, that's the Bible again. I'm not an objectivist and i'm not a bible thumper. I am just a human being. I just don't recall that sentence where he says this using those words.

-------------Princess gets the big size 12-----------

It's also been mentioned several times that readers hated the fact the Richard booted the evil princess in the jaw in book 1. I didn't care for that myself. It made me think how unpleasant this part is but I read on.

I wasn't looking for perfection though but my point is so because he wrote about incoherent, tortured, starved, not fully aware Richard kicking the evil kid torturing him in the jaw that means he thinks the soccer balls in the World Cup should be replaced with small children? Yes, he writes of rape and torture but we can see by reading ALL the words in all his books that the guy doesn't condone these acts. He just writes about them.

-----------------The Hippie Slaughter---------------

The other done to death complaint about Goodkind is the infamous "hippie slaughter" in book 8.

Here it begins with Richard's group attempting to attack the Imperial Order but the townspeople blocked Richard and company.

They(hippies) were protecting the bad guys weren't they? Protecting them so they can rape and murder another day, week, month, years.

Do you believe that the Imperial Order should of stayed in power with that form of rule?

All said, this is a make believe story but strange how some of you are so convinced with your dislike for the killing of some of the Imperial Order protectors but the big-big picture of enslavers allowed to stay in power takes a back seat with you in order to maintain the so called "peace".

To be fair to all the readers and commenters, I think overall it was a somewhat difficult theme to grasp and most certainly difficult to accept. Kill a few supporters to get to an evil occupying murdering force or die yourself.

Richard and his merry men only had a small window to stop the baddies. It was kill now or be discovered and then killed. Life and freedom or continued slavery and death.

Hmmm, that's a toughy, but my life is more important to me than allowing others to block me from my freedom.

Now do you see my point and his? Goodkind/Richard spends most of the book explaining to these hippies that they can't lay down and wish for peace when the enemy has absolutely no interest in it. He says it again and again. Maybe some of you skipped those parts.

---------------About the character Richard---------------------

Remember that the character Richard makes mistakes just like me and just like you. Goodkind would of called him "Perfect Person" if he was meant to be flawless but Richard does do SOME good in his travels.

He is a character written to go against the status quo not a paint by numbers hollow hero and Goodkind changes settings and themes to fit the next book.

It's more than just Boy has secret Lineage and Powers goes on quest Saves world over and over again or your other done to death story like Extraordinary people from Different backgrounds learn of insidious Ancient plot to plunge the world into Darkness and thus join together to fight the Good fight.

-------------Torture of the bad guy in Faith of the Fallen------------

The last most-hated scene in his books. The tortured assassin in book 6 murdered a valued friend of theirs. He was the "really nice" guy in later books and the main characters lost a loved one by the mindless act. That good guy turns out was actually protecting a young child who the killer was trying to stab and he was then mortally wounded for his benevolent act.

Your all quietly ignoring the fact that the murderer was trying to stab a child and also that he ended up killing a good kind-hearted man. Your most appalled by the torture of this piece of garbage.

Remember, Goodkind also describes him(bad guy) as extremely proud for doing the deed.

Is there any despicable crime that you think warrants this response?

Maybe he should of been gently flogged and then asked to discuss his feelings and why he did such a naughty thing. Sorry but I think that would not fit the gentle crime.

----------------About Goodkind banning non-fans on his forums--------

Last point.

You have to understand that it's mostly financially motivated. If your selling something would you not want only positive glowing reviews of it. Yes Goodkind is egotistical(oh the shame) and fanatical. Yes it would be more honest to include good and bad comments.

Look at product reviews on most online retail sites. Rarely do they take a negative spin. That's just the shitty way it's done.

--------Warning, Sarcasm ahead-------------

Sorry if I offended some of you.

If I did, tell someone close by that your feelings were hurt and that I said they should give you a hug because I, the mean man on the forum, called you a virgin(stop lying about that sticky pants), geek(you know it's true "handsome"), outcasts(did you forget what color the sun is?), obese(size 42+ pants means step away from the cheetos fella).

All joking aside, I do hope a few of you are grasping what I said with their minds and not just their me-too emotions as i've heard it called.

See ya. Scooby.

P.S. Also, I think George R.R. Martin is an excellent author.

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To be fair to all the readers and commenters, I think overall it was a somewhat difficult theme to grasp and most certainly difficult to accept. Kill a few supporters to get to an evil occupying murdering force or die yourself.

Richard and his merry men only had a small window to stop the baddies. It was kill now or be discovered and then killed. Life and freedom or continued slavery and death.

Hmmm, that's a toughy, but my life is more important to me than allowing others to block me from my freedom.

Now do you see my point and his? Goodkind/Richard spends most of the book explaining to these hippies that they can't lay down and wish for peace when the enemy has absolutely no interest in it. He says it again and again. Maybe some of you skipped those parts.

So, if I read this correctly, you're saying it's okay to abandon a philophy when it's inconvient and might get you killed? It's okay to kill or be killed, even if the folks standing in your way are unarmed and non-violent?

Specifically, that in the grand scheme of life being important and all (a major philosophy and theme of TG I believe) than the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many.

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Why be so arrogant about you being "stronger, smarter, faster" over Terry Goodkind when he is only writing what he thinks?
Because we think that what he thinks and writes is weak, stupid and illogical and subsequently, rather hilarious.

Come on, don't be so easy to dismiss someone's work because you are smart but poor and with little direction in life. Write your own stuff and see how it is received. Bet you won't get all glowing reviews either and I also suspect that somewhere on some obscure forum virgins, geeks, outcasts, and obese individuals will mock you as well.
Anyone who disagrees with you can be nothing but a loser, heh?

As for what you wrote people, an opinion is a wonderful thing to have and it says you have a thinking mind but your being way to critical about this(as are the rest of you). The character Richard and the writer Goodkind are human beings not saintly all-knowing angels who together have created the blueprint to supreme morality. If you want to criticize something refer to the Koran or the Bible for that blessed blessedness of the correct way to do life silliness. You'll have to fight most of the world though if you disagree with those doctrines.
Stop right here.

One: Mr Goodkind said that his books were guides for living a better life, and Richard was a model to follow.

Two: There is no such thing as being too critical, it's part of the freedom deal, we get to be able to say what we think, even if it displease some people to hear it.

Three: of course Terry Goodkind's works are not the only thing people have an opinion on, but that what we're talking about here, other controversial texts are not relevant to this discussion.

I'm not an objectivist and i'm not a bible thumper.

Yet you come here saying that we shall not say what we think of the "bible", see your previous paragraphs.

Yes, he writes of rape and torture but we can see by reading ALL the words in all his books that the guy doesn't condone these acts. He just writes about them.
"Yes, but"

Yes, the epitome of good, the model guy, kicked a child out of spite, but...

Of course this course of action is condoned. Reasons are given, usually it's for revenge as when Khalan made this guy cut and eat his own balls, or when that woman tortured a young assassin all night long (all night), or Nicci tortured that witch to get info, but in the end it's condoned.... But only if you're a "good guy".

To be fair to all the readers and commenters, I think overall it was a somewhat difficult theme to grasp and most certainly difficult to accept. Kill a few supporters to get to an evil occupying murdering force or die yourself.

Stop with the condescending tone, it's not difficult to understand, it's because it's such a simplistic strawman that this passage was hilarious. Goodkind wants to show that not fighting is bad, what does he do? He creates a situation where pacifists support the evil army, and must be slaughtered on the spot because of some convenient kill or be killed situation. He then present the killing of these individuals like the moral thing to do.

Your all quietly ignoring the fact that the murderer was trying to stab a child and also that he ended up killing a good kind-hearted man. Your most appalled by the torture of this piece of garbage.
Another case of "Yes, but...". What did you suppose Richard asked his troops to do when he decided to slaughter empire civilians instead of soldiers? Oh yes that's right, he's a good guy, so that means that doing exactly the same things as the enemy does not mean he's exactly as evil as the enemy. Only the enemy is a "piece of garbage" for doing what he does.

... After all the enemy is stupid, he thinks we are the enemy, when it's clearly him. :uhoh:

You have to understand that it's mostly financially motivated. If your selling something would you not want only positive glowing reviews of it. Yes Goodkind is egotistical(oh the shame) and fanatical. Yes it would be more honest to include good and bad comments.
Hum, so what? This doesn't change the quality of his books, it's not relevant.

--------Warning, Sarcasm ahead-------------

Sorry if I offended some of you.

You mean you're not sorry at all, and keep being condescending, I see. Thanks for warning this apology was sarcasm, you can really feel the dripping disdain from your post being exacerbated here, in this light.

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Scoobydew, you've got to read some of Goodkind's interviews - where he says he's revolutionised the fantasy genre, anyone who doesn't like his latest books is a hater of life, and all other sorts of crazy stuff. His attitude is the main reason why he gets made fun of by everyone (not just people on this board). There are plenty of average/bad fantasy authors out there, but none so arrogant and condescending as this one.

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To be fair to all the readers and commenters, I think overall it was a somewhat difficult theme to grasp and most certainly difficult to accept. Kill a few supporters to get to an evil occupying murdering force or die yourself.

Do you think I and the other people on this board are ignorant? What would compel you to make this kind of statement? Have you read what I’ve wrote at all?

One more time. The concept is as simple as it is wrong.

In simply sentances

The. End. Does. Not. Justify. The. Means.

Kill a few supporters to get to an evil occupying murdering force or die yourself.

This is the exact same philosophy that OBL used to create 9/11. He has no compaction of slaughtering thousands of innocent people (or supporters in his eyes). It is also a direct violation of Richard’s often proclaimed philosophy of the nobility of the human spirit.

Instead of treating the protesters as individual they are reduced to a mob. Slaughtering them robs them of their individual rights and reduces their deaths as justified for the common good.

Richard and his merry men only had a small window to stop the baddies. It was kill now or be discovered and then killed. Life and freedom or continued slavery and death.

Hmmm, that's a toughy, but my life is more important to me than allowing others to block me from my freedom.

Now do you see my point and his? Goodkind/Richard spends most of the book explaining to these hippies that they can't lay down and wish for peace when the enemy has absolutely no interest in it. He says it again and again. Maybe some of you skipped those parts.

I see you point and I reject it. The issue isn't that Richard enemies are bad people. The issue is that Richard is a bad person for killing unarmed, peaceful protestors because they disagreed with him.

The peace protestors weren’t aligned with Richard’s enemies. They protested to preserve their way of life. Richard had other options, he took the most violent and direct of them all.

-------------Torture of the bad guy in Faith of the Fallen------------

The last most-hated scene in his books. The tortured assassin in book 6 murdered a valued friend of theirs. He was the "really nice" guy in later books and the main characters lost a loved one by the mindless act. That good guy turns out was actually protecting a young child who the killer was trying to stab and he was then mortally wounded for his benevolent act.

Your all quietly ignoring the fact that the murderer was trying to stab a child and also that he ended up killing a good kind-hearted man. Your most appalled by the torture of this piece of garbage.

If the guy wasn’t so well liked would the assassin’s torture still be justified? If you say no, you will have to justify that morally.

Remember, Goodkind also describes him(bad guy) as extremely proud for doing the deed.

Is there any despicable crime that you think warrants this response?

There is no crime despicable enough to torture someone all night long. That’s my standard. It is one of the things that separate the good guys from the bad.

That Goodkind has his characters use torture is a direct violation of a principle he stated in WFR where Richard was tortured.

Maybe he should of been gently flogged and then asked to discuss his feelings and why he did such a naughty thing. Sorry but I think that would not fit the gentle crime.

No where did anyone say he should be forgiven or not punished for his crime. That you try to frame the debate that only gives me a false choice is ignorant and points to the weakness of your argument. It shows a lack of imagination that you must frame everything in black and white.

All joking aside, I do hope a few of you are grasping what I said with their minds and not just their me-too emotions as i've heard it called.

See ya. Scooby.

I hope you think on what I’ve wrote and develop a more firm moral base. That you seem to support the torture of a person that has been capture is disturbing. Further you only reason is justify is to punish is sickening. I believe in something that Terry says. I do believe that all people are noble. They are all deserve basic humane treatment, no matter their deeds. I believe they have this right simply because they are human. I believe once you start declaring one person less then human you have lost your moral footing and are in danger of becoming what you fight against.

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There is no crime despicable enough to torture someone all night long. That’s my standard. It is one of the things that separate the good guys from the bad.

Seriously. And not only was the dude tortured all night, he was tortured purely for fun. There was no information to get out of him, nothing but the dead man's widow's feelings about the assassin. If you're going to claim to be the good side, you can at least, you know, kill somebody quickly and mercifully?

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I don't have anything to add to the recent debate, apart from generally agreeing with what Errant Bard and Watched said. Instead I thought I'd try to steer the thread back to its original purpose - some vaguely amusing mockery of the Terry Goodkind's (BBHN) work. I had an idea for a parody back around the time everyone else was writing them, but have only recently been bored enough to actually write up here. So here is chapter 1 of...

The Ayn Rand Code

(with apologies to Terry Goodkind, Dan Brown, George RR Martin, several members of the board and the French language)

Richard Langdon awoke slowly in a strange room.

A telephone was ringing in the darkness – a tinny unfamiliar ring.

Richard was initially confused about where he was before remembering he was in Paris for a lecture to promote his book and show off his intellect to impressionable students. In fact, he had just been having a pleasant dream about the way some of the female students gazed at him adoringly as he explained some fanciful symbology when he was rudely awakened.

Richard reluctantly answered the phone.

“Yes,†he said, yawning. “I’m sorry, could you repeat that? … The police want to speak to me? Why? A murder… Jacques Rahl murdered, that’s terrible news… but why… I see symbology, expert opinion, the Louvre… Yes, I’ll be there.â€

Richard put the phone down, shaken. Only a year ago he had nearly died in the Vatican trying to thwart the evil Mord Sith conspiracy and now he had the sinking feeling he was about to embark on another adventure just as dangerous, intriguing and implausible.

“Blade be true this dayâ€, he whispered to himself.

* * * * * * * * * *

A short time later Richard Langdon approached the glass pyramid that was the famous entrance to the great museum of the Louvre. He couldn’t see anyone around so, feeling slightly foolish, he knocked on the pyramid. A French policeman appeared and opened the door.

“Bonjour, je suis Lieutenant Orignaux Fous. Êtes-vous le professeur américain que nous essayons d'obtenir à nous sommes incriminés dans le meurtre ?†the policeman asked.

Richard looked briefly confused then snapped “I don’t have time for your weirdo cultural diversity, speak English!â€

The policeman glared at him briefly, then asked “Are you Richard Langdon?â€

“That’s ‘Professor Richard Langdon pHd BSC SSC BBHN’ to you, but yes I am he†Richard replied arrogantly.

The policeman looked even more irritated but indicated that Langdon should follow him into the Pyramid. He lead Langdon down into the foyer of the museum then through to the Denon wing, climbing up the stairs past the Winged Victory of Samothrace statue and into the dark corridors beyond, illuminated only by red security lights.

Eventually they got to the crime scene. In the middle of one of a gallery filled with a priceless collection of some of the world’s most famous paintings there was a shockingly incongruous sight.

Jacques Rahl, respected curator of the Louvre and the man Richard had been scheduled to meet earlier in the evening (but who had never shown up to the meeting) was lying dead in the middle of the gallery floor. What made the scene even more bizarre was that Rahl’s limbs had been arranged into such positions that to somebody with Richard’s knowledge of the history of art his corpse was instantly reminiscent of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous drawing of the Vitruvian Man.

Along with Orignaux Fous he approached the police captain who was staring at the corpse. Standing next to him was a pretty young woman who was staring anywhere but at the corpse and looking extremely sick.

The captain turned round and inspected Richard. “You must be Professor Langdonâ€, he said, “I am Captain Jean Reno of the Central Directorate Judicial Police. I am investigating this heinous crime and I called you here to assist us with our inquiries.â€

“Of course, anything I can do,†Richard replied, “I will do anything to help you find whoever killed him. The sort of person who would brutally murder a respected academic and then arrange his body in such a way must be very dangerous and lacking in moral clarity, he must be captured.â€

Captain Reno looked slightly surprised, “Professor Langdon, there is something you don’t quite understand, Jacques Rahl was fatally wounded elsewhere in the museum, but the arrangement of his body… he did this to himself.â€

“I don’t understandâ€, Richard admitted reluctantly, saying words he tried never to use.

Reno explained, “Our coroner has provisionally determined that Jacques Rahl was wounded by an unknown assailant who partially ripped his spine out. Rahl somehow managed to get away and ran through the corridors, triggering the alarm system by pulling a painting – Cheradenine Zakalwe’s priceless masterpiece “Ninja Tyrion†- from the walls, bringing down security gates which separated him from his attacker. Anything that happened to Rahl’s body between then and the time that he died was done by him.â€

The woman turned round then, looking shocked, and said, “I cannot believe that, how could someone survive so long with such severe injuries and manage to do these senseless things?â€

Reno said to Richard, “This is Sophie Cypher, one of our best cryptographers. You’ll soon see why we called her in.â€

Richard smiled at her, “It is unfortunate that we meet under such tragic circumstances. As to Rahl’s ability to do these things with such severe injuries, you’d be surprised what someone can do when critically wounded, why I remember the time I eviscerated Michael Baigent for suggesting I hadn’t really sold 50 million books worldwide, he still had time to phone his lawyer and sue me for plagiarism before he died.â€

Reno and Sophie stared at him.

Richard realised what he had said and quickly stated “Of course I didn’t really do that, it was… err… just a joke, yes a joke, that was it, I was never convicted, just a joke, yes.â€

Richard laughed. Then Jean Reno laughed. Sophie laughed. Lieutenant Orignaux laughed. All the men laughed.

“What was that about a code?†Richard asked once the communal mirth had died down.

“Look here,†Reno indicated, shining an ultraviolet torch on a section of floor next to Rahl’s body. It revealed some scrawled writing, it said:

15 42 23 8 16 4

Why A Dad Warlord Loll Nutty?

Nor Oil Dance Diva

“Jacques Rahl wrote this while he was dying, obviously it meant something important, but what?†Reno asked.

Suddenly another policeman came rushing up to Captain Reno. “Capitaine, c'est le poulet qui n'est pas un poulet, il s'est échappé! Toutes les unités doivent aider à le dépister vers le bas,†he said urgently.

Reno looked annoyed, he turned to Richard and Sophie, “Excuse me please, there is an urgent plot device I need to attend to.â€

He hurried off, the rest of the police following him, leaving Richard and Sophie alone.

What happens next? Do Richard and Sophie crack the code? What does it mean? Will there be an even lazier plot device in the second chapter? To find out you'll have to wait for chapter 2 of The Ayn Rand Code

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:D This is a hilarious thread! *leans back with a bowl of popcorn at the side*

I have admittedly not read anything of Terry Goodkind, but if just half the quotes here are true (and I can see no reason that they wouldn't be) then he has really brought it on himself.

Also, about his writing; it is true that most people cannot write at the same level as, say, GRRM. But then, most of these people aren't authors! If you're not an expert at something then don't work with that professional (unless there aren't any other choices of course). It is that simple.

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About slaughtering the pacifist. That situation was uncalled for and Goodkind could have solved it differently.

As far as I understood Richard and his army were on horses. (if you have to go through something, and you don't have any time to lose, and there is no other way) He could just have driven his horses through the crowd. Yeah, some pacifists may have been trampled than and it's not a perfect solution, but there would have been far fewer deads.

Richard went through there to kill those pacifists. He purposely tried to kill people. While he could have gone through without usingweapons. those pacifists don't have weapons.

So tell me this... What was the need for Richard to cold hearted murder those people.............????????

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