The First Confessor (The Legend of Magda Searus) [Kindle Edition]

Terry Goodkind (Author)

Book Description

In the time before the Confessors, when the world is a dark and dangerous place, where treason and treachery are the rule of the day, comes one heroic woman, Magda Searus, who has just lost her husband and her way in life.

Product Details

• File Size: 783 KB
• Print Length: 481 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B008GT83FG
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,004 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

249 of 256 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly What I Expected From Terry Goodkind July 3, 2012

By Lisa McGeen

Format:Kindle Edition

The First Confessor (The Legend of Magda Searus) by Terry Goodkind is exactly what the title claims, the story of the Magda Searus, the first Confessor. The events played out here are a crucial part of the back story of the Sword of Truth series. As the story opens, Magda Searus has just lost her husband, First Wizard Baraccus. Feeling lost and alone, Magda sets out to commit suicide in the same manner as her husband, by throwing herself off the wall of the Keep and falling to her death a thousand feet below. At the last possible moment, she finds a note left by Baraccus, urging her to find truth. In the chapters that follow, the reader is given a closer look at the events laid out as backstory during the Sword of Truth series. How the war between the Old World and the New was first started, the making of the Sword of Truth, the hiding of the Temple of the Winds, the creation of the D'Haran bond, the dreamwalkers, the traitors in the Keep, and the reasoning behind the creation of the Confessors. And other events even further back in history are hinted at.

This was an excellent read. I've read each book by Goodkind in one sitting, and this was no exception. This book explains many of the secrets behind the Sword of Truth series and gives the characters mentioned in the series their own stories. Even though this wasn't about the main characters, Richard and Kahlan, I was just as interested in the characters and eager to know more about them. The only two problems I had with this book were that now I feel the need to go back and read the whole series again and now I want to know more about the other events mentioned in the series. Here's hoping Mr. Goodkind feels the urge to write more of the backstory.

A note about the format: The First Confessor (The Legend of Magda Searus) is a self-published e-book. Many of his loyal fans seem to be quite upset that it's only available in e-format, as they don't have the necessary e-readers. Terry Goodkind wanted to tell the story in his own way, without the limitations imposed by a publisher. Apparently, he's one of the first big name authors to venture into the realms of self-publishing. His reasons for doing so can be found on his website at terrygoodkind.com. As reviewers, we tend to shy away from author self-pubs. Many that we've read have had lots of grammatical errors, formatting issues, continuity problems, or just plain poor editing. I didn't find a single thing wrong in this book. That's not to say there aren't problems, just that I didn't find them, and I usually do. If you're leery of reading this because it's a self-pub, don't be. It could easily have been printed by any of the major publishers and I wouldn't have noticed any difference while reading it.

59 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars He's Back! July 5, 2012

By Train Reader

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I almost didn't buy this book. Although Terry Goodkind is one of my favorite authors I found his last couple books disappointing, so I started it with low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. This book was impossible to put down. The story was fast moving, gripping and masterfully written. Mr. Goodkind will have you transported inside the Wizard's Keep while you are reading the story. I feel it is his best effort since Faith of the Fallen. It also gave we SOT series fans a better understanding of how the sword came to be and the creation of the Confessors. If this is an example of what he can do freed from the constraints of a publishing house then I hope the rest of his offerings come in the same format. I can't wait for his next book!

34 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying Prequel July 2, 2012

By Douglas

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book, as you might assume from the title, is a prequel to the books in the Sword of Truth series. It was exciting to see how things started and to see the character of Magda Searus take this journey. And parts of this journey are terrifying, even though if you have already read the Sword of Truth series you have a good idea what will happen. I really enjoyed the book and had no problem with reading it only in e-book format. I enjoy the story and it was great not having to wait for a publisher to to decide, "Well, six months from now would be the best time to publish the book because it doesn't interfere with the publication of any other books on our schedule." And aren't we all happier having the book as soon as possible? And despite initial skepticism I had about e-books, after trying them out I quickly became a convert.

More About the Author

Terry Goodkind is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Sword of Truth series, Richard and Kahlan stories, author of The Law of Nines, and writer of Legend of the Seeker, the Sam Raimi produced, ABC television series based on The Sword of Truth books.

Goodkind was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, where he also attended art school, one of his many interests on the way to becoming a writer. Besides a career in wildlife art, he has been a cabinet maker and violin maker, and he has done restoration work on rare and exotic artifacts from around the world -- each with its own story to tell, he says.

While continuing to maintain the northeastern home he built with his own hands, in recent years he and his wife, Jeri, have created a second home in the desert Southwest, where he now spends the majority of his time.

Join the fan community at TerryGoodkind.com for all of the latest.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#33 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#41 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#57 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#67 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#87 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure

#33 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy

#41 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Fantasy

#57 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy

#67 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Action & Adventure

#87 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Action & Adventure