Temple of the Winds (Sword of Truth Series #4) » (REV)

Terry Goodkind is a number-one New York Times-bestselling author. He lives in Nevada and Maine.

Book Four of The Sword of Truth, the series first begun in Wizard's First Rule, returns listeners to the world of Richard Cypher, a simple woods guide who never dreamed he would be named the Seeker of Truth and become caught up in magic, war, and dangers so extraordinary that the fate of his entire world would hang on his actions and decisions.

The dangerous, fanatical Imperial Order, under the leadership of the power-mad Emperor Jagang and his multitude of demonic underlings, unleashes a deadly plague. To find a cure Richard Cypher and his beloved Kahlan Amnell must seek out the legendary Temple of the Winds, a fortress of evil sealed away for three thousand years. But the path of the Seeker of Truth is never an easy one - even if he can reach the Temple at all, there is no guarantee he'll ever return.

VOYA

In this Book Four of the Sword of Truth series, Richard the Seeker (also Lord Rahl and megapowerful Wizard) must fulfill a bound fork prophecy (meaning one of two unavoidable paths will happen). One fork takes him to the legendary Temple to cure the world of a deadly plague caused by nasty Emperor Jagang, but this same fork also promises the betrayal of his beloved Kahlan, the Mother Confessor. Bound to duty, Richard and Kahlan choose to save the world (how nice) and lose each other. Kahlan marries the feigning good but really bad half-brother Drefan Rahl, and Richard takes the plague into himself. Meanwhile, the ancient wizard Zedd and Sister (of the Light) Ann are captured by a procession of tribal peoples who threaten to sacrifice and/or enslave them, but the pair acts so goofy the natives think their gods would not be satisfied. Subplots abound (involving sisters of the Dark and the Light, Prophets, political conspiracies against Richard, etc.), and it is miraculous that all the strands come together neatly at the end. The author must have one heck of an outline. Richard's haphazard but effective powers, plus a healthy dose of wit help keep the book surprisingly light. This definitely is for readers who already love this series. (An untidy thread does exist, of course, promising a Book Five, featuring a freed Keeper of the Underworld, perhaps?). VOYA Codes: 4Q 2P S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).