The Sword of Truth Books in Order: How to read Terry Goodkind series?

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The Sword of Truth series began in 1994, more than ten years before becoming a TV show known as Legend of the Seeker. Written by Terry Goodkind (1948-2020), this is a series of epic fantasy novels

The series follows the journey of a young woodsman named Richard Cypher who becomes the Seeker of Truth and must therefore fight for justice in the Midlands. As he struggles to fulfill his destiny and save the world from the forces of darkness, Richard travels with the Confessor Kahlan Amnell (his love interest) and his mentor and grandfather, the first wizard Zeddicus Zu’l “Zedd” Zorander. Together, they fight powerful evil forces who seek to control the world.

How to read The Sword of Truth Series in order?

What you must know is that each novel was written to stand alone–except for the final three of the first Sword of Truth book series that was intended to be a trilogy. That said, even if they are in form independent, they are linked by ongoing events that occur throughout the series and follow the Sword of Truth chronology.

I. Sword of Truth Prequels

If you want to read the Sword of Truth series in chronological order, you must start here. That said, it’s probably better to keep those books for later in order to really appreciate what they deliver.

  1. First Confessor – The novel is set centuries prior to the main Sword of Truth series. Married to the powerful leader of her people, Magda Searus is protected from a distant world descending into war, until her husband unexpectedly commits suicide. She rapidly discovers that there may be more to her husband’s suicide than anyone knew. What she finds next, no one is willing to believe.
  2. Debt of Bones – It’s a novella and it’s the story of young Abby’s struggle to win the aid of the wizard Zedd Zorander, the most important man alive.

II. First Series aka The Sword of Truth Books

This is the better entry point, the real beginning of the Sword of Truth series.

  1. Wizard’s First Rule – In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher’s forest sanctuary seeking help. His world is shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword
  2. Stone of Tears – Amid sudden and disastrous events, Richard’s life is called due to satisfy those treacherous oaths. To save his life, Kahlan must forsake Richard’s love and cast him into the chains of slavery, knowing there could be no sin worse than such a betrayal. Richard is determined to unlock the secrets bound in the magic of ancient oaths and to again be free.
  3. Blood of the Fold – Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell stand against the ancient forces which besiege the New World – forces so terrible that when last they threatened, they could only be withstood by sealing off the Old World from whence they came. Now the barrier has been breached, and the New World is again beset by their evil power.
  1. Temple of the Winds – The power-mad Emperor Jagang confronts Richard with a swift and inexorable foe: a mystical plague cutting a deadly swath across the land and slaying thousands of innocent victims. To quench the inferno, he must seek remedy in the wind…
  2. Soul of the Fire – Separated from the Sword of Truth and stripped of their magic, Richard and Kahlan must journey across the Midlands to discover a dark secret from the past and a trap that could tear them apart forever. For their fate has become inextricably entwined with that of the Midlands – and there’s no place so dangerous as a world without magic.
  3. Faith of the Fallen – With Richard a captive taken to the Old World, only Kahlan can lead the army of the New World in a desperate fight to stop Emperor Jagang and his Imperial Order as they march north. She knows that if not stopped, the entire world will fall under the boot of tyranny.
  1. The Pillars of Creation – Unlike the other books, the protagonists are not Richard and Kahlan, but Jennsen Rahl and Oba Rahl, Richard’s half-siblings. Tormented her entire life by inhuman voices, a young woman named Lauren seeks to end her intolerable agony. She at last discovers a way to silence the voices. For everyone else, the torment is about to begin.
  2. Naked Empire – Richard Rahl has been poisoned. Saving an empire from annihilation is the price of the antidote. With the shadow of death looming near, the empire crumbling before the invading hordes, and time running out, Richard is offered not only his own life but the salvation of a people, in exchange for delivering his wife, Kahlan, into bondage to the enemy.

The next three Sword of Truth novels were written as a trilogy called the Chainfire Trilogy.

  1. Chainfire – After being gravely injured in battle, Richard awakes to discover Kahlan missing. To his disbelief, no one remembers the woman he is frantically trying to find. Worse, no one believes that she really exists, or that he was ever married. Alone as never before, he must find the woman he loves more than life itself.
  2. Phantom – On the day she awoke remembering nothing but her name, Kahlan Amnell became the most dangerous woman alive. As her husband, Richard, desperately searches for her, whom only he remembers, he knows that if she doesn’t soon discover who she really is, she will unwittingly become the instrument that will unleash annihilation.
  3. Confessor – Descending into darkness, about to be overwhelmed by evil, those people still free are powerless to stop the coming dawn of a savage new world, while Richard faces the guilt of knowing that he must let it happen. Alone, he must bear the weight of a sin he dare not confess to the one person he loves and has lost.

III. The Richard and Kahlan Books

This new series begins where the last novel in the Sword of Truth series ends.

  1. The Omen Machine – An accident leads to the discovery of a mysterious machine that has rested hidden deep underground for millennia. The machine awakens to begin issuing a series of increasingly alarming, if minor, omens. As Zedd tries to figure out how to destroy the sinister device, the machine issues a cataclysmic omen involving Richard and Kahlan, foretelling an impending event beyond anyone’s ability to stop.
  2. The Third Kingdom – Continuing the story arc started in The Omen Machine, the story picks up with Richard and Kahlan who are stranded in the Dark Lands after having survived their encounter with the Hedge Maid.
  3. Severed Souls – From the far reaches of the D’Haran Empire, Bishop Hannis Arc and the ancient Emperor Sulachan lead a vast horde of Shun-Tuk and other depraved ‘half-people’ into the Empire’s heart, raising an army of the dead in order to threaten the world of the living. Meanwhile, Richard and Kahlan must defend themselves and their followers from a series of terrifying threats.
  4. Warheart – All is lost. Evil will soon consume the D’Haran Empire. Richard Rahl lies on his funeral bier. It is the end of everything. Except what isn’t lost is Kahlan Amnell. Following an inner prompting beyond all reason, the last Confessor will wager everything on a final desperate gambit, and in so doing, she will change the world forever.

IV. The Nicci Chronicles Series

Onetime lieutenant of the evil Emperor Jagang, known as “Death’s Mistress” and the “Slave Queen”, the deadly Nicci captured Richard Rahl in order to convince him that the Imperial Order stood for the greater good. But it was Richard who converted Nicci instead, and for years thereafter she served Richard and Kahlan as one of their closest friends–and one of their most lethal defenders. Now, with the reign of Richard and Kahlan finally stablized, Nicci has set out on her own for new adventures.

  1. Death’s Mistress – Nicci must keep her travelling companion, the unworldly prophet Nathan, out of trouble. But her real task will be to scout the far reaches of Richard Rahl’s realm. This will take her and Nathan to visit the mysterious witch-woman Red, to tangle with the street life of the port city of Tanimura, to fight lethal battles on the high seas, and ultimately to a vast magical confrontation far from home…with the future of life itself, in the Old World and the New, at stake.
  2. Shroud of Eternity – Nicci and her companions―the newly powerless Nathan and the youthful Bannon―set out on another quest after driving ruthless Norukai slavers out of Renda Bay. Their mission: restore Nathan’s magic and, for Nicci, save the world. Guided by the witch-woman Red’s mysterious prophecy, the trio makes their way south of Kol Adair towards a wondrous city shrouded behind time, Ildakar.
  3. Siege of Stone – Nicci, Nathan Rahl, and Bannon remain in the city of Ildakar after a great internal revolt has freed the slaves and brought down the powerful wizards council. But as he fled the city, capricious Wizard Commander Maxim dissolved the petrification spell that had turned to stone the invading army of General Utros fifteen centuries earlier. Now, hundreds of thousands of half-stone soldiers from the ancient past have awakened, led by one of the greatest enemy commanders in history.
  4. Heart of Black Ice – Taken captive by their enemies, King Grieve, along with Lila and Bannon are about to discover the terrifying force that threatens to bring destruction to the Old World. The Norukai, barbarian raiders and slavers, have been gathering an immense fleet among the inhospitably rocky islands that make up their home. With numbers greater than anyone could have imagined, the Norukai are poised to launch their final and most deadly war.

VI. The Children of D’Hara Books

This is a new Richard and Kahlan novella series.

The Children of D’Hara picks up immediately after the conclusion of the Sword of Truth series. The story has been told in installments, as novella-length episodes that were published every three months.

  1. The Scribbly Man
  2. Hateful Things
  3. Wasteland
  4. Witch’s Oath
  5. Into Darkness

VII. Standalone Sword of Truth novels

This book is a thriller, not a fantasy novel and it’s mostly connected to the rest with slight references, but not with a direct link. That said, there’s a connection with “The Omen Machine” and you should read “The Law of Nines” before if you want.

  1. The Law of Nines – Alex, a struggling artist living in the Midwestern United States, inherit a huge expanse of land that should have made him a rich and happy man; but something about this 27th birthday, his name, and the beautiful woman whose life he just saved, has suddenly made him-and everyone he loves-into a target.
  2. The Sky People – The Sun People are bound by an ancient law, left by the long-vanished Sky People: they must never kill. To other tribes, who have no such law, the Sun People are easy prey who will not defend themselves. Their game is poached, their stores are raided, their women abducted, and their men killed for sport.

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17 Comments

    1. Because Shota said if they had a baby it would be a boy and she would kill Kaylan before the baby is born to stop him from being born.

    2. They did in the book, “into the darkness”. their names are Cara and Zed and they were twins born holding hands.

    3. They did David. Read the Children of Dhara. You’ll see them at the end of “Into Darkness”.

  1. I have read all of the books. And then, again have listened to them. While being completely entranced with the story. I was completely pissed with the explanation in the end. It was beyond/OMFG preachy. As a story teller… you can do better

    1. Have not read the Children of D’Hara series as of yet, jumped to the Nicci Chronicles. Starts okay but gets better as it goes.

    2. The start of the Nicci Chronicles picks up right after the end of Warheart, but then so does the Children of D’hara. I kind of bounced back & forth between the two, but it’s your choice Mark.

  2. Thanks a lot. I thought the series ended with Confessor. I am not starting The Omen Machine now, thanks to you. Quite an interesting series of books. Goodkind sure has a vivid imagination.

  3. The Law of Nines is a great book that leaves you rooting for the house of Rahl , would’ve been a great show to build on for Sword of Truth fans

  4. Under “The Sword of Truth” series by Terry Goodkind, the “The Richard and Kahlan series” and “The Children of D’Hara both state that the series begins where the last novel in the Sword of Truth series ends. It is very confusing and counter dictating. Could you please clarify which series I should start next after “The Naked Empire” series? Thank you very much for your assistance. Have a fabulous night 🙂
    Sincerely,
    Tanya Szymberski

    1. After Naked Empire, the Chainfire trilogy is the next books to read, beginning with Chainfire, then Phantom and, finally, Confessor.

  5. The description of Faith of the Fallen is incorrect. It states that Richard heads into the Old World with Cara. That is incorrect. I won’t say what leads him to go into the Old World, but he definitely doesn’t go there with Cara.

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