I LOVE THE SWORD OF TRUTH! Like Chris said, he introduced me to the series awhile back and I read all the ones which were released straight in a row.

Seriously, he makes amazing characters and you will fall in love with Richard, Khalan and especially Zedd.

I could see how someone might not like the series though, at times Goodkind can be a bit repetititive (but this is because I saw an interview where he said he wanted a person to be able to pick up any book and understand what was going on) and later in the series, a bit preachy, especially in regard to Richard.

The first 5 books or so of the series are fan-freaking-tastic in my opinion, then it slows down a bit for a few books. I really wasn't a huge fan of Naked Empire, but the last three books in the series really picked back up and I absolutely loved Confessor, the final book.

I think you should give them a try, Matthew and Jayson. The first book of the series, Wizard's First Rule, is one of my favorite books of all time. I think you will like the first few, and if you lose interest, oh well, at least you enjoyed a few, right?


Oh...and i'm so freaking excited that Sam Raimi is turning Wizard's First Rule into a TV series for ABC this fall.