I read this once before, a long time ago now...I've read up to the 10th or 11th book (I'm not sure what the last one was) and I must say I lost interest part way through the series and ended up reading them only because DH had bought them me for Christmas. They hooked me back in towards the latter part of the series again though. I think I just got a bit cross with the main character being so horribly tortured all the time. I know some people are unlucky, but this guy really does seem to take the cake!
I remembered the book having more humour too, so it was shocked to find it so serious and dark right from the beginning.
I also found the style a little hard to adjust to after having moved away from sci-fantasy for a while. BUT...after the first chapter I got engrossed again and really enjoyed re-reading this.
It took longer than I thought to read. It's quite a best of a book...and it was quite shockingly violent. I found the section where he turns the child against his parents particularly horrifying, then remembered that this wouldn't have affected me last time I read this as I was not a mum at the time. It seemed to have parallels with what can happen in the world if your kids get involved with 'wrong type'. Perhaps that's a bit gloomy but I did have PMT when I read it!!!
I think Goodkind's real strength is his compassion for his characters and the way he draws them so intricately. I agree the heroine is less well sketched in this first book, but it is for effect. And the 'will they, won't they' tension in this first book is quite fascinating too, particularly if you've read the following books and know where it's heading. You still find yourself willing them to get together. It's a bit like Ross and Rachel in friends, but perhaps a little darker!
I also like the way this kind of book threads different story lines together, till you end up with a blanket of multicoloured patches, sometimes a little disjointed on their own, but knitting together to make a grand, beautiful, piece in the end.
I am really pleased to have read this book again after so many years. It was almost a guilty pleasure...and I rarely read books more than once, so I've been surprised by this.
I got different things from it now than I did when I first read it, which just goes to show an old book can teach an old dog new tricks.
The resonance of the story differs with the passing of years and the changes in the reader can often affect the way the book impacts. Perhaps now I'll have to revisit a few more of my old books and see just which ones still hit the mark!
Thanks Lunavix....nice choice!