American writer Terry Goodkind is considered a recognized master of the fantasy genre. He is best known as the author of the bestselling series under the general title "The Sword of Truth." The books in this series have already been translated into two dozen languages.
Years before the career of a writer and the history of the creation of the first novel
Terry Goodkind was born on May 1, 1948 in Omaha, Nebraska. There he was also educated at an art school. Before becoming a famous writer, he worked as a cabinet maker and violin maker, and restored antiques. In addition, he gained some fame as an artist. His paintings are made in a classical style, they usually depict seascapes and wildlife.
In 1983, Terry Goodkind, along with his beloved wife Jeri, went to the secluded wooded island of Mount Desert, located off the coast of Maine (this is the northeastern United States), and there he built a house with his own hands overlooking the ocean.
In 1993, in this house, he began writing a novel about the world of the Sword of Truth, "The First Rule of the Wizard." According to Goodkind himself, the first character he came up with was Confessor Kahlan. This is a beautiful girl with long brown hair, who is able to completely subjugate the will of any person, just by touching him - such is the power of her magic.
Interestingly, the manuscript of this book was auctioned to publishers for US $ 275,000 - a very successful start to his writing career. And this amount was clearly not spent by the publishers in vain! The Wizard's First Rule was an overwhelming success and won the love of a huge number of readers. This success made Goodkind think about the continuation of the story … As a result, the author created a series of eleven fascinating novels. In addition, at the moment there are nine more books (sequels, prequels, spin-offs), one way or another related to the Sword of Truth universe. And although these books are fantasy, in them the author proved himself to be a deep connoisseur of human psychology, philosophy, politics.
Screen adaptation of the Sword of Truth series and new books by the author
Based on the Sword of Truth books, ABC Studios filmed the Legend of the Seeker television series in New Zealand in 2008 and 2009. The series differed in many ways from the book and was met with controversy by critics and viewers. The first season, consisting of 22 episodes, aired from November 2008 to May 2009. The second season, which became the last, also included 22 episodes. The roles of the main characters - Confessors Kahlan and Seeker Richard Rahl - were played by Bridget Regan and Craig Horner.
The first book that has nothing to do with fantasy and has nothing to do with previous works was the thriller novel "Filth" (original title - Nest). Goodkind started work on the book back in 2009, but it didn't go on sale until November 2016. The thriller tells the story of a girl named Kate Bishop, who has the genetic ability to recognize killers by their eyes. In 2018, the writer released two more thriller novels, which are actually the sequels of the first book - "Spawn" and "Girl from the Moon".
Terry Goodkind's current residence and hobbies
At the moment, Goodkind does not live on Mount Desert Island, but on the other side of the country - in the state of Nevada (here he moved with his wife several years ago).
One of Goodkind's main hobbies is auto racing, as part of the Rahl Racing team, he participated in several amateur and semi-professional competitions.
