10 & 11 in 13 in 13 challenge

I really didn't think I would have a chance to blog again this week (there is so much going on right now) that I am pleasantly surprised to be able to blog the next 2 books for my attempt at the 13 in 13 challenge.  The best bit is that now the end is in sight I really think I can do this.

I seem to have mentioned that Terry Goodkind is one of my favourite authors and I was delighted to find that he had a new book out.  I was even more excited to discover that it was the second in a series and I had somehow missed the first of the series when it came out in 2011.  I have got no idea how it happened but  it meant I got to read the first two books of this new Richard and Kahlan story together.  I do have to admit to choosing these books over some prep work I had to do which I am now going to cram into tomorrow morning instead.  It was worth it.

Book 10 - The Omen Machine, Terry Goodkind & Book 11 - The Third Kingdom, Terry Goodkind

These books follow on from The original Sword of Truth series of 12 books.  The story picks up again about a year (give or take) after the end of Book 12.  It is about a threat to the people of D'Hara in the form of Prophecy and of a machine (the Omen Machine) that is discovered that seems to be creating the prophecy.  And a threat to Richard and Kahlan personally in the form of a Hedge Maid called Jit.  That book ends with Richard killing Jit to save Kahlan and them both suffering ill effects of the way that was done.

What I loved about the book was that all the characters were there.  All the people I grew to love in the Sword of Truth series were there and as opinionated as ever.  It left us with a cliff hanger that of course we knew was going to be solved in book 2 (spoiler: it wasn't)

What I didn't like about the book was that he seems to have got even more wordy.  None of his book could be called short and that is great, however I found in this one that I struggled with some of the lengthy explanation stuff.

So onto The Third Kingdom.  I got terribly confused at the start of this as it did not pick up where the first book left off (and there was a reason for this) which was highly annoying but did make me turn the pages faster to discover why that was the case.

This book continues the story in a somewhat round about way (and I was glad to have had read the First Confessor as that really lays the foundation for this story) which Richard and Kahlan (having been saved by their friends currently about to be eaten by cannibals with their friends no where in sight.  Needless to say as the book unfolds we discover what happened to the friends and are eventually (like in the last 10 pages) reunited with them.

I loved this book because of its twists and turn including the confusing one at the start, I loved the way it ties in the stories of the Word of Truth and the First Confessor very well.

What I didn't like about this book was the way he could without warning kill off one of my favourite characters (poor brass buttons) and then send one of the three main characters (who have in some form or other been together through 11 of the first 12 books) off on her own.  I am hoping that we will see her again soon.

So now I need to sit back and wait for another two years before book 3 comes out and hope he ties up some weird loose ends cause this guy is good.

I am also trying to decide if I want to purchase them all for my kindle or whether I buy the actual books.  I love the paper books but I also love the fact that with these big books the kindle makes them portable.  No way I would take these on holiday for example in their paper format but on a kindle, well that's another story.