View source for Death's Mistress by Terry Goodkind

{{infobox1
|title= Death's Mistress
|author= Terry Goodkind
|reviewer= Geminie Winterburn
|genre=Fantasy
|summary= Starts immediately and sets the story with a Star Wars like scene, with the main heroine and hero starting out on their journey. The adventures they have along the way are fascinating, picking up a young lad, pirates and cutthroats, sea monsters and shipwrecks, villages plagued by evils with the ever hanging mystery of a prophecy that foretells of the heroine who will save the world. The interesting thing is how it plays out when heroine who is destined to save the world, is a murdering, bloodthirsty, emotionally detached sorceress. 
|rating= 4
|buy=Maybe
|borrow= Yes
|pages= 500
|publisher=Tor Books
|date=January 2017
|isbn=978-0765388216
|website=http://www.terrygoodkind.com
|cover=0765388219
|aznuk=0765388219
|aznus=0765388219
}}
 
We start this novel as a heroine and a hero travelling through the forest, in search of a witch. I immediately love it, when the focus is on the female lead and the male lead is painted as a bit of a pompous twonk, with more care for clothes and jewellery, than for saving mankind. However, it becomes harder to like her as the book winds its tale, when you realise that she is a heartless, murdering, uncaring, psychopath. It becomes relatively clear that she has been damaged from a young age (which was a while ago, seeing as she's almost 200 years old), that has had effects on how she has lived her life until this point. However, their goal of spreading the word of Emperor's Rahl victory over the evil Emperor Janang to the furthest reaches of his kingdom, becomes diverted, when prophecy leaves the world and an old witch imparts the knowledge of an old prophecy that foretells that Nicci will save the world.
 
It becomes increasingly clear that there is a back story here that has been woven through many books, which would make the story you are now reading, a lot clearer. However, Mr Goodkind's writing, explanations and a way to paint the history as well as the present, means that you don't have to read all 17 books that tell the previous story. The Nicci Chronicles tell of the saga after the Sword of Truth Novels and continue her story (assuming that it has been told in the previous novels).
 
It has moments of joy, when they escape the monstrous Selth from pulling them to a watery grave, anger when Nicci who has received abuse for most of life, has to continue fighting it off as she continues on her journey. Triumph, when they defeat an old wizard from being Judge, Jury and Executioner throughout a small realm. It is a gentle ride through their journey, but frustratingly never seems to peak. It ends, obviously to carry on into the next book, leaving you with more questions than when you started the book, which for me, is maddeningly frustrating. However, I will buy the next book, just to prove a point and probably to end up in the same predicament as I am now. All due to the fact the Mr Goodkind's writing is epically beautiful, descriptive and enchanting. The story itself is bemusing and dark, it mentions the realms that we don't want to question and does so brilliantly. The story is set and paces as a good novel should, keeps you hooked in, waiting for the next action scene and puzzling about the overall theory. Continue through to the end, I'm sure you'll love it.

FURTHER READING

Read [[The Bone Thief: (Wulfgar 1) by V M Whitworth|The Bone Thief]], gives you a wide overview of a country at war, set in 900AD, more history than fantasy, but still full of battles, blood and brutes.  

For more fantasy, read [[The Watcher of Dead Time (Relic Guild 3) by Edward Cox|The Watcher of Dead Time by Edward Cox]]. It jumps through time, (if that’s your thing) but still contains the savagery of humanity, as it does with Death’s Mistress. 
 
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