Posted: January 11, 2021

Temple of the Winds

Terry Goodkind

Temple of the Winds introduces a third structure to the landscape of Aydindril. The wizard-created Temple of the Winds used to be an actual place in Aydindril. Created to be a storehouse of magical relics it was deemed too dangerous to remain in the physical world and the wizards of old banished it to the underworld. Jagang managed to find a way to steal a relic from the Temple and use it to start the plague.

Although caused by magical means, the plague itself is non-magical. Unfortunately the healers of the Midlands have nothing to counteract it. The solution to a plague unleashed by magic is a magical solution and here we come to the Temple of the Winds.

The most intense sequence in the book involves the romance between Richard and Kahlan wherein a rift threatens their relationship.

Of all the books so far this one has the worst start and the best ending. I was reading the last hundred pages or so very late into the night with intentions to finish it in the morning but the final pages were so compelling, the action scenes so good, that I simply could not sleep without finishing the book. Terry Goodkind really nails the dismount.

I did say this book has the worst start right? It was really slow going. I couldn’t figure it out until I realized the culprit was Goodkind having to explain a lot of the events from the previous books, maybe for readers who picked up "Temple of the Winds" without picking up the first three books. My take on that is that no one will do that right? If you’re going to read a fantasy series, start at book one or face the consequences of simply not knowing everything that goes on. I know this book will not change nor will the ones following but really, the books should be written on the assumption that the previous books have been read. I don’t even know if this was Goodkind’s decision or if it was an editorial call.

This is one of the weaker books in the series.