Confessor

First edition cover
Author	Terry Goodkind
Cover artist	Keith Parkinson
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Sword of Truth
Genre(s)	Epic fantasy novel
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	November 13, 2007
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	608
ISBN	0765315238
Preceded by	Phantom

Confessor is the eleventh book in Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth, and the last in the Chainfire trilogy bringing an end to the current story arc with the Imperial Order story line as well as the series. The book was announced on February 20, 2007 on the author's official website.^[1] The book was released November 13, 2007 Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Terry Goodkind (born 1948) is a contemporary American writer and author of the best-selling epic fantasy series, The Sword of Truth, which according to his publisher TOR in an August, 2006 press release[1] has more than 10 million copies in print and has been translated into 20 different... Keith Parkinson, Fantasy Artist Keith Parkinson (22 October 1958 - 26 October 2005) was a fantasy artist and illustrator. ... For other uses, see Country (disambiguation). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... On the cover of Stone of Tears, Richard is seen holding, presumably, the Sword of Truth. ... High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ... This article is about the literary concept. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Tor Books is an imprint of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC which publishes popular fiction, and is particularly noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. ... is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... A hardcover (or hardback or hardbound) book is bound with rigid protective covers (typically of cardboard covered with cloth or heavy paper) and a stitched spine. ... Events September 15 - Boniface IV becomes pope. ... ISBN redirects here. ... Phantom is the tenth book in Terry Goodkinds epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth. ... Terry Goodkind (born 1948) is a contemporary American writer and author of the best-selling epic fantasy series, The Sword of Truth, which according to his publisher TOR in an August, 2006 press release[1] has more than 10 million copies in print and has been translated into 20 different... High fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy fiction that is set in invented or parallel worlds. ... On the cover of Stone of Tears, Richard is seen holding, presumably, the Sword of Truth. ... Chainfire is the ninth book in the Sword_of_Truth fantasy series by Terry Goodkind. ... A trilogy is a set of three works of art, usually literature or film, that are connected and can be seen as a single work, as well as three individual ones. ... is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Plot introduction

A short plot description of the book was released on the author's official website, which read:^[1]

Descending into darkness, about to be overwhelmed by evil, those people still free are powerless to stop the coming dawn of a savage new world, while Richard faces the guilt of knowing that he must let it happen. Alone, he must bear the weight of a sin he dare not confess to the one person he loves…and has lost.

Join Richard and Kahlan in the concluding novel of one of the most remarkable and memorable journeys ever written. It started with one rule, and will end with the rule of all rules, the rule unwritten, the rule unspoken since the dawn of history.

When next the sun rises, the world will be forever changed.

Plot summary

Richard Rahl is injured and is advised that he is a player -Ulicia is also advised that the time is set again i.e. one year from when Richard was put in play Six steals the third box of Orden from Nicci/ Zed - The Wizards Keep is damaged and must be abandoned. The catacombs below the People's Palace are revealed by Jagang's excavations - the sisters enter, kill Anne and capture Nicci. Soldiers are sent into the catacombs to prepare an attack and the hole is hidden. The sisters of the dark discover 'the original book of counted shadows'.

Richard paints his team in symbols to hide his features so he is not recognised. His team meet and defeat Jagangs team BUT Jagang announces the win is invalid. This unfair decision causes a riot in the camp during which Richard/ Nicci escape and Kahlan is 'rescued' by Samuel. Richard/ Nicci (helped by Adie) go back to the palace through the catacombs, helped by the fact that Nathan/ Cara are suspicious and are investigating the missing Anne and Nicci. Rachel is lured to Tamarang by Violet but is given a piece of chalk by someone looking like her mother (turns out to be Shota) and changes drawings, killing Violet and reuniting Richard with his gift. Zed is captured by Six - who is in league with Jagang and has helped attack D'Haran forces by riding a red dragon (so not all were destroyed by the chimes). Richard is told by Nicci that he must not reveal his love for Kahlan otherwise Chainfire will not restore her love for him - but will do the rest. Richard has to go through the underworld - is attacked by the beast - and is rescued by the Mud People (Shota has sent Rachel on Garr to tell them to do so). At the palace Nathan thinks Richard is dead and is going to accept Jagangs terms (which include surrendering Nicci - who is imprisoned and access to the Garden of Life to open the boxes). Kahlan is attacked by Samuel (who is taking her to Six) but touches the Sword of Truth and realises she is a Confessor, she touches Samuel.Richard on the way to Tamarang meets Kahlan and, although cannot reveal his love, carves another model of spirit. Six has imprisoned Zedd and Chase and appears when Richard reaches the cell. Shota kills Six and Richard/ Kahlan/ Zedd fly back to the People's palace on the red dragon (revealed as 'Gregory' son of Scarlett)

Back at the palace Richard causes Jagang to become infatuated with Nicci with nightmares. He surrenders, Jagang and the Sistors enter the Garden of Life. Jagang goes to see Nicci - who puts a Rada-Han on him and eventually kills him.

Back in the Garden the sisters complete the magic to find out which box is correct and open it. It turns out that all the books were fakes - they refer to the word Confessor, which was not known at the time that the boxes were created and so had been created later. The sisters are sucked into the Underworld.

The key to the magic of Orden is the Sword of Truth. Kahlan tells Richard she loves him - to Richard's dismay. Richard puts the sword on each box - one box turns the sword white. Richard opens the box and uses the magic to send believers in the Order to a new world, devoid of magic, as well as repairing the damage caused by the chimes. Kahlan then says she was protected because her love for Ricard was genuine (for the second time) i.e. She had not been told she loved him.

Cover art

Cover artist Keith Parkinson died before Confessor was published but had created art for all the books in the saga beforehand. Author Terry Goodkind had the following to say, "When Keith and I were working on cover concepts for CHAINFIRE he came up with a number of color roughs that, because of their simple, iconic nature were very close to being final. At the time I recognized three of these roughs as perfect for the Chainfire Trilogy. That means that the final book of the series had already been done by him before he passed away so that is the cover that will appear on the book."^[2] Keith Parkinson, Fantasy Artist Keith Parkinson (22 October 1958 - 26 October 2005) was a fantasy artist and illustrator. ...

Known characters

• Richard is the ruler of the D'Haran Empire and a war wizard (has the gift for both additive and subtractive magic). He is a person who believes in truth and freedom. He is against all that the Imperial Order stands for. However, in Phantom he temporarily loses his gift and Nathan becomes the new Lord Rahl.
• Kahlan is Lord Rahl's wife. Bereft of all memories, she strives to remember what she has lost ... at all costs.
• Emperor Jagang is the ruler of the Imperial Order. He believes that magic is a repressant of mankind and as such must be eliminated, although he himself is a dream walker (a person who can control others with magic). To him, only the collective has meaning. He holds Kahlan prisoner.
• Zedd is Richard Rahl's grandfather on his mother's side and is also First Wizard.
• Nathan Rahl is a prophet, an ancestor to Richard Rahl on his father's side, and almost 1,000 years old.
• Annalina Aldurren is a sorceress of great power and former Prelate of the Sisters of Light. She is dedicated to Richard with all of her heart even though some of the things he does, she finds a bit irritating.
• Nicci is a sorceress and Sister of the Dark who has turned over to Richard's side.
• Cara is a Mord-Sith as well as Richard's bodyguard and close friend.

Richard Rahl (aka Richard Cypher) is the protagonist in the Sword of Truth fantasy series by Terry Goodkind. ... In the fictional fantasy series Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind, Kahlan Amnell is the Mother Confessor and the last remaining Confessor, originally from the Midlands. ... Emperor Jagang is a dreamwalker: a person who had some attributes removed witj Subtractive Magic and others added with Additive Magic. ... Zeddicus Zul Zorander (Zedd) is a main character in the fictional Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. ... The Mord-Sith are a fictional class of people in The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. ...

Footnotes

External Links

• Terry Goodkind's page for Confessor
• Terry Goodkind's website
• Welcome to the world of Terry Goodkind