The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus
Note! This book was originally self-published in 2012.
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, the prequel to the Sword of Truth, for the first time hardcover
In a time before legends had yet been born...
Married to the powerful leader of her people, safe among those gifted with great ability, Magda Searus is protected from a distant world descending into war. But when her husband, a man who loved life and loved her, unexpectedly commits suicide, she suddenly finds herself alone. Because she is ungifted herself, without her husband she no longer has standing among her people, and she finds herself isolated in a society that seems to be crumbling around her.
Despite her grief, she is driven to find the reasons behind why her husband would do such a thing - why he would abandon her and her people at such a profoundly dangerous time. Though she is not gifted, she begins to discover that there may be more to her husband's suicide than anyone knew. What she finds next, no one is willing to believe.
Without anyone to help her, she knows that she must embark on a mission to find a mysterious spiritist, if she even exists, so that she may speak with the dead. This quest may also be her last chance to unravel what is really behind the mysterious events befalling her people. What she discovers along the way is that the war is going far worse than she had known, and that the consequences of defeat will be more terrifying for her and her people than she could have imagined.
As mortal peril begin to close in around her, Magda learns that she is somehow the key to her people's salvation.
Journey with Magda Searus into her dark world, and learn how true legends are born.
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Terry Goodkind
In the sprawling landscape of epic fantasy, where morality twists through magic and kingdoms fall with the weight of a whispered truth, Terry Goodkind carved out a path that was wholly his own—bold, uncompromising, and unafraid to challenge the genre’s conventions.
Best known for The Sword of Truth series, Goodkind didn’t just write about heroes—he built a philosophy into their bones. At the heart of his sprawling saga is Richard Rahl, a woods guide turned reluctant leader whose journey unfolds not merely as an adventure, but as a study in reason, free will, and personal responsibility. Where many fantasy authors lean into myth and fate, Goodkind leaned into choice. He wove moral clarity through moral complexity, demanding that readers grapple with not just what is right, but why.
The Sword of Truth
The Sword of Truth is #1 New York Times bestselling author Terry Goodkind’s epic fantasy series chronicling the heroic journeys of Richard Cypher, a Seeker of Truth, Confessor Kahlan Amnell and First Order wizard Zeddicus “Zedd” Zu’l Zorander as they battle against dark forces and evil overlords seeking to subjugate the land.
The Sword of Truth consists of eleven primary books, and includes two additional books that complement the series but are not considered mandatory reads. The current recommended reading order for the series is provided below.
Related series Richard and Kahlan
Related series Sister of Darkness: The Nicci Chronicles
Related series Children of D'Hara
