I’ve read Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series, which had its high points and its low points. The high points included an interesting world and a tendency to be more dark than bright. The low points are numerous, but amount to political and philosophical grandstanding. (I don’t mind a fiction author subtly incorporating their beliefs into their works, but when the line is crossed from subtle to overt, I lose interest.) Despite my misgivings, I did like the series overall, and I decided I’d give The Legend of the Seeker a chance as well. I knew going into it that Terry Goodkind had little to do with the finished product, and part of me was hopeful that this would be a good thing.
SPOILER ALERT: If you haven’t seen the series “The Legend of the Seeker” and you would like to, don’t read anything below this point. God help you if you actually want to watch it for story value.
ADDITIONAL ALERT: I haven’t read Wizard’s First Rule in about a year. I recall most of it, but it’s been a while. If I’ve grossly misrepresented the book in any way, let me know.
Terry Goodkind’s Portrayal in the Sword of Truth Series: Kahlan Amnell has long hair that reaches nearly to the ground because she is the Mother Confessor. (Confessors have the longest hair in the New World.) As a Confessor, she has an ability to touch people and wipe out any free will they have, forcing them to love her unconditionally—and be willing to do anything she wishes them to do.
ABC Studios’ answer in “Legend of the Seeker”: Kahlan Amnell has short hair because wigs are expensive. When she touches people, they start killing other people and she falls on the ground, helpless.
TG: Some artist made Richard out to be a burly guy on the cover, and wouldn’t you know, the books sort of portray him that way, too.
ABC: Burly? I don’t think we can find any people like that who also know how to act. Let’s go with an Australian that speaks with an annoying American accent on-set.
TG: Wizard Zedd is quirky, silly, funny, yet somehow wise under all of that.
ABC: First scene of Zedd in the series is of him stark naked, staring up at the sky on a rock. While the acting could have been better, they certainly know how Zedd should act: naked and holding a chicken. (There’s more to this scene, I’m sure of it!)
TG: Darken Rahl is a sick bastard.
ABC: Darken Rahl is a sick bastard, but more like a boring sick bastard. Using fresh blood for ink is kind of par for the course for a devious overlord like him, isn’t it?
TG: Richard Cypher memorizes the Book of Counted Shadows and burns it. This happens in the somewhat recent past. The Book of Counted Shadows is needed to harness the power of the boxes of Orden, therefore Richard is the key to unlocking the power of those boxes.
ABC: Richard Cypher has never seen the Book of Counted Shadows, nor can he read it unless he concentrates while in front of Zedd, who gives him a 15 second primer on how to read magic script. He burns this magic book at the end of the pilot, forever depriving Darken Rahl of it, and completely destroying the plot!
ABC: When the time is right and Richard Cypher is in the center of a circle of fire, he can lift the Sword of Truth and lightning will strike it.
TG: WTF?
TG: The Sword of Truth in the hands of a Seeker will only work if the Seeker believes that he is just in killing whatever the target may be. He can’t kill someone that he truly believes is innocent.
ABC: The Sword of Truth is a shiny magic sword and Richard is going to kill Darken Rahl. No one really cares about that exposition and subtle foreshadowing bullshit.
I could go on, but these were the most glaring problems I had with the TV adaptation of this series. You get the idea: I didn’t like it, and I didn’t think it was worthy of television.
TV producers and writers frequently tout that novels are different than TV programs. This isn’t lost on me. In my ideal world, those that wish to move from the pages of a novel to the structure of a syndicated show should at least follow one guideline: dissect what makes the novel good, enjoyable, and worthy of millions of copies sold. Now, make sure whatever that quality is remains present in your finished product. While the pacing will have to be different, there’s no need to sacrifice the story itself.
I went ahead and downloaded the next episode. While it was downloading, I read the description of the plot for the next episode, “Bounty.” The description actually gave me the synopsis of the entire episode, plot twists and all.
At least I won’t have to pay attention through this one, right?
Seth Golden is a musician, reader of books, player of games, and occasional writer. (He is not nearly as cynical as his written opinions are.)
yeah, I could only watch two episodes before getting sick of it. The main thing that got me was that in the books, Zed had practically raised Richard and then in the show they had never met.
The hair thing was understandable to get rid of though, in my opinion. It would take time to explain and I think I forgot about it whenever they were not specifically mentioning it.
I both enjoy and dislike the show for many reasons. Here’s just a few off the top of my head.
Enjoy because:
1. Compared to the other decent sword and sorcery fantasy shows out there … oh wait, there aren’t any others.
2. It is Hercules and Xena, but, you know, with much better production values.
Dislike because:
1. It is hard to balance Richard’s supposed destiny as savior of the land and Zed as a most powerful wizard with the tasks they face, or to get a feel that they are making any real progress or are in any increased danger week to week. Also, other than maintaining a strong military presence, I haven’t seen much that explains to me why DR is a particularly evil ruler, any more than other medieval rulers. Where are the villages of slaughtered children? Where are the demons roaming the countryside? It feels very episodic.
Kind of like Xena and Hercules, but, you know, with much better production values.
2. Random magic rules and use. Zed’s strength or use is not consistent. For example, in one episode he makes himself invisible. In another episode, he goes through elaborate measures and ploys involving magically animated puppets to get access to an object so he can steal it. Why didn’t he just make himself invisible I had to wonder?
And Richard’s abilities and sword. They just haven’t really made it clear what makes “the Seeker” any more formidable or special than the next guy with a shiny sword? And is he a master swordsman because he trained, or because of the sword, and if because of the sword how does he fight so well without it? And what exactly does the sword do for him?
Also, they destroy the map that would show them where Richard is in case he were captured or lost, they confess DRs right hand dude then have him go on a suicide attack against Zed instead of questioning him and using him. They’re just stupid when it comes to magic. But I guess if they weren’t, they’d rule the world already.
Maybe I’m just doing too much multitasking while the show is on and I’m missing it, but I think they really need to do a better job of laying some fundamental groundwork and overarching plotlinificationating.
People keep telling me at parties how much they like the series but I worry that a) they are drunk and b) they are mentally appending the clause “compared to the likes of Mansquito and Aztec Rex” to the word “good”.
That sounds horrible…although I have to point out that in the book, one of Zedd’s favorite pastimes is standing naked on his Wizard’s rock. So, yeah. Still probably not the best introduction. I always feel disappointed by movie adaptation of books. When I read a book, especially if it’s a long series, I get very attached to the characters and the books evoke certain feelings. I cried when I watched the Dragonlance movie, it was so horrible and I felt like they’d mangled an important part of my childhood. I was pissed at Lord of the Rings because they took Gimli, a dignified dwarf, and turned him into comic relief. I think this is pretty much par for the course.