Not for plot, prose or characterization, but for so thoroughly marrying a subjective interpretation of Objectivism with the tropes of Epic Fantasy, and thus shows the logical conclusion of this story line.
Where Rand, Drizzt and aragorn have not just a carte blanche but a moral imperative to kill orcs, trolls and trollocs, Goodkind inadvertently shows this for the reactionary bullshit it is by pitting his merciless protagonist mainly against humans. But Richard Rahl still has a moral imperative of slaughtering these people, because they are the servants, however deluded, of autocratic communism, Goodkind's greatest real world antagonist. And he does slaughter them, torture them, be they witless footsoldiers or their warlords, kings and queens bowing before the invaders or idiotic pacifists standing in his way. He knows he's doing the right thing because his magic is fueled by TRUTH itself, righteous and rational rage. It's hilarious.
Righteous fury is of course the siren call of this sort of wish fulfilment, and something that's haunted western warfare since WWII. The Nazis is the last great enemy the collective unconcious can remember, the one foe we could kill indiscriminantly, one we fail to find in modern warfare, for a variety of reasons. But most imprtantly, the idea of a totally evil enemy has never been true.
But what difference is there really between the orcs and the soldiers of Goodkind's Order? None, of course, and while Goodkind's books might seem more revolting than other examples of
nuance-less fantasy, that only lies in his macabre and fetishistic focus on the details, because all such fantasy paint a hopelessly outdated picture of a world where the good guys can kill the sub-human bad guys without regret.
300 was criticised for being a fascist's wet dream, but did it really contain any rhetoric that isn't at least slumbering just beneatht he surface in any action movie where the few and strong stand against the many and disposable?
Where Rand, Drizzt and aragorn have not just a carte blanche but a moral imperative to kill orcs, trolls and trollocs, Goodkind inadvertently shows this for the reactionary bullshit it is by pitting his merciless protagonist mainly against humans. But Richard Rahl still has a moral imperative of slaughtering these people, because they are the servants, however deluded, of autocratic communism, Goodkind's greatest real world antagonist. And he does slaughter them, torture them, be they witless footsoldiers or their warlords, kings and queens bowing before the invaders or idiotic pacifists standing in his way. He knows he's doing the right thing because his magic is fueled by TRUTH itself, righteous and rational rage. It's hilarious.
Righteous fury is of course the siren call of this sort of wish fulfilment, and something that's haunted western warfare since WWII. The Nazis is the last great enemy the collective unconcious can remember, the one foe we could kill indiscriminantly, one we fail to find in modern warfare, for a variety of reasons. But most imprtantly, the idea of a totally evil enemy has never been true.
But what difference is there really between the orcs and the soldiers of Goodkind's Order? None, of course, and while Goodkind's books might seem more revolting than other examples of
nuance-less fantasy, that only lies in his macabre and fetishistic focus on the details, because all such fantasy paint a hopelessly outdated picture of a world where the good guys can kill the sub-human bad guys without regret.
300 was criticised for being a fascist's wet dream, but did it really contain any rhetoric that isn't at least slumbering just beneatht he surface in any action movie where the few and strong stand against the many and disposable?
*MySmiley*
Indeed, I marry them in their unlawful bed, with an open heart I affirm the true right of any man and woman to their dark slobbering nights which are rare enough, and against which too many laws conspire.
Indeed, I marry them in their unlawful bed, with an open heart I affirm the true right of any man and woman to their dark slobbering nights which are rare enough, and against which too many laws conspire.
This message last edited by Ouranid on 12/10/2009 at 01:40:34 PM
I actually kind of like Terry Goodkind's writing.
- 12/10/2009 05:12:21 AM
1160 Views
Goodkind is porn! *NM*
- 12/10/2009 05:33:51 AM
304 Views
*NM*
I was doing so good at not mentioning that! *NM*
Grocery shopping on an empty stomach is a bad thing, supposedly.
- 12/10/2009 06:15:27 AM
723 Views
I liked him just fine for the first few books, too.
- 12/10/2009 07:58:57 AM
767 Views
Faith of the Fallen is amongst the best of SOT
- 12/10/2009 08:14:32 AM
846 Views
Yeah, Faith of the Fallen is actually not bad as pure political propaganda.
- 12/10/2009 11:22:18 AM
723 Views
I've read his books, without often having to wrestle my way through.
- 12/10/2009 11:42:09 AM
761 Views
*nods*
- 12/10/2009 03:39:43 PM
755 Views
Uh, it gets worse. A lot worse.
- 12/10/2009 03:57:20 PM
748 Views
Re: I actually kind of like Terry Goodkind's writing.
- 12/10/2009 10:11:52 PM
507 Views