An Epic of Awesome Power
Kahlan has at last gained the one goal she had always thought was beyond her grasp ... love. Against all odds, the ancient bonds of secret oaths, and the dark talents of men long dead, Richard has won her heart.
Amid sudden and disastrous events, Richard's life is called due to satisfy those treacherous oaths. To save his life, Kahlan must forsake Richard's love and cast him into the chains of slavery, knowing there could be no sin worse than such a betrayal.
Richard is determined to unlock the secrets bound in the magic of ancient oaths and to again be free. Kahlan, alone with the terrible truth of what she has done, must set about altering the course of a world thrown into war. But even that may be easier than ever winning back the heart of the only man she will ever love.
Stone of Tears (1995) 979 pages by Terry Goodkind
This is book two in The Sword of Truth series, and picks up right where Wizards First Rule left off. Turns out that in defeating Darken Rahl in book one the veil between their world and the underworld has been torn and an even greater threat is upon them.
Richard and Kahlan take Siddin back to the Mud People with thoughts of planning their wedding. Zedd and Chase battle a screeling, which tips them off that something is wrong. Zedd then leaves to get Adie so they can eventually get to Aydindril to study the prophecies. Richard and Kahlan are then to meet up with Zedd in Aydindril.
So much for the plan. Richard and Kahlan get split up, Richard going with to the Palace of the Prophets to be taught to use his [magical] gift by the sisters of the light. Kahlan going back to Aydindril in hopes of finding Zedd and getting him to rescue Richard.
Of course along the way Zedd and Adie run into problems, Kahlan and her detachment of Mud People bodyguards run into trouble and Richard in seemingly the worst predicament is forced to learn more of his powers.
There are several scenes of people being just plain vile. Adie recounts to Zedd her childhood. Kahlan comes across the town of Ebinissia, which has been sacked, every person killed, or raped and killed. Quenn Cyrilla goes before the Midlands Council to ask for help, and is thrown into a dungeon pit with killers and rapists. Richard while being taken to Tanimura, is taken through a land where one group practices human sacrifice of the neighboring people. The intended sacrifice while Richard is there is a woman who has been repeatedly raped. Turns out that some of the sisters of the light are really sisters of the dark, and have been stealing powers from some of their charges, in a particularly grisly fashion.
Maybe he's doing this so that when Richard and Kahlan have to kill it's justified, or to show how evil the Evil is. The book is a thousand pages long so it's not like every other sentence is torture, rape and death. Most of the book is about Richard learing his power, and interacting with the other characters, and Kahlan having to make the decisions that she has to make.
If you love epic fantasy and you don't mind the evil characters being vile, then I can recommend this one. The pages go pretty quickly. Two weeks for me to read this one and I didn't spend every waking moment reading. Although I did have dreams last night.
