Debt of the Bones

Debt of Bones
Terry Goodkind, Tor Publications
1998



This prequel makes a nice little read and gives the reader a glimpse into the past. The background is set D'Hara invades the Midlands under the leadership of Panis Rahl. It is the final stages of the war and the forces of D'Hara have captured a small village. It is up to Abigail to venture to the wizard's keep and plead with First Wizard Zeddicus Zul Zorander. Abigail must wait in a long line to see the most important wizard of the Midlands. Of course not only does she want her village to be rescued but more importantly she want to rescue her husband, father and daughter. At first Zed refuses to rescue those lives and risk the whole Midlands is something that Zed does not want to contemplate. When Abigail shows Zed and the mother Confessor her mother's skull Zed is obligated and off they go.



The covers a lot of background in just under 200 pages. The prequel explains how the boundaries were set up between the MidLands, D'Hara and The WestLands. The West Lands is a realm entirely without magic. To create the boundaries Zed open a fissure in the surface realm that brings up the green light from the Keeper's realm of the Underworld. This brings up some inconsistencies because first off when Richard drives Darken Rahl to the Keeper it open a rift that threaten to get out of control. How come when Zedd opened a rift it did not get out of control. In the first book and other book Richard and Darken Rahl knock down some barriers that are better left up. Why can't Zed raise those barriers like before? Just some questions for the observant reader to consider.