Confessor (novel)

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Confessor
First edition cover
Author	Terry Goodkind
Cover artist	Keith Parkinson
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	The Sword of Truth
Genre(s)	Epic fantasy novel
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	November 13, 2007
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	608
ISBN	0765315238
Preceded by	Phantom

Confessor is the eleventh book in Terry Goodkind's epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth, and the last in the Chainfire trilogy bringing an end to the current story arc involving the Imperial Order. The book was announced on February 20, 2007 on the author's official website.^[1] The book was released November 13, 2007

1 Plot introduction
2 Plot summary
3 Cover art
4 Known characters
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot introduction

A short plot description of the book was released on the author's official website, which read:^[1]

Descending into darkness, about to be overwhelmed by evil, those people still free are powerless to stop the coming dawn of a savage new world, while Richard faces the guilt of knowing that he must let it happen. Alone, he must bear the weight of a sin he dare not confess to the one person he loves…and has lost.

Join Richard and Kahlan in the concluding novel of one of the most remarkable and memorable journeys ever written. It started with one rule, and will end with the rule of all rules, the rule unwritten, the rule unspoken since the dawn of history.

When next the sun rises, the world will be forever changed.

[edit] Plot summary

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Richard , leader of the D'Haran Empire has been captured by the Imperial Order by a commander in the Order army who makes Richard play Ja'la. During Richard’s imprisonment he is warned that he is now a player of the Boxes of Orden by a cloaked figure. Both Richard and Ulicia are told that the time to open the Boxes has been reset one year from when Nicci put Richard into play the first day of Winter. Six breaks into the Wizard's keep and steals the third box of Orden from Nicci and Zedd. Zedd discovers that The Wizard's Keep is being affected by the contamination of the chimes and must be abandoned.

Catacombs below the People's Palace are revealed by Jagang's excavations in making the ramp to the People's Palace. Three Sisters of the Dark enter, killing Ann and capturing Nicci, who have been taking a walk, by combining their powers to overcome the Palace's spell-form. Soldiers are sent into the catacombs to prepare an attack and the hole is hidden. The Sisters of the Dark discover 'the original Book of Counted Shadows'

Richard paints his face and the faces of his team in symbols to hide his features so he is not recognized. His team meets and defeats Jagang's team. Jagang announces the win is invalid. This unfair decision causes a riot in the camp during which Richard and Nicci escape and Kahlan is 'rescued' by Samuel. Richard and Nicci (helped by Adie) go back to the Palace through the catacombs, helped by the fact that Nathan and Cara are suspicious and are investigating the missing Ann and Nicci.

Rachel is lured to Tamarang by Violet but had previously been given a piece of chalk by someone looking like her mother. She goes to the mystical caves and changes both drawings of her and Richard, killing Violet and reuniting Richard with his gift. Zedd is captured by Six - who is in league with Jagang and has helped attack D'Haran forces. Richard is told by Nicci that he must not reveal his love for Kahlan otherwise Chainfire will not restore her love for him - but will restore others memories to what they were before the Chainfire event was started.

Richard then goes through the Underworld with the help of Denna and retrieves everyone's memories (the memories of Kahlan don't exist inside the real world so therefore they do in the Underworld) - and is attacked by the beast which Richard promptly destroys - and is rescued by the Mud People (Shota has sent Rachel on Gratch, Richard's Gar friend, to tell them to do so). At the Palace, Nathan thinks Richard is dead and is going to accept Jagang's terms (which include surrendering Nicci - who is imprisoned, and access to the Garden of Life to open the boxes).

Kahlan is attacked by Samuel but she touches the Sword of Truth and realizes that she is a Confessor. She touches Samuel, who reveals that he is an agent for Six and that Richard and Kahlan were once married. Richard on the way to Tamarang meets Kahlan and carves for her another model of spirit.

Six has imprisoned Zedd and Chase and appears when Richard reaches the cell. Shota kills Six after which Richard, Kahlan and Zedd fly back to the People's Palace on the red dragon (revealed as 'Gregory' son of Scarlet)

Back at the Palace, Richard helps Jillian, the priestess of the bones in Caska and dream caster, to make Jagang become infatuated with Nicci through nightmares. Richard surrenders, Jagang and the Sisters of the Dark enter the Garden of Life. Jagang goes to see Nicci - who puts a Rada-Han on him and eventually kills him.

Back in the Garden the Sisters of the Dark complete the magic to find out which Box is correct and open it. It turns out that all the books were fake - they contain references to the Confessors, which outdate the boxes by 1000 years, at the least. The Sisters are sucked into the Underworld.

The key to the Magic of Orden is the Sword of Truth. Kahlan tells Richard she loves him - to Richard's dismay. Richard puts the Sword on each box - one box turns the Sword white. Richard stabs the box and uses the magic to send believers in the Order to a new world, devoid of magic, as well as repairing the damage caused by the Chimes. Richard's half sister Jennsen and some of her people (Pillars of Creation) say that they wish to go to this new world too because they belong in a world of no magic since magic does not affect them. By staying in Richard's world magic may be bred out in the future. Richard agrees because he understands his sister's reasoning and sends her people to the new world, along with Tom, the man that loves Jennsen. As Richard goes to close the doorway, he fears Kahlan is lost because the clean slate required for Orden was tainted. She then tells him that she was protected because she realized her love of him, thus bringing the series full circle.

There is a short look at how the other world is doing. Jennsen believes she will always remember Richard and what he stood for, while others around her slowly forget. Much to Tom's contentment, she is pregnant.

The book ends with the marriage of Cara and General Mefreit. The world is at peace.

[edit] Cover art

Cover artist Keith Parkinson died before Confessor was published but had created art for all the books in the saga beforehand. Author Terry Goodkind had the following to say, "When Keith and I were working on cover concepts for Chainfire he came up with a number of color roughs that, because of their simple, iconic nature were very close to being final. At the time I recognized three of these roughs as perfect for the Chainfire Trilogy. That means that the final book of the series had already been done by him before he passed away so that is the cover that will appear on the book."^[2]

[edit] Known characters

Richard is the ruler of the D'Haran Empire and a war wizard (has the gift for both additive and subtractive magic). However, in Phantom he temporarily loses his gift and Nathan becomes the new Lord Rahl. He is a person who believes in truth and freedom, and therefore is against all that the Imperial Order believes in.
Kahlan is Lord Richard Rahl's wife. Bereft of all memories, she strives to remember what she has lost ... at all costs.
Emperor Jagang is the ruler of the Imperial Order. He believes that magic is a repressant of mankind and as such must be eliminated, although he himself is a dream walker (a person who can control others with magic). To him, only the collective has meaning. He holds Kahlan prisoner.
Zedd is Richard Rahl's grandfather on his mother's side and is also First Wizard.
Nathan Rahl is a prophet, an ancestor to Richard Rahl on his father's side, and almost 1,000 years old.
Annalina Aldurren is a sorceress of great power and former Prelate of the Sisters of Light. She is dedicated to Richard with all of her heart even though some of the things he does, she finds a bit irritating.
Nicci is a sorceress and Sister of the Dark who has turned over to Richard's side.
Cara is a Mord-Sith as well as Richard's bodyguard and close friend.