Blood of the Fold

After unwittingly destroying the magical wards that had sealed off the Old World from the New for 3000 years, the war wizard Richard Cypher discovers that he has inadvertently created a gate through which the evil Keeper, Emperor Jagang, and his minions can enter the land. Separated from his beloved, the former Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell, who is in hiding to avoid being executed by the people she once served, Richard must now accept the power of his father, Darken Rahl, and use all of his magical abilities to defeat Jagang, to save Kahlan and to close the gate. As in the two previous novels of The Sword of Truth fantasy cycle (Stone of Tears, etc.), Goodkind builds an intricate plot teeming with violence, treachery and intrigue. Newcomers to the series may find it a challenge to get up to speed, but once they do, they--as well as Goodkind's large, loyal readership--will delight in a complex epic fantasy that crackles with vigor and magical derring-do. Author tour. (Nov.)