(My Original Blog Post:
http://www.theresabloginmysoup.com/an-update-on-the-premier-of-legend-of-the-seeker-my-two-cents/)
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As a long-time
Terry Goodkind fan (12 years since I first read
Wizard's First Rule), I must say that the depiction on tv is a far cry from what I hoped it would be.
Let's just say it's no Lord of the Rings, (and I like
the Sword of Truth story over Lord of the Rings)... Legend of the Seeker, took way too many liberties than I would've liked.
I'll give a quick run down of Legend of the Seeker, then one of the real story - you decide which would make a better show.
Legend of the Seeker.
Starts out with
Kahlan and her sister Denee running from D'haran soldiers, with the Book of Counted Shadows and a Night Wisp named Shara.
Denee is killed in the run, and Kahlan trudged on alone. She came upon a boundary that separated Westland from the Midlands. Shara opened a way for Kahlan to get through the boundary.
4 of Kahlan's persuers followed her through this opening.
Then we meet
Richard building a bridge. He goes off to feed his horse, and take a lunch break from his endeavors. As he is sitting he notices Kahlan running, he also notices her would be assailants.
He rushes to her aid, and helps by giving her the space she needs to use her power on one of the soldiers. Her power makes a person completely devoted to her, and protect her at all costs.
3 of the assailants are killed, and one falls over the ledge and shows up later.
Richard offers to help the mysterious woman further but she meanly refuses his aid, and tells him to leave her alone and not follow.
Richard runs off, and tells the story to his dad. Kahlan runs off to search for an old Wizard. The soldier manages to find Richard's brother - the Councilor of Hartland - the guy in charge of all Westland. He pursuades Richard's brother Michael to help him find his brother, and the 'witch'.
Richard's dad tells him to go find Zedd, and he finds Kahlan there. Kahlan prior to Richard's arrival, confronted the wizard and bade him to name the Seeker. Richard then arrives, and passes out from a wound he received from a poisonous snake-like vine.
Zedd heals Richard, and tells Richard who he really is - that he was orphaned by his parents when he was an infant, and that he was born the seeker. Zedd had smuggled him out of the town, while
Darken Rahl had every infant in the town murdered.
Richard doesn't believe them, and runs off to talk to his dad. He finds his father's house on fire, and his dad half-dead inside. He drags him outside, and asks his dad if what Zedd told him is true.
George Cypher tells him that he is telling the truth, but he will always be Richards father, regardless.
Richard seeks to find the person responsible for his dad's death, and kill him. He runs into him, and is unable to defeat him, and finds out his brother is on the other guy's side.
The soldier takes the Book of Counted Shadows, and Richard accepts his fate, as Seeker, and joins with Zedd and Kahlan. A friend named
Chase - a boundary warden shows up and helps them as well.
They chase the guy all the way to Addie the bone woman, down in South Haven a six day ride by horseback. She gives him a spirit stone, to help guide him through the boundary.
Meanwhile Darken Rahl's army is trying to break down the boundary, to get the soldier through with the Book of Counted Shadows.
On the trip to Addie's Zedd is injured, Chase frees his daughter who was kidnapped earlier by the bandit from D'hara, Chase takes his dauther home, Zedd is left with the bone woman, and Richard and Kahlan follow after the soldier.
The boundary fails, and Richard and Kahlan battle the soldier, and a regiment of soldiers. He also destroys the book of counted shadows.
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That's just a short overview.
Discrepancies:
Kahlan wasn't exactly chased through the boundary, she was followed but she didn't go through with her Sister next to her. Originally 5 wizards used their life-force to get her through the boundary. Sacrificing their life, so that she might succeed. Which I think would've made a better story.
Richard's father was actually killed by Darken Rahl 3 weeks prior to him meeting Kahlan.Darken Rahl had ridden a Dragon over the boundary to kill his father, in an attempt to find the Book of Counted Shadows, which his father had stolen when Richard was little.
Kahlan did not bring the Book of Counted Shadows - Richard had memorized it at his father's insistance, and nobody was ever to know.
In the sitcom it didn't appear that Zedd and Richard were that close, but really they are related by blood - Richard is Zedds Grandson. Zedd's daughter was raped by Darken Rahl, and she later married George Cypher. She was killed in a fire when Richard was 5 or so.
Richard, knew Zedd well - Zedd had taught him all about herbs, and how to cook, and lots of other things, in fact Zedd half-raised young Richard.
RIchard was not an orphan, nor was his birth heralded by signs, he was chosen as seeker by the prophecies, but Zedd chose him because of the person he had been raised to be. Zedd had the power to name anyone to be a true seeker. As first wizard that is his job. It just so happened Richard fit the bill perfectly.
Richard was up near the boundary looking for a vine that he'd found near his dad when he'd died. On this journey he saw a great red flying beast overhead, then got bit by a snake vine (the same vine he was looking for), then he helps save Kahlan for the first time.
After their fight, he leads her back to town, and takes her to a gathering for his brotherm who is the new 1st councillor of Westland - the top dog, so to speak.
Michael, who can sometimes be rueful, and lacking of manners, saw Kahlan, and attempted to hit on her. Richard was upset, because of his rudeness, but Kahlan stopped him from doing anything, instead she made a gesture that was meant to embarass him, and it did the trick.
Kahlan and Richard, immediately left the party. He started to feel sicker and sicker. Richard took Kahlan to Zedd, thinking he might be able to help her find the Wizard she was looknig for. He also was feeling less and less lively. As he got to Zedd's he passed out, and after three days of rest and medicine was healed of the poison inflicted him.
Kahlan works hard for the time that Richard is resting to convince Zedd to name the Seeker. Zedd reluctantly resigns, not wanting to see his grandson forced into a life not his own.
Kahlan is heart broken to find out that Richard is the one named, because they were friends, but didn't want him to be hurt, or thrust into peril.
They set out to find Chase who's a boundary warden, and he recognizes the sword of truth immediately. Apparently the boundary wardens are sworn to protect the seeker, and have more loyalty to him, than to Westland. Unofficially they protect the peace, but Officially their sole responsibility is to keep people safe from evils that come out of the boundary - such as heart hounds.
Heart hounds are huge wolf-like creatures with glowing eyes, that can hear a person's heart. They are also said to go for a person's heart instead of their neck like most wolves.
The group ask Chase if he knows a way to get through the boundary, as they need to locate one of the boxes of Orden, that have been set in play. On the winter's solstice if Darken Rahl opens the right box, he will have absolute power over the whole planet. To open any box, he must have all three, and he only has two so far.
Chase leads them to Addie, in south haven. About halfway their they run into trouble, both Chase, and Zedd are knocked unconcious, and won't come out of it. They leave them with Addie, as they set off on their own to travel through the boundary, which is a small narrow passage, through the boundary. A few steps from either side of the narrow path is the boundary.
The boundary is actually a part of the underworld that resides on the planet. To enter it is certain death. Shadow creatures use seductive whispers and trickery to lure people into the boundary.
The trek through the boundary is a perilous one that takes 2 days, and that you have to go through without stopping to sleep or eat. You also can't take a horse - as there are parts where a horse won't fit between the two walls of the boundary.
And that's the gist so far -- there's no army waiting for them, nobody in their group really even mentions the Book of Counted Shadows - but richard is linking pieces together from his memory of the contents of the book, which his father had him write out 300+ times until he could get it perfectly. Then they destroyed it by fire. As proof of the knowledge of the book, he kept the tooth of it's keeper.
As you can see - the real story a lot more in-depht, but I think the series should be too, but then that's just me. I'll still watch it though, as I've been wanting a Sword of Truth movie or series forever. I just wish it were more closer to the storyline.
