A Writer's Moment: It's what composes 'a stealth philosophy'

A Writer's Moment: It's what composes 'a stealth philosophy':   “Fantasy allows you to bend the world and the situation to more clearly focus on the moral aspects of what's happening. In fantasy you...

It's what composes 'a stealth philosophy'

 

“Fantasy allows you to bend the world and the situation to more clearly focus on the moral aspects of what's happening. In fantasy you can distill life down to the essence of your story. “ – Terry Goodkind 

 

Born in Omaha in 1948, Goodkind is best known for his epic Fantasy series The Sword of Truth and his  contemporary suspense novel The Law of Nines. The Sword of Truth series has been translated into 20 languages, selling over 25 million copies worldwide.

 

Initially a violin maker and marine and wildlife artist, Goodkind decided to try his hand at Fantasy writing in 1994.  The end result was Wizard’s First Rule, an immediate hit that changed his career trajectory.   Writing almost steadily from that point on, he produced 32 bestselling novels and one novella before his death in late 2020.  His final book, The Children of D’Hara, wrapping up his 6-book D’Hara series (the other 5 were released in 2019 and 2020), was published posthumously in 2021. 

 

Goodkind said Fantasy allowed him to better tell his stories and convey the human themes and emotions he desired to share. 

 

“I've always said Fantasy is sort of 'stealth philosophy',” he said shortly before his death.  “It allows you to say things that sound very dramatic and get away with it. If you had characters in modern fiction say the same things as they're driving down the street in an Oldsmobile, they'd sound ludicrous!”