Terry Goodkind Books in Order (Updated August 5, 2026)

Terry Goodkind was an American fantasy and suspense writer best known for the Sword of Truth. The central saga follows Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell, but its later books divide into several connected branches, including the Richard and Kahlan novels, the Nicci Chronicles, and The Children of D’Hara.

The titles are often numbered differently across publishers and retailers. Some lists count only the original eleven-book story, while others include prequels, later continuations, spin-offs, and novellas in one large sequence.

For a first reading, ignore the conflicting numbering and follow the story blocks below. Begin with Wizard’s First Rule, keep the original series together, and save the historical prequels for later.

The Order Most Readers Need

Read the main Sword of Truth continuity in this sequence:

1. Wizard’s First Rule
2. Stone of Tears
3. Blood of the Fold
4. Temple of the Winds
5. Soul of the Fire
6. Faith of the Fallen
7. The Pillars of Creation
8. Naked Empire
9. Chainfire
10. Phantom
11. Confessor
12. The Omen Machine
13. The Third Kingdom
14. Severed Souls
15. Warheart

After Warheart, the story separates into two later branches:

1. The Nicci Chronicles
2. The Children of D’Hara

Both branches assume that the original Richard and Kahlan story has been completed. The Nicci Chronicles follows Nicci and Nathan, while The Children of D’Hara returns directly to Richard and Kahlan.

Sword of Truth Books in Publication Order

The Original Sword of Truth Sequence

The first eleven novels form the foundation of the entire continuity. Relationships, magical rules, political conflicts, and prophecies carry forward from one book to the next.

1. Wizard’s First Rule (1994): Woods guide Richard Cypher helps the hunted Kahlan Amnell, receives the Sword of Truth, and discovers that the struggle against Darken Rahl is tied to his own hidden history.
2. Stone of Tears (1995): Richard’s emerging gift becomes dangerous as the barrier to the underworld weakens and Kahlan attempts to unite the Midlands against a growing invasion.
3. Blood of the Fold (1996): The fall of the old boundaries creates political chaos, while Emperor Jagang and the Imperial Order begin the wider war that dominates much of the series.
4. Temple of the Winds (1997): A magical plague spreads through the land, forcing Richard and Kahlan toward painful choices involving prophecy, marriage, sacrifice, and the sealed Temple of the Winds.
5. Soul of the Fire (1999): Richard and Kahlan travel to Anderith as the chimes threaten magic itself and political maneuvering gives the Imperial Order another route to power.
6. Faith of the Fallen (2000): Nicci takes Richard into the heart of the Imperial Order, where he confronts its ideology through ordinary labor, personal resistance, and the example of an independent life.
7. The Pillars of Creation (2001): Jennsen, a young woman who believes Richard is responsible for her suffering, becomes the focus of a more isolated story about the pristinely ungifted and the hidden Rahl family.
8. Naked Empire (2003): Richard encounters a people committed to absolute nonviolence while Jagang’s forces advance and a weaponized disease threatens anyone who refuses to act.
9. Chainfire (2005): Richard awakens to find that no one remembers Kahlan, beginning a three-book mystery in which memory, prophecy, and reality have been deliberately altered.
10. Phantom (2006): Kahlan remains trapped without her identity while Richard searches for proof that she existed and the Chainfire spell continues reshaping the world.
11. Confessor (2007): The Chainfire Trilogy and the original Imperial Order conflict reach their conclusion as Richard attempts to restore Kahlan and determine the future of the Old and New Worlds.

The first six books create the broad Imperial Order conflict. The Pillars of Creation temporarily shifts away from Richard’s viewpoint, but it introduces information needed for Naked Empire and the Chainfire Trilogy.

The Richard and Kahlan Novels

These books continue after Confessor. They are sometimes listed as a separate four-book series and sometimes numbered as later Sword of Truth volumes.

12. The Omen Machine (2011): A mysterious device beneath the People’s Palace begins issuing increasingly alarming predictions, drawing Richard and Kahlan into a new conflict over prophecy and free will.
13. The Third Kingdom (2013): Richard enters the Dark Lands while weakened by a dangerous magical condition and faces half-human creatures connected to an ancient barrier.
14. Severed Souls (2014): Richard and Kahlan continue searching for a cure as occult powers, betrayal, and the threat of the undead place their allies under mounting pressure.
15. Warheart (2015): Richard’s struggle against Emperor Sulachan reaches its conclusion, closing the four-book arc and establishing the circumstances behind the later spin-offs.

These four novels should be read consecutively. The Third Kingdom begins immediately after the crisis in The Omen Machine, and Severed Souls ends with major unresolved events that lead into Warheart.

The Chainfire Trilogy in Order

The last three books of the original series form a single tightly connected arc:

1. Chainfire (2005): Richard searches for Kahlan even though everyone around him believes she is a delusion created by injury or grief.
2. Phantom (2006): Kahlan struggles under a stolen identity while Richard investigates the spell that removed her from the world’s memory.
3. Confessor (2007): Richard and Kahlan’s separate paths converge as the truth behind Chainfire becomes central to ending the war with the Imperial Order.

Do not pause between these books to read a prequel or spin-off. Each volume ends with the central mystery unresolved.

Sword of Truth Prequels

Two published works take place before Wizard’s First Rule. Their chronology is straightforward, but first-time readers should not begin with them.

1. The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus (2012): Thousands of years before Richard’s era, Magda Searus investigates her husband’s death and becomes involved in the creation of the Confessors during the ancient war with the Old World.
2. Debt of Bones (1998): During the war that precedes Richard’s birth, a desperate mother named Abby asks Zedd to save her daughter, forcing him to weigh one personal promise against the survival of the Midlands.

Chronologically, The First Confessor comes first, followed much later by Debt of Bones. Publication order remains better for new readers because both stories rely on concepts introduced in the main novels.

Debt of Bones first appeared in the anthology Legends and was later released separately. It is a novella, not a full additional novel in Richard and Kahlan’s story.

The Nicci Chronicles in Order

The Nicci Chronicles begins after Warheart. Nicci and the prophet Nathan Rahl leave the central territories to carry Richard’s message into unfamiliar lands.

1. Death’s Mistress (2017): Nicci and Nathan travel south on Richard’s behalf, where Nathan’s failing gift and a series of magical threats turn their diplomatic mission into a wider quest.
2. Shroud of Eternity (2018): The travelers reach the hidden city of Ildakar, a powerful society preserved behind magical defenses and sustained by severe inequality.
3. Siege of Stone (2018): Ildakar faces invasion and internal division as Nicci, Nathan, and Bannon try to defend the city without preserving its worst institutions.
4. Heart of Black Ice (2020): Nicci’s conflict with General Utros and the expanding ancient army reaches its conclusion, completing the four-volume spin-off.

This series is complete. It should be read after Warheart, not as an alternative entry point to the Sword of Truth world.

Richard and Kahlan are important to Nicci’s purpose, but they are not the principal characters. Readers should expect new regions, companions, and conflicts rather than another direct Richard and Kahlan sequence.

The Children of D’Hara Books in Order

The Children of D’Hara continues Richard and Kahlan’s story after Warheart. It was first released as five short episodes and later collected in one volume.

1. The Scribbly Man (2019): Richard and Kahlan learn that Kahlan is pregnant just as a strange visitor brings warnings of a new threat tied to their unborn children.
2. Hateful Things (2019): The danger surrounding the pregnancy grows as hostile beings exploit fear, secrecy, and weaknesses within the People’s Palace.
3. Wasteland (2019): Richard and Kahlan leave the security of the palace and cross a devastated region while seeking answers about the force hunting them.
4. Witch’s Oath (2020): Their journey leads toward hidden magic and an old obligation whose consequences complicate the effort to protect their family.
5. Into Darkness (2020): The confrontation reaches its conclusion as Richard and Kahlan face the enemy pursuing their children and uncover a larger connection between worlds.
6. The Children of D’Hara (2021): This omnibus collects all five episodes in one book and is the simplest edition for readers who do not already own the individual volumes.

The 2021 omnibus is not a sixth installment. It contains The Scribbly Man, Hateful Things, Wasteland, Witch’s Oath, and Into Darkness in their original order.

Where The Law of Nines Belongs

The Law of Nines (2009): Contemporary artist Alex Rahl meets a mysterious woman named Jax and discovers that his family history may connect his world to a reality governed by magic and political violence.

The novel was originally presented as a modern thriller, but it has a genuine connection to the Sword of Truth universe. That connection becomes clearer in The Children of D’Hara.

Do not read The Law of Nines before the main series merely because parts of its history may occur later in the wider chronology. The book is most effective after Confessor, when its names, parallels, and world structure can be recognized.

A practical placement is:

1. Finish Confessor
2. Read The Law of Nines
3. Continue with The Omen Machine through Warheart
4. Read The Children of D’Hara

It can also be saved until immediately before The Children of D’Hara. Its main plot stands alone, but the later episodes provide additional context for its relationship to Richard and Kahlan’s world.

Complete Recommended Sword of Truth Reading Order

The following order keeps the main narrative intact while placing connected side works where they add context without revealing too much too early:

1. Wizard’s First Rule (1994): Richard meets Kahlan and enters the struggle against Darken Rahl.
2. Stone of Tears (1995): Richard’s magic develops as the underworld and Imperial Order become larger threats.
3. Blood of the Fold (1996): Jagang’s campaign begins reshaping the political structure of the New World.
4. Temple of the Winds (1997): A plague and an ancient magical sanctuary test Richard and Kahlan’s relationship.
5. Soul of the Fire (1999): The loss of magic and the politics of Anderith open another front in the war.
6. Faith of the Fallen (2000): Richard confronts the Imperial Order from within its own society.
7. The Pillars of Creation (2001): Jennsen’s story exposes a hidden part of the Rahl bloodline.
8. Naked Empire (2003): Richard faces a society that refuses to defend itself against conquest.
9. Chainfire (2005): Kahlan disappears from collective memory.
10. Phantom (2006): Richard searches for the mechanism behind the altered reality.
11. Confessor (2007): The original saga and Chainfire conflict reach their conclusion.
12. Debt of Bones (1998): Zedd’s wartime prequel adds history after readers understand his later role.
13. The First Confessor (2012): Magda Searus’s story reveals the ancient creation of the Confessors and can now be read without replacing the intended introduction to the world.
14. The Law of Nines (2009): Alex Rahl’s contemporary-world story introduces a connection that matters more clearly in later Richard and Kahlan material.
15. The Omen Machine (2011): Prophecy becomes an active threat beneath the People’s Palace.
16. The Third Kingdom (2013): Richard enters the Dark Lands while fighting a dangerous magical affliction.
17. Severed Souls (2014): The search for survival continues amid betrayal and occult warfare.
18. Warheart (2015): The Richard and Kahlan continuation resolves its central conflict.
19. Death’s Mistress (2017): Nicci and Nathan begin their southern mission.
20. Shroud of Eternity (2018): The travelers enter the concealed city of Ildakar.
21. Siege of Stone (2018): Ildakar faces war from outside and fracture from within.
22. Heart of Black Ice (2020): Nicci’s four-book campaign comes to an end.
23. The Scribbly Man (2019): Richard and Kahlan confront a threat aimed at their future children.
24. Hateful Things (2019): The attack on their family expands within the People’s Palace.
25. Wasteland (2019): The search for answers moves into a ruined and hostile region.
26. Witch’s Oath (2020): Old magic and a binding promise complicate the journey.
27. Into Darkness (2020): The five-part continuation reaches its final confrontation.

The Nicci Chronicles and The Children of D’Hara both occur after Warheart. Their exact interleaving is less important than completing each branch in its own internal order.

For smoother reading, finish all four Nicci books before beginning The Children of D’Hara. Readers primarily interested in Richard and Kahlan may reverse those two blocks without disrupting either storyline.

Chronological Order of the Sword of Truth World

A broad in-world chronology looks like this:

1. The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus (2012): Magda’s story occurs during the ancient conflict that produces the first Confessor.
2. Debt of Bones (1998): Abby seeks Zedd’s help during the war shortly before the boundaries are created.
3. Wizard’s First Rule (1994): Richard’s main story begins many years later.
4. Stone of Tears (1995): The consequences of the first novel immediately expand into a wider magical crisis.
5. Blood of the Fold (1996): The Imperial Order becomes the dominant military threat.
6. Temple of the Winds (1997): Richard and Kahlan confront a magically created plague.
7. Soul of the Fire (1999): The chimes threaten the continued existence of magic.
8. Faith of the Fallen (2000): Richard is taken into the Old World by Nicci.
9. The Pillars of Creation (2001): Jennsen’s story unfolds during the continuing Imperial Order conflict.
10. Naked Empire (2003): Richard tries to stop Jagang’s advance and a rapidly spreading weapon.
11. Chainfire (2005): The spell removing Kahlan from memory begins the final original arc.
12. Phantom (2006): The Chainfire crisis continues without a narrative break.
13. Confessor (2007): The original war and altered-memory storyline conclude.
14. The Law of Nines (2009): Its exact relationship involves a different world and unusual historical conditions, so it should not be forced into a simple date-by-date position.
15. The Omen Machine (2011): Richard and Kahlan face the return of aggressive prophecy.
16. The Third Kingdom (2013): The Dark Lands conflict follows the events beneath the palace.
17. Severed Souls (2014): Richard and Kahlan’s magical condition remains unresolved.
18. Warheart (2015): The Sulachan arc concludes.
19. The Nicci Chronicles (2017 to 2020): Nicci and Nathan travel beyond the established centers of Richard’s rule.
20. The Children of D’Hara (2019 to 2020): Richard and Kahlan confront a threat linked to their unborn children.

This order is not recommended for a first reading. Starting with The First Confessor explains institutions and historical events before the main novels have created a reason to care about them.

Contemporary Thrillers and Angela Constantine Books

Goodkind also wrote modern suspense stories outside the main fantasy narrative. Several share characters or abilities, but their publication labels are inconsistent.

Kate Bishop and Angela Constantine World

1. Nest (2016): Kate Bishop discovers that she can recognize killers by looking into their eyes and becomes involved in the search for a predator operating beyond ordinary detection.
2. The Girl in the Moon (2018): Angela Constantine uses her ability to identify dangerous people while pursuing a violent mission shaped by trauma, intelligence work, and her own severe moral code.
3. Trouble’s Child (2018): Angela finds a murdered woman in the snowy woods and follows a case involving an unsettling preacher, his sister, and a threat that is difficult to classify.
4. Crazy Wanda (2018): A volatile woman from Angela’s workplace creates a dangerous situation that brings Angela’s unusual instincts and uncompromising methods back into play.

Trouble’s Child and Crazy Wanda are shorter Angela Constantine works. Read The Girl in the Moon first because it provides the fullest introduction to Angela.

Nest takes place in the same broad contemporary setting but centers on Kate Bishop rather than Angela. It works as the opening book for readers who want the publication sequence.

The Law of Nines

The Law of Nines (2009): Alex Rahl’s encounter with Jax begins as a contemporary suspense story but develops connections to the Sword of Truth cosmology.

This book should be kept separate from the Angela Constantine group. Similar contemporary settings do not make them one series.

The Sky People

The Sky People (2019): Raging River, priestess of the Sun People, attempts to summon the legendary Sky People before an enemy tribe destroys her community.

This is a separate speculative novella. It has no confirmed narrative connection to Richard, Kahlan, Nicci, Angela Constantine, or Kate Bishop.

Terry Goodkind Standalone Books

Only a small part of Goodkind’s bibliography is fully independent of his major series.

1. The Sky People (2019): A priestess risks everything on the possibility that a supposedly mythical people may answer her call for help.
2. Nest (2016): Kate Bishop’s ability to identify murderers places her inside a dangerous criminal investigation, although the book shares a loose world with the later Angela Constantine stories.
3. The Girl in the Moon (2018): Angela Constantine hunts violent offenders through a modern thriller narrative that later received two shorter companion stories.
4. The Law of Nines (2009): Alex Rahl’s story can be read independently, but its links to the Sword of Truth world mean it is not completely separate continuity.

The word “standalone” should therefore be used carefully. The Sky People is the clearest fully separate work, while the other contemporary novels have either companion stories or connections to Goodkind’s fantasy universe.

Short Books, Novellas, and Collected Editions

Goodkind’s shorter publications are sometimes mistaken for full-length series installments.

1. Debt of Bones (1998): This Sword of Truth prequel novella follows Abby’s appeal to Zedd during the war before the boundaries were raised.
2. The Scribbly Man (2019): The first Children of D’Hara episode begins Richard and Kahlan’s final published adventure.
3. Hateful Things (2019): The second episode escalates the threat inside the palace.
4. Wasteland (2019): The third episode takes the story beyond the palace into damaged lands.
5. Witch’s Oath (2020): The fourth episode introduces an old magical commitment.
6. Into Darkness (2020): The fifth episode completes the Children of D’Hara storyline.
7. Trouble’s Child (2018): This shorter Angela Constantine thriller sends her into an investigation discovered during a winter hike.
8. Crazy Wanda (2018): Angela confronts danger involving a woman she knows from the bar where they work.
9. The Sky People (2019): This independent novella follows Raging River’s attempt to save the Sun People.
10. The Children of D’Hara (2021): The omnibus combines all five Richard and Kahlan episodes and contains no sixth story.

Buying the Children of D’Hara omnibus makes the five individual editions unnecessary unless a reader wants the original episodic format.

Boxed Sets and Alternate Numbering

Sword of Truth editions frequently use incompatible numbering.

Some publishers describe Confessor as Book 11 and start The Omen Machine as the first Richard and Kahlan novel. Other editions continue the numbering and call it Book 12.

Prequels create further confusion. Debt of Bones may be listed as Book 0, Book 0.5, Book 17, or simply as a separate novella. The First Confessor may also be labeled Book 0 because it occurs before the main narrative.

These labels do not change the recommended order:

1. Read the original eleven novels from Wizard’s First Rule through Confessor.
2. Read the four Richard and Kahlan novels from The Omen Machine through Warheart.
3. Continue into the Nicci Chronicles and The Children of D’Hara.
4. Treat The First Confessor and Debt of Bones as optional prequels.

The Chainfire boxed set contains Chainfire, Phantom, and Confessor. It is a packaging format, not a different series.

Latest Terry Goodkind Book

The Children of D’Hara (2021): This posthumously published omnibus is the latest book-length Terry Goodkind edition, collecting the five Children of D’Hara episodes in one volume.

The latest original installments were Into Darkness (2020) and Heart of Black Ice (2020). Into Darkness concluded Richard and Kahlan’s Children of D’Hara story, while Heart of Black Ice completed the Nicci Chronicles.

Terry Goodkind died on September 17, 2020. As of August 5, 2026, no new novel written by him has been officially confirmed for publication, and no authorized continuation by another author has a reliably confirmed title and release date.

Are Terry Goodkind’s Series Complete?

The major published arcs all reach conclusions:

Original Sword of Truth

Complete: Wizard’s First Rule through Confessor resolves the war with the Imperial Order and the Chainfire storyline.

Richard and Kahlan

Complete: The Omen Machine through Warheart resolves the conflict involving Hannis Arc and Emperor Sulachan.

The Nicci Chronicles

Complete: Death’s Mistress through Heart of Black Ice forms a four-book series with a concluding volume.

The Children of D’Hara

Complete: The five episodes from The Scribbly Man through Into Darkness form one finished continuation.

Goodkind left a large interconnected world, but readers are not required to wait for another volume to finish any of these published arcs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Terry Goodkind book should I read first?

Begin with Wizard’s First Rule. It introduces Richard, Kahlan, Zedd, the Sword of Truth, Confessors, the Midlands, and the central magical rules through the story designed to reveal them.

Do not start with The First Confessor simply because it occurs earliest. It is a historical expansion written for readers who already understand the world.

How many main Sword of Truth novels are there?

The count depends on which publishing label is being used.

The original Sword of Truth story contains eleven novels from Wizard’s First Rule through Confessor. Four Richard and Kahlan novels continue that story through Warheart, producing fifteen central Richard and Kahlan novels.

Adding the two prequels produces seventeen frequently numbered Sword of Truth volumes. Adding the Nicci Chronicles and Children of D’Hara episodes creates a still larger universe-wide total.

Is Debt of Bones the first Sword of Truth book?

It is the earlier story chronologically, but it is not the correct first book for new readers.

Read Wizard’s First Rule first. Save Debt of Bones until Zedd, the boundaries, and the earlier war already have context.

Should The First Confessor be read first?

No. The book explains the origins of the Confessors and several ancient institutions, but it was written long after the main series began.

It works best after Confessor or after the entire Richard and Kahlan sequence.

Does Confessor end the series?

It ends the original eleven-book saga and the Chainfire Trilogy. Richard and Kahlan later return in The Omen Machine, The Third Kingdom, Severed Souls, and Warheart.

Their story continues again in the five Children of D’Hara episodes.

What comes after Warheart?

Two branches follow Warheart:

1. The Nicci Chronicles, beginning with Death’s Mistress
2. The Children of D’Hara, beginning with The Scribbly Man

Read the Nicci books for a journey focused on Nicci and Nathan. Read The Children of D’Hara for the direct continuation of Richard and Kahlan.

Should I read the Nicci Chronicles before The Children of D’Hara?

That is the smoothest complete order, but it is not an absolute continuity requirement.

Both series begin after Warheart and follow different groups. Complete one branch before moving to the other rather than alternating individual books by publication date.

Is The Children of D’Hara one book or five?

It is both, depending on the edition.

The story was first published in five episodes: The Scribbly Man, Hateful Things, Wasteland, Witch’s Oath, and Into Darkness. The 2021 book titled The Children of D’Hara collects all five.

Is The Law of Nines part of the Sword of Truth?

Yes, but its connection is initially indirect. It follows Alex Rahl and Jax in a contemporary setting that appears separate from Richard and Kahlan’s world.

The Children of D’Hara clarifies that the relationship is intentional. New readers should still complete at least the original Sword of Truth sequence before reading it.

Are the Angela Constantine books connected to Sword of Truth?

No confirmed story connection places Angela Constantine in the Sword of Truth continuity.

Her books are modern thrillers and should be treated separately from Richard, Kahlan, Nicci, and The Law of Nines.

What order should I read the Angela Constantine stories?

Use this sequence:

1. Nest
2. The Girl in the Moon
3. Trouble’s Child
4. Crazy Wanda

Nest introduces a similar ability through Kate Bishop. Readers interested only in Angela can start with The Girl in the Moon and then read the two shorter stories.

Is Heart of Black Ice the final Nicci book?

Yes. It is the fourth and concluding Nicci Chronicles novel.

The series was completed rather than left waiting for a fifth volume.

Did Terry Goodkind finish the Sword of Truth series?

Yes. The original saga, the Richard and Kahlan continuation, the Nicci Chronicles, and The Children of D’Hara all have published conclusions.

His death means no further book written by him can extend the continuity, but the existing branches do not end in the middle of an announced volume.

A Clear Route Through the Entire Bibliography

Enter Goodkind’s world through Wizard’s First Rule, not through a historical prequel. Continue straight through Confessor, then read The Omen Machine, The Third Kingdom, Severed Souls, and Warheart.

At that point, the road divides. Follow Nicci from Death’s Mistress through Heart of Black Ice, then return to Richard and Kahlan in the five-part Children of D’Hara story. Read The Law of Nines before that final branch when you want the strongest context for its cross-world connection.

The First Confessor and Debt of Bones are valuable background, but they are optional rather than mandatory starting points. The Angela Constantine stories and The Sky People belong on separate shelves because they do not continue the main fantasy narrative.