Below is the complete list of Terry Goodkind books in order. For each series, the chronological reading order is the same as the order of publication.
Publication Order of Sword Of Truth Books
- Temple of the Winds (1998)
In the Sword Of Truth series, Temple of the Winds is book #4 and was published in 1998. 
Publication Order of Sister Of Darkness: The Nicci Chronicles Books
Publication Order of Children Of D’Hara Books
- Wasteland (2019)
Wasteland is a 2019 release and appears as book #3 in the Children Of D’Hara series. - Into Darkness (2020)
Into Darkness was first published in 2020; within the Children Of D’Hara series, it is listed as book #5.
Publication Order of Angela Constantine / Jack Raynes Books
Publication Order of Richard & Kahlan Books
Publication Order of Standalone Novels Books
Publication Order of Year’s Best Fantasy Books
About Terry Goodkind
Terry Goodkind was an American fantasy novelist best known for creating the Sword of Truth series, a long-running epic built around Richard Cypher, Kahlan Amnell, magic, tyranny, personal conviction, and the moral struggle between freedom and domination. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1948, Goodkind did not begin as a lifelong publishing-world figure. Before becoming a novelist, he worked as a wildlife artist, cabinetmaker, and violin maker, and his creative background outside literature helped shape the visual and crafted quality of his fictional worlds.
Goodkind’s breakthrough came with Wizard’s First Rule, published in 1994. The novel introduced Richard Cypher, a woods guide whose life changes when he meets Kahlan Amnell, the Mother Confessor, and becomes drawn into a conflict involving Darken Rahl, ancient magic, and the hidden truths of his own identity. The book quickly established the central elements of Goodkind’s fiction: a large fantasy world, intense moral conflict, strong romantic devotion, and a hero whose choices are tied to larger questions of truth, reason, courage, and individual will.
The Sword of Truth became Goodkind’s defining work. Across major titles such as Stone of Tears, Blood of the Fold, Temple of the Winds, Faith of the Fallen, and Confessor, he developed a sprawling saga involving war, prophecy, magical orders, political oppression, and philosophical conflict. Richard and Kahlan remain the emotional center, but the series also includes major supporting figures such as Zedd, Cara, Nicci, and Nathan Rahl, whose roles expand the world beyond a simple hero’s journey.
Goodkind’s fantasy is sometimes discussed as epic fantasy, but he often resisted being limited by that label. His books use many familiar fantasy elements—wizards, magical objects, ancient lineages, invented lands, and battles between ruling powers—but he was especially interested in moral philosophy and the defense of individual freedom. His villains are not only monsters or sorcerers; they often represent systems of coercion, collectivism, fanaticism, or political control. That emphasis gives his work a more ideological flavor than many traditional quest fantasies.
After the original Sword of Truth arc, Goodkind continued Richard and Kahlan’s story in later novels such as The Omen Machine, The Third Kingdom, Severed Souls, and Warheart. He also expanded the world through the Nicci Chronicles, beginning with Death’s Mistress, which follows Nicci and Nathan Rahl into new territories after the main series. The Children of D’Hara novellas returned attention to Richard and Kahlan in a shorter serial format, showing Goodkind’s continued interest in extending the consequences of his central saga.
Outside the main Sword of Truth universe, Goodkind wrote the Angela Constantine thrillers, including Nest and The Girl in the Moon. These books moved into a more contemporary suspense direction while still reflecting his interest in extraordinary individuals confronting evil. They show that Goodkind’s storytelling identity was not limited entirely to secondary-world fantasy, even though that remains the work for which he is most remembered.
Terry Goodkind died in 2020, leaving behind one of the most commercially successful fantasy series of his era. His bibliography is best understood through the Sword of Truth world, where romance, magic, war, philosophy, and moral certainty combine into a distinctive and often intense reading experience. Whether readers respond most to Richard and Kahlan’s relationship, Nicci’s transformation, or the series’ arguments about freedom and power, Goodkind’s work remains a major presence in modern epic fantasy.