How many books has Terry Goodkind written?

Terry Goodkind published 29 novels, 2 novellas and 3 other books that we list, as of September 2026.

What order should I read Terry Goodkind's books in?

Read each series in its own order: start Sword of Truth with Wizard's First Rule, The Sword of Truth with The Omen Machine and The Nicci Chronicles with Death's Mistress. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.

What is Terry Goodkind's most famous book?

Wizard's First Rule (1994) is Terry Goodkind's most widely read book.

Are Terry Goodkind's books connected?

21 books belong to 3 series (Sword of Truth, The Sword of Truth and The Nicci Chronicles); the other 13 books stand alone.

Terry Goodkind books in order

American novelist

Lived: 1948–2020
Country: United States
Books: 34
Series: 3

Fantasy

Terry Goodkind published 29 novels, 2 novellas and 3 other books, beginning with Wizard's First Rule (1994). The 3 series include Sword of Truth (11 books, starting with Wizard's First Rule), The Sword of Truth (6 books, starting with The Omen Machine) and The Nicci Chronicles (4 books, starting with Death's Mistress).

Updated September 2026

Sword of Truth books in order (11)Series page

Reading order: 1 Wizard's First Rule (1994) · 2 Stone of Tears (1995) · 3 Blood of the Fold (1996) · 4 Temple of the Winds (1997) · 5 Soul of the Fire (1999) · 6 Faith of the Fallen (2000) · 7 The Pillars of Creation (2001) · 8 Naked Empire (2003) · 9 Chainfire (2005) · 10 Phantom (2006) · … all 11 below

1.
Wizard's First Rule (Aug 1994)
595 pages★ 4.2 (66 ratings)
Buy
2.
Stone of Tears (Oct 1995)
768 pages★ 4.1 (30 ratings)
Buy
3.
Blood of the Fold (Oct 1996)
576 pages★ 3.9 (25 ratings)
Buy
4.
Temple of the Winds (1997)
800 pages★ 4.5 (6 ratings)
Buy
5.
Soul of the Fire (1999)
634 pages★ 3.5 (24 ratings)
Buy
6.
Faith of the Fallen (Aug 2000)
704 pages★ 3.9 (25 ratings)
Buy
7.
The Pillars of Creation (Nov 2001)
596 pages★ 3.6 (20 ratings)
Buy
8.
Naked Empire (Jul 2003)
670 pages★ 3.9 (17 ratings)
Buy
9.
Chainfire (Jan 2005)
672 pages★ 3.9 (15 ratings)
Buy
10.
Phantom (2006)
589 pages★ 3.9 (16 ratings)
Buy
11.
Confessor (Nov 2007)
608 pages★ 3.9 (18 ratings)
Buy

The Sword of Truth books in order (6)

Reading order: 12 The Omen Machine (2011) · 13 The Third Kingdom (2013) · 14 Severed Souls (2014) · 15 Warheart (2015) · Debt of Bones (2001) · The First Confessor (2012)

12.
The Omen Machine (2011)
512 pages★ 3.8 (5 ratings)
Buy
13.
The Third Kingdom (Aug 2013)
528 pages
Buy
14.
Severed Souls (Aug 2014)
502 pages
Buy
15.
Warheart (Nov 2015)
464 pages
Buy
Debt of Bones (Dec 2001)
128 pages★ 4.2 (16 ratings)
Buy
The First Confessor (2012)
604 pages
Buy

The Nicci Chronicles books in order (4)Series page

Reading order: 1 Death's Mistress (2017) · 2 Shroud of Eternity (2018) · 3 Siege of Stone (2018) · 4 Heart of Black Ice (2020)

1.
Death's Mistress (Jan 2017)
512 pages
Buy
2.
Shroud of Eternity (2018)
534 pages
Buy
3.
Siege of Stone (2018)
560 pages
Buy
4.
Heart of Black Ice (2020)
528 pages
Buy

Where to start with Terry Goodkind

Start here
Wizard's First Rule
Terry Goodkind's most-read book and the first of the 11 Sword of Truth books.
Shortest way in
Debt of Bones
One of the most-read, at about 128 pages.

Standalone novels in order

The Law of Nines (Aug 2009)
512 pages
Buy
Nest (2016)
440 pages
Buy
Girl in the Moon (2018)
485 pages
Buy
Hateful Things: The Children of D'Hara, Episode 2 (2) (2019)
156 pages
Buy
The Scribbly Man: The Children of D'Hara, Episode 1 (2019)
155 pages
Buy
Wasteland (2019)
192 pages
Buy
Into Darkness (2020)
688 pages
Buy
Witch's Oath: The Children of D'Hara, Episode 4 (2020)
264 pages
Buy
The Children of D'Hara (2021)
960 pages
Buy

Novellas in order

Trouble's Child (2018)
96 pages
Buy

Other books in order

Sword of Truth Set: Richard and Kahlan: (the Omen Machine, the Third Kingdom, Severed Souls, Warheart) (2017)
Buy
Crazy Wanda (2018)
88 pages
Buy
The Sky People (2019)
112 pages
Buy

About Terry Goodkind

Terry Lee Goodkind was an American writer. He was known for the epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth, as well as the contemporary suspense novel The Law of Nines (2009), which has ties to his fantasy series. The Sword of Truth series sold 25 million copies worldwide and was translated into more than 20 languages. Additionally, it was adapted into a television series called Legend of the Seeker which premiered on November 1, 2008, and ran for two seasons until May 2010.

Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.

Terry Goodkind FAQ

How many books has Terry Goodkind written?: Terry Goodkind published 29 novels, 2 novellas and 3 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
What order should I read Terry Goodkind's books in?: Read each series in its own order: start Sword of Truth with Wizard's First Rule, The Sword of Truth with The Omen Machine and The Nicci Chronicles with Death's Mistress. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
What is Terry Goodkind's last book?: The Children of D'Hara (2021).
What is Terry Goodkind's most famous book?: Wizard's First Rule (1994) is Terry Goodkind's most widely read book.
Are Terry Goodkind's books connected?: 21 books belong to 3 series (Sword of Truth, The Sword of Truth and The Nicci Chronicles); the other 13 books stand alone.