Naked Empire (Hardcover)

From the Publisher:
In Naked Empire, amid unsettling omens and the appearance of a nervous stranger, mysterious events cast Richard Rahl and his wife, Kahlan, in with a handful of strangers committed to a hopeless cause. Together, they are swept up in the monumental struggle for the future of an empire and the search for the terrible truth behind its founding, its strength, and its fatal flaw. Richard suspects that the mystery behind the empire's most sacred beliefs may be the secret to its salvation. Amid the specter of death, a failure of faith, and a madman's lust for power, Richard is offered the chance for his own life and the lives of thousands, but it is Kahlan alone who holds that key.

Terry Goodkind weaves a breathless tale that pulls us deep into the dynamics, convictions, and values of a people—those following their most profoundly held beliefs, those trying to discover the truth, and those who are convinced they are fulfilling their destiny. In this classic adventure setting where men live or die by the sword, Terry Goodkind lays bare the most divisive human themes—our darkest fears, our hopes, and our most sacred goals, all told through some of modern literature's most unforgettable characters.

About the Author:
Terry Goodkind's first novel, Wizard's First Rule (1994), established him immediately as a major voice on the epic fantasy scene. Subsequent books in the Sword of Truth series have climbed steadily up the national bestseller lists.

Goodkind was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, where he also attended art school, one of his many interests on the way to becoming a writer. Besides a career in wildlife art, he has been a cabinet maker, violin maker, and he has done restoration work on rare and exotic artifacts from around the world — each with its own story to tell, he says. In 1983 Goodkind moved to the forested mountains he loves. There, in the woods near the ocean, he built the house where he and his wife, Jeri, live, and came at last to tell his own stories.