Reply #3: You just gotta put the Bandarkan Empire [View All]

into context with the history of his world.

Those people are/were victims in a particularly horrible way. There are real-world synonyms for their situation.

Socialist? Well, yes, but in a mutated, twisted way. Their absolute nonviolence in every conceivable fashion rendered them vulnerable to the Order, who predictably started smashing their culture out of existence. The Bandarkans wouldn't even fight for their own survival. Any of us would do that in a heartbeat.

I do find it veeeerrrrry peculiar, however, that there was a fourth barrier. I hope he solves that continuity conflict.

Remember, Zedd said, in Soul of the Fire, p. 43 (Tor paperback), "I used the first of the three to learn how to work the spell, how it functioned, and how to unleash it. The second I used to seperate the Midlands and D'Hara- to stop the war. The last of the three I used to partition off Westland, for those that wanted a place to live free of magic, thereby preventing an uprising against the gifted."

<snip>

"No more boundaries." Zedd threw his hands up. "That's that."

Now, how does he explain the fourth bifurcated boundary that focused the banished of the Bandarkan Empire (because, remember, they would not kill for any reason) toward the Pillars of Creation? Well, he doesn't. And that's a big continuity issue for me.

Being unable to set up another boundary is the main reason they can't easily win against Jagang. I hope Goodkind realizes this, and explains it. The way a 'spell of threes' is described, it can only be cast one time in time.... that is, a spell of threes is unique and cannot ever be cast again by anyone.

At least, that's how he made Zedd describe it.