The Omen Machine - Review by Joey Mohler

The Omen Machine

By Terry Goodkind

Review by Joey Mohler

The Omen Machine, by Terry Goodkind, is a riveting novel about Richard, the leader of an empire and his wife, Kahlan. Similar to the previous novels, Richard is forced to deal with nearly impossible odds to save people from a terrible fate. In the previous novels, the struggle to convince the people that he is a suitable leader is a grueling task. After much personal sacrifice and many hopeless ordeals, Richard rose to the top as the most loved leader in the history of his empire.

Despite all of the trouble Richard went through to save his people and win their trust, there are those who continue to scheme against him and ruin his empire. The antagonist of the novel wishes to turn Richard’s subjects against him, and undermine his rule. The father of Richard, a ruthless and merciless leader, wronged a family from an obscure and dark region of his empire. That family now wishes to destroy the flourishing empire that Richard has saved from a very dark age. A selfish act of revenge compels a ruthless and corrupt leader to taint and hamper the empire Richard has repaired, using occult magic to harm Richard and his beloved wife.

In the time period of this novel, magic, prophecy, and other supernatural traits are common in people. People believe that prophecy is meant for all eyes, and that it must be followed to ensure safety. As Richard fights to convince people that prophecy is only for certain eyes, evil people are at work trying to convince the population that Richard has sided with the keeper of the underworld, and is trying to doom human life to an eternity in hell. The reason for this is because Richard is trying to prevent the wrong eyes from seeing the dangerous prophecy.  As the rebel turns people against Richard, Richard must fight to regain the loyalty and trust of his empire.

As terrible and unexplained things happen to people, the blame is placed on Richard, for withholding prophecy. Prophecy causes more damage than it prevents but the people see it as God giving warnings that must be obeyed. Ordinary people are unable to truly understand how prophecy works, but still demand to hear it. More and more people turn against Richard, despite his sacrifices to save them, and he must go through even more struggles to convince them otherwise.

The Omen Machine is an incredibly thematic, as are most of the other novels. The theme in this particular novel is hard to follow at first, but as you read, you will see that certain individuals may seem good on the outside, but in reality, are rotten to the core and willing to cause irreparable damage to a good thing. Revenge and grudge fuel the contempt of someone who wishes to bring Richard down for something he has had no part in. The theme is that of how people will present a façade of justice and righteousness, just to lash out at someone. Lies are used to spread hate among the subjects of Richards empire. Despite the fact that his people are ungrateful and unwilling to accept the truth and live their own lives, Richard continues to help them, regardless of how undeserving they are of his help.

The series of novels before this book create the setting and make the reader understand what is going on; however, the series and this novel is standalone, so you can pick up and read any of the books, excluding the last three books, which make a trilogy in the saga. These novels are all very well written, and should be read by anyone with an interest in the fantasy genre. One must be advised however, that every book is very explicit and detailed. There are many gruesome and stomach turning things to be read, but if that does not turn you away from the novels, read them. Despite their explicit nature, they all keep you interested and on the edge of your seat. You simply cannot get enough. Terry Goodkind is a very gifted author, and has reached the status of a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author. If you read his novels, you will see why he is a bestseller. His prose and creativity is wholly unmatched by any modern author.

As you read this novel, you will see the troubles Richard has to deal with, and the conviction and willingness to sacrifice himself to overcome them.

With his strong command of the English language, Terry Goodkind produced a genuine masterpiece. Goodkind uses entirely fictional characters in an entirely fictional setting, yet he describes these like he has been around them his entire life. He goes beyond mere description to build a complex and highly detailed set of characters. Growth of the characters is also key in his writings. Each and every character has flaws, and those flaws are often played upon, resulting in lessons learned and remembered by the characters. 

One of the strongest traits of Goodkind is his ability to tie up loose ends, and solve highly complex problems within his plot with wit and genius. The obstacles in the novels are all crossed as the novel moves on, and each and every one is explained. These explanations cover the cause, the effect, and the meaning of the solution to the problem. This is the cherry on top of the sundae. As loose ends are tied up, goose bumps form on your skin and the hair on your neck raises when you see the solutions he has for the seemingly impossible odds presented in his novels.

This novel was impressively well written, and is currently one of the best I have read. The compelling plot and explicit action of this novel will keep you completely engaged as you read on. Feelings of awe, dread, shock, and joy are common as you read. To be effective, something must inspire some kind of emotion in the reader/viewer. This novel most effective in inspiring emotion and leaving you on the edge of your seat as you read.

You will find the genre of this novel to be very flexible and constantly changing. It stays in a fantasy world, with fantastical characters, yet it is loaded with action and adventure, and a very passionate and fiery element of romance. There is much mystery and lots of emotion. This book is what many would call an epic.