Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind

I think the series is fantastic. I've been reading Sword of Truth novels since a friend introduced me to them while we were in high school. I love the way the characters evolve, and the world itself operates as a small ( relative to Earth, I assume) contained social structure. I also like Goodkind's representation of magic as a real aspect of human life--as concrete/abstract as sociology or mathematics. A lot of the other fantasy series I've attempted to get into have magic merely existing and having no real rules or boundaries like any other science. I think that makes it a lot easier to get into the stories in the series that have so much to do with magic because it's still 'rooted' in concepts like biology that we use and refer to every day in the real world. Mostly though, I like the complexity of the plot(s). I like the fact that Richard is so much smarter than me, and even though I feel like I'm hovering over his shoulder most of the way through the book, he still grows and thinks and feels in ways my mind hadn't thought of. I enjoy how the tiniest, most trivial actions can sometimes have the most catastrophic consequences. I appreciate the manner in which Goodkind puts fantasy, justice, comedy, drama, philosophy, romance, action, and science all together in the same pot and serves it to you in oven-fresh batches that you can enjoy bite-by-bite on your lunch break or just before bed. I love Goodkind's world, and everything in it.