The law of nines. Sword of truth (15.5)

From Publishers Weekly Bestseller Goodkind (_Confessor_) ventures into thriller territory with results sure to please fans of his fantasy fiction. In the opening pages, Alex Rahl, the book's unwitting hero, saves the beautiful Jax from being run down on the street in Orden, Neb., by a plumbing truck flying a pirate flag. Jax, who turns out to be from an alternate reality where evildoers are attempting to seize control of her civilization, has traveled to Nebraska to seek Alex's help in saving her people. In Jax's world, magic takes the place of technology, but on earth she's stripped of her powers and forced to fight armed with only her trusty dagger. The author takes his time setting all this up, but once the story gets rolling, it's a gripping ride as the bad guys whoosh in between their world, which remains unseen, and ours. Fantasy and thriller readers alike will find themselves swept along to the final confrontation and looking forward to the next installment. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review “Fast paced, riveting and scary. It will leave the reader breathless.” -- Nelson DeMille “A gripping ride” -- PW "Astonishing” -- Kirkus A publishing event— #1 New York Times–bestselling author Terry Goodkind turns in a new direction and delivers a stunningly original thriller.Turning twenty-seven may be terrifying for some, but for Alex, a struggling artist living in the midwestern United States, it is cataclysmic. Inheriting a huge expanse of land should have made him a rich and happy man; but something about this birthday, his name, and the beautiful woman whose life he just saved, has suddenly made him—and everyone he loves—into a target. A target for extreme and uncompromising violence . . . In Alex, Terry Goodkind brings to life a modern hero in a whole new kind of high-octane thriller. A publishing event #1 New York Times bestselling author Terry Goodkind turns in a new direction and delivers a stunningly original thriller. Turning twenty-seven may be terrifying for some, but for Alex, a struggling artist living in the midwestern United States, it is cataclysmic. Inheriting a huge expanse of land should have made him a rich and happy man; but something about this birthday, his name, and the beautiful woman whose life he just saved, has suddenly made himand everyone he lovesinto a target. A target for extreme and uncompromising violence . . . In Alex, Terry Goodkind brings to life a modern hero in a whole new kind of high-octane thriller. Turning twenty-seven may be terrifying for some, but for Alex, a struggling artist living in the Midwest, it is cataclysmic. Something about this birthday, his name, and the beautiful woman whose life he has just saved has suddenly made him-and everyone he loves-a target. A target for extreme and uncompromising violence... Midwest-based artist Alex anticipates his twenty-seventh birthday with trepidation, as that is the age at which his mother went insane, and when he saves a beautiful woman, he suddenly becomes the target of brutal violence