Product Description
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... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (135)

Short and sweet.
By far the best series I've read was the Sword of Truth series. This book is a sequel to that series and people were expecting a lot from it. He does not develop all of the characters as well as he did in the other books, but thats because he didn't have the time to. This is a fast paced novel with twists and turns in every direction. It's true he did not use magic as much in this book as in the rest of series, but it's still a very good read. I just hope he makes a sequel that takes place where Jax is from.

Horrible Fan Fiction
To be honest, this book read like bad fan fiction.The writing was juvenile, the love story clichéd, and all the material was sucked from his other books.I've read all of his other material, and own the books, which I re-read every couple of years.This new book is written in a completely different voice than the SOT (Sword of Truth) series.The character depth is gone, and the antagonists are ridiculous.SPOILER: They look like pirates and break people's necks?

I was extremely disappointed in this book, and cannot recommend it to anyone.

Good Filler Book
I was swept in by the Sword of Truth series and wanted more after I finished the last book of the series.I actually read this novel in 2 or 3 days.It was action packed and I loved the Sword of Truth connection.I enjoyed reading another Terry Goodkind novel.It was good, not great, but good.

This is an amazing read!!!!!!!!!!!
This was a very enjoyable read. It was a fast moving book that kept me reading and never allowed me to get bored with it. The one thing I noticed about it, was that the idea that it was not a sequel to the Sword of Truth series is completely false in my mind. There are so many references to the SOT series it amazed me and at the same time made me happy. When you found out the names of the characters you knew what alot of the side stories were refering to if you have read the previous series.

I do agree that this book can be read and understood without having to read the original series. However I do suggest reading them because of the thing throughout this book may be a little confusing to some.

I really suggest reading this book it is one of the better books I have read in a long time.

Pales in comparison to SOT
I found myself only reading this book because I wanted to see links to the SOT world. If this book did not have ties to the other series it would get one star. There is nothing compelling in the characters and the plot is weak at best. Would have been happier if it was free! ... Read more

Product Description

Descending into darkness, about to be overwhelmed by evil, those people still free are powerless to stop the coming dawn of a savage new world, while Richard faces the guilt of knowing that he must let it happen. Alone, he must bear the weight of a sin he dare not confess to the one person he loves…and has lost.
 
Join Richard and Kahlan in the concluding novel of one of the most remarkable and memorable journeys ever written. It started with one rule, and will end with the rule of all rules, the rule unwritten, the rule unspoken since the dawn of history.

When next the sun rises, the world will be forever changed.

Customer Reviews (327)

Serious Let Down
First of all, I love the characters.Kahlan has got to be the most kick-tush female character I've ever found in a Fantasy book.I love the action of the early books in the series.

That being said...
I was bored senseless by Goodkind's ceaseless tirades.Seriously, tedious.Save yourself the time and read a summary if you want to know how it all goes for the characters.


How it should have been written (adapted from the wiki summary):
Richard Rahl, leader of the D'Haran Empire, had been captured by the witch woman Six right after recovering the Secrets of a War Wizard's Power book.He is able to hide it on his person but after escaping Six is re-captured by an Imperial Order commander, who lets Richard (under the guise of Ruben Rybnik) live if he will be the point man for the commander's Ja'La dh Jin team. During Richard's imprisonment, he is warned by a cloaked specter that he is now a player of the Boxes of Orden. Sister Ulicia is also visited by this figure, and is told that the time to open the Boxes has been reset to one year from the first day of winter-the day that Nicci put the Boxes into play under Richard's name.

Richard starts reading Secrets of a War Wizard's Power and finds that the Sword of Truth is much more vital to his mission than even he thought.He learns that it is a necessary channel for his power to open the Boxes of Orden properly.

The witch woman Six breaks into the Wizard's Keep during this time and steals the third box of Orden from Nicci and Zedd. Zedd discovers that The Wizard's Keep is being affected by the contamination of the chimes, and must be abandoned. He puts a spell over the failing Keep to protect it from time and future damage.

Jagang has possession of all three boxes of Orden.Two of them from the Sisters of the Dark he recaptured and one from Six the witch woman who is bargaining for power.

Meanwhile, the D'haran troops are fighting a guerilla war against the homeland of the Order in hopes of making the people question the validity of their beliefs.Richard sends people into secured areas to speak sense into the populous, which they listen to because there are people who are tired of being oppressed and having their hard earned labor taken from them.Great headway is being made on that front, but there is still a giant army on the doorstep of the People's Palace.

Nathan Rahl, back at the People's Palace functioning as the Lord Rahl, is preparing for war and hoping to see Richard come to lead it.He has all the wood in the palace gathered to be made into arrows.He hopes that the gifted Jagang has will be neutralized so that the archers can be put to good use.As the People's Palace has the high ground.


Jagang's excavations in the Azrith Plains reveal catacombs under the People's Palace, which provide a secret entryway. Three Sisters of the Dark enter, killing Ann and capturing Nicci, by combining their powers to overcome the Palace's spell-form. Soldiers are sent into the catacombs to prepare an attack, and the hole is hidden. The Sisters of the Dark discover what they believe to be the original Book of Counted Shadows.

Kahlan has been in Jagang's possession and a major thorn in his side.Jagang brings in the dreamcaster Jillian to try to control Kahlan through fear of having the young woman tortured.Unfortunately for him, the young woman is handy with a knife and conspires with Kahlan to wait til an opportune moment and overpower the guards together.

Upon a surprise visit from Jagang, who is sizing up the members of rival Ja'La teams, Richard realizes that he needs a disguise so that Jagang won't recognize him. He solves this problem by obtaining red paint, and covering the faces and bodies of his teammates and himself by intimidating symbols and parts of spell-forms. Not only is the effect daunting, it sets the team apart and effectively conceals Richard's features. His team meets and defeats Jagang's team in the tournament final, but Jagang, refusing to accept his team's loss, announces the win is invalid, having repeatedly making calls to void Richard's points. This unfair decision causes a riot in the camp.Kahlan and the dreamcaster see their chance and start killing guards. Samuel shows up at the command of Six and seeing Kahlan is overcome with a desire to take her for his own.Richard sees it as an opportunity to get her free from Jagang and points out to Samuel that he can cut through the collar around Kahlan's neck with the sword.Samuel is obvioiusly crazy and asks Kahlan to go with him.She aggress but on the condition that he help her get the boxes of Orden.They go together anddispatch both Sisters of the Dark.Kahlan has the boxes, but all Samuel wants is Kahlan.He tells her he can take her to safety.Kahlan has no idea who Samuel is, but is thankful to be free. She goes with him.

Richard and Nicci (helped by Adie) go back to the Palace through the catacombs, where Nathan and Cara help them wipe out the Order forces hiding there.

Rachel, Chase and Zedd go toTamarang in an effort to stop Six.Zedd keeps her busy using roundabout defensive magic while Rachel undoes the work of Violet.Rachel then takes the spell off of Richard to restore his gift. Violet tries to interfere, but due to some quick work by Rachel is devoured by her own chalk monster creations.Shota shows up just in time to help Zedd finish off Six.They want to set off for the People's Palace, but Shota "sees" that Richard will need help in the Mud People village and sends Rachel off with Gratch.

Richard is warned by Nicci that he must not reveal his love for Kahlan to her, or the sterile field around the Chainfire spell will not restore her memories for him - but will restore to others their original memories from before the Chainfire event was started. She explains that it is similar to how Richard could not be told about the way to love a Confessor without being touched by her power-foreknowledge would contaminate the magic and it would not work.

Richard then helps Jillian, the priestess of the bones and dream caster from Caska, give the Order's army terrible nightmares. Jagang is given particularly nasty dreams, mostly involving Nicci. Richard is taught many spells and spell-forms by Nicci, and then sends himself to the Underworld, using Denna as a spirit guide, and retrieves everyone's memories of Kahlan, which he correctly reasons must be in the Underworld because they do not exist in this world. He successfully retrieves them - but is attacked by the beast, which was attracted by the use of his gift. Richard does the only thing he can think of, and risks his life to destroy the beast by unleashing Additive magic into the underworld. He is slammed out of the Underworld, and into the middle of a gathering of the Mud People. He is greeted by Rachel, who, with Gratch's help, had told the Mud People to hold a gathering to help him.

Nathan assumes Richard is dead, but will not accept Jagang's terms of surrender, because as was pointed out on many occasions, if Jagang wins there will be no mercy.

Samuel attempts to rape Kahlan after several days of journeying. During the struggle, she touches the Sword of Truth, which causes the effects of Chainfire to be countered. She recalls that she is a Confessor, and releases her power into him. Even though she remembers that she is a Confessor; she does not recall anything of her past. Samuel reveals that he is an agent for Six.Richard then finally catches up to them and immediately kills Samuel.Kahlan is only mildly annoyed because at least Richard has finally found her.
He won't answer her questions about the circumstances of their marriage, for fear of contaminating the sterile field, but she tells him how much she cares for him.

Kahlan and Richard head for the People's Palace via the closest entrance to the Sylph.As both Richard and Kahlan have recovered their magic and knowledge, both can travel.

All prepare for the final battle.Gratch helps Zedd, Chase, Rikka and Rachel sneak back into the People's Palace and all is readied.

Jagang is furious that all has gone awry, but is convinced his cause is righteous.He prepares for the last battle without the boxes and down quite a few gifted sisters.Word of the riot over the games spread and a great number of deserters run for the hills.With a war to be fought, Jagang does not go after them.And it is difficult for him to enter the un-gifted so he lets them go, convinced that his numbers are enough.

The final battle commences. Arrows rain down on the invaders from the People's Palace and the red dragon brings Richard and Kahlan to Jagang.The Imperial Army sees the absolute decimation of all near the People's Palace and that Jagang's head is on a pike.Their communist philosophy doesn't look so appealing and they surrender.

Back in the Garden of Life, Richard and his friends gather to consider the boxes of Orden. He explains that the boxes were created as a safeguard against Chainfire and will act to reverse it via Subtractive magic, some of which he had already completed by going to the underworld to retrieve the lost memories.The boxes were created by those that understood the great power that could be accessed through them and thus needed a true seeker to be able to turn the blade white and mercifully dole out the magic.Without a true seeker, the boxes would be a danger to all.Having malicious intent wouldn't necessarily end one's own destruction or the Boxes wouldn't be very dangerous at all.

Kahlan tells Richard she loves him, making him think that she is not a sterile field and that emotions have contaminated her chances of regaining her memory. Richard puts the Sword over each box in turn. Each box on the side turns the sword black; the one in the middle turns it a brilliant white. Richard stabs the box, capturing the magic of Orden.

The Magic of Orden is used to nullify the Chainfire and Kahlan's memory is restored to all.Richard also uses the magic to restore the balance to magic itself.Since there is no more dreamwalker, they no longer need the bond with Lord Rahl (thus no necessary magic heir).The Magic of Orden eradicates the genetic anomaly making the Pillars of Creation possible.They had been completely devoid of any Additive magic, but susceptible to Subtractive magic and it had been a dominant genetic trait.But if the Magic of Orden could theoretically have been able to make a parallel world identical to their own and send people there in the blink of an eye, surely it would be able to alter the DNA of the remaining Pillars of Creation so that they became like everyone else.

After that, the messy business of convincing the Old World that they had lost the war and must now embrace capitalism instead of communism. Fortunately, those cities like the former dreamwalker's hometown became beacons of hope.Bread was plentiful because work was as well.People were free to live their own lives and it was good.

And at some point in there Richard pointed out that he had been born war wizard for a reason and that the Creator created everything.All proper aspects seemed to float into place at exactly the right moment and that somehow free will and predestination must work together because he exercised free will in his decision to fight tyranny and it was all prophesied to happen.

wonderful
so glad to get this book, wonderful story, but happy to read how it ends

Sword of Truth series
Awesome, Terry Goodkind must be a wizzard as he has a magic with words. Generally I can not read without falling asleep. I read Terry's books of 800-900 pages in 2-3 days, can't put them down.

wonderful conclusion I've been waiting for
NOTE, only read this book if you have read all of the previous ten. This book was absolutely captivating, I couldn't put it down for almost three days straight, which is exactly how long it took me to read it. Terry Goodkind is imaginative and very creative. I am perfectly content to admit that I am a definite fan and am willing to purchase future books from Goodkind.

terry goodkind
My husband loves this book and has read the entire series. He loves all of Terry's books. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (55)

The Sword of Truth Box Set, Books 4-6
I`m still reading the first one and can`t stop it. Can`t wait to see what is going to happen in the others 5 and 6 books. Looking forward to buy all the collection.

Not a quick fix
This series of books is not for someone looking for a quick fix to catch up with the American television series.It's a rich, detailed journey with enough bumps and drags along the way to keep it's authentic feel running smoothly throughout.

If possible, I would have given it four and a half stars.Only because each book wraps up to such a declarative stopping point that it can be a bit jarring.However, you're always left wanting more and no book in the series has yet to disappoint.

Enjoy!

Not a bad set of books... but not as good as first set
Okay so, you just finished book 3.You've had an intro to what all the rest of the books will be about.If you didn't mind the themes of rape, maltreatment, torture and kidnapping, then you'll probably do okay with the mutilation that is added to Temple of the Winds and on out through the series.Temple of the Winds is possibly the 3rd best book.There are websites that try to rank the books and you can find those.The constant separation of the two main characters gets annoying, as obviously the universe will end if they get to be together for more than a few minutes.

Sword of Truth Series
Excellent series for the serious readers who are willing to commit the time to a lot of reading. Terry Goodkind keeps you interested through the entire series and it doesn't get stale - always bringing in new and interesting characters and situations. He fills you in from time to time on past events so that if you just pick one book in the middle of the series to read without reading the prior books, you are not totally lost. You will miss out on a lot, but you can enjoy reading just one of the books if you can't commit to them all.

The Sword of Truth Box Set
This author rocks...you will not be able to put these books down. Don't be intimated by the thick books...you will finish them in no time and will start the next one. Best books I've ever read. I introduced my teenage son to the first book (he never reads) and he could not put it down. A must read even if your not typically a fantasy book reader. ... Read more

Product Description
A milestone of storytelling set in the world of The Sword of Truth, Debt of Bones is the story of young Abby's struggle to win the aid of the wizard Zedd Zorander, the most important man alive.

Abby is trapped, not only between both sides of the war, but in a mortal conflict between two powerful men. For Zedd, who commands power most men can only imagine, granting Abby's request would mean forsaking his sacred duty. With the storm of the final battle about to break, both Abby and Zedd are caught in a desperate fight to save the life of a child...but neither can escape the shadow of an ancient betrayal.

With time running out, their only choice may be a debt of bones. The world-for Zedd, for Abby, for everyone-will never again be the same.

Discover why millions of readers the world over have elevated Terry Goodkind to the ranks of legend.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (90)

VERY GOOD BOOK!!!
look.this is a really good book (and kind of sequel and addon to the wizard's first rule series). the story is small, but it gives you a glimse of zedd, back in the days, where he was "the epic.'after reading this book, its hard to tell why he isn't owning azz in the wizard's first rule series, but you can tell he kinda leaves it to prophecy, richard, etc.though he seriously owns in the books when you see him.in this story, a woman comes for zedd's help, now this is a small metaphor and relative to when kahlan asks him for help in wizard's first rule.on the second part he introduces the solution to richard and helps him along the way, but in this book, he just totally owns azz. you can really feel zedd's power in this one.i can't really give too many vital details, to not give away the story, and since this book doesn't have many to give (can be a good thing), but that you get a glimse into the keep and some great, and i mean, great pictures of zedd in a vital climatic moments, the keep in all its vastness, and the story through a peasant woman who in asking for the help of first wizard himself, which eventually alters the world, and each other, as they know it.i read it, sometime after temple of the winds.but it was a great book reading it at night in the candlelight.but if you haven't read any of the other books, just put off this small story, until you do.

For the love of fantasy!
I am a huge fantasy fan and nothing has struck my fancy the way the Lord of the Rings had in middle school, but Debt of Bones was a lovely read! I really enjoyed it. I was interested in it enough to have a hard time putting it down. It was however very short, but in a way left me craving more and now I really would like to begin the Sword of Truth series. I got this one to get to know the authors style and to test how interested I would be and in the end I would say that I loved it! Great read in my opinion. If you are a fantasy fan I would give it a go! ^^

WOW
I ordered this book and received it 2 days later!That was awesome and very much appreciated.The book was in great condition and fit the description given.Thanks for portraying your products honestly.

Debt of bones review
Amazon provides a great service with fast delivery and everything you need to know about the purchase before and during the time it gets sent. Perfect quality as expected. Nothing bad to mention at all. Even with recent events in Iceland, it didnt take 'extra' long before something is sent, and I got a notice that there might be a delay. Pleasure to do business with.

Slightly Disappointed
Loved the book but was let down in comparison to Terry Goodkind's other books. With a central character such as Zedd and a prequel to the Sword of truth series he could have gone much deeper into the story and life of Zedd and leaves questions still unanswered. What about how the sword of truth was stolen from him and how did he get it back from Shota? Who was the one named seeker that Samuel killed to get the sword and why would Zedd name a false seeker? When did he go to Westland? What exactly caused him to forsake magic and the midlands council? How did Darken Rahl rape his daughter later in life to give birth to Richard if the wall was already up, she was too young to conceive in the story? When did George Cypher get involved and how did Ann and Nathan meet with him? When did Zedd and Ann create a pact that no wizards would be taken from the midlands while there were wizards to train them? My list just keeps going and a few of these are very vaguely answered in the series itself, but by writing this book Terry Goodkind opened himself to criticism by only partial filling in blanks and it wouldn't have raised so many questions had he just left out this particular book. It leaves me craving more without hope of there being more. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (45)

I love the series but liked these books
i'm reading the whole series but will admit that this colletion of the series was not my fav but still good. Pillars of Creation was eh Naked empire was good and chainfire was very interesting and will get you wtf'n constantly - which i like.

Bland selection of novels
So by the time you've got to book 7, you will have noticed that Terry Goodkind has seemingly vastly reduced the page count of each novel.Well that is because I think he is losing interest and steam.The first book of this set is probably the worst in my opinion, and it is followed by what is probably the third worst.The best books of the series are possibly the first 3, but it has been a year since I read the third so I can't remember if it is as good as the Temple of the Winds.By this time, the books have become so repetitive that the only plot devices that have any challenge for his super overpowered characters, who have obviously leveled up too much and suffered from "Monty Hall" syndrome if you know RPG parlance, are immune to almost everything, except kidnapping and rape.It is a common theme throughout the series, but it gets old.And with the first book of this set, you lose focus of the main characters.Don't expect to see them much in this book.As with all of the other books, the author has to come up with some corny wizard's rule and they get progressively more corny as time goes on, so by these books, the rules are just plain dumb.He pulls some George Lucas and had to rewrite history to come up with extra stuff to write about.

Just a warning.Chainfire through Confessor are actually 1 giant novel without gaps or resolution between each novel.

Sword of Truth Series
Excellent series for the serious readers who are willing to commit the time to a lot of reading.Terry Goodkind keeps you interested through the entire series and it doesn't get stale - always bringing in new and interesting characters and situations. He fills you in from time to time on past events so that if you just pick one book in the middle of the series to read without reading the prior books, you are not totally lost.You will miss out on a lot, but you can enjoy reading just one of the books if you can't commit to them all.

Amazing
Great boxed set. Very well priced. Came in perfect condition and goes really well with the other boxed sets by same author.

Awesome book
The books are awesome, I just could not put them down.It is one of the best books I have read in the past 5 years.It has great character development, good details, a great story line, it was like watching a movie!I highly reccomend the series. ... Read more

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Amazon.com Review
Exclusive Video
Watch author Terry Goodkind discuss how his own morality and sense of good and evil shape the chararacters and action in his epic ten volume Sword of Truth series.

Watch a video clip featuring author Terry Goodkind

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... Read more

Customer Reviews (262)

Too much dialogue, too little action
I've read some of Goodkind's work before. I know he can write better than this. The story of this book was so short but taken up by a lot of dialogue filler, it's as if he wanted to make a trilogy so bad he put in a bunch of nonsense.

673 pages for no movement in the story line. I'll not be reading the sequel as I barely finished this one.

What happened in this story?

The queen was a slave to evil Sister and didn't know who she was at the beginning. At the end she was a slave to the evil king and didn't know who she was.

The king, her husband, was searching for her, discussed a LOT of things about magic (Boring), decided there would be no final battle, lost his magic and got captured by who? the evil king.673 pages.

please get this over with
OK, in all fairness, Goodkind is a lively, imaginative writer whose plot twists are creative and suspenseful. He is also obviously intelligent and clearly self-educated, which can produce interesting results in thinking outside the box (a trait which he admires in his characters). For these reasons, I will read Confessor. But any recommendation I might give for this author's work comes with a caveat: be prepared to slog through the bog of redundancy and self-indulgence. Goodkind likes to hear himself think the same thoughts over and over again and treats us to his unedited ramblings shamelessly. He could have written these books with 30% fewer words and gotten his message across quite admirably. I confess, I skipped over lots of it which was not germane to the plot nor expansive on the philosophy of the good guys and the bad guys which he has already shared (at least once already). Unlike those who have forgotten Kahlan, I can remember what he has written earlier, either in this book or the former; but he seems to think otherwise. Fair warning: the level of testosterone is high, and if you like gratuitous descriptions of torture, you'll read with relish. After the first few twisted entrails and ugghhly rape descriptions, I'd read enough. I'm no psychologist so I won't extrapolate some deep wells of rage in this man, but it does make the self-educated portion of my readers' mind wonder. Enjoy, but tread carefully -- or not!

Cliff Hanger
I love this series of books.However, this is one of those books that just fills in details.Richard continues to look for Kahlan.There is great deatil in Richard trying to find her, but yet at the last page Richard still doesn't have her.Overall though I would say this is a good book, just not one of the best in the series.

Love The Sword of Truth
This is a great series. Have completed it twice, have all the copies in paperback and hard cover, will one day read the complete series again. It's ageless..........

That's it, I'm done
I got it Goodkind, there is not God, we need to live life for ourselves, and Kahlan is important.How about a new topic to tackle?

I keep hoping and hoping the next book will be more action and less preachy, but I keep being disappointed.I would have rather re-read Wizard' First rule 3x instead of reading the last 3 books.

I actually was listening to this one (which I had not done previously).For literally a half an hour Mr. Goodkind details the death and rape of the people of Galea (good to know, but we already know this from other stories, it's just more gory here) and then goes on a philosophical stint trying to pin religion as the root of all evil.I'm a rather liberal left leaning individual, but even I found what he was saying overly one sided and annoying at this point.We've heard this point before, like, A LOT.Ironically he is presenting his ideals with the one dimensional zealotcy of a religious fanatic. I miss when he switched up the enemies earlier in the series, now it's all about fighting what the author calls "Jagang's Army" but means religion and the belief in an afterlife.Yet if there is nothing waiting for the people of his world on the other side how come he keeps fighting things from "the world of the dead" and would get help from dead people in "the spirit world" such as with the Mud People and Denna?But maybe that was the old Richard, and the old Goodkind


Boiled down:
If you like God, this book very well might offend you.
Preachy, but not much more than the last one.
Still don't like Richard, he's an arrogant, quick to anger, bull-headed, preachy jerk (I keep hoping the old Richard will come back, or that he'll sleep with Nikki so I can just hate him already)
The books are no longer about the stories or even the characters, they are about a single ideological point, and the same one as the last 3 books.

Redeeming quality: more magic, but it's so technical that at times you tend to gloss over. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (111)

Fantasy reader junky
A great, enticing read. This series befits all who enjoy a little fantasy escape from their everyday lives. All books in the series "The Sword of Truth" are delightfully written and ever enthralling. Not recommended for children (due to some frequent adult themes which may be inappropriate for young readers).

Don't Bother
Really if you like reading science-fiction or fantasy, and have respect for the quality of literature that you deposit into your head, then you'll avoid this series all together.The first book is really bad, quite cheesy, and jumps plot very quickly.The second and third books are actually very good, even the fourth is a nice read but all the others are atrocious.By the 3rd book you'll realize that Goodkind would be better suited to righting grocery store passion books for stay at home mothers.The story picks up pace and never settles which is something I would commend the author on but it is otherwise without any forethought, it's extremely predictable and you never feel like there's a chance you will lose your hero.All in all, I'd say just avoid these books and read Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy instead, he is a quality writer who knows how to put a new spin on Fantasy, and you can feel the suspense on every page.A very worthy read those books.I'm sorry to those who enjoyed reading these books, but I can get more stimulating political commentary on communist values from the daily humor.Oh, and if your like me and you feel like if you started this series so you have to see it through to the end, don't.The last book is horrible, and the end of the series is just about the worst thing I have ever put my self through, put it down and walk away.

A wonderful series that is even better than the TV show
I first watched the Legend of the Seeker TV show and then eagerly picked up the first 3 books in the series. As expected, the TV show takes liberties with the original stories, but I think for any person who started with the TV show and then reads the books, they will be in for a real treat! I'm amazed that so much can be packed each of the first three novels, and if they were written like many other fantasy series - it would have been 10 books already!

I've just started reading book 4 of the second boxed set, and it's already hard to stop reading.My biggest complaint - why aren't these novels available for the Nook???

:)
Very epic, graphic at times. Still awesomely epic all the way around. Would read 1000 times. Zed is very funny.

Sword of Truth series
Great series.I started watching the Legend of the Seeker series on tv and was hooked.I found out it was based on a book and had to get the book.The first book, "Wizard's First Rule" is very engaging and hard to put down.Terry Goodkind writes with lots of emotion and makes me feel the hardships and happy times the main characters are going through.Love it.Thanks for a great read. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1433)

God, what a way to piss away an evening...
Meet Richard.Richard is the most handsome man in the world.Also the strongest, smartest, bravest, most powerful, and most charismatic.Think of a positive descriptor, carry it to the extreme, and it was probably used off-handedly to describe ol' Richard at some point.He's like a caricature of a fantasy hero.He's the guy you expect satirists of the genre to write about, the lantern-jawed Gary-Stu with no flaws whatsoever.

But Richard has a problem.Yes!A problem.The most awesome guy in the whole universe has an embarrassing little issue: if he sleeps with his girlfriend (who happens to be the hottest, smartest, most powerful, etc. woman in the world), he will become her mindless zombie slave.Not good.Richard does not approve this message.

So begins the epic quest to conquer the unattainable virginity of Richard's girlfriend!Dun dun DUN!

Does it sound kind of hilarious?Well, it really is.Just not intentionally.Goodkind is for some reason under the impression that this drivel is actually profound: or at least, so it appears from his constant soapbox preaching.He's fallen deeply in love with Ayn Rand of all people, and seems to regard it as his personal mission, particularly in later books, to evangelize everyone who doesn't use lines from Atlas Shrugged to compose new lyrics to traditional religious hymns.

Now that said, the story is exciting: you won't be bored, and you might even like them.The plotlines are actually pretty damn good, and in the hands of another author, they could be...well, not brilliant, but at least 4 stars.The trouble is, we're stuck with Terry Goodkind, who is while a competent, even shrewd, judge of matching plot to audience, struggles constantly with the mechanics of putting it down on paper.

The dialogue is boring, hyperbolic, and far, far too wandering (characters can restate the same idea as many as four or five times in a single conversation, leading to immense blocks of text that should have been edited to a few lines, tops).The characters are also one-note and rather tedious: Richard and Kahlan are such blatant stereotypes that there is never even the slightest doubt what they will do in any given situation (just, occasionally, what they CAN do: new abilities pop up more than is strictly believable).Goodkind is also very keen to copy Robert Jordan's most irritating flaws, describing the clothing and gear of everyone present ad nauseum and giving each character personalized tics (biting the lip or running hand through the hair) that recur on pretty much every page they occupy.Also like Mr. Jordan, he has an unfortunate, juvenile tendency to get his female characters naked for no reason, or to let the camera linger on busts and cleavage more than is really comfortable.

And after all this, what is the point?Well, essentially, the point was the Rise of Richard.Richard starts the book as the greatest ordinary guy in the world.By the end of the book, he's basically the greatest not-ordinary guy in the history of the universe.No.Not joking.That's pretty much how it goes.

So should you read these books?I'm wary of saying absolutely that you shouldn't, because despite their clear flaws, a stunning number of people still find justifications to read them.So evidently there's some charm in identifying with a flawless hero galloping across Ayn Rand's daydreams.

As for me, though, I just don't see it.

hooked
this is an amazing book. it became my world and was all i ever thought about when i wasnt reading. readers be ware tho as far as i can tell kindle store doesnt carry any other of the books in the twelve book series so i might just have to go and buy the actual book because im so hooked

Hugely disappointed
I totally agree with someone else who asked: "Why is this book so popular?" I certianly can't see why. The author's biggest problem is overwriting. At times I wondered if an editor had even gone over this MS? He says one thing, and two lines later says it again (with slightly different wording). It gets very repetitive and at times outright boring.

The carachters are papercut figures with no substance where speech and mannersims are not gradually worked in but instead added like a stack of groceries. Yes, we know that Richard rakes his hand through his hair and Darken Rahl wets his fingers with his toungue (a thousand times over).

The poor writing doesn't ever create anything unexpected. There is no element of surprise and almost everything comes across as very unrealistic--there is no real emotion.

The torture scenes are sick and do not belong in a Fantasy book. Not to mention dragged out! On and on and on it goes...

I struggled with this book. I'm still not sure whether to give it one star or two. Regardless, do yourself a favour and don't buy it. There are so many other great works of Fantasy out there!

Loved the series
Enjoyed this series and love the new show legend of the seeker, it's what got me reading. Of course the books are way better than the show.

Juvenile Babble
Annoyingly archetypal characters. Even more annoying lectures on morality filling half the pages. Really, one lecture being repeated over-and-over. I got very good at skipping paragraphs to fast-forward to parts where something was happening. Especially in the later books. If you think the parts where something happened were worth forwarding to, you are mistaken. Could not wait to finish the series so the misery would end. Book 'TiVo' + the fact that I already had the whole series on loan from a friend is the only reason I finished the series. So I guess that deserves two stars. Could be worse. ... Read more

Product Description
An Epic of Awesome Power

Kahlan has at last gained the one goal she had always thought was beyond her grasp ... love. Against all odds, the ancient bonds of secret oaths, and the dark talents of men long dead, Richard has won her heart.

Amid sudden and disastrous events, Richard's life is called due to satisfy those treacherous oaths. To save his life, Kahlan must forsake Richard's love and cast him into the chains of slavery, knowing there could be no sin worse than such a betrayal.

Richard is determined to unlock the secrets bound in the magic of ancient oaths and to again be free. Kahlan, alone with the terrible truth of what she has done, must set about altering the course of a world thrown into war. But even that may be easier than ever winning back the heart of the only man she will ever love.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (385)

Okay
It was in the condition that it was described in. Well read but that is okay for the dollar I paid for it, it was in condition as if I had read it anyway. :-) VERY fast delivery and so far a very very good book.

Damaged book labeled "new"
Without question the worst seller I have ever had the displeasure of dealing with. I purchased three books each from a different seller. The first was an older book but was obviously never read or opened. The second was a very new print. This one however was printed the same time as the first but there was a book mark in it, the spine was worn, the back of the book was bent and some of the page corners where folded or dented. Did I mention the moisture damage? So I asked for an actual new one. Turns it was the only book she had. I was told to send the book back in the packages that she sent the book in. Unfortunately the package she sent it in was a plastic bag from Fedex and no other packaging. It could not be resealed and I did not want her to blame me for any of the damage so I had to ship it back myself. I was only refunded my original purchase and was not refunded the return shipping nor has she responded to my last email.

Terry Goodkind
These books are must read.They are adult fairy tales and take you to wonderful places.The book was in terrific condition and I enjoyed it so much.Thank goodness for Amazon!

As good as the first, if not better
Perfect sequel to the first with new characters, plots, and mystery. I really love this series so far. I especially like that the end of book is not a cliffhanger, but truly a end to that chapter in the overall saga. I definitely like that Richard's character is growing and I am excited to see the new things he learns in the later books. There are hundreds of other reviews that sum it up, but if you like classic fantasy (LOTR, Harry Potter, Eragon, etc...) this is right up your alley.

Stone of Tears Audio Book
Terry Goodkind's "Stone of Tears" [Unabridged Audio Cassette] (The Sword of Truth, 2) An outstanding performance. Hours of excitement and adventure. I had to tear myself away, it was so addicting. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (396)

We could have stopped at Naked Empire (or earlier)
This is WAY after anyone really has any business writing a review, but if you're quasi-new to Terry Goodkind and thinking about picking up this book, just stop.To quote my favorite TV chef: "Walk away.Just walk away."Goodkind claimed years back that he hadn't read Ayn Rand, and I have a hard time believing it.Here's his philosophy in a nutshell.Your life is your own, charity cannot be compulsory, communism is bad, and everyone should be able to reap the rewards of applying their skills and talents to their own benefit.Chainfire doesn't really add to the book.Maybe it's just me, but Emperor Palpatine died a few books back, Vader didn't buy the farm until later, and we're still dealing with the nameless, faceless, oppressed hordes of the Eastern Bloc?WTF, mate?

Darken Rahl was a great bad guy, and it's a shame he died so early because that was a villain worthy of a character like Richard.Never mind how similar the story of Richard is to Luke Skywalker, Rand Al'Thor, Kal-El, or Arthur Pendragon.Richard had talents and skills he wasn't familiar with, but he applied intellect and reason to overcome tremendous odds.It was interesting, and it could have ended right there.Instead, Goodkind's Conan slays Thulsa Doon/Riddick slays the head Deathmonger/etc., and he ends up being the Lord Rahl.Ok, that works just fine.Of course he's got to do some social engineering, but he's the supreme dictator, so he's got plenty of authority.

The series goes on and on, and the most powerful people in the world either make excuses for his insanity (like some people do for their mentally-challenged children) or they try to rein him in so he'll fulfill prophecy.What a load of fetid dingoes' kidneys.Prophecy gets fulfilled whether you like it or not or it isn't prophecy.An either/or junction in a prophecy is a fancy word for educated guessing.Either the football team or it won't, and if they don't, the franchise will move to another town.If they win, they'll stick around and local folks get to keep their jobs.Does that qualify me for a Rada'Han for the rest of my life?

Now we've got one of the two protagonists of the entire series erased from everyone's minds.The only person in the world who knows she's missing is Richard (and the people who are holding Kahlan captive).Why didn't it work on him?Is it because he's the first War Wizard born in a thousand years?Is it because he's completely besotted for his wife?If the first answer is true, then why doesn't anyone believe it's possible Richard knows what's going on?EVERY SINGLE BOOK is filled with people second-guessing Richard despite EVERY SINGLE PROPHECY points to him as the ONLY person who can stave off the coming darkness.Of course, this is coming from people who are supposed to believe in these prophecies and Richard himself.Meh.

Do yourself a favor and stop reading now.

I miss Richard Cypher (no spoiler)
As the series goes on the author has gotten overly preachy about having life be the highest value.Thanks Terry, I got it, now make with the magic, mystery, and romance already!

But before I regale you with my problems with the book, let me say it was MUCH better than Naked Empire.I finished that book no longer liking Richard, this has redeeming qualities.

Without giving away anything you won't find on the book jacket, Richard awakes to a world where no one except him remember Kahlan.He tries to convince people of her existence and tries to find the reason why this has happened all the while making those around him think he falling deeper and deeper into madness.

The sweet Richard we saw at the start of the series who would not ride a horse with a bit in it's mouth now rides them to an exhausted death with no quams.He's lost a lot of his personality in order to better ram Goodkind's rhetoric down your throat.I loved the nice struggling Richard who was not 100% sure of himself and had dimension to his Character.

On a positive note the book returns to more of a focus on magic which I dearly missed in the last one and the end has an interesting twist to it.

If you've gotten this far in the series, it's worth the read, you'll find yourself skipping over large volumes of parts referencing previous books, and occasionally skipping the Ayn Rand inspired rants he feels the need to outright state instead of simply proving them to be true, effectively making the book shorter.

Awesome Series!
This is a great series! :-) Some may not like the end to this series, but I found it to be rather good. I don't like a lot of loose ends at the end of my stories. Case in point "The Lady and the Tiger". I had to read that stupid thing in School and then you are supposed to "Write your own ending." This series is wrapped up well, and you aren't left hanging on anything. I love it. :-)

Good series
Gets kind of repetitive, but still Terry got good Vocab and makes it a read.

Boring
The reason I read a book is to enjoy it. Chainfire is a slow pace, nothing happening story.It should have been made a chapter or two in one of the other books.It's slow pace is dragged out to a thick book of many pages. ... Read more

Product Description
Beginning with Wizard's First Rule and continuing with six subsequent fantasy masterpieces, Terry Goodkind has thrilled and awed millions of readers worldwide. Now Goodkind returns with a broad-canvas adventure of epic intrigue, violent conflict, and terrifying peril for the beautiful Kahlan Amnell and her husband, the heroic Richard Rahl, the Sword of Truth.

Richard Rahl has been poisoned. Saving an empire from annihilation is the price of the antidote. With the shadow of death looming near, the empire crumbling before the invading hordes, and time running out, Richard is offered not only his own life but the salvation of a people, in exchange for delivering his wife, Kahlan, into bondage to the enemy.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (378)

Seems Goodkind may be slipping
I have just started getting into this series starting in Mid May of 2010, i will admit that the first 5 books, i flew through because they were not only well written but the story line and characters were very intriguing to me. I have now just finished pillars of creation, and now Naked Empire and i had some trouble getting through them, Especially Naked Empire. Dont get me wrong, there are some things i liked about it, for instance Nicholas the Slide was interesting, and anything and everything having to do with Zedd was a nice addition to the story line. But unlike the other books, i find that i have now started to get excited whenever the story line shifts away from richard, he has just become boring with his drawn out speeches, and its not just one, Goodkind has Richard give a speech almost every 50 pages it seems. He just never stops and its always the same principle for the speech (being free to live your life is the most important thing, stand up and do something about it, but its your choice) its almost like Goodkind sat down and thought "i wonder how many different ways i can say the same thing so i can drill it into my readers" once MAYBE twice is all we need to get the point. i gave this 2 stars instead of 1 only because of zedd's story line, the whole lost civilization of non-magic people wasn't needed as far as im concerned. I have come this far so im going to finish the series, I am about 1/3 the way through chainfire and i have already gotten bored with Richards speeches and long for Ann and Nathans story or Zedd's story to magically appear ever time i turn a page. I just find myself saying "come on Goodkind, i know you have it in you to bring this story back to life for me!" i just hope its true and going through the rest of the series wont leave me dissapointed

Oh, Goodkind
Listen, people, as I scream words at you.

Reading this book is like waking up to find that a crocodile is in bed with you.Both experiences involve engaging in a normal, inoffensive act (getting into a bed, opening a book) and end with horrific pain and death (being eaten alive by a horrible fanged river-beast, or being eaten alive by a crocodile).

Goodkind's writing is best summarized by my literally coming to your house and destroying all of your favorite things, and then pouring snakes into your car.It is as though someone once explained writing to him in a sort of vague, poorly-thought-out way and then immediately thereafter he went to hear Ayn Rand give a long, fiery seminar about the importance of murder and rape before going back home and breaking out the typewriter.

THIS IS JUST THE FOUNTAINHEAD, BUT STUPID. The plot is a sloppy, awful carbon copy of a book that's actually worth reading.Gone are the actual criticisms of a vaguely non-strawman society, gone are the vigorous character/caricatures like Toohey, Roark and Wynand, and gone is Rand's competence with a pen.Goodkind just isn't good.He's barely toeing the line of "barred from creative writing by virtue of repeated attempts to orally murder all other participants during readings" at his local community college.

This man is a hack and he should be fired out of a cannon into a whale.

This book sucks, and I really liked Wizards First Rule
This is a horrible book.Seriously, just stop reading the series.

I like Wizard's First Rule a lot.It was an excellent book.And then each book in the series got progressively worse.But at least the books before this one were readable.

This book moves extremely slow (don't want to spoil it for those who might actually read it), but is very lousy.The book tries to compare Richard's empire to democracy, and the Imperial Order to communism.Really, one of the worst fantasy books I've read.

Great Goodkind but Agree that it is not up to previous books
I loved this book and the characters I have grown to love.Is it a bit preachy?Yes but if you agree with Mr. Goodkind's philosophy and look at the world around us today I believe you will see it is very relevant.

Richard has become the Lord Rahl and in this book is acting like it more than ever before.He has lost some of his naivety from previous books and looks at the world in a much more black and white view.For those of us who are not in our 20s anymore we can appreciate this as I remember what I thought in the 70s and 80s and where I am today after 911 and other world events in the last 20 - 30 years.Reading this book will either make you love Richard even more or grow to really dislike him.Whatever your feelings for Richard may be through the book Cara, Kahlen, Adie, Zedd, and the others are all well written and represented in this book.If you are a fan of the series I would strongly recommend it if you are picking this up without reading any of the previous works I would strongly recommend picking up Wizards First Rule and working your way through to this book.

This book has not made me not want to read any more of Mr. Goodkinds work at all and I am looking forward to moving into the next Trilogy and seeing what becomes of all the characters I have come to know.

I gave this 4 stars and don't think it is truly 4 but don't think it is a 3 either.I am an optimist so rounded up as I believe it closer to a 4 than a 3.

No magic, just preaching ideals.
I'll be short and to the point.This books lacks the magic and intrigue of the previous ones.It's a bad Ayn Rand knock off.I love Goodkind's earlier books and I love Ayn Rand, but if i want to read Ayn Rand, I'm going to read one of her much more interesting and well written books.

Predictable, preachy, and lacking any magic.

I strongly do no recommend. ... Read more

Product Description
Terry Goodkind returns to the epic Sword of Truth saga in a tale of sweeping fantasy adventure bound to enthrall his growing legion of fans. In Temple of the Winds, the New York Times-bestselling fourth novel in The Sword of Truth, the Seeker of Truth Richard Rahl and Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnell risked their lives and souls to free the land of D'Hara from the scourge of a mystical plague. But in doing so they accidentally unleashed the Chimes, a magic whose threat will reach far beyond D'Hara. Now it has become terrifyingly clear that the Chimes have the power to bring down all that Richard and Kahlan have worked to protect, and even the power of the Sword of Truth may not be enough to stem the tide of their unleashed magical force. But if the Chimes cannot be stopped, first they will ravage Richard and Kahlan, then all of D'Hara, and then the entire world. . .Amazon.com Review
Soul of the Fire is the fifth book in Terry Goodkind'swildly popular Sword of Truth saga. The previous books are: Wizard's First Rule,Stone of Tears,Blood of theFold, and Temple of theWinds.

When last we saw our heroes--Richard Cypher (LordRahl) and Kahlan Amnell--they each had made enormous sacrifices tosave one another from certain doom. To save her beloved, Khalan,Mother Confessor of the Midlands, had spoken the three chimes,summoning these chaotic beings from the world beyond and unwittinglyreleasing incredibly destructive power. Now the chimes are stealingsouls, and malevolent forces are reshaping the world itself. To saveeverything from almost certain doom, Richard, Kahlan, and the wizardZedd must hunt the elusive chimes and reharness them before it's toolate.

Although comparisons to Robert Jordan'sWheel of Time series are inevitable, there's obviously enough room inthe world for more than one blockbuster swords and sorceryseries. With Soul of the Fire, fans of epic sagas will gettheir fill of adventure, magic, strange beings, and struggles forpower as Goodkind delivers another thrilling episode of the Sword ofTruth, with all the complexity and taut characterization we've come toexpect from this master of fantasy. --Adam Fisher ... Read more

Customer Reviews (667)

The weakest book in the series thus far, but still okay
This book was the slowest for me to read of the series thus far. I just couldn't truly get into the characters of the subplot in Anderith. It was just tough when you are hoping to find out more about the main story lines and get back to the characters you care about. If you are working your way through the series, you won't have any trouble continuing obviously, but this one was the least interesting and least fun to me.

Great book, great series!
Excellent depth with the characterization - no stock or one dimensionals! Just when you think you have it figured out, you don't. There are surprises in every chapter. I'm not much of a fantasy/sci-fi fan, but I love this series and can't wait for the next.

Last Readable Book in the series
A solid 3 star book.Worth reading if you enjoyed the previous books.The series really takes a nosedive after this book.

Here's my problem with this one -- the entire plot seems very contrived.

In the first three books, you felt that there was a progression, that everything was leading up to a major conflict between Richard and the New World vs. the Old World and the Imperial Order.

It would have been much better if Goodkind had decided to have the conflict take a very direct route and some kind of outright war had broken out.

Instead he neatly manufactures a magical problem at the beginning of the book, and Richard neatly solves the problem using magic at the very end of the book -- and nothing has really moved forward at all in the series at all.

The books after this one keep filling pages without any sort of logical progression in the major conflict of the series.

I think Goodkind made a conscious decision to stop writing for the sake of writing, and to write for money instead -- meaning he chose to prolong the series, create a TV show, etc etc.

It gets really bad after this book.If you made it this far, please save yourself some time, and find another good fantasy series to read and just stop...

This is a great book BUT STOP AFTER THIS ONE!!!!
I LOVED this series, up until the next book.There are plenty of other reviews on this book, so I figured I'd just put my 2 cents in about the next ones.

After this one DON'T READ THEM!!!!Make up your own ending, it will be more satisfying, believe me.

Richard becomes boorish and one dimensional simply spouting the same lines about 'Choosing to live your own life" mixed in with "The Order (not even vailed word for religion) is the root of all that is rotten."Oh, and he loves Kahlan.There, you've now read the rest of the series.I've just saved you hours of your life that I will never get back from mine. I ended up hatting Richard as time went on, he ends up being a bit of a jerk.The man that didn't want to ride horses with too strong a bit ends up running them to their death with little remorse in the books to follow.Richard becomes a know-it-all and Kahlan becomes weak.

It seems that Goodkind decided he'd become the second coming of Ayn Rand, but does not posses her ability to turn her ideals into a good story.

If you venture to read the next one, you will see, and it only goes downhill from there.For the love of life, at least skip Naked Empire.

Worst of the first five
the fourth book was amazing, and soul of the fire is a real disappointment after that breath-taking book.
It is simply boring, also some elements&events in the book were rather silly, like the enemy "chicken".

And I totally agree with folks who could not keep up with the Haken&anderith story, I dont really get why Goodkind processed those characters deeply! It was hard to concentrate the Anderith side. ... Read more

Product Description
An Epic of Two Worlds

In a world as rich and real as our own, Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell stand against the ancient forces which besiege the New World-- forces so terrible that when lastthey threatened, they could only be withstood by sealing off the Old World from whence they came. Now the barrier has been breached, and the New World is again beset by their evil power.

War and treachery plague the world, and only Richard and Kahlan can save it from an armageddon of unimaginable savagery and destruction.

Terry Goodkind, author of the brilliant bestsellers Wizard's First Rule and Stone of Tears, has created his most masterful epic yet, a sumptuous feast of magic and excitement replete with the wonders of his unique fantasy vision.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (288)

Fun Read
A good read for those folllowing the Sword of Truth series.Plenty of battles,Gars,bloodshed......good stuff! Adult themes also. I like the fact that there are strong female characters in this book, and the whole series as a matter of fact.

3.5 stars
This book is not quite as good as the first two.An interesting back story begins to emerge about the ancient war between the wizards and the dream walkers.A lot of interesting background information is presented, but the main plot line is a bit weaker than the first two books.

After this book, the series starts to really go downhill.

Good book
As ever Mr. Goodkind write a long windy book where the main plot gets wrapped up very quickly in a chapter or 2.

great series
the seeker continues; love this book series and the tv series- you must read the books to get the whole story

Great
If you don't have this get it right now... I'll wait ...then we can talk about it. Terry Goodkind is the best. ... Read more

Product Description
On the red moon will come the firestorm...

Wielding the Sword of Truth, Richard Rahl has battled death itself and come to the defense of the D'Haran people. But now the power-mad Emperor Jagang confronts Richard with a swift and inexorable foe: a mystical plague cutting a deadly swath across the land and slaying thousands of innocent victims.

To quench the inferno, he must seek remedy in the wind...

To fight it Richard and his beloved Kahlan Amnell will risk everything to uncover the source of the terrible plague-the magic sealed away for three millennia in the Temple of the Winds.

Lightning will find him on that path...

But when prophecy throws the shadow of betrayal across their mission and threatens to destroy them, Richard must accept the Truth and find a way to pay the price the winds demand...or he and his world will perish.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (458)

WHAT THE ?
I would like to start out by saying that my beef is with Brilliance Audio and Dick Hill and not with Terry Goodkind. I have purchased all of the preceding books on audio cd and listen to them on the way to and from work everyday. I have read the whole series as well. When I first startedlistening to this cd, I couldn't figure out who Kylin was. I finally released it was Dick Hills version of how to pronounce Kalan's name. This my be trivial to some people but it really annoys the crapp out of me. I would think that someone would of picked up on the fact that the pronunciation of a main character's name was completely different in this version.

Another good book.
The fourth book in the Sword of truth is a good book. It keeps you wanting to turn the next page. However it could have been summed up a bit and left one unanswered question, which hopefully will be answered in the next book.

fast shipping
Book was in great condition and was shipped quick! I give them two thumbs up!

The Audio Book is so bad it hurts
I have both the book and audio CD for when my hands are going to be full for a while and the book for when I just want to sit down and read it works well for me in that I don't miss a thing. But this is the 4th book in the series and this guy cant even get the basic pronunciations correct and this just angers me. Colin who the hell is Colin oh wait does he mean Kahlan. Aside from the reader the book is merely okay and the authors reiteration is getting very old. I hope the next book is better.

Noticeably worse than the first three books
This book is where the series really moves down a notch.By this book, its nowhere near as good as the Wizards First Rule.

After this it get MUCH worse.Do yourself a favor and stop reading... ... Read more

Product Description
Sequel to the New York Times bestselling Faith of the Fallen

New York Times bestselling author Terry Goodkind has created his most lavish adventure yet. Tormented her entire life by inhuman voices, a young woman named Lauren seeks to end her intolerable agony.She at last discovers a way to silence the voices.For everyone else, the torment is about to begin.

With winter descending and the paralyzing dread of an army of annihilation occupying their homeland, Richard Rahl and his wife Kahlan must venture deep into a strange and desolate land.Their quest turns to terror when they find themselves the helpless prey of a tireless hunter.

Meanwhile, Lauren finds herself drawn into the center of a struggle for conquest and revenge.Worse yet, she finds her will seized by forces more abhorrent than anything she ever envisioned.Only then does she come to realize that the voices were real.

Staggered by loss and increasingly isolated, Richard and Kahlan must stop the relentless, unearthly threat which has come out of the darkest night of the human soul.To do so, Richard will be called upon to face the demons stalking among the Pillars of Creation.

Discover breathtaking adventure and true nobility of spirit.Find out why millions of readers the world over have elevated Terry Goodkind to the ranks of legend.
Amazon.com Review
Seven books into his Sword of Truth series, author Terry Goodkind continues to expand and enlarge the fantasy realm D'Hara. But with the Pillars of Creation he takes a detour from his usual approach, leaving his primary protagonists in the background to spin a story of one woman's battle to discover the truth of her heritage.

Told in vivid and often gruesome detail, Goodkind's fable grabs the reader with a familiar archetypal theme: a young woman, Darken Rahl's illegitimate daughter Jennsen, flees her home in the wake of murderous forces rising from her lineage. She runs in the shadows of Lord Richard Rahl's domain with a spy sent by Emperor Jagang, the enemy of D'Hara. With his help, she journeys across the entire realm, chasing rumor and misinformation to ultimately discover the truth of her heritage.

Loyal readers, who know the truth that Jennsen seeks, may find this book tediousas they wonder when Lord Richard Rahl and Mother Confessor Kahlan are going to swoop in and save the day. But Goodkind appears to be challenging readers, and perhaps himself, to see the benevolent administration of Richard Rahl from its underside and from an opposition perspective. The change in perspective works up to a point. Goodkind has created a fast-paced adventure story that might be appreciated by diehard fans if they can leave their longing for the status quo at the door. --Jeremy Pugh ... Read more

Customer Reviews (536)

Awful book to be included in the otherwise great series
This it not Terry Goodkind's best work, to put it kindly.I know there is a reason for him setting up the background on the characters, but it could have been done in a chapter.It's awful.For those that thought Soul of the Fire was awful, it was about 10 steps above this one.

It is as though the bottom dropped out of hell, and this book was waiting underneath
Imagine, if you will, the following scene.

Terry Goodkind broods in his study, a dark and postmodern place full of angles and stylish shelving units.He sweeps from window to window, his black robes billowing in his wake, his stupid ponytail flipping playfully as he paces."How," he ponders desperately, his cheap pancake of a brain oozing apart into cakey bits as he jolts it with the electric pulse of his single firing neuron, "how can I write a book even worse than the rest of my schlock?"

And then a lone filament buzzes weakly above his cankerous scab of a head.Inspiration strikes!The Goodkind vaults messily to his typewriter and begins to bang his head against it, hoping that out of sheer rage and hatred will spring the raw genius that even Shakespeare never fully grasped.He knows, in his heart of hearts, that he will be king when this book is finished.

King of all.

At this point, William Faulkner and Ernest Hemingway burst through the wall of the study in a cloud of dust and glory.They level their wizardly wands at Goodkind, who rounds on them with a hiss of fury and crouches over his typewriter as though it were his own cancerous egg."Ernest," says Faulkner, "it's worse than I thought.A level three incident, at least."

But Hemingway, a man of few words, wastes no time in acting."AVADA KEDAVRA!" he shouts, and lo! The Goodkind is slain, his book set to burning before ever it left its demonic typewriter-womb.Faulkner and Hemingway high-five and depart in a swirl of wizardly robes and expensive suits, perhaps to enjoy a glass of victory scotch.Or seven.

As an actual note, this book is awful even if by some accident of nature you were born with a brain that enjoyed the rest of this sad joke of a series.

Don't Bother.I liked Wizard's First Rule too, but the series just gets horrible
This book is really lousy.As I said in other reviews, the first book in the series was excellent.

The next 3 ranged from almost good to decent.But they just kept getting progressively worse until you hit this piece of garbage. The story has become so convoluted that its just not worth reading anymore.

This one has NOTHING to do with Richard and Kahlan in case you are wondering.Just some random side story the author decided to throw in.Seriously, quite horrible...

Got it Quickly
I was pleasantly surprised to receive this book so quickly with just standard shipping.I got it about 3-4 days after ordering it!Way to stay on top of things!The book was in great condition.Thanks for advertising honestly.

Where's Richard and Kahlan?
This book was a lot different than I expected.I liked Jennsen ok, but her obsession with killing Richard was weird.
And Oba? Hmmm.I don't have a clue about how to explain him, other then I don't think that he was competly human.He was to much like Darken Rahl for my taste.

I missed hearing from Richard, Kahlan, and Cara (who is my favorite, because she is the only one who seems not to be obsessed with love).They are gone until the last few chapters.

I gave this book three stars only because the main characters are there, but MIA through most of the book.Was still well written though. ... Read more

Product Description
Fantasy adventure on a grand scale featuring the popular wizard-hero Richard Cypher. The Sword of Truth is Terry Goodkind's wonderfully creative, seamless, and stirring epic fantasy set in a fascinating world rich in detail, history and incredible violence. Nakled Empire provides a perfect jumping-in point for new readers. Reluctant hero turned magical warrior Richard Rahl has long since learned the wizard's first rule (People are stupid and will believe almost anything) and accepted his fate. With his beloved Kahlan Amnell, the last Mother Confessor, he has battled unearthly adversaries, military foes, the Underworld, the malign and wild magic of the Old World, even the elements themselves. Now Terry Goodkind, acclaimed and superlatively gifted storyteller, delivers another thrilling novel, with all the complexity and taut characterization we've come to expect from this master of fantasy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Awesome Series!
This is a great series! :-) Some may not like the end to this series, but I found it to be rather good. I don't like a lot of loose ends at the end of my stories. Case in point "The Lady and the Tiger". I had to read that stupid thing in School and then you are supposed to "Write your own ending." This series is wrapped up well, and you aren't left hanging on anything. I love it. :-)

Sword of Truth series
I think this book is really a classic, however, I think that the series just went on longer than it needed to.I lost interest after about number 7.

How novel...intelligent fantasy
In Naked Empire, Terry Goodkind weaves a plot that, through the action of the story, illustrates increasingly deeper themes with great relevance to our culture today.Politically, and most superficially, it is a story about the hopelessness of the doctrine of pacifism for establishing genuine peace, but that it rather leads to tyranny.Ethically, it is about whether people are justified in fighting for their values by retaliating against physical threats to them, or whether it is ever proper to turn the other cheek.Epistemologically, it is about whether genuine knowledge comes by revelation from another world, or by reasoning about our perception of this world.And metaphysically, it is about the doctrine of mind-body dualism versus that of mind-body unity, and the results of accepting each.(There is even a bit about esthetics, though not nearly as a much as in Faith of the Fallen, in which the nature of art played a much more central role.)

As usual, the plot advances the stories of the characters and the world in which they live, and Goodkind's characterization is excellent (though Owen is a bit obnoxious at first, but not as bad as Nadine in Temple of the Winds).It is true that Goodkind has begun using somewhat formulaic phrases to introduce familiar characters (but hey, if it was good enough for Homer...).So some of the criticisms about his writing at this point in the series are slightly valid.It is not one of the best books in the series, which is why I didn't rate it five stars.However, the kind of vitriol being spewed by the book's critics--many of whom seem to have a personal grudge against Goodkind--can only be explained by their unthinking bias against his theme, or, in the case of escapists, the fact that his books have themes at all.

Goodkind's work is both entertaining and thought-provoking--a rare thing.Ironically, it is perhaps those who find themselves so angered by his books that need his message the most.

Goodkind's best novel yet
I would rank this book up there with Faith of the Fallen as the best book in the series so far. While not as explicitly philosophical as Faith of the Fallen (which, aside from Richard's first premature and out-of-place philosophy speech at the beginning, seamlessly integrated philosophy with dramatic action so that by the climax I was on the edge of my seat not in spite of, but because of the ideas involved), Chainfire cashes in on the reader's love for the characters, and their value to each other, that has been built up since the beginning of the series. The scene in which Richard contemplates suicide is particularly stunning. Publisher's Weekly's complaint that there's not enough action is shallow and stupid. Who needs sword fights when you've got drama like that? Besides, the "beast" that's after Richard is the best antagonist Goodkind has created yet. Can't wait for the next two books in the Chainfire trilogy.

Smart Fiction
I appreciate that Goodkind takes on politically sensitive social issues in the venue of his fantasy.I felt he conveyed well the dangers of pacifism, and the morally repugnant nature of strict non-violence when injustice is present and can only be quelled by violent means. By contrast, the nature of righteous/just retribution and aggression was well portrayed.I laud smart fiction, and this moves well beyond the standard fantasy fare.
... Read more

Product Description
Terry Goodkind author of the enormously popular Sword of Truth novels, has forged perhaps his best novel yet, pitting Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell against threats to the freedom of the world that will take them to opposite ends of the world to defeat the forces of chaos and anarchy.

Emperor Jagang is rising once again in the Old World and Richard must face him, on his own turf. Richard heads into the Old World with Cara, the Mord-Sith, while his beloved Kahlan remains behind. Unwilling to heed an ancient prophecy, Kahlan raises an army and goes into battle against forces threatening armed insurrection in the Midlands.

Separated and fighting for their lives, Richard and Kahlan will be tested to the utmost.
Amazon.com Review
Fantasy series fans may argue over the relative merits of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth, George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, but in a world of middle books that go nowhere and endless waits between episodes, Goodkind is certainly still serving up some of the best fantasy on today's menu.

The Seeker of Truth and his Mother Confessor sweetie are both looking a little worse for the wear after their chime-hunt in Soul of the Fire. To top that off, Lord Rahl finds himself a reluctant prophet with the vision that their cause, the fight for freedom against the Imperial Order, is essentially sunk. (Chalk that up to part of the Wizard's First Rule: people really are stupid.) The two lovers soon find themselves separated, Richard off to the Old World thanks to treacherous Sister of the Dark Nicci, and Kahlan left behind, forced to betray Richard and his prophecy by raising an army to fend off the approaching armies of Emperor Jagang.

Whether it's fair or not, Goodkind will likely get beaten up a bit for visiting the trough once too often, à la Jordan. But fear not: Faith of the Fallen does progress at a good clip, and its conclusion--while by no means a final payout--should satisfy. --Paul Hughes ... Read more

Customer Reviews (545)

The Nobility of the Human Spirit
Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind is book six in a series of books entitled "The Sword of Truth", a classic fantasy series with magic and swords and wizards and such.One of the main characters in The Sword of Truth books is a young man named Richard. Richard's character is fundamentally defined by two components, in my view - the "angry young man", and his belief in the nobility of the human spirit. Richard can be very angry and defiant when he is captured or under duress, but as he has matured and the books have matured, the author has brought out Richard's second quality - his belief in the nobility of the human spirit - more and more.And this really takes shape in Faith of the Fallen.Reading the series has been enjoyable to me to this point, but nothing profound until I read Faith of the Fallen.This development of the philosophy of the nobility of the human spirit in this particular book really struck a chord with me.In the book, Richard is "visiting" a new land, a land which is under tyrannical rule, with leaders who attempt to brainwash the public into believing that man is a wretched creature, their lives are all miserable, and all they can do is try to get by and should give all their "extra" money to the needy.This world is basically heavily controlled by the government (called "The Order"), and anyone who earns any extra money because of their success and hard work has that money taken away from them because they are "greedy" and the money is in turn given to those "less fortunate."Into this scene strides Richard, and in his inexorable, stubborn way, he transforms the world so that people see the nobility of the human spirit within themselves, and not wretched misery.

I believe in this nobility of the human spirit. I would hope that within each of us, there exists a pure, noble grace and the potential to rise to greatness - however greatness may be defined for each of us individually. Basically, I believe (or want to believe) that man is good, and that left to our own devices, we will generally strive to do good things for ourselves and one another, to be inspirational to ourselves and one another, and in our connectedness and within ourselves strive to reach enlightenment.

Now, what exactly is enlightenment? In the book, the pure, noble core is unleashed in Richard as he prepares a sculpture that he has been commissioned to create by the tyrannical regime. In this sense, he is tapping into his own "inner nobility", as well as illustrating to others - through the finished product of the sculpture - just exactly what life is all about and how it can indeed be a beautiful and noble thing. I believe art in its many forms - music, sculpture, literature, poetry, etc. - is a strong vehicle for bringing out this passion and nobility. Take, for example, Mozart, a man who was a pure musical genius, and who was practically driven to create, to translate the passion and art in his mind into music.The public responded - and does to this day.When one hears a Mozart composition, one can't help but sense the mastery, the passion, the exaltation. In my view this is the epitome and essence of the nobility of the human spirit that is discussed in the book Faith of the Fallen.Therefore, back to my initial question - what is enlightenment? Let's take a journey into the philosophy of Buddhism to help with that question. In my view, Buddhism has a fundamental tenet - impermanence.EVERYTHING is impermanent or transitory or temporary - everything.From this central truth comes a result - life is suffering.Strangely, this sounds like what the tyrannical rulers of the Order from Faith of the Fallen were saying - humanity is nothing but a bunch of wretched, miserable creatures who suffer for their entire existences.But no, this is not what Buddhism says.Buddhism teaches one to actually feel joy and contentment from each moment of life as it occurs. By accepting the inevitable impermanence of all existence, one learns to reach a certain level of moderation and detachment as the journey unfolds.This is a bit hard to grasp, in my view, but I do believe that this type of a philosophy doesn't diminish the appreciation of life; in fact it celebrates it, as one becomes more "in tune" with each passing moment and each sensory input.

But here is the big debate (at least for me personally)- is the exaltation, passion, and nobility of the human spirit as represented in Mozart's music and in the sculpture Richard creates in Faith of the Fallen at odds with the lessons of detachment and moderation in Buddhism? I honestly don't know the answer.If I had access to a Buddhist temple and a Buddhist monk, perhaps I would try to ask this question. History seems to show that Mozart's life was not exactly pleasant.As he was driven to create, he lived his days in a fevered-pitch, and I believe he is almost viewed to have been delirious or insane.Is this a sign of being truly in touch with the nobility of the human spirit and close to enlightenment?I believe Buddhism actually teaches us to truly "feel" the joy of living, and to believe in the exaltation and nobility of man.But if one is supposed to be detached, how does one produce incredible works of passionate art or music? If Mozart had lived his days detached, I doubt he could have tapped into the passion. Would he have been happier? As Richard neared the end of carving his sculpture, he too reached a state of frenetic insanity, and could not sleep or think of much else in the final days.Yet, what he produced was truly majestic and powerful, and helped others to see the meaning of life.

Perhaps some of these answers lie in another philosophy called "Objectivism."This is a philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in the twentieth century, and I strongly suspect that Terry Goodkind, the author of Faith of the Fallen, is a follower of Ayn Rand.Objectivism seems to put forth support for the nobility of the human spirit and a strong capitalist society, both of which seem to be themes in Goodkind's books. However, objectivism seems to suggest that our inherent potential to embrace the nobility of the human spirit is an exclusive trait of humans, and that our unique ability to reason, to create ethical, moral behavior, and to behave in a "selfish" manner is what leads to this nobility, passion, and exaltation.Perhaps I need to study this Objectivism philosophy more, but I would disagree that nobility, passion, and grace are only reserved for humanity. In my view, it is all of life - all of existence - together in its purity that contributes to the overall transcendence, the overall nobility.

In any event, the question remains...is Mozart at odds with the ideals of Buddhism? Does our inherent rise toward noble expression distract from true enlightenment? Questions to ponder. And Faith of the Fallen did what all great books do - led me down a path to ask these very questions - to think and wonder and stretch my mind.

Great storylines and good pace. One of my favorites in the series
I'll keep it quick since if you are already on the 6th book, you're going to keep going. This one was a joy to read. It was hard to put down and I really loved that the author had 3 good separate stories going in this one. That is common in the author's other ones too, but it was nice to have a long string devoted to Kahlan and the war and not have to jump back and forth excessively as was done in a couple places in his other books. I really liked this one.

The turning point in the in the battle between the Old and New World
This book is one of the best books in the sword of turth series the trials that Ricahrd and Khaln have to endure then in the end they turn things around in the Old World in their favor so that they may win the war but you'll just have to finish the series to fin out.

Best of Book of the Series
Best book of the series.Fresh, funny, magical, action-pack --everything you would expect from a Terry Goodkind Sword of Truth series.

I think this is the book when Terry brought his magic and philosphy together and weaved it into a beautiful tale that would leave you certain to turn the page until the end, and leaving you with the desire for more.

Ok but...
Part right wing(nut) rant part "How the Grinch Stole Christmas", but despite that not a bad read.
I just wonder if he will keep true the the need for "Balance", as he states, by writing the next story about goose stepping corporate soldiers who kill anyone different than themselves while the workers work 16 hour days for a scrap of moldy bread. ... Read more

Product Description
Fantasy at its best ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Not as good as Chainfire, but...
...does it ever set up for what will surely be a spectacular conclusion! I can't wait for the next (and, sadly, final) book in the series.

This book contains several great new characters and plot developments, including Richard's new foreign policy direction for the D'Haran empire (it's about damn time!) which is highly relevant to the real world today, and a shocking twist at the end.

Highly recommended.

somewhat disappointing
All along in this series, I've been troubled by Goodkind's use of violence - both regular violence, sexual violence, and the way he kills horses off. (Apparently, concern for life doesn't extend to animals)

But this book is over the top with violence. I'm only about halfway through, but was it really necessary to have Jebra's graphic description of life under the Imperial Order? or to have Richard's vision of being one of the people about to be killed? As Richard thinks at one point "we know all this". It does nothing to advance the plot, it's merely page filler.

It's possible Goodkind was looking for something to make the book longer. I think Chainfire & Phantom could have been combined into one book if a lot of the redundant "this is what happened in the first few books" passages and the graphic violence were removed.

Hopefully he eases off on that stuff in the final book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Another dissapointment
The thing that bothers me the most about Terry Goodkind's books is that he over explains. God, does he ever over explain. It's like he has a character say something, then he says it another way, then he makes a little analogy, Then they explain it once more, and then finally the character will talk about how smart they are for figuring it out. Does it seem to everyone else that Terry Goodkind thinks his readers are incredibly stupid. Why does he need to constantly remind us at the end of the book what happened at the beginning.

Everything is black and white with Terry Goodkind. The antagonists are evil incarnate and the protagonist are divine. It's annoying in its simplistic view of the world. It just all seems so artificial.

I sincerely wish that I had never picked up the first book in this series. Although, I believe I enjoyed the first few (but it's been so long I can barely recall a thing about them), It seems like every book became steadily more preachy and boring I couldn't seem to make myself stop reading them though. I guess I'm just not the type of person who can read the first few books in a series and then stop. I always feel the need to see it through. What a colossal waste of time.

Amazing.
This book is simply one of the best conclusions to a series that I have ever read.

Separating the wheat from the chaff
The writing is just awful, but the story is strangely compelling although hopelessly derivative.It's easy to anticipate and recognize the long passages of sophomoric pseudo philosophy and just skip by all of that drivel and pick up the story when it resumes. The characters are reasonably well developed up until the point they begin babbling Ayn Rand doctrine, and then again it's time to quickly flip some pages.I'm a couple of years older than Terry and yes, we all read The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged when we were in high school (and not because it was required reading, but because we read then) and yes and we were all fearful of the red menace, but her words were shallow and the message was hollow.She said her piece and has been dismissed, and now Terry has provided his pointless echo, but if you can skim past the crap, there is a tale worth hearing. But, I'm sorry, I wasn't inspired, I was just annoyed.

The perfect conclusion
While the biggest complaint about this book has been that it contains (gasp!) philosophy (followed closely by the fact that it contains not just a protagonist, but a hero, though the charge that Richard is "perfect" is blatantly false, as are most of the other criticisms), most of the critics seem to have missed most of it.

It is not just "life good, religion bad," as they claim--although that theme alone would make the book practically unique and well worth reading. Rather, as this final installment makes clear, the overall theme of the Sword of Truth series has been, appropriately, Truth. What is it? Is it gained by reason or faith? Self-fulfillment or self-sacrifice? Liberty or tyranny? These are important and complex themes, and Goodkind is one of a very few authors who is willing to come out openly and explicitly on the side of reason, self-fulfillment, and liberty. For that, he deserves all our thanks.

Perhaps Goodkind was mistaken to think he could sell this kind of story to the typical fantasy genre fan, but if you're looking for something more, then you might find this series highly interesting.

As for the plot in this book, again it lacks all of the typical fantasy trappings. There isn't a big final brawl full of magic and monsters and mayhem. What there is, is a well-worked out plot and a satisfying, thoughtful conclusion which simultaneously follows perfectly from what has come before and yet is unexpected.

While I'm sure I'll get mostly negative votes for daring to post a positive review, I view it as an act of justice.

Bottom line: if you have liked the series thus far, you will probably like the finale. If you haven't, you probably won't. If you haven't begun to read the series yet, I recommend doing so and judging for yourself. ... Read more