Rating: 
Summary: The very long character study
Review: After reading the last few reviews of this book I think people are failing to see where Goodkind is going with Richard Rahl in the latest book. The entire sword of truth series is one long character study of Richard Rahl and the plot and story really is only secondary to the development of Richard. If you are a big fan of Goodkind's or Robert Jordan's you will likely enjoy the book, but the main goal of the book is to take Richard's moral views down a slightly more twisted road. While Richard continues much of the talk he has since Faith of the Fallen he now justisfies himself on some very shaky grounds about some of his actions such as murdering people. What a lot of people mistake for Goodkind preaching is in fact just part of Richard's development into someone willing to justify anything he does, you could say that Goodkind is doing the exact opposite that most the reviewers here claim he is and is in fact showing the flaws of the morals Richard preaches. If you want Richard Rahl to remain a static unchanging character don't read this book, if you are interested in what is going to happen to him down the line definitely read the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Objectivist Tripe
Review: Terry Goodkind was (and I emphasize was) one of the greatest fantasy writers of this day. He did not lose the focus of his storyline in fantastic races, magical spells, or sweeping godlike powers.Now, though, his books have become lost in the extreme and uncompromising conservative philosophy of Mr. Goodkind. Richard is no longer a hero, or even a human character. He is, in every sense of the word, an fanatic. Goodkind no longer has his characters smile, or laugh, or even talk. Now, the book is about the evils of communism, of civil disobience, and of idealism. I thought this book was not worth the paper it was printed on, which served no other role than to voice a much more poorly written version of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.
Rating: 
Summary: Preachy
Review: In my mind Goodkind's books are usually erratic - brilliant in places,weak in others. Some parts of his plots are pretty contrived and he seems obsessed with rape and torture as a theme. On the other hand, he has moments (like the Path of the Betrayed in Temple of the Winds) where I'm amazed at what a great idea he had and how he fit it into the plot. Like some other authors (Robert Jordan), Goodkind's more recent books have gotten a little weaker than his earlier fare. In Goodkind's case, his work has lost a lot of subtlety. Naked Empire is way preachy. Instead of letting the storyline and the character's actions develop and carry his theme he just has Richard preach it all to the reader. What's worse, it's the same themes from earlier books (freedom of expression, indepent thinking, etc.) that he's pushed before with better effect. There's nothing wrong with following a theme through multiple books, of course, but the quality of his presentation has declined. I suspect Mr. Goodkind has felt repressed in his own personal past and has gotten more comfortable freeing his though as he's written more and is writing an analogy of his life. His themes of strong and independent people have gotten stronger, maybe as his own self confidence has grown. But that's not making for better books. He remains a brilliant fantasist though, one of the best I've read, and if he steps back and thinks through the motivations of his writing and focuses more on making an effective story I'm sure he'll amaze me again.
Rating:
Summary: sad decline
Review: this series, though a bit derivative, started off well and while it has had its stops and starts, it has generally been well-worth reading. Sadly, this book fails even the minimal standard of "if it's in a series, you've gotta read it if only to know what happens". So little of import happens here, and it's so painful to get to what little does, that it simply isn't worth it. The book is preachy, talkative, dogmatic, repetitive, one-sided, and simplistic, with the "arguments" ridiculously stacked. All of which possibly could have been forgiven if it weren't only those things, if you could have been drawn in by strength of character or plot or ideas. But there are no new characters of interest introduced, the main characters have become in this book either uninteresting or unlikable, and the action (what little there is) is predictable and not particularly exciting. Read a recap someplace of the few plot details you might need for the next one, skip this one completely, and hope Goodkind writes the next one while awake.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I've been an enthusiastic fan of this series since Wizard's First Rule. I dislike the fact that neither the characters nor the plot are developing in any meaningful way. I found Naked Empire to be wordy, preachy, and spending WAY too much time reviewing the previous 7 books in the series. If the author had something NEW happen, he wouldn't have to explain all these old story elements. I love these characters but this book felt like filler. I stopped reading Robert Jordan when he started writing 'filler' in order to fulfill his dream of a 12 book series. I'd hate to see Mr. Goodkind follow in those footsteps. This was my least favorite book in my favorite series.
Rating:
Summary: Another disappointment
Review: Yet another novel in the Sword of Truth series that has completely failed to live up to expectations. Terry Goodkind seems to have forgotten that he is a fantasy writer and instead moralizes for about 800 pages. Understandably, I'd rather not buy a fantasy book to read all about Terry's moral value system. It's a pity that a series that started out so strongly in the fantasy genre has degenerated so far to produce a novel such as this one. Hopefully, the author will note this criticism and improve the quality of the series; however, I will never know since I will not be persuaded to ever pick up another Terry Goodkind novel again.
Rating:
Summary: Have you lost interest in Richard and Kahlan?
Review: A person has to wonder why Mr. Goodkind droned on and on about Richard's view on violence and what is the difference between right and wrong. Although Mr. Goodkind has an amazing imagination with no doubt, unmatched writing ability, this book was still a major dissapointment. Naked Empire lacked the amount of excitment that this reader had anticipated, as well as the growing conflict that should have left this reader wanting more. Richard was to preachy, Kahlan followed Richard around like a puppy and what happened to the subdued Mord-sith? Thank goodness for the chapters on Zedd, they were well written and stayed true to character.
Rating:
Summary: Make the nonsense stop (spoiler)
Review: Please stop the whiny characters (Jen and all the pristinely ungifted, except Oba (or whatever his name was)). I can't take it any more. Goodkind has so many wonderful concepts for his characters, but has gone astray in managing them. A little philosiphising is fine, but these endless streams of political/moral pablum get wearisome. I like the central cast of characters, but the recent additions are progressively weaker at inspiring interest. I agree with a previous review, how large is Jagang's army, and how on earth does he maintain and army that can lose millions and barely notice it. He would need an army that large in a constant caravan of supplies just to feed the horde. Considering the level of technology in his world, it is hardly feasible. I wish TG would get back to his earlier style of writing; back when I enjoyed his books. I am disappointed in this series at this point. I hope TG rights the ship. BTW..the gift mixing a potion was way beyond a shred of conceivable.
Rating:
Summary: Terry Ayn Rynkind chokes again
Review: Okay, I really like the first few books of this series. Interesting characters, good plot, above average writing. My wife and I even enjoyed listneing to the audio version on a long drive. I refuse to buy another book. Things have gone downhill on a fairly steady slope for the past three books. Kahlan calls it right when she said all the trouble started with the chimes. The last book was a cut and past of Atlas Shrugged and this book continues to brow beat you with garbage. And the worst part is that he repeats himself repeatedly. (Ha) If you need to remind people of relevant plot moments in the past...that's why the preface was invented! What is the problem with fantasy these days? Jordon is DOA, Goodkind is following. I hope Martin is able to shoulder the burden and demonstrate how to move a plot forward. Boo hiss. How do these things make it past the editors? Save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Naked Empire
Review: Though still good reading, and I will continue to read Terry's books, it appears he is running out of gas. This book is wordy beyond belief and could have been pared down to half the pages and been a five star book. I do look forward to his next editon in the ongoing adventure, but hopfully he will get back to the quality of The Wizards First Rule.
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