Rating: 
Summary: Another fantastic read....
Review: I read some of the other reviews and found several of them to be very disappointing and disingenous...inserting "over the top" political insecurities and agendas into their so-called book reviews. Mr. Goodkind has consistently delivered storylines and characters that put forth strict moral principles and sensibilites in his philosophy of "the Truth" from Wizard's First Rule through Naked Empire, which can be applied in the world of his novels as well as our own.For those of you who are fans of excellent writing like I am, regardless of the genre or your political sensibilities, you will find the new characters and storylines in the Naked Empire to be very engaging. I quite honestly, couldn't put it down. I find Mr. Goodkind to be a fantastic writer and in the Naked Empire he has again spun a wonderful tale that will certainly keep you coming back for more!
Rating: 
Summary: End the series...PLEASE!
Review: Goodkind's excellent, multi-faceted and stunning book, "Wizard's First Rule," hooked me into the "Sword of Truth" series. However, "Naked Empire" stank. Political and philosophical views aside, I got plain tired of reading the author's painfully repetitive and boring descriptions, narratives and philosophies. "Let's read several MORE pages about how Richard feels about this subject...AGAIN" It's as if Goodkind had to quickly fill a quota of required pages to meet a deadline. He did this by desperately stretching out the the story thin with a lot of repetitive and bland drivel. Goodkind has run out of ideas and needs to end this series quickly (PLEASE!). Otherwise, it's like beating a dead gar. Which this book has already done - over, and over, and over again...
Rating:
Summary: Goodkind at his bed
Review: I started reading Goodkind when I was 14, I'm 20 now and still a huge fan of the series. This book IS preachy, and it IS philosiphical. But it is not a about Iraq, dispite what You've read. Yes there are things that are quite similar. But only the aspects that all invasions share. The message wasn't that the people who protested Iraq were blind to evil but rather, that people are blind to many of the evils they commit by the beliefs they share. All said, the story was profound and heart-felt. A definite must read.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Book So Go Read It
Review: Hmmm . . . never saw it as a modern day parable for the war. Read it for what it was --- science fiction. Does it get a littly preachy at times? Yes. But overall a good book and much better than "Pillars of Creation". Gives me hope that Goodkind has his creative juices flowing again and will deliver even better in the future. I also urge people that whether a review is good or bad only you can decide for yourself. If you want to read it then read it. But just because a bunch of people bad mouth or sing a million praises for a book doesn't make it any better or worse than what it is.
Rating: 
Summary: politics
Review: Please keep your political paranoia out of this book. If you want to read the father of preemptive strikes read Modesitt. He thoroughly explores the pros and cons, while Goodkind coats it over in simplistic fashion.
Rating:
Summary: Disgrace
Review: After reading this book i felt very down hearted. I can do nothing but totally agree with reviewer no.1. This book has so much philosophical or political arguments of Mr Goodkinds. That i take it as a insult that he believes his readers to be so blind to today realities. He has let all Fantasy writers down, not too mention the fact that he has let down his fellow amercians by stooping to so such a low base. It is plain for all to see that his last 2 books went from adequate to poor. This is just a pathetic atempt to gain money by playing on the sympethetic attitude of his american readers, which i am glad to see from reviwer no.1 has had no success. As for the Book itself i can only agree with the reviwer titled "Ponderous, Preacy, Pointless". This book if you can call it that, is so thin that you could fit on a sheet of A4. THE HORSE IS LONG DEAD SO YOU CAN STOP FLOGGING IT. Some people in USA may feel that the world is against THEM and that everyone is Anti-America. This is not the case most people like americans and i for one think most of them are nice people :). But when i read political trash like this ,which is not even close to what today situation is like, i feel totally downheartened. :( I will say that most of you will buy this book simply to see what is so "political" about it or to simply continue on from a series of books that started with good style and imagination, which cleary shows that the author has talent. I can only urge you not too and this will only line the pockets of a man who has stooped to a very low level. This review will probably go blind to Mr Goodkind as it is totally clear that he is blind to his own ignorance. I only hope that those editors greedy enough to allow this book to print might take note :) AS for Mr Goodkin himself, SHAME ON YOU SIR, SHAME ON YOU. You have let yourself down, you have also let down your fellow Fantasy writers as well, but most of all you have let down your fellow americans.
I only hope that they will not be judged by this book the same way standard as you have judged others. You have mixed oil with water. Water being fantasy and oil being reality
Rating: 
Summary: It is just a story, not a political treatise
Review: For those who see "right wing conspiracy" in everything they read, I thought only conservatives were supposed to be paranoid. This is an excellent book and simply continues the traditional fight between good and evil. Of course, there are those that believe that evil does not exist in this world (even after 9-11) but that discussion is best left somethere else. By the way, George W. Bush does not have the exclusive rights to pre-emptive strikes. Frankly, Israel was one of the first modern governments to believe in pre-emptive strikes. Terry Goodkind has done a wonderful job of keeping the series going and making each book a terrific read. Contrast this to Robert Jordan of the "Wheel of Time" series who is simply milking his series for the money by adding voluminous words that have little or no meaning and get you nowhere. If you have enjoyed reading Goodkind's series in the past, you will enjoy this installment as well. Don't be put off by some people's paranoia. They tend to see George Bush in everything nowadays.
Rating:
Summary: Great stuff
Review: I at first gave up on reading this book because of all the bad reviews. Now I am glad I did read it, it is not the best book of the series and yes there is lots of talking (preaching), but still a worthy read. The greatest strength of this book is the unpredictability and the fact that lord Rahl is not quite the superman he was becoming.
Rating:
Summary: The story stays alive
Review: I was a little dubious after having read some negative reviews on this book and after reading Robert Jordan's latest book which I felt was a parody on his own style. However, I quickly found myself absorbed in the book. The storyline still evolves. The writer still has a special touch which involves me in the story. The story still feels alive and touching. Richard Rahl still learns a little more even if it goes slowly and is only hinted at in the end. All in all, a good book with all the neccessary ingredients. True, I would have loved for Richard to get more powers, but that is about the only negative thing I have to say about this addition to the series. --- Mats ---
Rating:
Summary: The Division Bell
Review: Beginning with Wizard's First Rule, Terry Goodkind's The Sword of Truth fantasy series contains fiction that is both entertaining and challenging. Goodkind's latest foray seems to take on allegorical undertones that are none too subtle. Today's current struggle with terrorism is a curious one. There are those who would denounce the existence of evil, claiming that there is no such thing. What is perceived as evil is nothing more than people who can be nurtured and shepherded into normal life with only the open arms of love. President Bush became enmeshed in a quagmire of negative criticism when he declared the existence of a triumvirate of evil that existed in the world during his State of the Union address. Perhaps Goodkind used Bush's speech and subsequent criticism as the basis for Naked Empire, and mayhap he merely was inspired by presidential candidates who actively denounced the United States' war against Iraq. Clearly, Goodkind's intention is to level profound criticism upon the spirit of appeasing political tyrants. The hero of The Sword of Truth, Richard Rahl, finds himself coerced to help an empire of people who are simply known as pillars of creation. These people are born without a single spark of magic. Magic cannot touch them and these people are blind to magic's wonders. These pillars of creation have built an empire that is truly 'enlightened'. There is no death penalty. People who resort to violence are banished. No decision is reached without social enlightenment. Along comes the invasion of Jajang and his Imperial Order. If ever there was a comparable Saddam Hussein figure in literature, the evil Jajang is he. The empire of the pillars of creation is sacked, and the people are used and abused royally. They refuse to fight back, choosing instead to use appeasement as their weapon of choice. Things get worse. In order to assist the pillars of creation, Richard tries to elicit their help. He offers a history of their people, telling why the pillars of creation were banished and allowed to form their own empire. "'...banished your ancestors not only because they couldn't see magic, but, more importantly, because they couldn't see evil.'" One of the pillars answers, "'But what you call evil is just a way of expressing an inner pain.'" Another says, "'Saying someone is evil is prejudiced thinking. It's a way of belittling someone already in pain for some reason. Such people must be embraced and taught to shed their fears of their fellow man and then they will not strike out in violent ways.'" Richard loses his patience and informs them that those who banished the pillars of creation "'feared you because you are dangerous to everyone...you embrace evil with your teachings. In so doing, in trying to be kind, to be unselfish, in trying to be nonjudgmental, you allow evil to become far more powerful than it otherwise would. You refuse to see evil, and so you welcome it among you. You allow it to exist. You give it power over you. You are a people who have welcomed death and refused to denounce it.' 'You are an empire naked to the shadow of evil.'" These are powerful words that could be spoken by today's left and right presidential candidates. As the last line spoken by Richard Rahl indicates, the book's title lurks within his final climatic statement. The pillars of creation will discover those words to be as sharp and true as the sword of truth itself. Unlike other fantasy series that seem to lose momentum with each book, Terry Goodkind writes with a crescendo of adventure, usually insuring that each new book in the series surpasses the last. The Naked Empire is no exception. Not only does Goodkind entertain, he also sheds light upon today's current events. Put simply, when it comes to creating brilliant allegorical fantasy, nobody does it better.
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