Rating: 
Summary: A Crying Shame
Review: Stone of Tears The second book (now considered the third because of a new prequil) in the Sword of truth Series by Terry Goodkind Picks up from the previous tale, Wizards first rule. Darken Rahl has been defeated by richard but now it seems a new evil is spreading throughout the world which only Richard can stop, with the help of Kahlan and Zedd and many others of course.I found this book to be less enjoyable than it's predecessor, and although I was drawn in toward the end of the book to keep reading, it was still somewhat of a let down. I found Goodkind to have a little less faith in his readers than I would have enjoyed. I often found him reminding the reader what had happened in the last book so often enough that it drew away from the story (not just minor details but major events). Also it was still quite predictable, while I could tell that Goodkind tried ever so hard to not be so. I was also unamused at the authors repeated use of prophecies, I kept hoping that he would stop using them in the same fashion, and yet he never did. The author seems to also have trouble putting characters away for good. On the bright side there were some good aspects of the book as well. It read amazingly fast for bing near 1000 pages long. Also as far as fantasy books go, the author did manage to define his own creatures and rules rater than relying on others to show him the way. All and all I would not suggest this book for everyone. If your a big Goodkind fan already it might be worth your time, although I would warn those that have already read the first book in the series that this was definitely no an improvement
Rating: 
Summary: A worthy sequel
Review: The second book in the Sword of Truth series has pretty much the same strengths and weaknesses as its predecessor, so if you liked 'Wizard`s First Rule', you should enjoy this one.
The story starts within days of Richard's victory over Darken Rahl, when monsters from the underworld attack in the People's Palace in D'Hara and the Mud People village where Richard and Kahlan have gone. It's soon discovered that Darken Rahl's use of the magic of Orden in Book 1 has weakened the Veil between the worlds of the living and the dead, and Richard and Kahlan are off once again to prevent apocalypse. The angle this time is that prophecy shows that the apocalypse can be prevented only if Kahlan dies.
This time they are mostly separated, Kahlan traveling through the Midlands while Richard leaves with the Sisters of Light to seek to learn mastery over his powers. Once again, there is no shortage of action, but the writing isn't the best, too many fantasy cliches are invoked, and the characters don't show any further development. New characters and locations are introduced, especially in Richard's travels.
Once again, there is a somewhat morbid element running through the book. Along with the battles, there is a good deal of rape, torture, and mutilation. Unlike the prior book, it takes place mostly offstage and we generally get elaborate and excessive desriptions of the results more than the acts.
Rating: 
Summary: maybe my favorite Sword of truth novel
Review: very good book. its that simple. long and good i wish #7 and 8 had been this good-read other reviews of these books for longer thoughts about these books- ok i may go into some detail- very good book be cause this book is all creation- the whole book is furthering the plot of the series definetly worth reading- some people are turned of by books that are just under a thousand pages- don't be this book is worth the effort to read and you will enjoy it- if you don't enjoy it at least you don't know where i live... oh wait you do, well not my address at least... hahahahaha ok thats enough
Rating: 
Summary: cliche, boring, stiff etc
Review: Well, I read the first in this series years ago, and tried reading this one right afterwards. I started and was disgusted with it. I for one do not like the neverending list of baddies that suddenly crop up in the beginning of each new book. The characters seem fairly stupid to me, and even though they have all these powers and gifts, they cant seem to ever use them to advantage. Also there are so many things ripped from other recent fantasy, very blatantly I might add(a silver collar that controls magic with no visible clasp... um is it just me or is that a direct rip off of the collar thing in Wheel of Time?) I just put it down in disgust after a few hundred pages, but thats just me. I know fantasy 'borrows' often one from another, but this is just copying. etc etc, I dont really see how so many people rate it so well, Proceed with Caution!
Rating:
Summary: Good (but throughtless) action
Review: WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS:
If you're looking for a breather from important stuff and just want something "fun" to read, look no further. No reason that you must read Wizard's First Rule first, just buy this one and dive right in. It's quite self-contained. It has the advantage over the Wheel of Time books in that it is self-contained and does not take hundreds of pages reiterating prior events. For those people who delight in reading action-oriented tales in the vein of Dragonlance, early Shannara works, and others then this is a book in which you will delight.
WHY YOU SHOULD PASS:
There is quite a bit of violence here as well as a bit of sex. Nothing that kids won't find on the sci-fi channel, but the descriptions are rather more brutal than customary and give a flavor of realism that will give people pause. Maybe keep away from soft-hearted or very young children (maybe also away from children you've noticed tormenting small animals). If you are looking to read a book that will seriously change how you look at the world, pass. You will not find that kind of writing here. This is, as sfreviews.com pointed out, pure (but good) escapism.
READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM
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