Rating: 
Summary: finally, back to the central plot
Review: First off this is a good book. The characters we have grown to care for are finally back in full. To finally wrap up and understand what the "Pristinly gifted are" was a good idea. However, I think it is time for Mr. Goodkind to wrap up this series. Sometimes authors seems like they don't want to wrap a series up (Mr. brooks/Shannara series). I am personally giving this series one more book to reach the apex that started when the Imperial order first appeared.
Overall a good read, however let's wrap this series up and allow richard and kahlan to enjoy life.
Rating: 
Summary: good fantasy with a political twist
Review: Another book from Mr. Goddkind. I would say this book should not be read if you are unfamiliar with the serie. Read the previous books first, because there is a familiarity you need to build with the characters and the way they think.
Mr. Goodkind style is very out of the ordinary, and that's why his books get mixed review. Mr. Goodkind always delivers some political or moral message through his books, that you may not agree with. Personally I like it, even if I do not always agree, because Mr. Goodking actually says something about the society, and does not limit himself in saying :"he took his sword and killed all his ennemies"If you get upset by the reviews talking about the Iraqi war issue that this book is suppose to refer too, or critics of Communism or Socialism, I would not take them too much seriously, as indeed the books themselves. I mean, the books take place in a world where the hero, Richard, represents the good and integrity there is in human kind, and he is in this regard perfect.
He battles, sometimes with weapons sometimes with words or deed, against and "evil" Empire that sounds a bit like a Communism society turned rotten.
Richard is for the freedom of the individual, and the fact that this freedom is worth fighting for if somebody wants to remove the right you have to be free. Fine, does anybody disagree?
Richard is in fact so perfect that he would make a communism society actually work.
That actually could be an interesting development if somebody as good-natured as Richard could come from the enemy side, and together they would unify the 2 sides, keeping their own ways, but in a moral way. If the evil empire wanted to take Richard's way of thinking, while staying evil, Richard' s ideal would be turned into a perversity of freedom, where everybody would steal, kill, rape, while saying they have the freedom to do so and nobody would have the right to prevent them. The selfishness would become so overwhelming that the society would crumble. I wish everybody in the real world to be as perfect as Richard!
No war, no capitalism making profit on poor people, no perversion of unrealistic ideal like religion, communism or socialism... But in a world of fantasy where things are kept simple, Richard is very convincing as a perfect hero. Worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: It's "Okay"...
Review: The book appears to be a prolonged piece of work designed to explain the plot points created in Pillars of Creation and some of the things mentioned earlier in the series. However, when I said it was prolonged I was not kidding...It tends to drag needlessly and the sermonizing, while fitting the character, does tend to be overplayed. As a warning, some of the larger peripheral characters that you may want to read about actually only play a minor role in this book and that is another source of frustration. The series as a whole is starting to make far too big of a deal about how it is Richard and Kahlan against the universe.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring Sermon, Boring Book
Review: I am first off a huge Goodkind fan, and I have read every one of his books. This book however, is by far the worst in the series. The plot is nothing more then a thin vehicle for what has to be the most boring preaching I have ever read in a book. As other reviewers have mentioned, the world and characters Terry has created are wonderful, and full of promise. This book makes me wonder if we will ever see any of that promise fullfilled. If you have read previous books in this serious, you can skip this book -- you won't miss a thing in regards to the underlying plot created by the other books. If you are new to Goodkind, go read the first few books. This one stinks.
Rating:
Summary: Has Goodkind Lost the Plot?
Review: It pains me to review Naked Empire, the 8th book in the Sword of Truth series, since I am an avid fan both of Goodkind and the adorable central characters he created in Wizard's First Rule, Richard and Kahlan. Firstly, fantasy fans beware. This book is not packed with the usual action and world buidling of fantasy sagas. Now, Goodkind was never one to conform to the rules of typical fantasy books, but this book is a rule all onto itself. More than two thirds of it consists of tedious preaching on behalf of Richard to less enlightened souls about the value of life ... and consequently the justification for murder! Not only do I have trouble swallowing the mind-numbingly tripe "philosophies" of Richard, I find his conclusions incredulous. I would have been able to forgive dubious values and even a speech or two by Richard if the plot were more forgiving. Unfortunately, and it is highly unfortunate, it seems like Goodkind has lost the plot. Where is the action? The plot is so thin that it can be related in two short sentences: Richard converts a bunch of non-magical misfits to his beliefs by saving them from evil occupation. And, oh yeah, he also finds out how to control his gift. There you go. Harldy an effort worthy of Goodkind. And my question to Goodkind is: do YOU deserve victory? The plots and characters just aren't explored. Nicholas the Slide is too obvious - you know from the start that Betsy the goat is going to be a pain in the behind (literally), and Jenssen, Richard's half sister, is frankly too annoying. Goodkind spends the first 150 pages bringing readers up to speed on the plot thus far. This should tell you something of the value of Naked Empire as a book in its own right ... Life is too valuable to spend time reading this book. The read was painful, my review is painful. I'm sure that Goodkind is feeling the pain too. By no means deserving of victory (nor my money).
Rating: 
Summary: Am I Taking Crazy Pills?
Review: Wizard's First Rule RULED! Then we got Stone of Tears which introduced the Sisters of Light, typical Aes-Sedai/Bene Gesserit prophecy-following 'witches' and it was sortof downhill from there. I say sortof because I still loved reading the books. The action, the suspense, the characters, even the dialogue was really good. Not topshelf stuff here but way better than a lot of fantasy out there. First 5 books in the series were written by the same author. Then Something Mysterious happened to Terry Goodkind. Either he converted to Scientology (which is fine, your religion is your religion) or felt that he wanted to start putting a 'message' in his books. And even that would be ok if he didn't change the very fabric of his characters to get that message across. But Richard of books 6, 7, and 8 is not the Richard Rahl I know. This imposter spouts at anyone who will listen that they must rise up, live their life and fight to the death any who oppose their right to absolute freedom. In this latest book, Richard is confronted by a war protester, a zealous woman to be sure, but she is unarmed and yelling "Stop the hate! End the violence! No more war!" in his face. So what does he do? This former woodsguide and general do-gooder DECAPITATES HER! Swoosh! Off with her head! He later waxes on about how he shouldn't have been feeling guilty at all for all the thousands of the enemy he kills because morally he's right in his actions. Um. Even if you are morally justified and these people were trying to kill you, ya think after killing a few thousand people, that you should at least feel sorry that things couldn't be worked out another way and that so many had to die because compromise and peace couldn't be achieved? Nope. "Compromise with evil is the same as bowing down to it." Right. Anyway, I wish that if Terry wanted to spout his beliefs about morals, philosophy and human behavior, that he would have started another series instead of shanghai'ing the Sword of Truth and bastardizing characters and a story its fans had come to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as pillars of creation
Review: If you are following the series, read it. Otherwise, skip it. Goodkind is preachy again, which I can only stand in little doses. The arguments from Richard to the other characters can be skipped in many ways as they are too long and beat the point to death. Also, after a entire book of build up of how Ricard is going to save his life, half of it is a good solution vs. the Slide, half of it is the same (weak) version of Richard using his gift. Goodkind's first book was fantastic, but he seems to be living, or preaching, on his laurels. But in the end, much better than POC. Gives me some hope for the next book.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Goodkind Effort in a Great Fantasy Series
Review: I have to say I love Goodkind's books and read them in the first day or two I have them, including this one. This book is a continuation of the series and introduces at least one novel character "the Slide". Old familiar groups are carried forward but the primary attention is Lord Rahl's entourage. Terry does, perhaps too good of a job, in making the new group of Pristinely Ungifted difficult and frustrating. It gets to the point that the reader gets as uneasy as the lead character in dealing with them. It definitely has its usual Goodkind share of trademark clever ideas and high points: the Slide and the invasion of the Keep. Some of the speeches and lectures to the ungifted detracted a bit. I think it was a good book overall in a really spectacular Fantasy series. I will definitely buy the next one of the series as soon as it goes on sale next year or so.
Rating:
Summary: Fantasy in economics
Review: A good fantasy novel, like a good movie, must have something more than "special effects" to be interesting. Goodkind has done a wonderful job developing characters you can care about. He also hit on the idea of exploring economics and politics as a basis for his fantasy, as opposed to science or history. This book, like Faith of the Fallen, gets to the philosophical points more directly than the earlier books in the series. And so the story is actually more compelling than some. (Would you rather go back to the protracted description of the Mord-Sith torture chambers in the first book? or, to the Mud People, who inexplicably remain loyal to Richard even though he brings them nothing but trouble?) You may disagree with his political and economic theories (which appear libertarian, not "conservative republican" as labeled by one of the more anguished reviewers) but this does not mean the book should be tossed into the bonfire of political correctness. Richard manages to straighten out the unemployed sniveling socialist hippies in just a week? That's obviously a fantasy, right? Well, this is a fantasy book. And no permanent harm will be done by exposure to ideas which may be different from those you hold dear.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book for those disapointed with the POC
Review: A great book for the fans that was disappointed with the Pillars Of Creation. This book really rapped it up. I personally thought that the talks about freedom and what it takes to earn it shows allot of insight. I would hardly call it a libertarian or anti-government. I could not put the book down and really looked forward to getting off of work just to read it. I can wait until the next one. Thank You Mr. Brooks for another masterpiece...
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