Rating: 
Summary: yawn
Review: Don't get me wrong, I love terry goodkind. He's books have been great. At least most of them. The last three have left me quite disappointed. Especially this one. Essentially the entire book had two parts. Him explaining his ideals to Jennsen, and then him explaining his ideals to Bandakar. Over, and over and over again. We understood how he felt the first time he told us. This book was also exactley like the other books in the series. Richard has pain, richard goes somewhere hoping to stop pain, Richard liberates something. Nothing has changed. Terry Goodkind also did not explain the wizards eight rule very well. Sure, it makes sense, but that didn't explain how it relates to what it did. Also, the philosophy seemed full of holes to me, and in order to cover this up, he just repeated what he had to say a lot more often. Also, he had to back pedal and come up with a poor excuse for things that he wanted to change that happened in earlier books. I wish I could have rated it better, but it was a bitter disappointment for me. I almost didn't bother to finish reading it, cause I knew exactley what was going to happen. And one thing that has been bothering me for quite some time, is what ever happened to scarlet and gratch?
Rating: 
Summary: richard battles a rebel nudist colony
Review: if you hated pillars of creation and loved faith of the fallen you'll like this one...but i know that this editorial isnt gonna change whether you buy it or not if you're a fan of the series... how could you pass up the next book? seriously, this book rocked...
Rating:
Summary: Back on Track
Review: It seems as though Terry Goodkind had trouble with 2 things recently: 1) he didn't know how to combine a moral message he considers important with the storyline, and 2) he was having trouble thinking of new (and "fresh") problems for Richard and Kahlan. Goodkind is truly an amazing author, and I feel that this book is a testament that the fire is not out of him yet. While I would still rank WFR, SOT, and TOTW over this book, it is the most energetic and engaging book he has written in some time. I would go so far as to say that chapter 53 (I'll stay vague so as not to spoil it) was my favorite single chapter of all time. Terry Goodkind found a second wind with this book, and was able to make an exciting and believable conflict, while still expressing a strong moral conviction. Some great plot twists. Definitely worth reading, even if you've become disillusioned by his last 3 books.
Rating:
Summary: Rates 3.5 Stars
Review: The good news is: Richard and company are back (unlike POC); unfortunately, there is no new ground covered. The story takes far too long to get going. Then, it falls into the same old story line that filled the pages of previous books. Moreover, since TOW, the books have become less Fantasy and more political explorations with Fantasy overtones. Gone are the great story telling and fantasy. The SOT series is starting to go the way of the Wheel of Time series. Goodkind is a great writer and I wish he'd write something on par with WFR or SOT again. Worth a read for die-hard fans.
Rating:
Summary: Back on Track
Review: Great book. Goodkinds' last two books really went off on a tangent. Glad to see he got back to the main story. Pillars of Creation was hard to read. It just made no sense for the most part. Naked Empire is a much better read. I just hope that Goodkind does not let this series become like Robert Jordan and his never ending, string us along wheel of time series.
Rating: 
Summary: now he goes after the hippies with the communists
Review: I like the series as a whole but the quality of the books has been falling off as he does the same theing over and over again. Unlike almost every other reader of the series, I loved The Pillars of Creation. It was a breath of fresh air in a series that is stagnating. The aspect of the books that I can't tolerate anymore is the constant preaching. There wasn't much of that in the early books, but it happens every couple of pages now. Could Goodkind be more of an obvious card carrying Republican? From the anit-socialism, to the anti-peace movement, he continues to spout political ideaologies. My favorite by far is the whole "don't take away my magic" thing. This reminds me a little too much of the NRA. "Don't take away my magic, I needs it to protect my family. I don't want the evil gov'ment messin' wit my rights." If the next book isn't less preachy, I don't think I'll bother to read it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Bad....
Review: But it could have been better. My main peeves with this book are: 1) The Political Agenda. It seems like every time you turn a page there's another speech preaching the virtues of mercilessly punishing evil-doing communists/imperialists/conquerors and the self-defeating nature of pacifism. Don't get me wrong, those ideas are perfectly fine, but instead of being subtlely implied by the story, they felt like they were being driven into my skull by a sledgehammer. Faith of the Fallen also had this problem, although it was to a lesser degree. 2) The Speeches. Like another reviewer said, Richard's speeches feel like they are written by a team of speechwriters. They are lengthy, and they are pretentious. He's supposed to be the Seeker of Truth, not the Absolute Authority on Truth; he often states opinions as facts. Anyway, the way he speaks sounds unnatural at times, not like a born leader gifted at rhetoric, but like a programmed robot. Richard was the worst, but several other characters, unfortunately, also displayed this behavior. 3) Déjà Vu? The way events occur, how they are resolved, and how they progress, all feel the same as the other books, somewhere between the predictable and a deus ex machina miracle. It contributes to a feeling of stagnancy that has pervaded these last two books. Well, that and the fact that little of substance has actually occured in them. In any case, the story is not horrible, and there are some funny, and touching, moments. And while the metaplot remains nearly stationary, a few potentially course-altering variables are introduced. Hopefully, the next book will be as much an improvement over this one as this one was over the last. If so, it will be a true work of art.
Rating:
Summary: redemption is good
Review: i just started reding this eigth book (im about 250 pages in) and i must say that where pillars of creation was an ok individual novel its good to see a sword of truth book from goodkind again.
Rating:
Summary: Naked Empire
Review: This was yet another good book by Mr. Goodkind but it still leaves so many problems unresolved. I know that this can't all be done in one book but it would be nice if Richard couldn't ever get back into the New World or if Richard could ever at least tap into some of the powers that he has been blessed with. I give this a two becasue while this book is interesting, it leaves the reader with a want for more. He preaches too much we already know everything he has to say and we have memorized it the 3rd time he says it. Come on Terry. The First Book splendor and glory is unobtainable but I hope that Mr. Goodkind will take his time for the 9th book and give me 1000+ pages so that it will really be worth reading and taking some time to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: It was the best book i ever read
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