Rating: 
Summary: A truly good book with a fresh perspective
Review: i don't know what the other reviewers are talking about, but this book directly addresses the criticism of the previous books while introducing a breath of fresh air to the series.
1) it provides a new iteration to the generic plotline of the series, i.e., richard and kahland get separated, defeat the enemy and reunite.
2) it puts the whole d'haran/old world in a new perspective
3) you get a better sense of what is going on in the different worlds, the daily struggles and the ways of life
4) there is suspense. you know something is wrong but you don't know what.
5) new characters, new tensions, new conflicts.Terry, this book is great! not the best (the second and third were) but definitely worth a read and worth the time.
Rating: 
Summary: too short
Review: I love the Sword of Truth series... as always, I end up craving for more! Once I got started, I can't bring myself to put it down. I do feel that a lot of the interesting stuff got crammed into the last few chapters and that too much of the story centered on Jennsen. Other than that, I think this book is an excellent addition to the series.
Rating:
Summary: Good book if you give it a chance
Review: I was under the impression that this book wasn't good because of all the reviews here. I'm glad I went ahead and read it anyway, because the story is significantly advanced in Pillars of Creation, even though Richard is absent. If there are problems with the story, then I just overlook them. Why am I reading fantasy to begin with? Not to analyze it, but to enjoy it. I suspend my disbelief, but at the same time want events to be plausible. In PoC everything is plausible, so why would I object?
Rating:
Summary: Break down to the 8th
Review: Lets be honest about the book. Goodkind did two things in this book.
1: different perspective instead of Kahlan and Richard, you have Richards sister taking the lead. This made a little twist from the first 6 books which focused on them.
2: Set the foundation for the next book Faith of the Fallen. I am not going to ruin the plot but I will say that Richard sister is not as unique as everyone thought. Goodkind was brilliant for doing this but lets hope he does not make the mistake of too many characters. Ada, Kahlan, Richard, Zedd, Cara now Jennsen are all major characters to follow. If Goodkind is not careful he may fall into the same cycle that Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series is doing. Too many characters doing too many things and there are either gaps or blatant dismissal of minor plots that make the storie seem less then what the series started with.
Rating: 
Summary: the pillars are crumbling!
Review: This book has to be the worst in the series. I hated Oba, he was a freak with too much power. I couldn't wait for the chapters with him to get over with. He was just such a twisted character. Jensen was okay, not a very exciting character, but better than Oba.
I also found this book highly repetitive. It said the same things over, and over, and over. I also was highly relieved when I read "Faith of the Fallen" (I read this one before it) And was instantly reassured that Terry Goodkind had not lost his mind. And that he was still the same, talented author.
Rating:
Summary: There is still hope
Review: Im giving this book 5 stars (although it probably deserves four)just because I dont think that it is fair that it has a tow and a half average. Come on everybody knows that this is no Stone of Tears (the best book of the series), but we had been asking after book 5 a lot of things that we hadnt been getting since wizards first rule, stone of tears and the tempel of the winds... This book definetly opens the door for a new comeback for "the basics" of a sword of truth book, so dont be hasty to bury sword of truth, there is still hope
Rating:
Summary: Hmmm
Review: This book... had a very evil feel to it. The characters weren't as in depth as the other books... or perhaps just not as appealing. I thought Jennsen quite determined to be stupid throughout her journies, but her character was saved in the end. The scene with Oba and the Mord-sith is not one easily forgettable, it's enjoyable in the most sadistic of ways. You definitely could not read this book and get everything out of it if you hadn't read a few of the others preceeding it, so you had a feel of what was going on with the Order and Richard. I did find myself greedily awaiting appearances from Richard and Kahlan, because those two characters are the kind one can read about forever and identify with... Jennsen, I wanted to hurt; although that does say something about how brought alive the characters were. Still, definitely an evil feel to it. I love the terms "hole in the world" and "pillars of creation", such chilling thoughts. The kind that remind you of something, far off and long ago that you just can't place but it made you scared perhaps without cause. This is a book that will make you think and wonder and probably leave you more confused than you were at the beginning, and wanting to write a review about just how much you disliked it. The fact is, you will probably dislike it as you're reading it, and want to put it down but you will not be able to. You'll read it through till the end and then perhaps think it a waste of time, and you should have stopped reading when you felt like it... but of course you couldn't. This is a page-turner if I ever heard of one. Maybe you're better off not wasting hours on it but I still reccomend it.
Rating:
Summary: End this series - please
Review: The series was extremely strong at the beginning, but has grown weaker with less and less happening of interest as the series continued. Save your money and request Terry Goodkind start another series, even if set in the same world, but totally unrelated to the Rahl's, etc.
Rating: 
Summary: Not so good....
Review: Just try to pretend the series ended with book six. You're really not missing anything.
Rating:
Summary: Weak Coincidences, Inconsistencies and a lack of Sense.
Review: OK, OK, it's fantasy. Earth's rules of science and physics don't matter but in many places this book fails to adhere to the rules of common sense. Also, I thought the editing was poor. There were spots where it felt like Mr Goodkind took a break then started writing again before he re-read what he had just written. One such error comes to mind where two full sentences repeated just two paragraphs apart. I don't mind letting a few nonsensical things slide, but there are so many big and little screwy things here that it was impossible to reconcile them short of turning off your brain. Here are a few examples in no particular order (a few spoilers noted with '***'): * Jennsen is selectively ignorant/knowledgeable, observant/unobservant, or strong willed/easily manipulated depending on what is convenient at the time throughout the story to maintain the weak plot. * The Emperor's key strategists are not very strategic, nor does he listen to them. * Doesn't the existence and knowledge of these "holes in the world" make places like the Wizard's Keep a whole lot less threatening? If the Emporer knew about Jennsen why didn't he use her to assault the Keep? Or, why didn't Richard use her (or someone like her) previously - wasn't one of the main themes of a previous book based around trying to get past the magical safeguards of the Keep? * The Emperor losses a million plus units of his army to an unknown force that strikes at the heart of his camp and his response is basically, "oh well, it'll take a little time to rebuild." Yeah, this guy is going to have many followers... * Tom covertly follows Jennsen (who is in the middle of this million plus unit army) in a horse drawn wagon. *** Tom is supposed to be one of the elite protectors of Lord Rahl, but idly watches while Jennsen charges Lord Rahl with a knife. *** Tom is supposed to be one of the elite protectors of Lord Rahl. Why would he be working, deep cover, in the market? Convenient coincidence. *** The idea is repeated several times that Jennsen never had the chance or right moment to tell Sebastian that she was immune to magic even though they are lovers and traveling together for months. This didn't make sense to me, but to use this as the key point in Jennsen discovering Sebastian's treachery was just plain weak. WEAK! I cringed reading Jennsen say "I never told you magic didn't effect me..." Hmmm, didn't he just see her come away unharmed after battles with wizards and sorceresses in which she saw through the illusions that nobody else did? * Jennsen's bluffs to get into the palace and free Sebastian were unbelievable and most of that sequence was silly. The list goes on but unless I missed some deeper meaning, it's not worth the mental energy it would take to go over all the inconsistent events and convenient coincidences in this book. The ending felt rushed with the main baddies conveniently killed or missing, with a few obscure references to other characters thrown in for whatever reason "Wait until we tell this to Nikki" or other such lines. In the end I was left feeling that nothing happens in the book. Homerinvests
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