Rating: 
Summary: different but the same
Review: I finally got around to reading Goodkind's recent addition to his epic series, " Pillars of Creation" It takes a different approach, breaking up the standard tendency to follow main characters in exchange for introducing minor characters , Jennsen, Oba, and Sebastion, it follows them as the plot leads to the main characters. I'm not especially interested in any of these characters and I feel like I'm being beaten over the head by Goodkind to understand their conflicting feelings especially, Jennsen's. The ending sews nearly everything too neatly, something Goodkind does, as if its an hour long TV episode. If nothing else, "The Pillars of Creation" provides an in depth look at the spin Emperor Jagang wants to put on reality and how poorly it holds up under close observation. It's a quick read and diversion, not a thought provoking novel to struggle through.
Rating:
Summary: Not great, but not too bad also
Review: This book is not about Richard or Kahlan. It took me a while to digest that, and I'm sure several fans can't deal with it at all.
After I got over it, though, I found that the book indeed is very enjoyable. In my opinion the only major flaw of the book is a character named Oba - he's really not too interesting a character. At times I felt tempted to skip all parts that dealt with him.
My guess is that Terry Goodkind knows what he is doing when he dedicates an entire book to a new character in the series. This book may be an important stepping stone for following works, sort of like "Blood of the Fold" was for "Temple of the Winds" and "Soul of the Fire" was for "Faith of the Fallen". I can very well imagine that the eigth book will be a real doozy again.
Rating:
Summary: When will it end?
Review: Terry Goodkind has painted himself into a corner. By the end of the fourth volume of this series, his protagonists, Richard and Kahlan, had become nearly invincible, and reading about invincible people is not particularly interesting.If the series had been less successful, that might have been less of a problem. Goodkind could have wrapped the whole thing in four volumes, and started fresh on something else. But, like Richard Jordan's "Wheel of Time", each "Sword of Truth" novel became automatic bestsellers. That's an incredibly difficult achievement for a novelist, and yet a necessary one if he hopes to live off his writing alone. So, like Jordan, Goodkind chose not to kill the golden goose. He began lengthening the series beyond what was originally planned, postponing the final clash with Emperor Jagang indefinitely. To write additional books with new conflicts, Goodkind had to work around Richard's incredible powers. In Book 6, he found a way to make it impossible for Richard to use his sorcery, rendering him vulnerable again. In Book 5 and now Book 7, he hit upon another idea: to write from the perspective of those who see Richard as an enemy. It works, to a point. Book 5 ("Soul of the Fire") was actually an improvement over its predecessor ("Temple of the Winds") in that the new characters were quite original and the story itself much less contrived. But "The Pillars of Creation" is as preachy as "Faith of the Fallen," much more simplistic, and extremely predictable. It's obvious from the beginning that the events at the beginning of the story are a set-up--obvious to everyone except Goodkind's new heroine, Jennsen, who is sometimes annoyingly dim. She is the illegitimate daughter of Darken Rahl, and now convinced that she is being hunted by Richard. She also hears a voice from the underworld, who seeks to possess her. She journeys around a bit with a companion from Jagang's court, who fans her anger at House Rahl. Goodkind also follows the gory escapades of another Rahl bastard, Oba, who also hears the voice. Unlike Jennsen, he listens to it, and becomes evil incarnate. But it's all 500 pages of prelude to a typically abrupt, preachy conclusion devoid of suspense--devoid of suspense because we never believe that Richard and Kahlan are actually in danger. Moreover, we don't even see them until the very end. The result is a page-turner nevertheless, because Goodkind is an excellent writer and deft in his ability to create memorable characters. For that reason alone, the book should make longtime fans happy. It's certainly not a bad book. But, since the oustanding first two novels, the series has been in decline, and "The Pillars of Creation" fails to reverse the trend. A resolution is needed.
Rating: 
Summary: some things i thought about pillars of creation
Review: The book itself wasn't that badly written. I feel, however, that it was to far from the story of Kahlan and Richard. The story line itself was choppy; I thought it rushed ahead and then slowed down when it didn't need to. These are just things that i thought when i read the book. What disappointed me the most was that the other books were so good and offerred interesting parallels... this one didn't. The two characters were very good. but that doesn't matter because they had little relation to the other stories. The most intersting of characters aren't even in the story; they just come in at the end to save the day. Oh well; i will still pay my [money] on the next book which comes out. as will everyone else who loved the first books in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: The Pillars of Creation
Review: This in and excellent book. It is a little slow compaired to Terry Goodkinds other Sword of Truth books, but it is still exciting. It provides a new persective on Richard and his rule.
Rating: 
Summary: For sale.....
Review: an almost new Pillars of Creation book. Just skimmed once. Have to sell it because of the extreme boredom it radiates. Contact me if you're interested.
Rating:
Summary: Great Expectations
Review: After enjoying the creativity of the first six books of the Sword of Truth epic, I had expected much more from Terry Goodkind. I was disappointed in "The Pillars of Creation". To me this book is a dragging detour from the main story line of the series. Particularly the way the author failed to link this book to the rest of the series by dropping out the "Wizards Rules", so much for continuity. The overall context of book six (Faith of the Fallen) is Richard's loss of faith in the people that he is trying to save in his war with the Imperial Order. I'm not sure how The Pillars of Creation fits as the continuation. The only thing it does for me is make a feeble attempt to account for the time it takes Richard and Kaylan to make their way back North from their adventures in Jagang's homeland in the South. I got the feeling that the story line for the "Pillars of Creation" is from rough drafts of the "Temple of the Winds". Based on the "Pillars of Creations" theme, there now could be an ongoing array of both good and bad siblings resulting from Darken Rahl's legendary number of perverted conquests. Good for the publishing company, bad for us readers who get stuck buying disappointing books from gifted authors under contract to produce "X" number of books on a time schedule. I suggest you skip "Pillars of Creation" and wait until book 8 comes out to (hopefully) reach the conclusion of the war with Jagang and the Imperial Order. If book 8 requires you to back up to the "Pillars of Creation" for some clarification (which I doubt) you'll be able to get it cheaper, either as a used book or a Paperback.
Rating:
Summary: New ground, but not new ground. . .
Review: I found this to be an enjoyable, well-written story, and quick read. Had I had no prior knowledge of Terry Goodkind and the Sword of Truth and had no prior expectations, I would have been quite happy then and there. But, (the biggest three-letter word in the English language), I was instead reminded of a period in my misspent youth when I often frequented smoky blues clubs. A normal trick of the musicians and proprietors looking to bump up the night's profits was to drag out the appearance of the headlining musician as much as possible, enticing the patrons (such as myself) to purchase far more drinks than was good for them or their budgets. The star's band would set up and play without him while the audience was teased and teased with the acting front man making veiled allusions to how "the blues man is in the house, I can feel his presence. . . That was how I felt reading this book. For about 600 pages we were teased and teased, waiting for Richard Rahl to make his appearance. And worse yet, when he did, he didn't lay down any licks we hadn't heard before. At least Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker were worth hanging around for. The new Lord Rahl's appearance in this gig was hardly worth either of our effort. I think I see this book as a bridge in the series. IMHO, it seems that the future direction is to emphasis the world more and the story of Richard and Kahlan less. I can't think of any other legitimate reason why they were physically pushed so far to the background. I know, I know, the specter of them permeated the whole book, but that's not the same as their presence. For Pete's sake, they're fictional characters - it's not like they need a break between sets, er, I mean books!! (At least John Lee Hooker was *old* the last time I saw him. . . I suppose the questions are "Have Richard and Kahlan outlived their usefulness?' and "Is the world of the Sword of Truth mature and strong enough to stand on it's own without them?" As I'm out of blues cliches, I'll turn to one from the nightly news "Only time will tell."
Rating:
Summary: You Can't Please Everyone All The Time
Review: It's interesting to read reviews on previous books in the series and see complaints about "the same old characters" and then read complaints against this book about "not enough of the old characters". I found it refreshing to have a new face added to the cast of characters while finding out more about the lands that make up the world. The writing was gripping as always and I lost sleep on this one too. I consider it an excellent read and look forward to the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best work
Review: I am a big fan of the Sword of Truth series. This book however was not one of my favorites. Instead of following the old characters you have grown to love he creates totally new ones. Don't get me wrong I like new characters but you can't spend a whole book following them. I bought this book with the hope of reading more about the Sword of Truth and Richards exploits. I was very disapointed to find that this book doesn't follow Richard at all. If I was not loyal to Goodkinds books I would not have even bothered to read the whole book. Yes I thought it was that boring.
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