Rating: 
Summary: Great Comedy but Where is the SOT?
Review: This seventh rendition of the Sword of Truth series was horribly dissapointing. Goodkind, I have some good advice for you: Follow Terry Brooks' example and bring on the next generation! Congrats on the new character but what you need is to bring an end to the Adventures of Richard and Kahlan and flash forward to their grandkids or something who must finish up the job. This book seemed as though you were trying to cram a whole new story into the one you've already started. News flash: It didn't work. I still have no idea what the Pillars of Creation are and furthermore, how dare you finish the book without telling me what the heck Richard, Kahlan, and Cara were talking about with Jennson being the only one who could touch something? That left me the most confused. The ending about killed me when Tom suddenly shows up out of nowhere, proclaiming that he was a protector of Richard all along and had been tailing her. And he was returning little Betty, too! How sweet! A very well written comedy, Goodkind, with the no sense turn of events, but how about returning to the actually story line, huh? What ever happened to all the beautiful magic beings that used to inhabit their world? Where are the sprites, the mud people and their spirits, where is the variety? Granted, you are trying to give us a better look at the Old World but still, please, bring the struggle with Emperor Jagang to an end. When he was first introduced, he installed fear and intriguement with the reader. Now, he seems a shallow, empty character, dashing into frays needlessly and that allure of interest to a potentially good character has been lost. Another word of advice for the author: Reread the first three books of the series and then write like that again because after those three, the rest of the books just continued on a steady decline.
Rating: 
Summary: Fresh Characters Add to Suspense for Later Books
Review: "The Pillars of Creation" may disappoint some fans mainly because the book is not directly about Richard and Kahlan. The story is about a new set of characters: Jennsen, daughter to Darken Rahl and therefore Richard's half-sister; and also Sebastian who is Emperor Jagang's strategist. Together, they make for an interesting mix to the Sword of Truth series.As Goodkind is wont to do, the book addresses shadows that Darken Rahl's legacy has left behind. Now that Richard and Kahlan have each reached positions of power, it is only natural that Goodkind would begin to tell the story of those left out of the limelight. In fact, focusing on such characters adds enormous depth to the series. After the heavily political but beautifully written "Faith of the Fallen", Goodkind brings us back to the main story: the war between D'Hara and those of the Old World. Except that this time, the perspective is from the "enemy". The trials that Jennsen has faced in her life as a result of D'Haran rule brings to light the remaining ugly aspects of what has become Richard's empire. As readers, we can sympathise with Jennsen's point of view - it's hard for people to let go of perceptions once formed, even though the situation might now be different. Jennsen's determination to confront the new Lord Rahl about her hardship leads the story. At her side is Sebastian, Richard's enemy, who makes for a natural ally to Jennsen. Sebastian becomes her rock, he supports Jennsen in the decisions she makes and helps her through the difficult journey to find Richard ... so that she can kill him. But as Jennsen comes closer to facing her brother, she starts to discover some disturbing things. Her mind is a battlefield in its own right. Goodkind has done an excellent job in the portrayal of Richard's half-sister. Although Jenssen acts the "victim" at first, she develops into a determined and focused character - sharing some traits that Richard has. On the sideline, there is Oba, also Darken Rahl's offspring. Like Jennsen, he is a "hole in the world" - immune to magic. But Oba is a much darker character and scary. I'm not convinced, in fact, that Oba's role was necessary: he seemed neither developed nor explored. It is Oba who inadvertently brings Richard and Jennsen together, but I feel that Goodkind might have conceived a better way. The new characters will add to later books. It is a shame that some of them were terminated towards the end ... their development as a result of a final twist in the book could have made for interesting material next time.
Rating: 
Summary: Where did everybody go?
Review: Ok we spent time, money, and effort reading the all the other books getting to know the characters. Then what happens? They all disappear. I found myself skipping 10 to 20 pages at a time of drawn out boring dialogue from characters that we don't care about. (And this occured alot throughout the book) Ones we know will end up dead. It also seems that every book brings out a new sister of the dark briefly then we kill her off. All of his books are delightful even though they all seem to borrow everything from other fantasy and fiction writers. The reason I read books in series' is because there are a cast of characters you grow to know and love, Goodkind might as well have killed them all off, you only hear about them in the last 30 pages or so of this 550 page book
Rating:
Summary: ACK!!!! The last 30 pages were good atleast.....
Review: Well if you wanna book about the main characters in the "Sword of truth series" you can just skip this one. I don't think you'd miss much if you just went to the next book, when it comes out. I found myself skipping entire pages becase I already knew what was happening, Goodkind was just stretching it out. (Really, really streching it out.) Not to knock Goodkind, i love the rest of his books but this one is my least favorite, I'll even go on to say that it was a bad book. Just my opinion....
Rating: 
Summary: Goodkind continues to impresonate other authors
Review: Like so many readers of Terry Goodkind (all the friends I have who've read the series) I was grossly disapointed with the previous book. Actually, I was revolted by it, but that's another review. In Faith of the Fallen, Terry Goodkind seemed to lose that wonderful style that was so evident in Wizard's First Rule and Stone of Tears and do an impression of Ann Rand writing fantasy. In Pillars, while not regaining his own strong style, he does move away from Rand.... to Dean Koontz. I know, but it's a BIG improvement from the last book. Leaving behind... pretty much everyone from the previous 6 novels, Pillars tells the story of Jennson (Koontz's standard strong, virgin female lead), Sebastian (the standard strong male whom Jenn falls in love with), and Oba (the standard Koontz homicidal, psychotic villian with the mother of all persecution complexes, egos, and hatred of many women). Of the origional cast, don't look for anything more than cameos for the first 500 pages of this 557 page book. Nathan, Zedd, and Adie are there, but get small bits each. Richard and his party to the south show up during the end 57 pages, and close the book with overly drawn out and melodramatic speeches. Ending was good, but I wished they would just SHUT UP at times! Oh, and the ending is not the only point where you'll feel this way. While not bludgeoning points to death quite to the degree that he did in Faith, Goodkind repeats certains themes/ideas/phrases over and over and over again throughout! "Yes, Jennsen, I didn't forget you wanted to kill Lord Rahl to avenge your mother.. you just said so 20 pages ago, and 20 pages before that, and 5 before that...." Ug. And if you think she harps on her mother, wait till you meet the goat. Betty. Cutsie pets, ug. Suffice it to say, I wish Irma had gotten her. Is this a good book? For the most part, yes. Is it better than the last? Most certainly! Does it pull this series out of the death spiral it's been in since book 4? Actually, yeah. It manages to further the story some more (Jagang's arrival at Adyindril is one of the best sequences in the book), and has the flavour of exploring the world that the first book did. (This is just the lite version of that). Let's just hope Goodkind's able to continue this way, perhaps returning further to his old style of story, with more of the characters we know and love. Until then, you'll have to content yourself with this offering.
Rating: 
Summary: The Pillars of Creation
Review: This book is great cheese is great cows are great Go BLue jays i guess
Rating:
Summary: One of the Worst Books I've Ever Read
Review: This book just drags on and on, repeating the same stuff over and over again throughout the entire book. It seemed as though he was trying to turn two or three ideas into an entire book. It became an effort to keep from just putting it down.
Rating:
Summary: A Fresh approach, and a great book.
Review: I have been a huge fan of The Sword of Truth series since the begining. When i started The Pillars of Creation, i kept wondering, when does the story get back to Richard and Kahlan. At first i was dissapointed as chapters went on, focusing on Jennsen, and not Richard, but i soon began to enjoy seeing the story from a different point of view. I began to understand the propaganda of the Imperial Order and the more i read of this book, the more i loved it. This book kept me up reading to the wee hours of the morning on several nights, as the other books in this series have. Its different but it is still Terry Goodkind at his best. I urge all fans of this series to read on.
Rating:
Summary: Response to other reviews(including the other books)
Review: One of the main complaints about these books in general is that Richard is all-powerful. Yes, well, that was told us in the beginning. And the problem in each book follows necessarily from the last. It started with Darken Rahl, and it is still happening. It is a continuing process, which is why there are all these continuing disasters. Yes, they come through at the last second every time, but their mistakes cause problems, which are solved in the next book(s). We know that Richard has the power, but he struggles, and barely survives, but he survives because he has that power. The point is what he goes through, and learns. It is a personal journey as well as magical, as well as the main plot to stop Jagang. Goodkind creates a fully fleshed out world, with real characters. They have all evolved in their own ways from the various experiences they have been through. As far as the new book goes, yes, it's quite different. Those interested in the magic should have nothing to complain about. It explains so many fascinating details about this world, and what is going on around the main plot, but ties back into the main plot at the end, which will necessarily be returned to in the next book. Yes, it takes the reader out of his comfort zone. It takes us away from what we're used to, and in so doing tells a very well done story. As for the 'too evil' bad guys theory, look at the personality that is developed for Jagang in this book. We get a very personal view of who he really is. He is brave, smart, loyal, courageous, etc. He truly believes in his fight. Doesn't sound too bad, eh?
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not his best
Review: It seems like Terry is running out of steam. Although his dialogue is certainly getting much better, his ideas and characters have been losing their depth. Although I normally whole-heartedly recommend his books, I can't recommend this one. Spoiling the story, just a bit -- Richard isn't the main character in this one. He shows up at the end, with a bit of deus ex machina used to wrap up the story. There wasn't really a story arc, or any actual character development. Most of what was going to happen wasn't well foreshadowed -- it wasn't a surprise, but that's because of heavy-handedness, not foreshadowing. In brief -- worth reading if you've read the rest, but wait for the paperback unless you NEED to complete that hardcover collection.
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