Rating: 
Summary: What happened?
Review: I have to add mine to the list of negative reviews of The Pillars of Creation. Having become an avid fan of this series, I expected the same powerful command of the language exhibited in prior volumes. Mr. Goodkind is capable of spinning a compelling and intense story. The earlier books in the series kept me awake nights unable to resist turning the page. I had to struggle through this story.
Beyond the disappointment of not having my thirst for the main characters quenched, I found the writing was not up to Mr. Goodkind's par. There are entire sentences repeated almost verbatim. There are references made to actions by the characters that have never occurred. Whoever edited this book was asleep at the wheel and drove it off the cliff.
My biggest fear is that now I'll wait another two years for news of Richard and Kahlan only to be disappointed again. Terry, take 3 years and really do it well the next time.
Rating: 
Summary: Different
Review: I must admit, I was disappointed not to find my beloved Richard as the book's focus...at first. Then, I began to appreciate how this keeps the series fresh. I began to like the different viewpoint of Jennsen. I appreciated how something completely misled or misconstrued can change our perceptions. So, then I GOT IT. What I LOVE about this series is that I always find something in it that applies to my life. I didn't think this did and finished the book, still enjoying the story...but coming away with something less than I had before. I kept thinking about the book when I was done reading and the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much the whole concept applies to many of us. Our perception leads our reality. Excellence, again Mr. Goodkind.
Rating:
Summary: A huge disappointment for a dedicated Sword of Truth Fan
Review: Well, I've just finished the book, and it was a huge disappointment. After the previous book in the series, many other fans thought that the series may have lost it's way. I did not like the previous book, but loved the series overall, and was excited about the new release.Here we have new characters, never before mentioned in the series. For the first 470 pages, it could be a completely different story apart from the odd mention of Richard. There is no continued building of established characters and no tie in with the existing plot (it could easily be any time during the SOT series). In addition, I found both characters very one dimensional and unbelievable. Then, within the last few pages of the book it all gets "magically" tied together in a way I found unrealistic - similar to earlier reviewers I got the feeling that Mr Goodkind got bored and decided to end this particular chapter. Even the demise of the main atagonistic character was covered in about 2-3 lines. So - I would not recomend that you buy this book. If you are a SOT fan, you can probably read the next book without even realizing this one existed and experience no break in the story...
Rating: 
Summary: Is this the same series??
Review: Not knowing what i was in for, i was hugely disappointed. After waiting so long to hear of Richard, i was stunned to find this book wasn't even about anyone we already knew of in the series. This book is a short tangent about an annoyingly stupid chick and an even stupider guy.
DON'T BUY THIS BOOK. I know you've got to read it anyway - but trust me , get it from the library. And when you do read it, skip to the final four or so chapters, because they're the only ones that are any good. And admittedly they are good - Zedd and his misses enter and tose up a few thousand of the order and then Richard embarks on the same old plot where hes seperated from Kahlan and his sword and must find them (only this is done in three chapters this time rather than the standard book it usually takes).
Frankly, Wizards First rule -ROCKS- there is no disputing that, Faith of the fallen did what the title suggested and resored some of my faith by the rest of the books are the same tired old stuff. If Richard wasn't such a legend i wouldn't bother reading them at all.
P.S. Bring BAck Chase!
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed...
Review: First of all, this was a very short book-- don't let the page count fool you-- the font and spacing is bigger. Another thing that SoT fans should be aware of is that the characters we've come to know and love, Richard and Kahlan, aren't mentioned in the entire book until the last 50 or so pages. Sure, once in awhile, someone will say "the evil Lord Rahl" or "that witch, the Mother Confessor", but Richard and Kahlan don't have any role in the book until the end. The end is my favorite part of the book, but c'mon, it's only 50 pages and creates more questions than answers. I guess you could say I was just glad to see the old crew, finally. Zedd and Adie come up in one chapter also, but that's about it. I wonder if Chase is ever going to come back... Well, the old characters aren't in this book, but there are quite a few new ones. Unfortunately, they die by the end of the book, so it's kind of pointless knowing you'll never see them again. You'll feel as if you wasted 450 pages getting to know them when you could've been reading about Richard's adventures. This is NOT a Sword of Truth novel. Of course it's a must read if you're a Goodkind fan like me and waited a year for this, but it'll be a disappointment. I recommend you check the library for it first.
Rating: 
Summary: Not as bad as all the criticism below... but...
Review: Personally, I found the previous book - Faith Of The Fallen - to be a profound story; and it left me expecting great things from Pillars. While a bit harsh, I'm glad I read the reviews here first. It allowed me to adjust my expectations and try to enjoy what was there instead of what I wished would be there. I can understand why many seem dissapointed with this latest addition to the SOT, although I will by no means 'give up' on the series like some here seem to be of a mind to do. I found the tale mostly entertaining but my biggest gripes would have to be: - some characters seemed decidedly OUT of character... this latest look at Jagang and his cronies were very dissapointing.
- it seemed that too many of the characters dialouges and even inner thoughts were annoyingly repetetive.
- I think alot of events in the first half of the book could have been told with far fewer words with just as much effect; whose space could have been better put to use by exploring either at least some of the other core characters or even some more new characters. The previous book showed 'the other side' of the war far better than this one. I don't even mind that Richard and Kahlan weren't crawling all over every page, but the story just seemed to lack some fire. I found no trace of the epic and calculated approach that I have come to love about the series. Almost like TG was trying to go to a place he had been before but by a different route; and without having a clear idea of exactly how to get there.
Still a big fan... but I do hope that the next book kicks into gear, and suggest that other readers wait for Pillars to go to paperback. I'm ticked that I paid more for this book than ANY other SOT novel. argghh!
Rating: 
Summary: not Bad, just different
Review: This wasn't a terrible book, it was just a builder. I miss all of the old characters as much as anyone, but I guess I am trying to be optimistic and hope that Jenssen will have a purpose in the future novels. Oba, however, was a bit too sadistic for his own good. Though I was a bit dissappointed, I thought Goodkind did a great job of presenting the characters' perception of everything through a different point of view. The ending was a bit sketchy; it seemed thrown together and sappy, with the corny goat reunion and all... but I just can't help but hope that there are still great things to come in this series. I loved the first four books, and found book five to be a bit of a slump. Six was better... now let's hope Terry has the grand finale still up his sleeve...
Rating:
Summary: A return to great story telling
Review: If I hadn't known that Richard and Kahlen wouldn't enter until near the end, I might have been disappointed, but knowing that ahead of time, I decided to judge the book on its own merits, and I REALLY enjoyed it. In a way it reminded me of WFR...compelling story telling. It's been awhile since I stayed up 'till midnight to finish a book. The end was certainly rushed, but I think that is one of TG's weaknesses, and this book wasn't more rushed than any of the others. I'd recommend that SOT fans go into this with an open mind and forget Richard and Kahlen for a bit so that you can enjoy a great story.
Rating:
Summary: A Total Disappointment
Review: Ugh. Please don't tell me that Terry Goodkind is losing his way like Robert Jordan. This book might as well have nothing to do with the rest of the series. It is bland and preachy. Once again, I say Ugh.
Rating:
Summary: I'm disappointed...
Review: My first impression of this book is that it's targeted audience is teenagers or an even younger age group. The writing was stilted and elementary, which eliminated any chance of a nice smooth pace to the story. And to make it worse, Goodkind (or whomever really wrote this book) wrote as if the readers needed to be hand-held (or guided) towards understanding the reasons why the characters acted or thought in a particular manner. For example, some of the dialogue between two characters read more like a teacher/student interaction - full of examples and explanations to make sure the student understood what the "teacher" was saying. These long preachy "lessons" seemed unnecessary and dragged on much longer than was warranted. Plot: The plot was less than riveting too. I understand and can appreciate the need/desire to introduce new characters into the series. In fact, I'm all for that since it can greatly add to the storyline, but these characters leave much to be desired. Quite frankly, they nor their lives were exciting nor seemed to add much to the story - aside from the fact that Richard and Kahlan had someone new to fear - if only for a short while. One was just plain stupid and too blind to "see" the truth -- though I understand she led a sheltered life; and the other was a plodding brute who apparently used cruelty to make up for his low self-esteem. Characters: A few of the characters had potential, but overall, the book lacked so much of the zest and life found in the previous books that they paled in comparison. I wouldn't mind seeing one or two in future books, but the remainder should stay in the background. Action: Well, all I can say is, there was little of this. This was more of a story of discovery with a couple of new characters learning about their heritage and going on a journey in search of "something". One wanted to rid herself of what she perceived as an ever-present threat, the other wanted to attain glory and a higher status. There was a drop of action here and there, but for the most part, don't expect much of it. Dialogue: The dialogue suffered from the same problem as the writing; it was stilted and unlike the first books in the series, seemed geared towards a much younger audience. It made the read a bit more painful than it had to be. What I liked: Sorry, there's little here. It was nice to see life from another person's perspective, but I don't feel this book added much progression to the storyline. Nonetheless, I continued to listen to this book in hopes that something would happen that would make me feel that the money spent on the unabridged audio version of this book was worth it. Unfortunately, aside from making sure that I haven't missed a book in the series, this book didn't add much to my collection - except for a strong hope that the next book is much, much better. I admit, I was happy when Richard and Kahlan finally showed up -- in the very last pages of the book, but even their brief appearances couldn't help pull this book up to a more acceptable level since they had what amounted to no more than a "bit part" in the series. Finally, the reader left much to be desired. He read as if he were just as bored with the storyline as I was. My recommendation: If you've been following the series, you'll likely want to read it to make sure you don't miss anything, but I'd suggest you save yourself some money (and angst) and check it out from the library.
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