Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing, almost sad
Review: This is truly a poor performance on the part of Terry Goodkind. The story lacks it's usual passion, has a plot that seems to lead nowhere. Simply put, it lacks Goodkind's usual passion. I could not help but get the feeling that Goodkind wanted this story to end as quickly as I did. I still hold the Sword of Truth as one of the best fantasy series ever written. However, Mr. Goodkind will need to follow-up with a very impressive piece of work if he is to hang on to his legions of fans.
Rating:
Summary: This is not a Sword of the Truth series book.
Review: I feel like some other writer has decided to write a book. After the first 50 pages with nary a mention of Richard or the Mother Confessor. I wasn't worried though because Goodkind has done that to us in the past. However, 500 some pages into the book and still nothing?? What is Goodkind thinking? People read the book for the characters that they love, not strangers with whom we do not empathize with or care about. Goodkind had better come out with a book as good as Faith of the Fallen next time or his readership will suffer tremendously.
Rating: 
Summary: How art the mighty fallen......
Review: Let me just be totally upfront. While I love Goodkind's stories and think he is an excellent yarnspinner, he is not in my opinion neccesarily a great writer. However, as I said, I can overlook certain things b/c more often than not , he can spin a good tale. However..this time, Im afraid I cant overlook it. Many will complain and say that the reason they disliked book 7 was the noticeable absence, or really abondonment, of the major characters and a seeming flight from the cliffhanger of book 6. While I agree somewhat with that notion, its not my main gripe for book 7.....Im just tired of all the 'handy coincedences' . I mean come on Terry...I for one am tired of the laziness of this author. I appreciate the efforts of authors lik Jordan and, most notably,GRR Martin who strive to make plot twists within a given framework. Goodkind takes the rabbit-out-of-the-hat approach..inventing twists in turns out of thin air where you have no chance to discern what it may be or see it coming. Granted he does build on minor shreds from previous books but still...what creativeness does it take to pull somehting convenient out of yer a** when needed? I mean is it just me, or am I the only one who notices that Mr.Goodkind seems leery to create a definite world map, lest he feel the need to create a mythical country when he runs out of ideas. I know in interviews he says his main goal is characters and not world building, but with this approach one can see why.Secondly, Im tired of the Deux ex Machina in these novels..and belive me when I tell you that Goodkind's works overtime in this series. No matter what the odds or circumstances...something always happens to save the day, no matter how unlikey the scenario..that is just utter (...). I mean he not only asks you to suspend your disbeleif for these novels, but to obliterate it entirely in order to swallow how the hereos 'save the day'..and is it just me, or do the Wizard's rules just seemed to be tossed in as an afterthought?!? Now, dont get me wrong...he can still create moments of utter suspense...but its hard to get too caught up in it b/c u know without a doubt that in all likelihood the character will survive..not very thrilling in my book. In a way, im grateful that the main characters werent so prevalent in this book..that way I wasnt as emotionally involved and could see just how hackneyed Mr. Goodkind could be. Now, in order that I dont (offend) the devotees, there were some highlights(though they were few) The plotline of the offspring was interesting..we get a glimpse as to what made Drefen so insane, and the clifhanger at the end was very sneaky as to what it is they need done that only Jenn can accompish..But even as I say these things, I am reminded of gaping plot holes like...if Althea knew that Jenn was a hole in the world..why was she so shocked that the magic of the swamp did not touch her?...and if sebastion and jagang knew as well...why did no one suggest she enter the Keep b4 they sent her after Richard?...why indeed. IF you ask me, I dunno, i think maybe this pace of a book a year is too much for Terry..mayhaps he needs an extra year to let the next plot of his book stew before he serves up another load of hash like this. All in all..buy the book just to be up to date with book 8...but I would strongly suggest waiting for the paperback...you wont be missing much.
Rating: 
Summary: Popular Authors Selling out to the Publishers
Review: I started reading most of the popular authors today when they first started in print; I'm talking about Goodkind, Brooks, Eddings, Jordan, and lately Farland. My biggest concern is that it seems when the authors begin to get popular the publisher tells them to make their trilogy a ten book epic instead. This leads to books that come out that hardly seem to discuss the main story at all, they develop substories within the main story that could have been separate books unto themselves. The latest Goodkind book is a prime example. The characters in the story have never been discussed previously, they really have no bearing on the main plot (except how the author rather pathetically tries to tie it in), and the characters from the original story line are hardly even used. Popular authors, whether forced by their publishers or not, are exploiting the readers by hooking them on a series and then putting filler in to extend the series and sell more books. The fuuny thing is it isn't just one author, Jordan's latest books have been the same way, a lot of filler and very slow story development. The new author David Farland is going the same way. He started a epic with some nice new ideas, people started buying the books, and his latest book was a little thin and only covered about 3 days time in the fantasy world; it contained a lot of filler. I hope enough people will voice this concern and maybe the authors will realize that they will eventually lose credibility and a lot of readers.
Rating:
Summary: Terribly Disappointing
Review: I "was" a huge fan of the series but this book is a disappointing entry into the Sword of Truth series. The book does little to advance the storyline/plot that the Sword of Truth series advances. The review of the plot makes it appear Richard is a major player in this series when in fact he is only around for the last 50 pages and that is less than a tenth of the book. Clearly some money hungry person be it the author or the publisher thought this book deserved to be a part of the series. The tricks of Robert Jordan are clearly evident here which makes sense as tehy share the same publisher, Tor Books. I think authors should not allow themselves to be duped into this thought process. I for one never by the Jordan books, I just get them from my library... in paperback and would recommend you do the same for this book or borrow a friends and save your money.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I love his books, they usually are very complex. This book was a short story with a very shallow plot. Did he have to get a book out for Christmas?
Rating:
Summary: Definitely NOT what I expected.....
Review: After reading the first six books, I just could NOT wait for the seventh one to come out. I ended up re-reading the entire series three times while anxiously waiting for "The Pillars of Creation." I'm sorry to say that, yes, even though the book is well-written, it cannot compare to the superb writing of the previous books. It is obvious that Goodkind is under some sort of contract, and has to make the series longer, but the storyline is just terrible! The main characters practically have no part until the end, and the book basically leaves off almost at the same place where "Faith of the Fallen" left off, except for a couple of changes. S.O.T. books are SUPPOSED to be about the main characters, Richard and Kahlan, NOT about the supporting characters alone! Mr.Goodkind, I will continue recommending your books to everyone I know, but PLEASE go back to writing like you did before! Otherwise, I'm afraid people will simply stop buying your books, myself included.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I don't think I can add much more than what others have already said. First off, totally ignore the dust jacket and the description of the book given here at amazon.com (which is what the dust jacket says). The dust jacket is entirely wrong about the story and there is very little in the book that is in the dust jacket. Apparently, the Tor offices are in NY and they didn't have time to change it after Sept 11 (don't know if I buy that story though). I was extremely disappointed in the book and am very glad I borrowed it from someone instead of buying it. I, like others here, read the books because I am a fan of Richard's, not because I am a fan of Goodkind's. The fact that Richard was not in the story plummeted it's rating down to a 1 star. How can a book in the Sword of Truth series barely even have the character who holds the SoT? As a stand alone book, TPoC is okay. I wouldn't read it again. I would have to say this is my least favorite of the SoT books. For a person who has never read the series, they might like this book, but it wouldn't make any sense if they went back and started from the beginning. If TPoC was not in the series, it would get 2.5 stars for being a somewhat entertaining book for a few hours, but it is ultimately forgettable.
Rating: 
Summary: A change that the series needed
Review: I agree with the comments given about the lack of space given to Richard and Kahlan, however, I do not think this a bad thing. Too often, a writer's overusage of a character (or characters) ends up detracting from the power those characters create. By taking this break, I feel Goodkind has saved his characters a slow death. With each new book, Richard, Kahlan, Zedd and the others were becoming more understood and more rigged to change. By the sixth book, I was beginning to feel that Richard and Kahlan were like my neighbors, but I new nothing of what it was like on the other side of the street. In short, Goodkind's usage of Sebastian was brilliant because it lets the readers see exactly what the enemy thinks of Richard and the war he fights and how those opinions are formed. True, this happened in the sixth book, but took its own life here. And the character of Jennsen, with her ignorance of the world at large, is a refresing look into the world Goodkind has created and could be perfect for people looking to read the series, but not sure where to start. Still, reading the synopsis, I was expecting to see more of Richard and Kahlan and was surprised not to see them, and I think it would have heightened the storyline to have them more, but the story is still a Goodkind story and is still a defining moment what it means to be a Legend of fantasy writing. Furthermore, not since the 4th book have I had such a sense of urgency when reading a Goodkind novel. Despite its noted absence of several key characters, this is among the best of Goodkind's works and should not be missed by any fan of Goodkind.
Rating:
Summary: Boo Hoo
Review: I just want to agree with most of the reviewers: this book was certainly not what I expected (...). The fact that the two main characters, Richard and Kahlan, are barely in the book, is indeed disappointing. With the conclusion of Faith of the Fallen, I assumed(obviously incorrectly) that Pillars would be the story of Richard's retaking command of the D'Haran army, as the people of Altar'Raug proved themselves to him. Instead, Pillars was about a young woman we had never heard of and a sadistic, animal killing, "oaf" named Oba. Also, I was very curious to see what Nicci's role would have been in the fight, now that she had found the answer to the question she was looking for in Faith. Overall, the book was disappointing and I can only hope that the 8th book(the next one) gets back to the fundamentals.
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