Rating: 
Summary: Please!
Review: Well, I made a deal with my younger sister that if she read some of my fantasy books, that I would read this one. Only one good thing came out of this deal, and that is that my sister turned away from terry goodkind forever. Don't you people find it disturbing that in the first book, this stupid woman forces a man to cut off and eat his own genetalia? Does that strike you as normal, or "cool"? His first book started out badly, and his following books have gotten worse and worse. Let me ask you this: if demmin nass had a shield on him from Darken Rahl, then how was Kahlan able to make him eat his own thingy? In the second book, a pidling army of 5000 men destroys a hoard of 50000, they might have been heroic nimrods, but if you think about it, THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE! The whole series is full of stupid, flat, and sick characters and situations that don't even deserve to be shown to the public. During the whole of Wizard's first rule, this dumn confessor is all sad because she thinks that she can't be this dumn moron's lover, but at the end of the book, all the problems that occured in their relationship disappeared without a trace.... I mean really! In the Stone of tears, Richard Cypher only knew about the STONE OF TEARS about three quarters of the way through the book, in other words, there is no plot! And in the third book, the bottom line is that there is absolutely to plot! I mean, what is the story? If you were to tell someone what happened in this book, what would you say? You COULD say that this doofus named Richard decided that he wanted to be ruler of the world, and then went through a magical teleport well and destroyed a palace. I didn't even know why he was destroying the palace.... sure, the book said that they didn't want Jagang to get the prophecies, but who was Jagang? We only saw him once, and when we did see him, he didn't show any signs of being threatening to the World, and what's more, in the end of the book, he is still alive and well, and we don't have the slightest clue about what has become of him. The impression I got of him was that he was a punk who liked body-piercing and squeezing ugly women's breasts. This book could have been written in 100 pages at the most, it was worthless! On top of the lack of story line and plot, there is no character development: they are still the raving lunatics that appeared in the first book. The Imperial order? What is it? I have no idea about what their policies are, what they belive in, where they come from or any of their strategic tactics. The worst scene in any of the three books that I have read is most probably the attack on the imperial order's army in the stone of tears. The took a bunch of naked 18-year olds and had them attack an army full of well trained D'haran solders as well as others. Goodkind does not even mention that when people are naked, they don't have armour on, and are basicly useless in battle. And on top of that, the scene took place during the winter, so Goodkind forgot to mention that half of the 18-year old morons would have died of hypothermia. The bottom line is that Goodkind cannot be considered an auther: his books, are gory, perverted trash. If you are looking for good fantasy however, I would very strongy recomend a different Terry. His name is Terry Brooks, and his books are at least 50 trillion times better than the garbage the Goodkind is releasing.
Rating:
Summary: puh!
Review: Read the wheel of time sriers not only is Jordan a better writer but his ideas are also original. Goodkind however takes jordans ideas and gives them a new name, or he takes one of Jordans names and gives them differnt backround. So for your own sake don't buy this book and go pick up "The Eye Of The World". (if you've read Jordans works you won't make it past book 4 any how so you'll save yourself 20 bucks).
Rating: 
Summary: The third in a great series
Review: This book swept me away into the vast imaginary world of Goodkind's. I don't want to give anything away to those of you who haven't read it, but you gotta love the end! If you haven't read the first two, hurry up so you can read this one!
Rating: 
Summary: for the second time....
Review: The first Sword of Truth novel was one of the most original, powerful, masterful, all-around good epic fantasy books I've ever read, the only thing better being The Lord of the Rings. The second novel kept up *some* of the glory of the first one, though not all of it...It still managed to be a good read. Blood of the Fold, on the other hand...I doubt it's intentional, but this might as well be Wheel of Time Book 9. Or the rewrite of Books 3 and 4... Still, Terry Goodkind's addictive writing style didn't allow me to put this one down, it has action, lots of action, just like the first two, more than the second one, actually, but I still didn't see much originality here. If Terry Goodkind is plagurizing Robert Jordan in any way, it's in the sense that in both Sword of Truth and Wheel of Time a lousy third volume gives way to a wonderful fourth volume. Like I said in my review of Wheel of Time book 3, you gotta push through this one if you want to get to book 4...which in Terry Goodkind's case is the best save maybe the first one.
Rating: 
Summary: Quick paced, keeps story rolling.
Review: While several hundred pages shorter than the first two, BotF maintains the excitement of the series. I gave it four stars because I had difficulty setting it down. I enjoyed the fast pace of this book. Mr Goodkind wastes no time moving the story on, FROM THE POINT WHERE THE PREVIOUS BOOKS LEFT OFF (other authors could take a lesson from this - no missed events)! I really liked the way Richard has shaken the foundations of the Midlands and D'Hara. Jagang is one bad apple! He scared me more than Darken Rahl ever did. I enjoyed watching Gratch grow up; it helps express the sense of time passing. I also enjoyed all the near misses when the main characters were physically close but unaware of it. COMMUNICATIONS AND INTELLIGENCE IS THE KEY TO VICTORY, PERIOD. What I don't like is the way Richard (and everyone else) has ignored the Westlands. There's no way Richard would blow off his homeland. Surely Jagang, the Sisters of the Dark, the Keeper, or somebody has been lurking there?.. I was also disapponted in the Lord General of the Blood of the Fold. He seemed too incompetent (crazy) to be the top dog, so what was keeping them together, and so powerful? His having the gift was a wonderful twist. Read this series, or I'll slap a Rada Han on you. Hey, that sounds like a wrestling move!
Rating:
Summary: A Twister of Addictive Talent
Review: I call this book a twister, along with the rest of the series, for three reasons. The first is it's ability to addict the unprepared and pull them into the story. I am no great literary critic, and I don't really look as far into characterization as one would, but no matter who you are, or what you like, you WILL be pulled in to Richard and Comp's story, you WILL be defenseless to it, and you WILL want the next book ASAP. Mr. Goodkind has created characters that I love and cherish, who pull me into the story as I've found only a few authors can. The words flow very well, and don't sound scripted, almost as good, though not as good as P.N. Elrod (who's Vampire Files series and Jonathon Barrett series have the most flawlessly smooth dialogue and flow I have ever had the privilage of reading; Miss Elrod is exquisite, and I suggest her to whoever reads this)I find that very often, with fantasy, hero's make speeches I find impossibly good, considering the character. What these characters say is believable, wonderfull, and filled with the passion of one who means what they say. The characters area real people, with real fears and feelings. I applaud Mr. Goodkind for this and much more as I go on. The second reason I call it a twister is the author's ability to split the story up and yet work everything in perfectly. It is a beautiful piece of work. The next part also is with the twister idea, concerning a "twist" ending. I must mention here that I have found a bit of a pattern in his series. He utilizes the saying "it's always darkest before the dawn" very often in his plots. I notice that things always look the worst JUST before it is fixed. It is as if the story is a pencil, laying down spots on a paper, looking to be making a mess, yet, at the end, when lines are connected the right way, make an beautiful picture. It is almost like Sherlock Holmes (I adore Sir A. Doyle's work as well). All is laid out, and the resolution is unseen until the last moment, when the reader, through Holmes and Watson, find out how Sherlock came to his conclusion and who did it. When explained, it all seems quite clear and fine, but when seen differently, make very little sense. I am rambling a bit now. Please excuse me this. But, in short (I guess I should have put this at the top then, eh? <g>) Mr. Goodkind's work is very very good, read it, and make sure that as soon as you start reading, have the next volume on hand so you don't suffer from withdrawl!
Rating:
Summary: A Letter to the Author
Review: Dear Mr. Goodkind, You, sir, have a gift. You see visions in your mind and are capable of rendering them in living words for your readers to enjoy. You have a remarkably creative talent that frequently has me riveted to the page, unable to look away. What you lack, sir, is the discipline to apply your creativity to every facet of your work. As an author, you bear the burden of responsibility of providing not only an entertaining tale, but also an original one. Nine out of ten elements in your series are delightfully original, it's the one in ten that shatter the reader's suspension of disbelief and drag them instantly into an involuntary comparison between yourself and Mr. Jordan. I believe that if I could remain immersed in any of your books from beginning to end, they would be among the best experiences in epic fantasy I have yet had. But the little similarities keep sneaking up on me and dragging me out of your wonderful world, bringing me visions of Mr. Jordan's works. I won't go into detail here about the similarities, I'm sure you've heard enough about them; my purpose with this message is to entreat you not to make the same mistakes in whatever work you undertake next. You owe it to your readers to provide them with the full efforts of your gift. When you cut corners by paralleling other writers, whether by intention or otherwise, you not only take away from the experience you are trying to provide, you also make yourself appear to be lazy. I have yet to read past this third volume in your series, and I don't know that I will. Please, sir, suspend my disbelief. Don't split the stream of my thought between the story my mind should be living in and the one I read last month. Thank you, and I look forward to your best efforts in the future.
Rating:
Summary: After RE-Reading, I think I'll change my review....
Review: I seeing the constant comparisons to Robert Jordan, I find it rather funny how completely different the authors really ARE, yet are compared so MUCH. Sure, there ARE similarities, but a REAL read of both authors finds that they are purely coincidental, and not meant to 'rip-off' the other. BOTH authors are good in their own way, and the comparisons are as fair as saying that Star Wars ripped off Star Trek simply because the Millennium Falcon jumps to Hyperspace. I 'SEE' the similarity, but I also realize they are COMPLETELY different, and not as similar as some would like to think. After originally reading 'Blood of the Fold' I felt a bit dissappointed when compared to the first two books...but now after re-reading it, I have decided that my original 'review' was a bit harsh. The only book in the series that was truly a let down was the most recent, "Soul Of The Fire". Other than that, the first 4 books are clearly superior to most (if not all) fantasy novels in print today. I AM partial to Goodkind, but that doesn't mean I can't see the obvious talent that Jordan has...but for ME, Goodkind seems to hit home, just like Jordan 'clicks' with others and SOME find them ALL worthless. Reviews are just opinions, and we ALL know how varied they can be, right? You just have to read the books for yourself to make a judgement call. So go ahead and read Jordan AND Goodkind and make up your OWN mind. Either way, if you are a fan of fantasy, you will most likely enjoy EVERY minute. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: More action, Less talk
Review: I like this book more than the first two. There is more action and less talk. In his second book in the series, there was about four hundred pages of too much talk. Here, there is more and better action. His ideas are inventive and I like the twists in the plot. My only complaint that holds through the entire series is that his dialogue is too modern and often trite; it is like listening to characters in a TV soap opera talk. Other authors (such as Robert Jordan) are much more convincing in adopting a style of speaking that fits the genre and the characters. Overall, a nice effort for fantasy fans.
Rating:
Summary: Good first efforts
Review: Terry Goodkind's first three books in this series (the only ones I have read) have the hint that Goodkind may some day write a wonderful fantasy series. However, this series is not it. It's a great series for young readers but I would skip it if your tastes run to the more mature. If you're just looking for some filler until the next George Martin book is published you won't find this book unbearable but it won't be enthralling by any stretch of the imagination.
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