Rating: 
Summary: ugh...
Review: Unquestionably a bad, cliche-ridden book. Put simply so as to not dwell on the obvious; if you are accustomed to intelligent writing, don't bother with this. You can almost SEE the seams in Goodkind's thought processes and transitions. It's one of those books where you spend all your time calling out "come on!" or "give me a break!" Stay away.In this genre, R.R. Martin is untouchable.
Rating: 
Summary: I'm either too picky or this book is too dull
Review: I always try to give a book a hundred pages before I give up on it. I gave this one 120, mostly because I want to read a good epic fantasy while I wait for new books from Robert Jordan and George R. R. Martin. Well, I couldn't wade through it. First of all, there's my low tolerance for cliches. Our hero is an orphan. Our hero meets a mysterious woman. they barely escape death. They look at each other with a special smile. They have dark secrets they're hiding. They barely escape death again. They wear "woodland garb". The old family friend is the "great wizard" (Ben Kenobi anyone?) Our hero gets powerful but hard-to-use Sword of Truth (Sword of Shannara, anyone?) They eat a LOT of spice soup. Secondly, I just don't care about the characters. They seem to be pulled from the made-for-tv bin. We get to read Richard's thoughts a lot, and there just isn't anything there to interest me. I've been spoiled by reading Tyrion Lannister's thoughts in George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire. (I was about ready for Martin to come and start lopping off heads, by the way.) To Terry Goodkind's credit, writing fantasy is not easy, and he's the one who cranked out a big novel and got it published. I'm just a picky reader. But for a guy who grew up reading JRR Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Anne McCaffrey, and Mervin Peake, this book couldn't break the old hundred page barrier.
Rating:
Summary: ugh
Review: i wanted to try this series TWICE, but each time, i just couldnt get past the part in the book where Richard gets the sword and can only use it with hate, or hate is one of the ways to use the sword. I'm sorry, but there's just something wrong when a good character needs to use hate in order to bring about justice. doesn't anyone else see that? twice i couldnt get past that part of the story to see if the rest was good. up to that point, the story was quite good, and grabbed my attention. it was well written. but comon, get rid of hate man!
Rating: 
Summary: Lacking in originality, but still enjoyable
Review: So, it's not entirely original. And it's not written perfectly. And it's got a little bit of corny dialouge. But I thought this was a fairly entertaining story. Looking at the previous customer reviews, I have come to the conclusion that you either love this book, or you hate it... there doesn't seem to be much middle ground. To be fair, I must say that, yes, this IS your standard fantasy story with the unsuspecting hero, a jaded wizard, the beautiful but powerful woman and a pretty two-dimensional antagonist with magic powers. Face it: There's not a whole lot of original ideas out there, people. Let's look at what's good about this book: It's pacing is superb... there's not a dull spot in the book. The background characters are interesting, even if they don't have a whole lot of dialouge or time in the spotlight. The story, while not above recycling some of the standard fantasy plot lines, does have interesting and new things in it. The Mord-Sith (now there's a Star Wars name rip-off if I ever saw one!) were fascinating to me, as was the whole idea of the Confessors. The bottom line is, this is an entertaining, fun, not too heavy book to read. It's thick, so it'll last a little while, but it's not so thick in actual content that you feel like you need a break after a reading session. Fantasy pros will recognize a lot of old cliches, but newcomers to the genre will probably be absolutely enthralled. I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good story, fantasy expert, or someone who doesn't know anything about wizards and magic. One thing to say in closing: How people can like Zelanzy's Amber Chronicles and not enjoy this story is totally beyond me. Amber was so dull, so insanely written, and most ridiculous concept for a story I have EVER come across. Pick up the Sword of Truth... avoid Amber.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Fantasy
Review: This is the best fantasy book that I have read to date. I used to read the Shannara books and think that they were the greatest (still the second best fantasy series), but Goodkind's world is entrapping. The way that Goodkind brings the characters to life is remarkable, and the plot keeps you turning the pages. If you've read Harry Potter and liked it, then you'll love this book. It's rich fabric is extremly more involving and it's characters are more real. The best start to a fantasy series that I have read so far.
Rating:
Summary: absolutely engaging
Review: This is absolutely the best book, (and series starter) I have ever read. The way Goodkind makes his images so vivid that you are actually there is incredible. His characters are believable, and worth fighting for. If at one time or another you have been turned off from fantasy novels, as I have, you are in for a surprise. I didn't think anyone could write a novel in that age and make it believable and fun. Enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: To each his/her own.
Review: Upon my reading of this book, I considered it absolutely enthralling. This is the only book that I almost found impossible to continue because of the emotions evoked from the imagery--but by this impossibility I was fully compelled to live on. Goodkind created one of the most impressive worlds I've ever visited (this includes Jordan's, Weis's, and Tolkien's). So, subsequently, I can't understand how anybody could say anything bad about it. Endless mulling and confusion ensued, a whole 5 seconds of it, until I realized my title comment--to each his/her own. This can be the only reason for such violent love/hate reactions to this (I believe) venerable series. People like what they like, ever in complete disregard of what others may say. However, for those of you who find Goodkind's style riveting, please enjoy. I was hooked like I've never been before from the first 20 pages. Jordan's took 150 pages. His style is so vibrant, so shimmering and alive. It almost seems as if the words leap from the page and spark to life images that spin as lascivious beacons tantalizing continuation--intoning as embodied voices requiring absolute subjugation. Too me, this is what life was all about. Though at times depressing (the characters have such bad luck!) this series is my chosen pinnacle of imaginative fantasy. Give it a try, find if it may also be yours.
Rating:
Summary: Good story but....
Review: This is a great story and I really enjoyed all the character development and stuff. The only problem is, sex-related content is all too common and it's graphic. It got to the point where it started to detract from the story for me. I read the first two books, but decided not to finish the series because I didn't want to wade through all the junk trying to enjoy the book. Your enjoyment of this book depends on how much that kind of thing bothers you.
Rating:
Summary: Painful read
Review: I'd had enough after the first hundred pages. Just couldn't believe in the world or care about the characters. Luckily I've found several other much better series to read.
Rating:
Summary: A blatant Wheel of Time ripoff
Review: Im not a huge Robert Jordan fan. Im actually a huge George R R Martin fan waiting for his next book, and Im looking for something decent to read. I read the first four books in this series (out of boredom mainly) and every idea in these books is ripped straight from the Wheel of Time. In most cases Goodkind didn't even bother trying to hide the fact. I could write a 1000 page book myself discussing all the derivations, but I'll just leave a few examples instead: The Children of the Light in WoT = The Blood of the Fold in SoT. Angreal = agiel. Rand al'Thor = Richard Rahl. Aes Sedai = Confessors + Sisters of the Light. Black Ajah = Sisters of the Dark. Sul'dam = Mord-Sith. Seekers of Truth = Seeker of Truth. Naming the Dark One = Naming the Keeper. The Stone of Tear = the Stone of Tears.
You get the idea. If you're thinking of reading this book, read Wheel of Time instead, or better yet, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin.
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