Rating: Summary: Disappointing, but still worthwile Review: This series started out with great energy and potential, but I feel that it has steadily deteriorated. It seems that in "Temple of the Winds," a thin storyline has been stretched too far. The plot has hardly changed since the first book, still kill the incredibly powerful evil guy/save the world, and of course continue trying to get married. The characters have been trying to marry for four books now; the novelty has worn off. And I also thought that the book got a bit perverted, focusing as it did on plague/rape/torture/mutilation. Of course, the novel still had some redeeming qualities; though it occasionally bored me and more than occasionally disgusted me, it still kept me reading. There were some interesting character developments and wizardly growth. I still rank this fantasy series as one of my favorites, and I fully intend to read the next book.
Rating: Summary: Goodkind isn't Jordan? Good thing, too! Review: I just recently discovered the Sword Of Truth series, and have devoured each book in short order. I didn't think "Blood Of The Fold" was quite as good as the others, but it was still very good. "Temple Of The Winds" is outstanding, and I am eager to read "Soul Of The Fire." I have a rebuttal to some of the reviewers who disparage Goodkind as a poor man's Robert Jordan. That's BUNK. Jordan's last two books have been nothing more than a criminal waste of trees. Pure and utter slop. A shameful fall from the heights he used to command. Having said that, I wonder if Goodkind hasn't intentionally "borrowed" elements from the Wheel Of Time series . . . in order to show that he can do it better. The Sisters Of The Light never made me want to throw the book across the room in utter disgust. In contrast, Jordan's puerile Aes Sedai may have turned me off from reading any more of his books. Blood Of The Fold? More palatable than the Children Of The Light . . . at least they managed to do something during the course of the book. And who among us has not ripped off the Spanish Inquisition as a literary device? Jagang reminds me of a Raymond E. Feist type of antagonist, equipped with massive armies and all. I notice that Goodkind has mostly stayed away from the epic scenes of battle while concentrating on the horror and woe of the conquest and its aftermath. The effect is still pretty powerful. Now, I'm not saying Terry Goodkind is the second coming of Tolkien, or anything similar. However, I think he stands very well on his own, and has written some of the most gripping stories I've read in a while. I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one, and look forward to more! I have enjoyed the growth of Richard's character, the discovery of Nathan and his hidden abilities, an the hidden wonders of the Keep. I am eager to learn the history of Zedd; just how much does he know, and where did he learn it? I hope to learn these things as the series continues!
Rating: Summary: Painful, as an audiobook Review: I managed to finish the audiocasettes of this book as I commuted, but only just. I loved the first couple books in this series, but the magic's gone. I've listened to several other books on audiocasette as I drive, and found them fine -- so the fault is with this book. The long-winded prose was painful to listen to; I finally had to give up on this book (a first), not too far from the end. In this case only, this audiobook would have been better abridged.
Rating: Summary: i just can't put it down Review: The story continues and what a story it is.Congratulations to terry on another fine book.KEEP UP THE HARD WORK TERRy.
Rating: Summary: The most incredible series I have read in a long time. Review: This book is just another wonderful addition to an already excellent series. The transformation of Richard Cypher, the woods guide to Richard Rahl, the Master of D'Hara is just amazing. The adventures that he and the Mother Confessor go on are just spell binding! This is one series that I can't put down. I really look forward to reading Soul of Fire and any other books that come along later. WAY TO GO TERRY!
Rating: Summary: A decent series whose strengths have steadily waned. Review: What began as an interesting fantasy in "Wizard's First Rule" and "Stone of Tears" has begun to devolve into episodic serialization and somewhat sophomoric heroic posturing. To be honest, I never felt this series to be among the best, an equal to Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings," Donaldson's "Chronicles of Thomas Covenant," William's "Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn," or Martin's or Jordan's ongoing series. There has always been the sense of Goodkind writing in the shadow of Jordan for reasons that are obvious, and, regardless of arguments over "The Wheel of Time's" flaws, the "Sword of Truth" series by Goodkind has never approached the scale of Jordan's work, and appears now to be flagging in both energy and focus. What began in "Wizard's First Rule" as a fantasy epic with a solid story line and much original content, despite a few obvious broad borrowings from past writer's, including Jordan, has become, with this book, a series of adventures only loosely connected to the grand conceptual story promised by the first book. The original premise presented in "Wizard's First Rule" is now forming the excuse for 800 page excursions into secondary stories that exist in large part separate from the larger struggle that is the premise behind this series. As a stand-alone, this book is unsuccessful, and succeeds only because it is propped by the previous works. Nor does it advance the earlier story established by those books. Instead, if you examine the plot closely, it revisits a lot of old ground. The thread of Goodkind's legend has begun to become unravelled. A further problem has begun to manifest itself in his characters: They have begun to become stereotypes of themselves. They are far too full of their roles, and much of their response to situations becomes a form of posturing, and therefore predictable. The more I saw of Richard and Kahlan, the less sympathetic they became. The overall population in this series have become caricatures of themselves, and if one looks closely, one does not really care for what one finds. In closing, I wish to address a couple issues that crop up repeatedly in reviews of this work, as well as other fantasy fiction: 1. I weary of all the reverent comparisons to Tolkein. Let's judge a work based upon it's own merits, not some "mythic" comparison to a work that is considered by many to be the founding work of a genre, and therefore flawless. This ignores not only certain weaknesses in Tolkein's writing ability, but the strengths of writers that have followed. If "Lord of the Rings" is the ultimate achievement in fantasy fiction, why are we reading further? 2. The accusation of derivative work: It's all, to one degree or another derivative. There is, perhaps, no more derivative work in fantasy than Tolkein; one only need read the Norse or Germanic sagas, or watch Wagner's "Ring Cycle" to realize how closely Tolkein copied these works. So to those who cry foul when they perceive similarities between contemporary authors and Tolkein, I say know what of you speak: Likely you've never even heard of E.R.Eddison.
Rating: Summary: Could have been shorter without the summary Review: This book prabably could have been a couple hundred pages shorter if it weren't for the fact that every other page was a review of what happened in the previous books. Don't get me wrong - it's great that Goodkind tries to explain what has happened in the event of new readers, but the way he does it is unsubtle and tedious. Otherwise, I liked the book, but when you skip almsot entire chapters because they are nothing but one character telling a new character what you've already read, something is not quite right.
Rating: Summary: ONE OF THE BEST FANTASY BOOKS EVER WRITTEN Review: TERRY GOODKIND HAS DONE A WONDERFUL JOB OF KEEPING THIS SERIES ALIVE. EVERYTIME YOU GET TO AN EXCITING PART, IT JUST GETS EVEN BETTER. I RECOMMEND EVERYONE TO BUY THIS BOOK AND THE REST OF THE SERIES. I GUARANTEE THAT IF YOU ARE A TRUE LOVER OF WIZARDS, FANTASY AND EVERYTHING ELSE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE KINDS OF THINGS, YOU WILL LOVE THESE BOOKS AND WONT BE ABLE TO STOP READING THEM AND YOU'LL WANT MORE.
Rating: Summary: Best Series I have read in a long time Review: I thought this series of books were the bomb. I LOVED sword of truth. I like Zedd and Kathlan alot. I think Soul of the Fire is good, but the chicken thats not a chicken in the beggining was kinda freaky.
Rating: Summary: Mr. Goodkind did it again. Review: I have decided that due to my love of this series, he shall be known to me as Mr. Goodkind. His telling of the story matched that of Wizard's First Rule, though I am getting bored of his continually retelling of the previous books. I must admit that Drefan Rahl seemed a bit obvious, in name and nature. I still have faith that one day this guy might be as well remembered as J.R.R. Tolkien.
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