Rating: 
Summary: An amazing story on its own
Review: People who read serial fantasies (Jordan et. al.) sometimes forget what a novel is supposed to be--a single novel, not a 10 books series. Goodkind has said himself that he practices the art of writing novels, not world-building. With that understanding, Faith of the Fallen is an amazing novel about trials of Richard and Kahlan, their love for each other, and their sacrifice for the greater good of humanity. It deals with the darkness that we all carry within us, and how it can be used to justify almost any action we take (Jagang and Nicci). It is an amazing novel, and though I have been reading fantasy fiction for nearly 20 years, I was enthralled by this recent offering. Awestruck by it. It stands up tall in the Sword of Truth series as probably the best yet, as well as it stands up tall in the realm of fantasy fiction as a whole. Goodkind creates characters we can touch, who are as unpredictable, edgy, and complete as any I've read. You won't regret buying this book, even if you've never read the other Sword of Truth novels.
Rating:
Summary: Here we go again? NOT!!
Review: When I picked up the latest work from Terry Goodkind and read the promo on the inside leaf there was a sickening sense of deja-vu, like haven't we seen this before? So it was with some skeptisism that I read the first few chapters and was pleasantly surprised that what Goodkind had done was actually a departure from the tried and true and tired formula used by so many Fantasy authors of today. I won't go into details because I think its worth discovering for yourself. What Goodkind has done here is something that Jordan has failed to do,find a way to extend a profitable series without subjecting your readers to mind-numbing tomes like Path of Daggers.What he does is go off on a tangent creating an almost new story while still progressing the central theme of the series. Last point; Goodkinds brilliance shines through in one particular aspect, the driving force of the Imperial Order.He presents it in such a way that even though it is clearly flawed and smacks of collectivism and of denial of the individual,it almost seems virtuous, it has it's own convoluted seductiveness and one could understand how one or many could fall under its spell. This is a good book,Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Thrilling!
Review: Some reviews that I have read have actually made this book seem to be horrible. I got a bad sense and almost didn't buy it. In my opinion, the reviews less than 4 stars are all mistaken! The book runs well, and although Kalhan does go into battle again, its in a way unlike no other. Character Development is excellent, And the book teaches much about pride, honor, valor, and LIFE. I loved Nikki's continual struggle to find out what exactly is good. I simply could not put this book down. To he who said that it was a poor show of government, I feel that government isn't a point Goodkind is meaning to hit on. This is a WONDERFUL book, and is a MUST read of the series!!
Rating:
Summary: The Anticipation is Capturing
Review: "She didn't remember dying." And thus begins Terry Goodkind's latest novel, Faith of the Fallen, in the Sword of Truth Series, sequel to his previous novel, Soul of the Fire. It shows very well how much he has improved since his first novel in this series, Wizard's First Rule. This fantasy novel plummets the stubborn, strong-willed Seeker, Richard, into the depths of the heart of the Old World, to the Imperial Order, taken there by the deceitful Sister of the Dark, Nicci. Kahlan, forced to stay behind by a twisted spell, must battle Emperor Jagang by herself, wondering all the while whether her beloved is alive... or dead. In a tale that will show who will live, and who will die, Goodkind once again expands his world, chilling you to the bone with each twist and turn. This captivating book is a must-read for any fantasy buff, who may or may not love action. It will keep you wanting to find out what happens next, but wishing you had the will power not to find out. A story like this, which can create vivid pictures of the character's world, is more than just a book. It's an adventure.
Rating:
Summary: If Ayn Rand had writen fantasy
Review: One of the beauties of fantasy is that you can create a world that does what you like, instead of the world we live in. So you can set your characters up to work out a moral dilemma which is firmly delimited. Most fantasy is about the development into maturity of a hero - start young and end up Lord of the Universe, something like that. This volume is not. It more or less works out a version of the cold war. The "Old World" is set up on the Jamestown premise "From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." Imagine this being enforced by consensus - ie a lot of meetings - with totalitarian overlay, secret police, and a state at perpetual war and you're in the old world. Nicci is a big fan of this system - for the best of reasons - and fantasy allows Goodkind to set up a circumstance in which the Richard, the arch-individual, is compelled to live in that society. It won't surprise American readers that we discover that individual initative is the superior organizing principle of society - it builds self-esteem, it lubricates the wheels of industry, and it brings down all opposing systems because of its basis in innate humanity. They are attracted to the beauty of freedom. As for Ayn Rand, I suggest you read Atlas Shrugged after reading this novel, if these issues interest you. She, alas, set her characters in the real world and so things are not so well focused as here and she was more pessimistic about the outcome. That said, how's the book? Pretty good. A bit of slow slogging at points when the author really wants to be sure you understand how he's got things set up, but readable enough to keep me up at night last night - and I might mention that I am not at all interested in the philosophic principles the author is discussing. One warning:In this book the way you know you really want freedom is that you are willing to kill those who keep it from you. We have quite a bit of justified murder here, altho we also have redemption. This is ok in a sword and sorcery book but Kids, don't try this at home.
Rating:
Summary: Good Job
Review: I really enjoyed the character development in this installment of the series. There were a few minor problems but overall a very good read. If you like the series you should read!
Rating: 
Summary: good book, but
Review: the series is becoming predictable. Although I must echo the sentiments of another poster--at least Nicci's character is developed in this book. There are times I absolutely hated her, and other times that I could see how she was changing. Once again, Richard & Kahlan are separated to fight their own battles. At times, it seems like for every character Goodkind kills off, he adds 10 more. Although I think that he does at least try to mention most of the characters in every book. I found myself having to go back to figure out who everyone was and what their relationships were. One thing I really liked in this book was the "Resistance" movement that Kahlan and the Sisters put together. That showed some variety that I was not expecting. And who knew Richard had so much sculpting talent in him? I think that the relationships he forged in the Old World will come back to help him later on. I can't wait for the next book.
Rating:
Summary: Great Ending, but the Story Takes Time to Pick up
Review: FOF ends with such a terrific and moving conclusion that I almost forgave it all the problems that it seemed to have in the first part of the book. As other reviews have indicated, the 6th installment in the Sword of Truth series is a great,if flawed, read. Goodkind reintroduces us to Nicci, a Sister of Dark (who I remember last reading about in Stone of Tears) who sets out to capture Richard and drag him to the New World. Nicci's reasons for capturing Richard are not revealed until the very end and I can't say I'm entirely satisfied by the reasons given (I won't reveal them except to say that they didn't seem all that compelling). Richard, meanwhile, is fed up with leading a battle when he feels that the Midlands are not willing to stand up to Jajang. Nicci tracks down Richard and kidnaps Richard by threatening Kahlen's life by way of a special "Corsican brothers-type bond" with Kahlen: so, any injury done to Nicci will also be inflicted on Kahlen. When I first got to this part, I admit it seemed that Richard's capture was a cheap and simple plot device to get Richard to (a) go to the New World; b) be subservient to Nicci; and (c) created sexual tension between Nicci and Richard (will she or won't she force Richard to have sex with her). While Richard is on his months-long journey to the New World with Nicci, we are treated to some great battle scenes between a Kahlen-led Midlands army and the great horde of the Order. The battle scenes are well described and there is good drama in this section of the book (which is the middle of the book). When we return to Richard, he's in the New World with Nicci. Here, Goodkind gets his Ayn Rand hat on and depicts Richard as a self-made capitalist in the fantasy version of Stalin's Russia. As I was reading the way this society "operates," I could see obvious references to Soviet-type systems and a few digs at a "welfare state." Yeah, it gets a bit extreme and preachy, but Goodkind has a point here and he starts to make it with about 200 pages to the end. And yeah, the ending is telegraphed and does seem a bit hokey. So why four stars? For several reasons: First, Goodkind almost completely pulls it off. Through strong characters, he tells a tightly written story (no rambling chapters here a la Jordan's Wheel of Time). Second, Goodkind's writing is really very elegant and poetic. For the kind of story he told in FOF, he needed a more subtle way of describing events and emotions. Goodkind really uses some of his best language and imagery in this book. And third, Goodkind is able to tell a cohesive and complete story in one book. Unlike the "sort-of" ending in Soul of the Fire, Goodkind wraps up this story and there is a sense of completion.
Rating:
Summary: Beware younger readers! It still is slow going!
Review: I have two strong opinions about this book. The first is that this is a great book, especially to learn new vocabulary. Of course being young I haven't heard of any one putting mordern day communism to an old-fashioned fantasy relm. The way Goodking writes, he not only fills in small gaps of the previous books, and embelishes character, he also makes the bad guy's motives make sense. The bad guys are never crazy lunatics with no motive and Richard is not going to try to save the world unless the people want him to. His characters are smart, human, and some what realistic. Unfortunately the book is slow. Beware younger readers! The whole series if of course written in legthy and descriptive detail, not one motion is left out. But after reading the book I don't realyy see where it is going. Goodking keeps the reader reading, but I knew from the beginning what was going to happen in the end (as if the cover didn't give it away) but Goodking isn't going anywhere with his series. He gives Richard and his company a new adventure everytime, where some thing terrible that could ruin the world will happen, but there is no end to it. Maybe that will be Goodking's series, a sort of continuing series where it never ends until Richard does, or his kids (assuming they ever have any), or his kids, kids...
Rating:
Summary: A page turner
Review: I'm getting tired of hearing people say that his books aren't leading anywhere. I believe that he is just writing books like a tv series. Its not like the Robert Jordan series where he is TRYING to lead up to a big finish. In his book there is a new adventure every time. I enjoyed this book, except whenever Kahlan is involved. She is boring. Thats the only reason why this book recieves a 4, otherwise I recommend this book to all.
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