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Summary: Short term thinking, high pressure publishing
Review: No matter what genre of writing you work in, it is always important to think about the entirety of what you want to accomplish. Review the work and characters for cliches, plot for redundancies and the world you've built, if you choose to write fantasy, for contradiction. Most of my concerns after reading this book have been addressed in the multitude of reviews that precede this one, but as always I'm dismayed at the casual comparisons and superlatives here. Both Goodkind and Jordan seem to be churning out massive tomes of prose without any macroscopic structure, albeit very different writing styles. Both started very strongly with their debut, and then have become lost along the way. Compare that effort with the clarity and pace of George Martin's current work, or with the still unmatched worldbuilding of Tolkein. What's always amazing about the latter is that he wrote such a tightly conceived book in LOTR, only splitting it into three volumes at his publisher's urging. With Goodkind's sixth installment, we're gettting the equivalent of verbal diarrhea, prompted by the likely demands of TOR and unabated by the presence of anything more than a spellchecker. Both Jordan and Goodkind could really use a better editor. I was also disappointed, as it seems many others were, in Terry's emphasis on exploring objectivism instead of explicating futher on fantasy world or systems of magic he had spent time on in early volumes. The gars and dragons, last remaining confessor, unlikely hero and slowly developing wizardry, along with the rest of his world, were what drew me in, not this rehash of Ayn Rand or free market philosophy cloaked in the shell of the early series. I'm disappointed, to say the least, and while I've never been one to stop reading a book or leave a movie in progress, I doubt I'll be wasting anymore time reading the Sword of Truth series.
Rating: 
Summary: Alright you would-be book critics....
Review: If you want a book you enjoy reading..i say start with this series....if you want to practice becoming a Book Critic...I suppose this is as good a place as ANY to start your practice. For those of you who just want to know if a book is good and don't want to hear all the blathering details about developing characters and plot and all other such nonsense instead of just enjoying the moment...then don't read the reviews...hehehe...
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent story, but a lack of purpose
Review: In terms of action, character development and the story itself, Faith of The Fallen would have deserved a five star. However, what really bugs me and, I believe, many other Sword of Truth fans is that Terry Goodkind seems to write the series with a lack of direction, basically leading the series nowhere. As a matter of fact, I would argue that to a certain extent, it doesn't matter at all where someone would start reading the series. If you compare with Robert Jordan, well, at least the wheel of time is ever so slowly progressing to some conclusion. With Goodkind, it really seems like the story could stretch on forever and each book, no matter how good, always give me the impression that the story didn't progress. Now, that being said, it doesn't mean at all that I did not enjoy the book, which I in fact thought was the best one so far in the series. Off course, the major storyline is very similar to what we've seen so far in the series, but new and previous characters are being well developed and there is somewhat more action in this book. I really enjoyed both the struggle of Kahlan against the Order's army and Richard's different stuggle against the order, in the Old World. Also, Nicci is probably my favourite character in this book. So for all Sword of Truth fans, this installment will not disappoint you as long as you are not expecting any major development in the series.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book in the Series
Review: The latest book in this series is by far the best he has ever written; I could not stop reading this book. I have read it 5 times and I find myself wanting to read it more. There are only a few things in this book I did not understand. 1. Why does he kill off Richards's female bodyguards so easily? This is the first series were the ruler of a nation has a history of being protected by an elite group of women who love there leader with such passion that they are willing to kill, torture, and sacrifice their lives for him. I know the training they went through to become a Mod-Siths. Richard will not let that happen again; if all of his female bodyguards die stupidly, like in this novel, were is he going to get more. This is one of the reasons this story stands out from the rest of the fantasy book. 2. I still don't understand why Warren had to die? He was becoming a major payer in the series; on top of that the knowledge he retain would be valuable for the upcoming battle. By Killing Warren you handicapped Richard, because he does not have Warren's knowledge to rely on. I hope Mr. Goodkind reads this and can give me an answer? Thank you
Rating:
Summary: a good book with only one defect
Review: while i do think that richard getting torn away from kalhan happens to much that is the only defect i found. other people thought that the story isnt progressing fast enough but i think it is. I hate it when authors push the story ahead just because the book is at 649 pages and they want to end it at 670. i like when an author doesnt think he has to rush himself. even though i like authors like piers anthony he seems to do that a lot, so his stories are not as good as they could be. other people thought that he goes into to much detail with the violence. HELLO its a war happening. they are not going to throw flowers at each other. and goodkind needed to show all of this so that you know what he went through so that the character developes. this book is a must read in my opinion along with the rect of the series. authors like robert jordan are terrible authors that should be selling their books in a van down by the river.
Rating: 
Summary: Faith of the Fallen
Review: I have been taught to keep my mouth closed unless I have something nice to say, but alas I can not. I have been reading Jordan's Wheel of Time and Goodkind's Sword of Truth concurrently (do these guys know each other? has anyone seen them in the same room?), and while both can be repetitive, Goodkind's latest installment was tedious. I found about 40% of the book riveting, 50% pedantic and 10% painful (witness Nicci's psychotic Aurophobia). Goodkind's formula has been three great books, two good books and this Harlequin release. After reading Dan Simmon's Endymion and C.S. Friedman's Black Sun Rising series, Thomas Harlan's Shadow of Ararat, even Wizard's First Rule...It is hard to forgive the price I paid for this disappointment.
Rating:
Summary: Deja vu? Maybe, but engaging anyway.
Review: Yes, Goodkind seems to be stuck in an idea rut. The whole Richard being captured thing does present you with a horrible sense of deja vu in the early part of the book, but Goodkind manages to rise past his own cliche and make this one of the best of the six so far. Unlike Jordan, who seems to be going nowhere slowly, each entry into the Sword of Truth series seems to advance the overall plot a little further and new areas of both character and world are explored. The story starts slowly, but picks up speed throughout the book until the fairly satisfying ending. Clearly a good read, but hardly a must-buy in hardback.
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Summary: A Return To Form for Terry
Review: I am writing this review without having read the opinions of other readers, in the attempt to be unbiased. Soul Of The Fire was an unmitigated disaster in my opinion: a book that became an unintentional parody of itself. Faith Of The Fallen restores this series to its initial, good path. The Sword Of Truth series, let's be honest, is a traditional good-vs-evil, noble-hero-who-struggles-against-impossible-odds kind of novel. And from many points of view, this is its major flaw. Richard is a hero above reproach, noble to a fault. While his "goodness" has bothered me in the past, I felt that it fit into this installment of the series quite nicely. Another strong point is the major reduction in detailed descriptions of violence. I always thought that Goodkind just could not be subtle to save his life, so he always subjected almost all of our heroes to painful trials of physical and emotional violence. Most of the time, they were as painful for me to wade through. There are some spots in the novel where this temptation presented itself; when Richard is imprisoned for example. While we read about his condition, we are thankfully spared the details of his treatment. Yes, there are some other aspects that are undoubtedly heavyhanded. The entire political and religious ramifications are obvious and trite in parts. But I nevertheless liked the way the story unfolded and how nobility and the desire for life were victorious in the end. Richard, Kahlan, and Cara have remained themselves, they have not sunk to parodies of themselves as happened to Robert Jordan's characters. Nicci, the principal "enemy" in the story makes for an interesting analysis. Troubled and ruthless, she skirts the line between being evil but wanting to do good in a deliciously ambiguous way. I really felt that Goodkind really made me care about everyone in this novel. Major kudos for Keith Parkinson for his splendid cover and bringing the essence of the novel to life.
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Summary: Best thing since David Gemmell
Review: I made the mistake of reading all of David Gemmell's books before moving on to any other fantasy authors. Because of this everything else I read was a disappointment because nothing came close to Gemmell in terms of gritty realism and action. That was until I started reading the Sword of Truth series. Goodkind's strength is that he'll do the unexpected, who would have thought Warren would be killed off soon after his wedding? Granted this book was a little more predictable than his others, possibly due to the cover which is a bit of a give-away. Goodkind isn't afraid to do things differently, the reasons others give this book a bad review is that it's not 'fantasy' enough, it's more like David Gemmell's style. Some people seem to need the same old stereotypical rubbish but I found this book very refreshing because it avoided these pitfalls. As for the series not progressing, this I don't understand, Jordans series has crawled to a halt but this one is still in full flow. I recommend to anyone who wants a refreshing change from the sometimes dull world of fantasy and those who like their books realistic to give this a go, they wont be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Goodkind struggles to get out of pattern.
Review: Terry Goodkind appears to be in the midst of a problem, we'll call it "Jordan's Disease" for lack of a better term. This problem involves stringing out a popular story over a long period of time without actually advancing the plot or characters the way they should. In the sixth installment to the Sword of Truth series, it appears that Goodkind is now firmly infected by Jordan's Disease (see reviews of the latest Wheel of Time novel) and so far does not show any signs of getting out of it. While the book itself is indeed a page turner, and contains an engaging plotline, it is clear that Goodkind has done this before, several times in fact. Again we see Richard captured (by women-- a Goodkind fantasy perhaps?) and again we see him rise above the situation to win freedom. Fortunately, Goodkind's writing style and imagery are engaging enough to keep the reader glued to the book, however this formula that the author is using has now become tiresome. Hopefully the next installment will present a fresh viewpoint. My recommendation is to purchase the book, but keep in mind that the story will feel very similar.
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