Rating: 
Summary: A novel of ideas, and the best to date
Review: My husband and I have been reading Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series for some time now, and have enjoyed them a great deal. In my opinion, however, "Faith of the Fallen," Book 6 in the "Sword of Truth" series, is by far the best book to date.Each book expounds upon one of several rules of magic -- beginning with the "Wizard's First Rule," that people are stupid -- and we have had fun trying to figure out what each rule was before one of the characters, usually Zed, got around to announcing it. "Faith of the Fallen" is, like its flap copy states, a novel of ideas. In it, Richard Rahl is captured by a sorceress, Nicci, and taken to the heart of the Imperial Order, its crown city in the Old World. There, he sees and confronts the Order's effect on the lives of its citizens firsthand. The Old World in sway of the Imperial Order bears more than a superficial resemblance to the failed regime of Communism in the former USSR, although its lessons can also be applied when contemplating our own society's ongoing efforts towards greater equality and the continuing welfare debate. Goodkind is not the first writer to tackle the issue of socially engineered "equality" -- Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" is another fine example of this genre -- but he does so in a way that is compelling and thought-provoking. It goes without saying that Richard will save the day, but this time we see a new side to the War Wizard, that of creator. Put simply, the Sword of Truth is not the only blade that Richard can wield with almost supernatural skill. Goodkind is very adept at description, and his passages about carving seem very realistic and vivid. He is also very good at characterization, and his most vividly drawn creations include several women -- Kahlan, Cara and Verna among them. The number of women in Goodkind's volumes is a refreshing change from what seems their mere token appearance in the work of some other male fantasy authors. For some reason, though, several of these women want to go to bed with, or marry, Richard, and Nicci is no exception. A fully realized character, full of conflict, who Nicci is and what she does in "Faith of the Fallen" are a direct result of her past experiences. Altogether, "Faith of the Fallen" is an excellent novel, enjoyable on many levels as rousing fantasy adventure and as the "novel of ideas" it is purported to be. I highly recommend "Faith of the Fallen" and the other volumes in the "Sword of Truth" series.
Rating: 
Summary: Same Old Whine...
Review: Goodkind's books are beginning to read like Danielle Steel novels--same old story, different dust jacket. Again, Richard is spirited away against his will, this time by the Dark Sister, Nicci. Again, Kahlan the Mother Confessor is used as leverage to ensure his good behavior. (At this point, readers will think, "Kahlan really needs to jump off a cliff, we're sick of her!") The story plods along as Richard's innate goodness is the catalyst that inspires the downtrodden to rebel. Can Goodkind stretch this storyline any thinner? One good thing about this book, it is slightly more readable than the last book in the series!
Rating:
Summary: Jon's SoT B6 Review!
Review: I read this book after addictively reading the other 5, and I must say that I truly believe that it will never end! I hope it doesn't because these books seem to grow as they cover more and more of Terry Goodkind's world. If there any book better than this one, it's the first, which was the best. However, with no end in near sight, the 7th book will have to be better, as the readers expect it to be. I found that Richard still does the same stupid things that he always has, making him Richard and not someone else. Kahlan is, of course, even worse as she really doesn't listen to him or anyone else. Zedd is barely there, and that's just wrong. Nicci is basically the whole book, making it seem awfully boring at times. You know the ending right away - they make it. Duh! Terry has to come up with an amazing plot for the next book, because if he doesn't, I will!
Rating: 
Summary: Simply horrid
Review: Let me start by saying I enjoyed Wizards First Rule but enjoyed each ensuing sequel less and less. I hardly know where to begin the list of things I found apalling about the last two (especially) books of this series, but I'll attempt to be concise. I'm sorry but the basic plot repeats through every book. The tension of "will Richard and Kalhan get back together again?" grew thin by the end of the second book. And when he repeated it again and again, well, there's no tension, there's only the annoying sound of the same note being played over and over. Perhaps Goodkind cannot write a deep and satisfying relationship and covers this by keeping the protagonists separated and tortured in various and sundry ways. The infusion of Goodkinds political philosophy into the last two books goes beyond irritating, it downright made me mad. It was not an "intricately woven subtle facet", blimey! He hits the reader over the head with it for unending pages and unending senarios only to repeat his rant against the "red menace" again and again, oh, excuse me, I mean the order, or do I mean the democrats? He sounds like McCarthy or is it Rush? Heavy, heavy handed, repetituve, boring and written like a politics 101 primer for dummies. Lastly, I really liked Richard in the first book, he was conflicted, he was not always perfect and even though he has always been somewhat superhumanly strong (he's been beat to a pulp more times than the road runner and survived just as easily), he was pretty much a human being. He felt real. His character is now so bloody perfect, god, the man can do anything, even learn to carve marble like Michealangelo in a month. He has gone from a favorite to one of my *least* enjoyed characters of literature. He is light as air in his unerring do-right perfection. Even Dudley screwed up sometimes. He's boringly flat and now feels like water torture to me, ping, ping, ping. No variety, no substance, just square of jaw and I'm sure he's as perfect of breath as he is of intention. Oh, wait, I forgot Nicci. Was there ever a less developed villian? She was brought up politically incorrect so she gave her soul to the Keeper and became the Lady of Death. She then figures one day that she doesn't want to go along with jagang anymore (why is this? It was never explained *at all*)so she steals Richard so he can "teach" her something? This just felt incredibly weak to me. And worse, her redemption was totally unbelievable. This sister of darkness, capable of unreal horror is magically transformed by looking at a sculpture carved by Richard. Conflict over, she now wants to join the good guys... and it only took 534 pages. Oh, the story only took about 10, the rest is political rant. And of course, in his perfect perfection, Richard forgives her indiscretions. sheesh Shame on me for reading the whole thing
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, okay, I know that already....
Review: While I have thouroughly enjoyed the books in the Sword of Truth series, I'm tired of the repitition. Terry needs to stop writing for the people who have not read the first books and focus on the fans who have read them all. I get bogged down in all the redundant information and lose track of the story. I know it's difficult to write in a series without repeating some information, but enough is enough.
Rating:
Summary: Strong, Rich, Inspirational
Review: This book is an absolutely must read. The story starts off almost leisurely, but quickly picks up to a frantic pace. The book truly climaxes at the end, as Richard unveils his statue. Terry Goodkind really does make you believe that Richard is a unique person with the power to change people's lives. This book gives you a strong feeling of hope and light after you read, and thus, it fits perfectly with the theme of the book. This has my whole-hearted approval.
Rating:
Summary: Mixed Emotions
Review: While reading this novel I experienced an odd mix of joy & disappointment. Joy, because, once again I was reading about the adventures of my favorite hero & heroine. Disappointment, because I felt that MORE WORK could have been put into the development of this book. The plot was not fantastic and certainly had nothing new. I was expecting new twists & variations, but no such luck. Having started this series from the very beginning, way back in 1994, I couldn't help but say to myself: "seen that before...". I do hope that Mr. Goodkind finds the determination & inspiration to finish this series with a novel that can rival the story that began the Sword of Truth saga: "Wizards First Rule". I fervently hope that we finish with a BANG!
Rating:
Summary: A Dissapointing "Must"
Review: If you are into this series, then like me, you have been waiting a long time for this book. Unfortunately, as much as it is a "must" read for us addicts, it is really disappointing and the plot seems to be going very stale. I will not be wasting my time, waiting for his next book in the series. I've had it and feel really let down by Goodkind.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent once more......
Review: I must say that Faith of The Fallen is a great read....I could almost picture Nikki. The reason I gave only four stars is that I am ready for Richard to start to learn his power and to use it. I'm sure the next book will do this as well as give Richard and Kahlan a son. That will bring Shota back into it. Faith was well written and almost seems to parallel current political issues such as conservatism and liberalism, communism and capitalism. I like the way Goodkind incorporates this in his themes....Anyway, let's bring Gratch back and keep up the good work, Goodkind.
Rating:
Summary: Good secondary character
Review: Nicci saves this book. Richard (the hero) and Kahlan (his wife) are one-dimensional. Richard is noble and self-sacrificing. Kahlan is brave and good. Nicci is evil and well-meaning. She loves pain yet lives to save others. She also kidnaps Richard, drags him away from his wife, and holds Kahlan's life over him like a club. Way to go, Goodkind by developing Nicci.
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