Rating: 
Summary: Give us more of what we want...
Review: While this book was fairly entertaining it left me somewhat dissapointed. I, like many other fantasy junkies, love larger than life characters who overcome the odds by their prodigeous skills and courage. Goodkind's latest left me wondering whether he still has the same vision for his characters. Example, Kahlan beats Richard in a mock sword fight? What!?!?! Isn't this the same guy who defeated all those blademasters earning the title "bringer of death"? Also, Richard STILL doesn't know how to use his magic. After 6 FAT books he ought to know at least something about how to use it. Anyway, I realize that this review might sound a little jaded and might be taken as a warning not to read the book. Not so. Read it and find out for yourself. My suggestion to Mr. Good kind... Give us the original Richard back. Not the OVERLY esoteric and moody Richard who for some odd reason seems to be and expert in Philosophy. I still don't get that.
Rating: 
Summary: A worthy entry in the "Sword of Truth" series
Review: At the end of "Soul of Fire", things are going very badly for Richard Rahl. Anderith has voted to join the Imperial Order and Kahlan, Mother Confessor and wife to Lord Rahl, has been beaten to near death, with Richard unable to heal her lest he kill her. "Faith of the Fallen" picks up with Richard taking Kahlan to a safe place to heal. They are gaurded by Richard's Mord-Sith bodygaurd, Cara. Richard also refuses to lead the D'Hara army against the Imerial Order because of a prophecy he has reciecved. In it he saw that if he fought against the Order, he would lose. As soon as Kahlan is nearly fully healed, Nicco, a Sister of Dark and a former slave of Jagang, who somehow has undone Jagang's hold over her, comes and casts a "materity spell" on Kahlan, linking the two such that Nicco can kill Kahlan at will. Nicco forces Richard to come with her to the Old World to show him what the Order truely is and to seek the meaning of her empty and near meaningless life. Kahlan, full of grief at the loss of Richard, takes command of the D'Hara and its allies armies. Never directly attacking Jagang's forces, for they are much, much larger army and for fear of bringing Richard's prophecy to fufilment, she conducts hit and run attacks, harrying the larger force, making it pay for any advancement. Richard must deal with being a near slave again. He must help Nicco find an answer to a near impossible question and fit into the Imperial Order of the Old World. But he does this with the flair that we have come to know. He makes friends and seems to thrive in an impossible situation. As the book rushes to an end, it keeps taking interesting twists, so the end is never predictable.
Rating: 
Summary: Minister of the Finance
Review: Let's start by saying that this is not Goodkind's best work. The Sword of Truth series has steadily trickled off into absurdity, but this latest outing dabbles into Maoist communism. Are we fighting pervasive Evil poised to destroy some fictional land here, or have we set America up against the vicious, despicable communist Block? Goodkind has sprinkled political philosophy into his writing throughout this series, but never to the extent that I have wanted to put down the book and watch "Meet the Press". What happened to the escapism of Science Fiction? Where has the art of creating with imagination gone? While some SciFi authors/creators have had great success combining the modern political climate with their work, most notable Gene Rodenberry, Goodkind's blatant commie bashing falls just short of McCarthy-ism. Bring back the character development, bring back the weird and strange humor, even bring back the suddenly discovered secret power that was there all along that inevitably saves the day, just take away the political browbeating!
Rating:
Summary: Love Goodkind, but.......
Review: I have read all of Goodkind's books from the first and I have to say that they were all fantastic, execpt this one. While I fully understand the plot behind this, I think it could have been portrayed a little differently. It was most definelty like re-reading Stone of Tears with a new twist, Richard is abducted, Khalan leads a small army against a larger one, they get reunited and live happily ever after, until the next book. This book seemed to be missing something, I found myself skipping over pages of boring Imperial Order philosophy and Nicci's childhood(which was mostly unnessary, I picked up on everything i skipped just by reading the rest), in search of the meat of the story. It seemed to me that this book needed to develope some new characters, and kill off more of the old ones. It just seemed to be stagnant as far as that went. I recommend this book to those who are fans of Goodkind, but I just thought you should know what you're in for.
Rating: 
Summary: The Cure to Terry's tax bill. . .
Review: You would think that in the year 2000, ten years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and about 25 years since any successful form of state socialism existed, Terry Goodkind would not need to spend his entire book derailing collectivism, socialism, liberalism and the Bismarkian social compact. I can only guess that Terry's tax bill was a bit high from the success of his usually great Sword of Truth books. Well Terry, this rediculous diatribe in the form of a fantasy novel is the cure for next year's tax bill. I, for one, am not coming back for more. We do not need a fantasy counterpart to Ayn Rand. I believe in helping others!
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE BEST I'VE EVER READ
Review: My only regret about this book is that I've finished reading it. It set up such a sense of anticipation. And the end was such a fulfillment of that anticipation, that its effects still linger days later. (I've actually read the ending twice, just to re-live it.) I won't tell you anything about the story, as any re-telling would ruin it. If you like this series, or if you just like Goodkind's work, READ THIS BOOK! On his website, Terry Goodkind asked that we trust him and not read the jacket, as it gives away too much. I agree. I took his advice and took the cover off of the book and put it away as soon as I got it. I didn't read it until I'd finished the book, and OH BOY am I glad. I'm even happy I didn't look too closely at the artwork on the cover. Even that gives too much away. Just read this book! It is one of the best I have EVER read! THANK YOU to Mr. Goodkind for writing it.
Rating:
Summary: Richard the Tamed
Review: The first few chapters were so uninteresting that I almost put the book down. What happened to the magic and evergrowing growth into the all powerful War Wizard? There is nothing remarkable accomplished by Lord Rahl that any ordinary leader could not do. The basic plot is too predictable. Still and all the second half of the book was well written if wordy. The story flowed well enough to keep me wanting to see the finale blossum. If your a true fan of the series you will be happy enough to get to the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: Once Again, Another Excellent Novel
Review: Once again, I was completley engrossed by Mr. Goodkind's latest novel. Unlike some people I have loved all of the past novels as well, they come together to make this the best fantasy series I have ever read. I enjoy the fact that when I get a book in the SOT series that it is not just an epic saga of swords and sorcery. There is always that other input and information about what the characters are thinking and feeling that involve you in the series and completley engross you into the particular novel. I am NOT going to tell you to read the book, because just because I enjoyed it (as I have all the previous ones) doesn't mean you will too. I WILL tell you that I think this is the best fantasy series currently going on, and if you love a series that sucks you into the very pages, then take the time to read the book/series. I guess you could say I am a true fantasy series fan, because even though it seems quite a number of people didn't enjoy Soul of The Fire, I did. It is a integral part of the story, and theme of the novel, as well as letting you know that not everything is peachy, and doesn't always end up a happy ending. I'm still completely hooked. Keep up the good work Mr. Goodkind, and I hope to read book seven soon. One piece of advice before I go, if you do read the book, or any book for that matter, READ it, and enjoy the book, don't compare it to modern society or moral issues. To me that is the whole point of reading, being able to escape from those very things. When you can do that, and you still do not enjoy the book, then maybe you should find a different author to fit your writing style :) Take it Easy and Take Care.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a Classic
Review: If you have read the first few books, you probably know what I mean when I say he gets better with every book. Combining the wonderful fantasy world with the basic rules of life, love, and liberty, Goodkind brings out everything. He has humor, joy, truth.... you name it, he's got it in this book. Not many books have me crying, but this series is exceptional- every single book had me laughing and crying over the charactors. His well painted, easy to relate to charactors push the boundaries of real life. I loved it. Unlike Robert Jordan, this series has 6 separate stories even though the charactors are the same, Unlike Modesitt's recluse, there is a purpose to goodness, and if you look for more than just adventure- like good charactors and problems you can relate to, READ THIS.
Rating:
Summary: Apparently only the faithful remain
Review: I finished this book in two nights. Although that alone, should be sufficient, I will tell you why this book was great. The history of Goodkind's world is complex and ever-changing. The need to re-iterate the past is vital due to the complexity of his world, the reader would find himself or herfself lost amidst the choatic turn of events. She or he would be constanty referring to previous books in hopes of finding some answers. Although the book would be much shorter if he left out references, the fact is that it was necessary. George RR Martin's books follow the same outline, although granted his books are much longer. It IS necessary to explain the past in books. Anyone can argue it was a poor book. But no one can argue it is poorly written. Mr. Goodkind is a bard in the truest sense of the word, he brings the reader to a whole new world, good and evil aren't black and white any longer. As more and more questions arise from this book, I can hardly wait for the next one.
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