Chainfire (Sword of Truth Book 9)

OKAY, I know what some people say about these books being too preachy, but quite frankly I dont give a damn. I read to be entertained, and this series and this book in particular do just that! I loved the book, I enjoyed reading more about Nicci and Cara, and learned a little more about Richard than I had in the last books. I loved the fact that there was very little about Jagang, as he is my least favorite characature in the Sword of Truth series. IF YOU HAVE READ THE OTHER BOOKS, READ THIS ONE, IT IS A REAL PAGE TURNER, THE ONLY BAD THING I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT IS THAT I DIDNT GET ANY SLEEP FOR TWO NIGHTS READING THE DAMN THING!

the Wizard Rules alone are worth the read.
The entire series is an excellent read. I couldn't put them down. I've gone through 9 in a couple of weeks. I need to finish so I can get back to my life. ?

Chainfire (Sword of Truth series) Excellent examples of the triumph of good over evil, against almost impossible odds. All books in this series are extremely good and well writtten. Plot and events take exciting turns and twists.

Well, I know most Sword of Truth fans were hoping Goodkind would get back on track after his recent train-wrecks in the series. Sorry to let you all down.

This is possibly the worst one yet (I can't decide if I hate Pillars of Creation more, but trust me folks, its a close race between these two piles of monkey crap.) As usual, very little gets accomplished. And as usual, Richard's preaching occupies 75% of the pages, sometimes going for pages and pages of simply him speaking without interruption. This series has completely ceased to be a fantasy, or really to have a plot at all. Rather, it serves as a medium for Goodkind to get his sophomoric thoughts on politics and philosophy (if you can call it that) on paper. Pretty much, you could take out all the characters and leave just the speeches, and the book really wouldn't be altered. Go write for an editiorial page or something, Terry. We want an actual story.

And as for the "character developement", Richard continues his path towards the most annoyingly arrogant hero ever. He is always right. He listens to no one. He chides and ridicules his friends, even Zedd, who (if you recall), basically taught Richard most of what he knows. No one wants a perfect hero who knows everything. We want one who makes mistakes, who every now and then needs outside assistance. Remember the first couple books in the series? Remember how great they were? Now look at the crap that is produced, and you'll realize why most readers are rating these books worse and worse as the series progresses.

The Sword of Truth series is falling apart. Don't feed Goodkind's ego by continuing to purchase his ramblings.

Fortunately, I commute by train and therefore have two hours a day for recreational reading.

Unfortunately, long ago I read the first book in Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. I care about the characters. It's too late to go back.

Somewhere in the publishing hall of fame there's an entire floor dedicated to the man or woman who invented the "series." I know it's a scam, and I still can't stop.

What makes the Sword of Truth worse than the rest is the constant barrage of Objectivist drivel. Please if you see a friend in a bookstore about to take that first fatal step into the never-ending morass that is Terry Goodkind's fictional/polemical worldview, stop them, take away their cash, their credit card, their library card -- just don't let them buy any of these terrible books.

After Pillars of Creation, I got the impression that the series had run its course. Goodkind had gone from inventing dozens of fantastic wonders/magics/spells/evils per book to really only coming up with one or two. While Naked Empire began to reverse the trend, I really felt that Goodkind was back to his old self in Chainfire. There are many new twists in this novel that make it as fresh as the first, and he steers clear of such obvious pitfalls as mercilessly killing off a side character on which he spends 200+ pages (Finch, Oba, etc.)

Understand that the mainstays of the series, though developed to new ends, are still themselves. If you aren't expecting long lofty speeches out of Richard, why are you still reading these books? Goodkind's philosophy is similarly woven into the plot, but not so much that it interferes with his story. And that is what makes this book worth reading; Goodkind has, after a vacation of several books, reinvested in his strongest point as an author: his storytelling.

This book's one downfall is also hopefully its biggest virtue. For the first time, Goodkind makes no effort to bring the plot to a logical conclusion. While it is exceedingly frustrating for the reader, it is easy to see why he did so. The series is obviously (and publically I guess) being brought to an end. Chainfire does a superb job of setting up what promises to be an unbelievable finale. If he continues where he left off, then I will be 100% satisfied; if he fails in the last two books, then this book was a pretty huge disappointment. The story is great, but Goodkind perhaps put a little too much work into "setting the stage." As a result, you finish this book asking if it was worth it, and praying that it was. 650+ pages, but not a heck of a lot of action.

This is a must read for not only the still-loyal readers, but also those disgruntled fans who became too frustrated after the previous works. This one has got the series back on track, and heading for what promises to be an unforgettable conclusion.