The Pillars of Creation (Sword of Truth Book 7)

One of the main complaints about these books in general is that Richard is all-powerful. Yes, well, that was told us in the beginning. And the problem in each book follows necessarily from the last. It started with Darken Rahl, and it is still happening. It is a continuing process, which is why there are all these continuing disasters. Yes, they come through at the last second every time, but their mistakes cause problems, which are solved in the next book(s). We know that Richard has the power, but he struggles, and barely survives, but he survives because he has that power. The point is what he goes through, and learns. It is a personal journey as well as magical, as well as the main plot to stop Jagang. Goodkind creates a fully fleshed out world, with real characters. They have all evolved in their own ways from the various experiences they have been through. As far as the new book goes, yes, it's quite different. Those interested in the magic should have nothing to complain about. It explains so many fascinating details about this world, and what is going on around the main plot, but ties back into the main plot at the end, which will necessarily be returned to in the next book. Yes, it takes the reader out of his comfort zone. It takes us away from what we're used to, and in so doing tells a very well done story. As for the 'too evil' bad guys theory, look at the personality that is developed for Jagang in this book. We get a very personal view of who he really is. He is brave, smart, loyal, courageous, etc. He truly believes in his fight. Doesn't sound too bad, eh?

First off, let me say that I am a fan of Terry Goodkind's and the Sword of Truth series. However, this book was not an the same level as his other work. There was a lot of unecessary violence, there was very little attatchment to the new characters (and you don't see the old favorites until the end, and even then the encounter is brief), and even the writing itself at times drove me up the wall. In various scenes, Terry Goodkind went to great lengths to explain every facet of a new concept. There were several instances that reminded me of an old 50's science film that had to talk down to the audience to explain the situation, someone asking simple questions that are supposed to be on the reader's minds when we actually got the point with the first paragraph and were ready to move on. IT DROVE ME NUTS!!! Finally, then conclusion was hurried. Everything was tied up neatly (too neatly, actually) in a few paragraphs. My recommendation, however, is to wade through this book, because (and I'm going on faith here) the next book(s) will undoubtedly be better, and the main character will probably be important later on. I sense that Terry Goodkind was rushed on this book and just kind of got it out of the way.

I found this book very disappointing. Having only discovered the series at the end of the summer, I only had a couple of months to wait for this sequel. Because of that I suppose my expectations had not quite reached the fevered pitch of people who read Faith of the Fallen when it first came out. Still I was disappointed. The jacket is blatantly misleading. It spends half of it's space talking about Richard and Kahlan as well as Jennsen. The reader is deliberately lead to believe that the story is about Richard and Kahlan meeting this new girl Jennsen. That's like saying the Lord of the Rings is about Prince Imrahil. I felt the characterizations were forced. I'm sure he thought he was being subtle, but it was blatantly obvious that Sebastian was using the main character. And as for Oba, what was the point? He had almost no bearing on the book that required him to have so much development. Furthermore his development was uneven. He's a sadist before he listens to the voices. We're supposed to feel like he's a weak nice guy who's hoodwinked by the voices in his head which corrupt him over the course of the novel. That's a little hard to swallow, when his FIRST scene has him inflating a live chicken! Jennsen felt like a low rent version of Kahlan. Similar trust issues, but not as smart. I still enjoyed reading the book for the most part, but I found the ending unsatisfying and I felt hammered by "subtleties". I'd almost suggest new readers read this one first then go back and read the rest of the series.

Mr. Goodkind has written another fine novel in his Sword of the Truth series. While shorter than the previous books, it doesn't forget to tell a story (unlike Mr. Robert Jordan who seems to like to confuse his readers with endless subplots and similar charater names.) The primary characters in the book are new to the series and act as a piece of the puzzle Goodkind is building for us as readers. I did find some of the outcomes predictable but there were enough twists to keep my interest. The book is worth a read because you do get to see more of the world created in the previous books. Its length makes it a short but good chapter in the tale of Richard Rahl.

I have followed this series religiously since Robert Jordan's went downhill. I have every hardcover copy of the series. Terry Goodkind weaves a world that is so real you can hear the clash of armor and weaponry, the heat of Wizard's Fire, and go on a rollercoaster ride of passionate emotions felt by his characters. Emotions so real you find yourself sharing tears of joy, rage, or sorrow as his characters love, wage war, and suffer losses.
I was unable to put this book--the 7th in the series--down and was once again transported to this world for about 12 hours, coming out only to eat. My wife understands that she won't see me until it's finished...when I get a Terry Goodkind book.
I started out looking for my favorite characters, but quickly realized that I was following a new set of characters and this was their story. After a few hours, I didn't care because these characters were just as engaging, and I knew that they would eventually meet up with Richard and Kahlan.
I wouldn't say it's disappointing, because it's just too good. I do miss a Richard and Kahlan adventure and the little glimpse we see of them is enough to have us craving for more. I hope Terry Goodkind keeps it up and we get another installment soon! I can't wait!

After enjoying the creativity of the first six books of the Sword of Truth epic, I had expected much more from Terry Goodkind. I was disappointed in "The Pillars of Creation". To me this book is a dragging detour from the main story line of the series. Particularly the way the author failed to link this book to the rest of the series by dropping out the "Wizards Rules", so much for continuity.
The overall context of book six (Faith of the Fallen) is Richard's loss of faith in the people that he is trying to save in his war with the Imperial Order. I'm not sure how The Pillars of Creation fits as the continuation. The only thing it does for me is make a feeble attempt to account for the time it takes Richard and Kaylan to make their way back North from their adventures in Jagang's homeland in the South.
I got the feeling that the story line for the "Pillars of Creation" is from rough drafts of the "Temple of the Winds". Based on the "Pillars of Creations" theme, there now could be an ongoing array of both good and bad siblings resulting from Darken Rahl's legendary number of perverted conquests. Good for the publishing company, bad for us readers who get stuck buying disappointing books from gifted authors under contract to produce "X" number of books on a time schedule.
I suggest you skip "Pillars of Creation" and wait until book 8 comes out to (hopefully) reach the conclusion of the war with Jagang and the Imperial Order. If book 8 requires you to back up to the "Pillars of Creation" for some clarification (which I doubt) you'll be able to get it cheaper, either as a used book or a Paperback.

I've been an avid reader of Goodkind ever since Stone of Tears came out. A friend let me borrow Wizard's First Rule, and I fell in love immediately with the series. I spent about 20 straight hours and read the book twice in a row. The next day, I went to the store, and picked up the new Stone of Tears, and did the same. Years of waiting and four mostly-magnificent books later, I was waiting in the attached Starbucks to the closest Barnes and Noble at 9AM on Tuesday morning of the 20th of November, ran in when it opened, picked up 3 copies of from the stand (one I read, one I keep perfect, one for my fiancee as a gift), and buy them. I head home, crack the book, and read the first 50 pages or so.
I put the book down, and don't touch it again for 24 hours. Why? After the magnificent creation that was book 6 (Faith of the Fallen), and the major cliffhanger it left you on, nothing about events after that is even mentioned in the early goings. I picked it up yesterday, the 21st, and read another 50 pages or so, with the same qualms. I couldn't relate to the characters, not a single character from any of the other books had shown up, and only one or two were even mentioned. The story was good, and interesting, but it wasn't what I wanted.
This morning, turkey day, I picked it up again, and read it to the end. About 150 or so pages in, I could understand the characters and enjoy the plot thread. However, before the last 50 pages of the book, only four characters from any of the other books make appearances. One character has a lot of scenes, but the other three make only one appearance each, with not more than 5-10 lines to them. In the last 50 pages, the story does overlap, which is always good.
Now, to the review. The characters are extremely detailed, likeable or hateable, depending on which character you're talking about. The plot is interesting, if not anywhere near as epic as the last few books. It all builds to an enjoyable climax in which the plot *does* overlap with the main characters, and in typical Goodkind fashion, making you want to email websites and distributors trying to get speculation dates for the next book's release.
The plot, while enjoyable, resembles the 3rd Book, Blood of the Fold, in this respect: From the beginning to end of the book, not much really happens in the grand scope of things, and all of the major characters are still there, and in similar states as they started. We are added with a new protagonist to join the party, but not much else really happened. From the setup in book 6, we do have the Trap At Andyndril, and we see the results of that, but it doesn't gave any sort of lasting impression.
The whole book is told through the eyes of the four new characters, with not a single chapter devoted to any of the major characters from the other books. It's interesting to add new characters to the mix, but it really felt more like a parallel novel than the next in the series.
Final summary: A good book, enjoyable, solid, and not at all what I wanted.

Pillars of Creation. What can i say?

First of all i liked the idea of telling the story from a different point of view i.c. jennsens view. I could sort of identify with her. I could understand her fear for the house of Rahl and her struggle to escape proscecution to live her own life.

On the other hand i find myself getting more and more annoyed by improbable, unrealistic and simplistic plot and story development. Also i've noticed that i'm equaly annoyed by the way the author uses his characters to advocate his philosophical views. I know, you can read all about it on his website but i still don't have to like it. It didn't bother me with the first books but now i find myself constantly in debate with the main characters (read author). (probably that's what he meant to happen) It started a few novels ago. Maybe it's because i'm older.

Still i hoped this change of perpective would allow the reader to critisize the main characters and their actions a bit (adapt a black and white view and destroys everything and everybody who isn't on your site, not nessecary an enemy) and/or shed some light on the views of the Order (where do their views spring from? Why was there this big war eons ago? Why were there in the old times more people siting with the views of the Order than those of the New World, or, if the Order isn't that old, how did they gain so much power with their non functional system, etc, ect. If anyone knows he/she is invited to explain at [email protected])

Maybe TG tried to give the Order's view on Richard's actions (via Sebastian) but because their views are "a given" without evolution, depth, history or philosophy (to just state that "magic is bad and selfish" and "all are equal" isn't enough) this didn't happen. The views of the Order are only used to explain, rationalize and justify Richards actions and views. A missed upportunity.

A thing a also disliked is the way the world seems to get smaller. I though Richard was deep inside the Old World and that the Old World was huge but now everyone can reach him within a few days from anywhere in the New World. Also when someone talks about "deep in the wildernis" or "a dessert" they seem to mean "a park" and "a square mile of sand". By the end of the book this becomes clear when al sorts of people reach Richard effortlessly and in record time. I know most fantasy novels use a sort of pangea type of world but i think it's strange that in one instance they take months to cover a certain distance and the next time they complete the same journey in 2 or 3 days.

Speaking of time, the build up could have been better. In the beginning Jennsen and Sebastian wander around getting nowhere fast. But when she finally sets out to confront Richard the journey takes one paragraph or so. In fact, the whole climax is a bit rushed to say the least.

(On a side note: how did they find Richard anyway? Before answering that, think about the implications of your answer)

to conclude: dispite all my critisism i enjoyed the book. It wasn't as great as i hoped but enjoyable enough to recommend it. After all, i read it just after i finished Crossroads of Twilight....

PS: I enjoyed the character of Oba. This inside the head of a madman was a interesting twist.

The world of Terry Goodkind is one where evil battles good, and the line between the two is clearly marked. This battle takes place largely in the minds of the participants, rather than on the field of battle, which is something that has become more obvious in the latest books, especially so in The Pillars of Creation. The side of good makes use of reason and compassion, trying to win its war by allowing its targets to see the situation with clarity and make their own decisions. Evil tries to spread its message through misinformation and propaganda. In The Pillars of Creation, the battleground is in Jennsen's mind, and her choice could have severe repercussions. The importance of the good-evil conflict makes for a story full of drama and emotion. However, people looking for battles which are determined by sword and by magic will not be disappointed. When logic and reason fail to win people over to the side of good, Richard and his allies have no choice but to attack their enemies with both sword and magic.This was a really great read. I also suggest to anyone who would like to read a really good book also Paul Omeziri's Descent into Illusion

We wait all this time to find out what happens to Zedd and Richard and Kahlan and Cara, one of my personal favorites, and what do we get? A completely new story with all of our favorite heroes as afterthoughts! I was looking forward to this book with vigor; after all, "Faith of the Fallen" was a beautiful and stunning work written by a true writer. I cared deeply about Richard and Kahlan and Nicci, and wondered what would happen to them. And what do we get? A completely off-kelter story about people I don't even care about and undoubtedly never will! They would be great as a sub-plot, but really! You can't write 6 books about characters that your readers learn to care deeply about and then write a book about some other chick and her problems and sell it in the same series! Frankly, I don't really care to know about Jennsen and Oba and Sebastian and the sorceress dames. I eagerly await Terry Goodkind's next book, and hope its a hell of a lot better than this one.

I am a huge fan of Terry Goodkind works, almost to the exception of all else, when I read this book, I couldn't put it down, I don't know what anybody here is talking about. It's true, that Richard: noble, amazing, in all ways exceeding everybounds Richard, didn't show up too much, but they introduced two new characters which were imaginitive, enjoyable, utterly lavish with psychological wonders (from an analyzing point of view) true and sensitive insights into the human mind, I don't know about you, but the moment that Jennsen starting talking (...) about Richard's evil, and as soon as you start to CARE about sebastian, from the other side, I was just stunned with the implications and dedications required to peer unpredjudiced from the other side of things. Never once did I get bored, and never once did I find it lacklustre, I tell you, with Oba, it really balanced it off, I found myself the entire time absolutely childishly giddy in anticipation of when they met the master of all things, exceeder of all expectations, Richard Rahl. And I wasn't dissapointed especially with the dramas at the end of the revelation of Jennsen, of course we know that Zedd, Richard, Kahlan are supreme, and could take on Jagang any time (smiles in rememberance of a certain magic scene) but they gave it some perspective and I got a serious amount of satisfaction from the start to the finish in this wonderful tale.

In the Sword of Truth series I have become accustom to the charaters being tortured both psychologically and physically. I am not accustom to being tortured myself. Reading this book was torture. (...) There were no surprises for me in this book. (...)This is not my main gripe though. This book introduces two new main characters. Both of which are truly deficient. Oba was a complete waste of time. I found mixed emotions about his death. Too many pages were wasted on this one-dimentional and boring character for him to die. But in his death I know that I will not have to read anything else about him... Hooray!!! He could have made his debut at the end of the book, and it would have relieved atleast 100 pages of fluff. Jennsen is a better character than Oba, but just barely. I would have been ok with five pages devoted to a charater of her calibre, but no... the whole flipping book is about this self-absorbed (character). I found her (...) so painful. Jennsen utterly loathes Richard and think he wants her death. (...) It would have been acceptable on some level, except there were countless places in the story where people should have made it known to Jennsen that her ideas were (...)backwards. To top it all off, her journey with Sebastian is straight up boring. This takes up the majority of the book. In comparing this book to the others in the series... I deem this work a masterpiece of shame. The book is not all bad hence the 2 star rating. Like Goodkind's other works the writing is technically proficient. I was somewhat vindicated in finishing the book because fifty of the last hundred pages are pretty cool. Some action does occur, and the reader gets a glimpse at the Orders perspective. The only explaination for this book is that Terry Goodkind has sold out. The problem for him is that he dumped such (...) on us this time, that we will be on the lookout in the future. I really enjoyed the other SoT books. I feel betrayed by one of my favorite authors. On my scale, I would not recommend a book I rate a 3 or lower. If you are interested in continuing the SoT saga I recommend that you get a friend to summerize the important points and "skip" this book. If you have to buy this book wait for the paperback. I still can't believe I blew good money on this.

OK, OK, it's fantasy. Earth's rules of science and physics don't matter but in many places this book fails to adhere to the rules of common sense. Also, I thought the editing was poor. There were spots where it felt like Mr Goodkind took a break then started writing again before he re-read what he had just written. One such error comes to mind where two full sentences repeated just two paragraphs apart. I don't mind letting a few nonsensical things slide, but there are so many big and little screwy things here that it was impossible to reconcile them short of turning off your brain. Here are a few examples in no particular order (a few spoilers noted with '***'):
* Jennsen is selectively ignorant/knowledgeable, observant/unobservant, or strong willed/easily manipulated depending on what is convenient at the time throughout the story to maintain the weak plot.
* The Emperor's key strategists are not very strategic, nor does he listen to them.
* Doesn't the existence and knowledge of these "holes in the world" make places like the Wizard's Keep a whole lot less threatening? If the Emporer knew about Jennsen why didn't he use her to assault the Keep? Or, why didn't Richard use her (or someone like her) previously - wasn't one of the main themes of a previous book based around trying to get past the magical safeguards of the Keep?
* The Emperor losses a million plus units of his army to an unknown force that strikes at the heart of his camp and his response is basically, "oh well, it'll take a little time to rebuild." Yeah, this guy is going to have many followers...
* Tom covertly follows Jennsen (who is in the middle of this million plus unit army) in a horse drawn wagon.
*** Tom is supposed to be one of the elite protectors of Lord Rahl, but idly watches while Jennsen charges Lord Rahl with a knife.
*** Tom is supposed to be one of the elite protectors of Lord Rahl. Why would he be working, deep cover, in the market?  Convenient coincidence.
*** The idea is repeated several times that Jennsen never had the chance or right moment to tell Sebastian that she was immune to magic even though they are lovers and traveling together for months. This didn't make sense to me, but to use this as the key point in Jennsen discovering Sebastian's treachery was just plain weak. WEAK! I cringed reading Jennsen say "I never told you magic didn't effect me..." Hmmm, didn't he just see her come away unharmed after battles with wizards and sorceresses in which she saw through the illusions that nobody else did?
* Jennsen's bluffs to get into the palace and free Sebastian were unbelievable and most of that sequence was silly.
The list goes on but unless I missed some deeper meaning, it's not worth the mental energy it would take to go over all the inconsistent events and convenient coincidences in this book. The ending felt rushed with the main baddies conveniently killed or missing, with a few obscure references to other characters thrown in for whatever reason "Wait until we tell this to Nikki" or other such lines. In the end I was left feeling that nothing happens in the book.
Homerinvests

I, like many of you, have been a die hard Goodkind fan since Wizard's First Rule. However, unlike many of you, I think The Pillars of Creation is every bit as good as the rest of his work. I've noticed many people don't seem to like this book as much because it deals primarily with new characters. But I think it was a brilliant ploy. Making Richard the villian (At least from the perspective of the main characters) was a wonderfully insidious twist. For those of you who've not yet read it, much of the book is told through the perspective of a woman named Jennsen, who is convinced that Richard had her mother murdered, and is now trying to kill her. Many reviewers seem to be upset, or feel cheated because the book was not totally about Richard, Kahlan, Cara, Zed, ect, ect. Now I'm an aspiring writer myself, approximately halfway through the first draft of my first novel, and I can honestly say that things do not always turn out as the writer has planned. I've read interviews with Mr. Goodkind where he mentions that the stories guide him, not the other way around. If he meets new characters, then he lets them show him their part of the world, tell him their stories. That is exactly how good writing is created. A good writer will merely help the story to unfold, he will not force it in which ever direction he wants, or the audience wants. Personally, I think showing the events through the eyes of new characters is a very good way to shed light on different parts of the world, and to show that despite we all know Richard as the hero he is, not everyone in the world realizes it. Also speaking as a writer, it can get repetitive to write about the same characters time after time, and I'm sure introducing Jennsen and the others was quite revitalizing to Mr. Goodkind. I know that after writing 6 books in a row with the same characters, especially after finishing one as intense as Faith of the Fallen, I would have been grateful for a change of pace. Anyway, I've babbled on long enough. I feel the Pillars of Creation, while not as moving as Faith of the Fallen, is still every bit as riveting as the rest of the series. As long as you know in advance all the previous characters are absent for much of the book, I think you will really enjoy it too. Plus, even if you agree with those who dislike Richard's extended absense, the book is worth buying for Jagang's raid on the Confessor's Palace alone. Don't listen to the whiners, read it yourself.

I have a hard time knowing where to start with this book. In many ways it was superior to what I have seen in the last two books in the Sword of Truth series. I could see Goodkind's writing in it, his ability to shape and weave a story that is both wonderfully written and spellbinding for both a world and the characters. Soul of the Fire was not written in that way, it was slow and hard to get through. Faith of the Fallen was better, more interesting, but still not up to the standard Goodkind set for himself with the first four books. In this regard, book 7 was very well written. However, it was unique in the series and I am not sure that I like the change. When I read Sword of Truth I want to know what's going on with many things. The main characters are the most important of those things, with the world and the supporting characters as secondary in what I want to know. This book explored what happens in the world in some aspects, but we see very little of the main characters; so little that I hardly felt like the book was Sword of Truth. That's not to say the story it told was a poor one. Quite on the contrary. I liked that story and the main character, Jennsen was interesting to say the least. It just felt to removed from the series as I know it. However, I must consider the ending. I think its highly possible that Goodkind was using this book to set up the rest of the series, and that the things that happened in Pillars of Creation will become crucial to the rest of the series, especially in regards to the character Jennsen. Due to this I am going to have to reccomend this book to anyone who wants to finish out the series. To anyone who wants a good story, I would also say read this book. To someone who is looking to explore what is happening with Richard and Kahlan, do not. You will be disappointed. I give it three stars because it is a good story, but feels out of place as the series stands now.

Not knowing what i was in for, i was hugely disappointed. After waiting so long to hear of Richard, i was stunned to find this book wasn't even about anyone we already knew of in the series. This book is a short tangent about an annoyingly stupid chick and an even stupider guy.
DON'T BUY THIS BOOK. I know you've got to read it anyway - but trust me , get it from the library. And when you do read it, skip to the final four or so chapters, because they're the only ones that are any good. And admittedly they are good - Zedd and his misses enter and tose up a few thousand of the order and then Richard embarks on the same old plot where hes seperated from Kahlan and his sword and must find them (only this is done in three chapters this time rather than the standard book it usually takes).
Frankly, Wizards First rule -ROCKS- there is no disputing that, Faith of the fallen did what the title suggested and resored some of my faith by the rest of the books are the same tired old stuff. If Richard wasn't such a legend i wouldn't bother reading them at all.
P.S. Bring BAck Chase!

I've read all of the Sword of Truth Novels to date. (Debt of Bones is on order) I have loved all of them and been wrapped up in them to the point of not sleeping for 3 days to finish one. BUT..... Now, Pillars of Creations is a good story, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't flow like the rest of the stories. It just doesn't have.... "it." The story is a good one and it shows true in the spirit of the previous novels, running the full race, but it's just missing on one or two cylinders. Not enough to come in first as the rest did. I have the paperback and when I compared to the others, the print is almost twice as big as if the publisher was making it bigger to compare with the others in the series. I honestly think that there was something missing in the book that should have been there. Richard and Kahlan are the main characters yes, and Jennsen is a full character in her own right. But the entire book is told only from her point of veiw. I think that it was cut and reput together so that there may be another novel coming, matching what Richard, Kahlan and Kara were doing as Jen did what she did. My thinking is that there should have been more to it than there was. For example: What was it that Kara touched? Where were they? What were they doing as they traveled north to the New world? Interesting, no?

In Terry Goodkind's latest novel we follow the new character of Jensen on her journey of self discovery. Jensen is Richard's half sister and she believes Richard is out to kill her like their murderous father attempted to. Terry Goodkind is an incredible author and while I applaude him for using fantasy as a genre to present his political philosophies at times he climbs a little to high on his soap box. Another major drawback to this book is that Richard and Kahlan, the series main characters occupy less than twenty pages. For true Terry fans the novel can be enjoyable if you are forewarned of the lack of main characters. I still can only give this book two stars because I was not warned of the lack of the original characters and therefore looked forward for over a year to reading about them only to be disappointed.

First of all, this was a very short book-- don't let the page count fool you-- the font and spacing is bigger. Another thing that SoT fans should be aware of is that the characters we've come to know and love, Richard and Kahlan, aren't mentioned in the entire book until the last 50 or so pages.
Sure, once in awhile, someone will say "the evil Lord Rahl" or "that witch, the Mother Confessor", but Richard and Kahlan don't have any role in the book until the end. The end is my favorite part of the book, but c'mon, it's only 50 pages and creates more questions than answers. I guess you could say I was just glad to see the old crew, finally. Zedd and Adie come up in one chapter also, but that's about it. I wonder if Chase is ever going to come back...
Well, the old characters aren't in this book, but there are quite a few new ones. Unfortunately, they die by the end of the book, so it's kind of pointless knowing you'll never see them again. You'll feel as if you wasted 450 pages getting to know them when you could've been reading about Richard's adventures.
This is NOT a Sword of Truth novel.
Of course it's a must read if you're a Goodkind fan like me and waited a year for this, but it'll be a disappointment. I recommend you check the library for it first.

I've seen a few people slamming this book for several reasons, I dont see the reasoning behind their position (or, maybe I see their reasoning, but dont understand it)
It does not feature Richard or Kahlan or Cara as the main characters, but rather introduces Richards sister, Jennsen, who was rumored to have existed in Temple of the Winds, as well as another bastard child of Darken Rahl, Oba...
The first five books were fabulous fantasy tales, book six and seven were also the same, but both of them had deeper meaning to them. In this book, Terry Goodkind shows the way disinformation and rumour can cause people to fear and hate even those that fight for freedom and life.
It also shows Jagang as a 'real' person, not just a one-sided flat tyrant, it shows him as a person who, for whatever reasons, truley beleives in what he's fighting for
One thing I had to laugh at was one person saying, 'If Richard could deal with a thousand men in an instant, why doesn the just end the war?', theres a difference between a thousand and the millions they have to fight, for one, and for another, Richards power works through anger and need, and the thousand he destroyed in an instant were standing between him and Kahlan..perhaps if someone could convince Jagang to capture Kahlan, heheh

I, like most of the other reviewers, bought the first few Sword of Truth novels and thoroughly enjoyed the rich fantasy world and the character of Richard. However, things have most certainly taken a turn for the worst in this last few books. Soul of the Fire for the most part had nothing to do with Richard, Faith of the Fallen had little to nothing to do with the main story of the series and was more of a comment on Terry Goodkind's political views than a fantasy novel.
And then we have this, The Pillars of Creation. This is NOT a Sword of Truth novel. It has barely anything to do with anything. Oh, sure, by the end we can see that Richard has gained another ally and all is well, but surely this could have been done in 50 pages or so, allowing us to explore the battle between Richard and Jagang NOW instead of a year from now in the next book? But no, we are forced to sit through pages and pages of tedium over characters which frankly I care little for.
Disappointing in the extreme.

To begin a series with the depth and sense that Goodkind did is rarely done and should be greatly prized. To follow it up with 6 extraordinary novels each as good as or better than the first is to paint 7 Rembrandts. With what energy and genious this author has captivated us. To those that would wish to judge he who shared this, look deeper into this latest installment before you pass a verdict you dont understand.
We've all read them. They've all left an impression and a sound sense of leadership in our midst. They have all delt specifically with Richard and Kahlan. I believe its time to stray away, if for a while, from a ceaseless pattern of imprisonment and love reunited. The new charachters are just as strong as those before, and add a dimension into Goodkinds lush world that we didn't see before. In this dimension we see Richard as doubtless many do: A tyrant, spawn of an evil inheritance, and oblivious to those ruled by it. Regardless of what you want to read, goodkind has delivered in 557 pages, a novel risky and compelling enough to keep me believing in a world some of you seem to take for granted. Give it and him a chance before you throw Pillars of Creation on the chopping block, its a gift, from the only man who truly knows the Hero's that we wish to be.

ever read a book that you find yourself re-reading? this series will capture you in that way. you will find yourself reading it again and again. the very story, through epic fantasy, of how and why we should be free to rise up and live our own lives without sacrificing free will.

Not only is this book not a good addition to the SOT it is not a good book. From beginning to end the book is centered around two character who are both lame, moronic, and childish in a way that gives new definition to those words. Not just a chapter here or a chapter there... THE WHOLE FRIGGIN BOOK! Now I have proclaimed to the world for the past 3 years that SOT is one of the three best series I have ever read, and now this.
Finally not only are the main characters weak, but he has gone and ruined other characters that weren't. In this book Jajang who up until now has been a fearsome genious has proven himself a foolish brute. Then again you can all rest well knowing that yes, Kahlan does get kidnapped (AGAIN!) and yes Richard saves her (AGAIN). Also, yes there are a couple new types of magic that have stupid names like constucted magic vs conjured/ or additive vs subtractive. The Keeper again finds a way to breech the veil, but is stopped by Richard... of course all this happens in the last 10 pages of the book. Someone else wrote that the new characters offer new blood to the book, and I agree thats true, but it could have been done in 3 chapters of a good book as opposed to everything but 3 chapters in this god awful excuse for a book.

I know this might seem belittling to Goodkinds masterfull writing ability but truthfully I have been waiting for a good book to come out since the first three!!! They just seem to get progressively worse. It saddens me that with such talent that Goodkind obviously has, he isn't able to fulfill his obligation to the reader. I keep waiting for an epic adventure like the first books he wrote and I've been disappointed every time. Whats with these new characters? Who cares about them?? They obviously have no sense and their personalities are only shown to be skin deep. (Meaning there just isn't much to them). I sincerely doubt that Goodkind will ever write anything that comes close to his stunning first three. It's really a shame, he's a great author but I guess that after Richard killed Darken Rahl, and then went on to stop the Keeper from breaking free, that there really isn't anything else to accomplish. I can only say that the chapters that Richard and Kahlan were in, and the one with Nathan Rahl, where the only two that I liked. It took me about four hours to read the book.....it was that bad. I skimmed most of it till the end. That should send out a preety clear warning that this isn't the best that Terry Goodkind has to offer.

Major Spoilers ahead!
Ok...I have no problem with an author using his books as a medium for expression of his/her views, as long as it doesn't hurt the story or result in completely unbelievable scenes or become a very poorly constructed argument for those views. Mr. Goodkinds' last few books (Faith of the Fallen through Naked Empire) have become boring one sided debates. Boring because they are so one sided. Ayn Rands' views are presented as infallible and all other views are presented as caricatures of their original selves. If you want to add philosophical debate to the story don't insult the intelligence of the reader, instead make the debate real....put up real objections that can be answered. No people I know on any side of the political spectrum are as naive as some of the characters Mr. Goodkind presents in his last 3 books.
Make characters' acceptance of the philosophy believable too... I mean Jennsen goes her whole life with a certain belief set, plus a huge emotional connection to her goal of vengeance, and then one small speech from Richard and suddenly she's spouting off (right after she's found out that her lover betrayed her, no less!)long winded philosophical arguments that she has never even hinted at possessing before. Unrealistic scenes like this one are so far from Mr. Goodkinds' plotting and character development abilities. Story first, underlying philosophy should remain underlying.
Also Mr. Goodkind does a serious disservice to the great moral leaders who have successfully employed notions of pacifism and self sacrifice for the better of all (i.e. Ghandi, Martin Luther King) Communism which he so clearly hates (Not saying he's entirely wrong there, it was a brutal system in Eastern Europe) was not brought down by violence or the Imperialism of other democratic nations, but through relatively peaceful means of the people.
My long winded rant is basically to say: If you're going to include philosophical detours in your books, at least make them integral to the plot and make them more interesting than this over-simplified tract.

WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS:

If you're a Goodkind fan-boy, then don't let us distract you. Go out and spend your $10-$20 on this book. If you're empty-headed enough to like it, why, go ahead and buy the eighth book as well. You certainly don't need our permission. But we warn you: this book is badly written, badly edited, and feebly concludes. Even for fans, it's a crushing departure from the--I guess we have to call it this--story arc of previous books and it couldn't possibly stand on its own as a worthwhile novel absent those predecessors that it chooses to ignore.

WHY YOU SHOULD PASS:

We gave it a 1. It's our worst rating. We reserve 1's for books that make us temporarily regret ever learning to read. If the reader would rather avoid such painful regrets, then trust our review and avoid this book at all costs.

READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM

This seventh rendition of the Sword of Truth series was horribly dissapointing. Goodkind, I have some good advice for you: Follow Terry Brooks' example and bring on the next generation! Congrats on the new character but what you need is to bring an end to the Adventures of Richard and Kahlan and flash forward to their grandkids or something who must finish up the job. This book seemed as though you were trying to cram a whole new story into the one you've already started. News flash: It didn't work. I still have no idea what the Pillars of Creation are and furthermore, how dare you finish the book without telling me what the heck Richard, Kahlan, and Cara were talking about with Jennson being the only one who could touch something? That left me the most confused. The ending about killed me when Tom suddenly shows up out of nowhere, proclaiming that he was a protector of Richard all along and had been tailing her. And he was returning little Betty, too! How sweet! A very well written comedy, Goodkind, with the no sense turn of events, but how about returning to the actually story line, huh? What ever happened to all the beautiful magic beings that used to inhabit their world? Where are the sprites, the mud people and their spirits, where is the variety? Granted, you are trying to give us a better look at the Old World but still, please, bring the struggle with Emperor Jagang to an end. When he was first introduced, he installed fear and intriguement with the reader. Now, he seems a shallow, empty character, dashing into frays needlessly and that allure of interest to a potentially good character has been lost. Another word of advice for the author: Reread the first three books of the series and then write like that again because after those three, the rest of the books just continued on a steady decline.

All of the books in the SOT series leading up to this one are pretty bad, but this one took the cake. I am someone cursed with not giving up on a series once I have started it, but this book was so bad I have dropped the series like a steaming hot squishy dog turd that somehow made it into my hand. From an evil character blowing up a poor living chicken like a balloon to kill it for kicks (what is it with Goodkind and fowl anyway?) to the nobility of goats, and the adventures of a sociopathic rapist/murderer, I just could not take it anymore.

I have read every book in the series, and I am really starting to wonder what is going on with TOR and Terry Goodkind. The first 5 books were awesome. (Personally, I think the first Wizard's First Rule, Stone of Tears, and Temple of the Winds are the best.) Anyway, Goodkind is a great author who develops a great storyline with two great characters -- Richard and Kahlan.
With such great characters, he can draw fans. However, it is obvious that he is starting to run out of material for the main storyline. While most authors would conclude the story when faced with this situation, TOR and Goodkind decide that they want to squeeze every dime they can out of the fans. In so doing, Goodkind offers a book that has almost nothing to do with the main characters -- Richard, Kahlan, Zedd, Verna, Cara, Ann, and Nathan.
By cheating his fans in this way just to get more money, Goodkind and TOR forget those who made them rich in the first place -- the fans. I am very disappointed and particularly surpirsed in Goodkind. In the media, Goodkind always presents himself as a man who has values and ideals that are beyond reproach. With this offering, he does show what he values. Money.

PILLARS is a fine read. It is true that Richard and Kahlan have very few parts in the novel. However, the story serves as background noise that really helps the series as a whole. It is nice to see other perspectives, and I thought the book was very entertaining. Do not let negative reviews keep you from reading this book. It is a fun romp and a great adventure. I think it proves that Goodkind can do something in the future with other characters set in his fantasy world that will be fun to read as well. I would like to see him do some young Zedd stories...

I think not!!
An excerpt from The Pillars of Creation
"She knew she couldn`t stay and search for Betty, but that didn`t make it any easier to know they were leaving her for good. It broke her heart.
Jennsen looked back over her shoulder in the darkness. 'Did they hurt you? I was so worried that they would hurt you.'
'That Mord-Sith would have. You came just in time.'
'What did it feel like when she touched you with the Agiel?'
Sebastian thought a moment. 'Like being hit by lightning, I suppose.'
Jennsen laid her head back down on the pack. She wondered why she had felt nothing from the power of the Mord-Sith`s weapon. He had to be wondering the same thing, but if he was, he didn`t ask. She would have had no answer for him, anyway. Nyda had been astonished, too, and said that her Agiel worked on everyone.
Nyda was wrong.
For some reason, Jennsen found that strangely worrisome."
Sorry, but I just loved the ramifications this brought forth in the book, and possibly future books. :o)
I was originally worried this book was not to live up to the others in this EXCELLENT series. This false thought process was brought on by reading reviews here while awaiting my delivery.
I, like many others was hoping Pillars of Creation would pick up right where Faith of the Fallen had left off, with Richard and Kahlan in the Old World. This isnt so, however it does not detract from the story or the series at all, if anything this book, P.o.C., gives us a more in depth look at life in D`Hara, introduces us to some new characters, we learn that some old enemies are never truly vanquished, and P.o.C. sets things up for books to come (IMHO).
We see new majiks, learn a new Wizards Rule, and witness Jajang`s reaction to the Richard`s 'gift' he left him, also the invasion and defense of Aydindril before we catch up to our heroes, Richard and Kahlan.

Though this book didnt make my hands sweat as much as prior books, "OMG!!! How will they ever overcome this!!", it was still a very satisfying reading. I credit Goodkind with fleshing out his world thouroghly, and always keeping us second guessing. I have never come across another Author who can get my heart rate to increase so much just from words in a book. Like P.o.C., I eagerly await the next book in this, the ultimate book series. :o)
Keep up the good work Mr. Goodkind.
You yourself have the overall vision of your world and characters, and I and many others are enjoying this Journey we have been on. Forget the naysayers, for if they knew what they were talking about, they would be writing novels of their own, and not reviewing others impressive works.
GHOST®

since I've been so bored with a book by the midpoint that I've simply shelved it and picked up something else. Actually, I can't remember ever doing that...until now.
I almost feel bad about writing a review of this book since I only read half of it, but I really think folks should know what they're getting into when they start reading this [book].
First of all, please understand that I'm not a crazed lunatical Richard/Kahlan fan. They were great in the first book, maybe the second, but since then Goodkind has really let them rot on the proverbial vine. The past three or four books have shown us nothing about Richard or Kahlan that we didn't know at the end of the second book in the series. In this, Goodkind has fallen into the same trap that in my not so humble opinion, has completely destroyed Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series: total character stagnantation. Fortunately, unlike Jordan who has come to rely on an insane myriad of new and wholely forgettable characters showing up to drag the reader through the dank morass that his series has become, Goodkind has up to this point shown enough imagination, not to mention restraint, to keep his saga interesting and in a familiar way, entertaining.
This all ended with "The Pillars of Creation", which abandons Richard and Kahlan, in favor of Jennsen, another child of Darken Rahl. This would not necessarily be a bad thing, if Jennsen was remarkable in any way whatsoever. Unfortunately, she isn't. In fact, I can honestly say that my decision to abandon the book half way through was the direct result of Goodkind's complete inability to invoke even the slightest positive emotion from me towards Jennsen. Simply put, I didn't care one whit if she lived or died or succeeded or failed in...whatever she was trying to do (halfway through the book she was just kind of wallowing around trying to find...um...something...).
I can't really say anything about the conclusion or morale of the book because, as I've already pointed out, I only made it halfway through, but knowing Goodkind there were probably several moments at the end when all seemed lost, and then Richard showed up to dazzle everyone with his stoic honor and integrity and compassion etc etc. This of course won over those who incorrectly thought he was their enemy, while his real enemies slouched off into the bushes muttering, "curses!" under their breath. Tell me if I'm wrong.
Meanwhile, if you want to read a good series, check out either Harry Potter...yes, Harry Potter, and if you haven't read at least one of them you have no room to argue, or if you're a bit more ambitious, George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire".

I admit this is unfair since I am only half way through. But I may not make it through! I had the same reaction to book seven of the "Wheel of Time" series. I gave up on the series after book seven.

Anyway, I find the story line silly and the characters uninteresting. But since it is a cold and rainy day in South Florida I guess I have nothing better to do but to continue reading, even if it is a stuggle.

I've read a lot of fantasy/sci-fi, and I know that it's asking a lot to expect everyone to be an Asimov or Le Guin or Gaiman; but this was a waste of time and money. Goodkind's droning prose takes what could have been an interesting and even exiting plot in a 350-400 page book and turns it into a 700+ page ordeal. I frequently skipped 4-5 pages at a time and NEVER MISSED A BEAT IN THE PLOT. Disregarding the fact that, without having read any of the previous books, I immediately figured out that Sebastian was a villian; the characters constantly re-hash the same saccharin moral dilemnas page after page after page after.... you get the point. If you really want to read this book, get it from the library: you don't need to own it.
And don't even start me on the goat. Geez!

Terry, did you forget who this series was about? It gets annoying when we read the series for a few good charactors(Ann, Zedd,Richard,Kahlan) and you go off with this Oba and Jennesen thing! What the heck!? I mean, honestly, Oba is just plain freaky and Jennesen is anoying with her 'I'm afraid to do wrong but every time i think that i remember my dear old mum and want to kill my brother' thing. THIS-IS-NOT-PRINCESS-BRIDE! I keep expecting her to say,"Allo! My name is Jennesen Rahl. You killed my mother,prepare to die!" I am sick of the jennesen to oba to jennesen to jennesen to oba jennesen again type thing. Also, i am getting tired of this whole war. Anything new Terry? And the goat. yes betty is a pointless goat that they keep making references to. IT IS JUST A GOAT! Stop lingering on the fact that it exists! Terry, what were you thinking and when will you get back to actually writing interesting books? I mean, sure when i sneaked a peek at the first 5 pages my mind was reeling with questions before I even read the series. Who was this soldier? What was on the paper. SO I started to read the series driving onward to get to this book. I loved it so much and it gave me and Dad something nice to discuss. I gave a copy of the first book to my best friend and it hooked her too. I got to The Pillars of Creation and now I slug through it hoping to get to Naked Empire and hopefully fan that little spark that Terry left to glow so i can get the fire of the series back.I didnt give it a 2 because a few bits were funny. Like Zedd is harmless and Jennesen thinking Richard knew alot about magic. I hope to have some better thoughts for the next one, but until then i have 8 words for terry: "What the heck was were you thinking Terry?" Thankyou!

I just don't get what the reviewers here are saying about Mr. Goodkind's books. When Mr. Goodkind decided to write, it was for himself, not for just money. His first book,"Wizard's First Rule," was for himself. Not until about a year afterward did he decide to make contracts and what-not to share his fantasy world with us. He is doing just that-sharing his FANTASY WORLD, not just the same characters over and over again. One thing that I notice some of the other reviewers failing to see(well most of them anyway) is that he is continuing to share is unparalled writing style and love for his work. People say that his works are getting worse and worse for all of the wrong reasons. Mostly because of the lack of appearances by Richard and Kahlan. I see his works getting better and better- as in the fact that he never ceases to amaze me with his writing ability. And if you really care about his works, you would have done the research and learned that he has at least two books planned after this one. I am sure that Richard and Kahlan will be back. As stated in his interviews- He writes for only himself and intelligent readers. If you fail to fall within either of these categories, by all means- read something else. Life is too precious to spend our time reading things we don't enjoy. If you do fall within the aforementioned categories-enjoy one of his best works of all!

After book six (one of the best) I was really looking forward to read the next, with Richard and Khalan together continuing the story. The whole book could have been a really good build-up for book seven.
What I especially like in the Sword of Truth series is that it stays on focus and don't leap all over like Wheel of Time does. With a long time between each book it gets too confusing from time to time. I also like the style which Terry has written in until now. But this book wasn't like this.
This book was boring and predictable, and I miss Richard. It's nice to introduce new characters, but don't leave the main ones in the dark until the very end. What have they been up to? How did it go where we left them last?
I feel that the author has wasted much too many pages introducing a new character which wasn't really needed, and probably won't get much attention later. What's interesting with Jennsen?
Simply put I love the first six books, but I think this book should have been profiled like Debt of Bones, or that the author should have taken a break, if this is the best he can perform right now.

...In this novel we are shown that not all of Darken Rahl's other children are "bad guys". Indeed, Jennsen is essentially one of the "good guys", however misinformed she may be. And so, yes, the novel does not focus exclusively on Richard and Kahlan, but that does not make it any less of a fantastic novel, nor any less pertinent to the story. The novel is a fabulous read, meant by Goodkind to be read from two different perspectives. One being those who have not read any of the others. Then Pillars becomes a stand alone novel and the reader identifies with Jennsen, discovering with her that Lord Rahl is not the evil man she thinks. And the other being those who have read the others (like me). In that perspective one clings to the story, hoping that Jennsen discovers the truth about Richard before mistakenly killing the man who, with his wife, are virtually all that protect the people of the New World from destruction.
If you want a good read that will make you think or you want another fantastic novel by Terry Goodkind then I highly recommend this book as well as the rest of the series. However, if you do not like to be presented with good ideas and are unwilling to hear anything that might damage your vision of the "perfect" heroes, then steer away from this and all other Goodkind novels because he truly will challenge how you view people and the world.

I have been a fan of the Sword of Truth series since it came out even though I sometimes believe it to be a set of books which might be more aptly named "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." Therefore, I was excited to read Goodkind's most recent addition to the story-line; however, this is not to be considered an addition so much as a side trip. The story hovers in the wings of important events - only occasionally touching upon the crucial elements which make up the Sword of Truth plot. Introducing new characters and stories isn't a bad thing - just the manner in which it was done could have been better.
This brings me to my biggest complaint: the two new characters presented here, Oba and Jennsen. Neither are actually believable as being thinking, young, adults but might be thought of as ignorant children within adult bodies. Yes, they are brought up in seclusion and that may have stunted their intellectual development, but in reality they see the world as a 10 year old might and that hampers the story incredibly. I never did care about whether these characters lived or died and that made this book extremely difficult to get through.
On a positive note, it is refreshing to see the world which we've come to know fairly well through someone else's eyes and Goodkind does a good job here.
Unfortunately, I would not recommend "The Pillars of Creation" simply because of the character development.

I admit this is unfair since I am only half way through. But I may not make it through! I had the same reaction to book seven of the "Wheel of Time" series. I gave up on the series after book seven.

Anyway, I find the story line silly and the characters uninteresting. But since it is a cold and rainy day in South Florida I guess I have nothing better to do but to continue reading, even if it is a stuggle.

I've read a lot of fantasy/sci-fi, and I know that it's asking a lot to expect everyone to be an Asimov or Le Guin or Gaiman; but this was a waste of time and money. Goodkind's droning prose takes what could have been an interesting and even exiting plot in a 350-400 page book and turns it into a 700+ page ordeal. I frequently skipped 4-5 pages at a time and NEVER MISSED A BEAT IN THE PLOT. Disregarding the fact that, without having read any of the previous books, I immediately figured out that Sebastian was a villian; the characters constantly re-hash the same saccharin moral dilemnas page after page after page after.... you get the point. If you really want to read this book, get it from the library: you don't need to own it.
And don't even start me on the goat. Geez!

Terry, did you forget who this series was about? It gets annoying when we read the series for a few good charactors(Ann, Zedd,Richard,Kahlan) and you go off with this Oba and Jennesen thing! What the heck!? I mean, honestly, Oba is just plain freaky and Jennesen is anoying with her 'I'm afraid to do wrong but every time i think that i remember my dear old mum and want to kill my brother' thing. THIS-IS-NOT-PRINCESS-BRIDE! I keep expecting her to say,"Allo! My name is Jennesen Rahl. You killed my mother,prepare to die!" I am sick of the jennesen to oba to jennesen to jennesen to oba jennesen again type thing. Also, i am getting tired of this whole war. Anything new Terry? And the goat. yes betty is a pointless goat that they keep making references to. IT IS JUST A GOAT! Stop lingering on the fact that it exists! Terry, what were you thinking and when will you get back to actually writing interesting books? I mean, sure when i sneaked a peek at the first 5 pages my mind was reeling with questions before I even read the series. Who was this soldier? What was on the paper. SO I started to read the series driving onward to get to this book. I loved it so much and it gave me and Dad something nice to discuss. I gave a copy of the first book to my best friend and it hooked her too. I got to The Pillars of Creation and now I slug through it hoping to get to Naked Empire and hopefully fan that little spark that Terry left to glow so i can get the fire of the series back.I didnt give it a 2 because a few bits were funny. Like Zedd is harmless and Jennesen thinking Richard knew alot about magic. I hope to have some better thoughts for the next one, but until then i have 8 words for terry: "What the heck was were you thinking Terry?" Thankyou!

I just don't get what the reviewers here are saying about Mr. Goodkind's books. When Mr. Goodkind decided to write, it was for himself, not for just money. His first book,"Wizard's First Rule," was for himself. Not until about a year afterward did he decide to make contracts and what-not to share his fantasy world with us. He is doing just that-sharing his FANTASY WORLD, not just the same characters over and over again. One thing that I notice some of the other reviewers failing to see(well most of them anyway) is that he is continuing to share is unparalled writing style and love for his work. People say that his works are getting worse and worse for all of the wrong reasons. Mostly because of the lack of appearances by Richard and Kahlan. I see his works getting better and better- as in the fact that he never ceases to amaze me with his writing ability. And if you really care about his works, you would have done the research and learned that he has at least two books planned after this one. I am sure that Richard and Kahlan will be back. As stated in his interviews- He writes for only himself and intelligent readers. If you fail to fall within either of these categories, by all means- read something else. Life is too precious to spend our time reading things we don't enjoy. If you do fall within the aforementioned categories-enjoy one of his best works of all!

After book six (one of the best) I was really looking forward to read the next, with Richard and Khalan together continuing the story. The whole book could have been a really good build-up for book seven.
What I especially like in the Sword of Truth series is that it stays on focus and don't leap all over like Wheel of Time does. With a long time between each book it gets too confusing from time to time. I also like the style which Terry has written in until now. But this book wasn't like this.
This book was boring and predictable, and I miss Richard. It's nice to introduce new characters, but don't leave the main ones in the dark until the very end. What have they been up to? How did it go where we left them last?
I feel that the author has wasted much too many pages introducing a new character which wasn't really needed, and probably won't get much attention later. What's interesting with Jennsen?
Simply put I love the first six books, but I think this book should have been profiled like Debt of Bones, or that the author should have taken a break, if this is the best he can perform right now.

...In this novel we are shown that not all of Darken Rahl's other children are "bad guys". Indeed, Jennsen is essentially one of the "good guys", however misinformed she may be. And so, yes, the novel does not focus exclusively on Richard and Kahlan, but that does not make it any less of a fantastic novel, nor any less pertinent to the story. The novel is a fabulous read, meant by Goodkind to be read from two different perspectives. One being those who have not read any of the others. Then Pillars becomes a stand alone novel and the reader identifies with Jennsen, discovering with her that Lord Rahl is not the evil man she thinks. And the other being those who have read the others (like me). In that perspective one clings to the story, hoping that Jennsen discovers the truth about Richard before mistakenly killing the man who, with his wife, are virtually all that protect the people of the New World from destruction.
If you want a good read that will make you think or you want another fantastic novel by Terry Goodkind then I highly recommend this book as well as the rest of the series. However, if you do not like to be presented with good ideas and are unwilling to hear anything that might damage your vision of the "perfect" heroes, then steer away from this and all other Goodkind novels because he truly will challenge how you view people and the world.

Though this is not the best in the sword of truth series, it is far from being the horrible flop that seems to be the consensus between the readers who have little vision to look beyond the scope of this book as not being all about richard or not about being able to stand on its own - this is why it is part of a SERIES! Do you think that terry goodkind was going to wrap everything up nice and neat? no! He wants you to read his other books and delve into the lives of all of his characters! (And do it by the way, you won't regret it!) This book provides a nice contrast - and if you acutally take the time to READ this book (rather than be dissatisfied at the beginning and continue to be close minded till the end of the book because their is no Richard/Kahlan) the charcters will begin to grow on you as will
Goodkind's reasoning for taking a break from his Kahlan/Richard emphasis. The best thing about Goodkind's works is the message behind it - and I suspect most of the poor reviews for these books are not because the story is not satisfactory but rather because of his display of his beliefs through out his writing that may be contridictory to some. To me, that is what makes this series (and this book) stick out against some of the others series.

I have anxiously been awaiting this book to hit the shelves, and I can't tell you how many times I have reread Faith of the Fallen in preparation for Pillars of Creation coming out. Faith of the fallen is one of those rare books that really stand out amongst it's peers, but in reality has no peers due to the incredible rhetoric and imaginative writing of Terry Goodkind. But I am not reviewing that book.
I fell in love with the Sword of Truth series from the start. I had been reading Jordans book feverishly until they started to become boring, and dependably dull. His series started to flag (I feel) by the 6th-7th book and it has been downhill ever since. Goodkind to me took some of the same ideas as Jordan in writing a series, but I feel as though he learned from Jordan, and didn't make the same tired mistakes. Goodking constantly kept his characters moving, growing, the plot shifting, and new wonders appeared in every book. It is for this that I have revered the series up until the last book.
This new book by Goodkind is a good book. I will give him that. He is a very proficient writing, and has used the land he created almost in a selfish way I feel to explore ideas beyond the regular scope of his novels. I will explain.
The book is about children of Darken Rahl that were saved from summarily being killed at birth as Rahl's are wont to do. These children by the storys beginning have grown to adulthood, and have been on the run from the ruthless minions of house Rahl their entire life. Though the lifelines of these children start out simply and independant, their stories quickly link up, and crisscross each other until the end of the novel.
Their adventures with the Imperial Army, and within the land of D'Hara is sprinkled with excellent writing, yet my gripe with the story is that the main protagonist: Richard Rahl and his associates are not written about until page 450.
Yes you heard correctly: the main characters of this series, Richard, Kahlan, Cara, who have fueled all of the plot thus far were not written about until the book was 4/5ths done.
I respect this from Goodkind, as he probably wanted to use alternative characters to explore the world he had created, and see it from a different point of view, but I feel as though he should have written more about Kahlan and Richard, just to allow them to grow that much more in this book.
So that is my gripe with this book. It was a well written book, but I wish that Goodkind had written a little more about the characters I have grown to admire greatly. Incidentally Richard does learn one more Wizards Rule, and the streak is kept alive as we are now up to 7 rules of "living life as wizards do".
Good book, well written, the characters were interesting, if not who I really wanted to read about. But in the process I was able to learn a little more of the mystique of the land and some of its inherent magic, and that is always a positive thing. So I would call reading this book overall a very enjoyable experience, if slightly unexpected.

When I first started reading the Sword of Truth novels I was pretty excited. We learn of a new world, Richard discovers his heritage and powers, and we are introduced to his moral philosophy. Events which actually move the story happen. I didn't want the books to end. But it's now been several books since anything has happened which might move the series toward completion. There's nothing new! It's boring! This seventh book has "new" characters, and deals very little with Richard, Kahlan, Zed, etc. However, these new characters are no different from what we've been seeing: Ayn Rand-like moral superheroes vs. snivelling communists. It seems as though Goodkind wants to convert every person in the Imperial Order to Lord Rahl's philosophy (one person and one book at a time).
Fantasy is pretty formulaic. You can maintain interest for a few books worth of setting up a world and having your heros complete their quest. But an author should have a good reason (beyond milking his fans) if he is going to keep going beyond 4 or 5 books. Goodkind hasn't shown me anything lately.

If you want to read more about the exploits of Richard and Kahlan, go back and reread the first couple books in the Sword of Truth Series.
The book, while it DOES involve random, uninteresting characters, features only token appearances by the main cast in the rest of the Sword of Truth series, and is not worth buying. Also, except for the fact that Goodkind has outlined how the magic in his world will die out in a couple thousand years, there seem to be no outward plot developments... The Imperial Order is unaffected, as are all the nations under Richard.
Hopefully, this book was a mistake that Goodkind will put behind him; I know that many of us readers would hate to think that he has dried up as badly as Robert Jordan seems to have.
As a whole, this book left me abysmally dissappointed.

I am an avid fan of this series, and have read all of these books as they have come out. My enthusiasm is waning with the successive books. The impact of this book on the story line will not be known for a while, however this was a lot of time and effort devoted to only moderately interesting side characters. With a whopping pattern of two, Terry seems to be taking a side trip every other book, and it's somewhat frustrating. I loved book six, and I will continue to look into the series, but I am not inclined to spend my money on 400+ pages of moderately irrelevant side characters. To Terry: I'm sure you have publishers on you for quantity, but don't feel like you have to copy or compete with R. Jordan's endless repetitive detail. Write your own story, keep it tight and moving then finish it. Move on to other characters in other stories. 600 pages is too much for a side trip. Another book like this, and I may move to newer pastures.

A Pillar of Marvels!
Terry Goodkind's The Pillars of Creation is a wonderful book entailing all the things good fantasy should books have. This seventh instalment in the highly popular Sword of Truth series is very different from it's predecessors. The book is centered on a new character named Jennsen instead of our favorite couple, Richard Rahl and Kahlan. The book follows young Jennsen's tale, through her past and plunges into her future when a mysterious stranger stumbles upon her one winter day. He saves her from vicious attackers, but even his most valiant efforts fail to save Jenn's mother. Jenn and her mom had been hiding from Jenn's father, the vile Darken Rahl, in the most isolated of area's. Scared and lost, Jenn went with her mysterious saver named Sebastian, into the heart of her enemies layer, D' Hara. She meets many toils that would test her strength and wit, but she proves to be strong and pure of heart. She discovers herself and uncovers many truths, which lead to a unexpected ending.
Also in the shadows a new subplot is introduced, Oba lived with his mother on a farm in an especially poor part of the midlands. He was tortured as a child and lived a very sad life. He was also the spawn of Darken Rahl and shares his father's nasty habits. He kills his mother and town sorcerous and leaves to seek his destiny promised by the keeper himself.
This book may not follow the normal flow of the original story, but still has the heart of a true Sword of Truth book. Terry Goodkind still follows his wonderful writing style, but leaves you thirsting for more about your favorite characters, Richard and Kahlan. Goodkind throws in some unique twists and amazing marvels this good novel.

His theme of good vs. evil still is prominent as ever. And his morels and idea are even more brilliant. Goodkinds philosophies about life are shown in his novels. His ideas are amazingly perceptive, wise, and true. Through reading his books you can learn about principles of life. The reader may choose to follow his ideas or agree to disagree, but none can argue that his idea's do not have some basis in fact. This stories morel is to embrace truth and in doing so embrace life. Learn to love you life and yourself.
I highly recommend this book, but only if you've read it's predecessors first. This book would make little sense if you read it out of order. This series of books are for young adults and up. There are some adult concepts and situations that require a mature reader. This is a superb book that paints a wonderfully detailed world full of many frightening dangers and amazing feats. The Pillars of Creation is a fine read and well worth the time.

Goodkind has fallen into a trap set by the Keeper (and now shares the fate of his fellow sellout Robert Jordan) and worships the almighty dollar. Just like the last installment in this series, there is perhaps 50 pages of text featuring Richard and Kahlan, the protaganists of the series. Instead, we are left with a slowwwwwly unfolding story of two new characters, neither of whom is "gifted" and neither of whom is interesting. May Goodkind find the strength and resolve to either resume the storyline or conclude this farce. Tolkien and others had the courage to end their stories without meangingless excursions and tangents. Check this one out of the library if you must and save your dollars.

I never really write reviews, as i just never cared that much before. However, in the case of this latest book in the SOT series, i felt compelled to express just how thoroughly disgusted i was by the puddle of steaming liquid filth that goodkind has produced for the masses. His last book, Faith of the Fallen, was excellent; it was an exemplar of just how well and originally goodkind can write. But to follow it up with The Pillars of Creation is cruelty to the masses. The plot had come about perfectly, and exciting things might easily have happened in this book. But instead of doing any of that, the author decided to introduce two or three new, idiotic characters that not only bored the hell out of me, but went so far as to bring bile to the back of my throat. (...) The characters that have been central to the rest of the series were somehow omitted from this story... why, i cannot say. I only know that this book is an attempt by the publishers and money-hungry authors to brutally screw the literary public in way unmentionable. The only reason i was even able to bring myself to rate this book two stars was out of respect for the rest of the series... i guess what i'm trying to say is that you shouldn't read this book unless you hate yourself. (...)

I may not have paid close attention to the kindle book description, and did not have a physical book to look through at the time of purchase. However, my take away was that Richard and Kahlan meet a very interesting young woman named Jennsen. Then, Richard and Kahlan did not appear until the very end of the book. This may have been obvious with another purchase type... but it was really disappointing. I did not care about the characters, Jennsen seemed flat and just too naive. Oba was simply gross. I flipped and skipped nearly the whole thing after the first quarter of the book.

Anyone out there who is a Die-hard Goodkind fan will know that this book was not what was expected considering the end of his sixth book. After getting over the initial shock that Richard and Kahlan were indeed not going to be written about, I became immersed in Jennsen's story and went on to enjoy the book very much. Now lets take a step back here and think about what it is about Goodkinds books that make them truly better than the rest. Each book has a specific moral lesson to be learned in the form of a Wizard's Rule, and if you think on it, you'll know that in everybook preceding this one, the rule plays an integral part of the book to almost every single character in it. this book is no exception. The lesson learned in the seventh installment could not have been learned by richard because he already knows it. It took a flawed character with a lot of fear like Jennsen to learn it and ultimately teach the lesson to us the readers. The rules of these books and Mr. Goodkinds writing are what make them the best, with or without Richard. And besides, i'm sure he's got a lot to write about for the next book. We're left hanging in this one moreso than in the last one... if that is even possible. This was a really good book.

Well its a great book...but it went off the beaten path of Richard and Kahlan...which kinda is disorienting....although its a great book the character Jennsen isn't that important over all...buy it to get a grasp on the story...and for the quality writing...although it was what got me into Terry Goodkind to begin with...if you get this book be sure you read all the ones that come before it...or you'll be lost

I am an avid reader of Goodkind's books - I've been hooked since I read Wizard's First Rule 4 years ago. While I Think Wizard's First Rule was Terry's best by far, I've enjoyed the whole series until now. I do not have a problem with the new character focus - Richard and Kahlan are not the only people with power in their world, much as I love reading about them, so there must be others able to affect the world. My main problem with this book was the lack of CONTENT. Instead of being captivated by beautiful worlds and a strong storyline, as in the other books of the series, I found myself skimming page after page looking for some content, any content. The main characters were ridiculous: Jenssen was naive and Oba was just plain disgusting. There was little character development required to depict these two one-sided characters. I was especially disappointed by the predictability of the climax - I have never before been able to predict the twists and turns of Terry's books, but I figured out the end before 100 pages had gone by! I understand and agree with the idea of showing the opposition to Richard and his actions - Goodkind does a good job of demonstrating the Imperial Army's ability to twist Richard's truths - but I feel that Terry reused too many old ideas - Oba certainly sounded exactly like Drefan did a few books back. Ultimately, it was refreshing to come upon characters with whom I was familiar, but I did not enjoy much of the book at all. I would recommend this book only to those who are familiar with the series so when Terry writes the eighth book we can all be up to date. Otherwise, don't bother.

After reading this book and Faith of the Fallen in about a week I have come to the colclusion that unlike Jordan, Goodkind can go to this trough any time he wishes. This is because, unlike Jordan, Goodkind has each of his books be an almost stand alone novel. Not to say that it would be easy to read without the other but the series tells a different story with each book. Unlike Jordan who simply covers one conflict with 10 books, Goodkind has a few books that represent many different adventures. My suggestion is that this is the series that is the Anti-Jordan. There is an all encompassing conflict but it is great that there are stand alone adventures. A great read.

This book is another great one from Terry Goodkind. He has a way of writing that makes you never want to stop reading. I have followed this series from the beginning and I feel this book fits right in.
I agree that it was disappointing that Richard, Kahlan and the other main characters were kept out of the plot until the end of the book but this does not make it a bad book.
This story gives us a better understanding of the Imperial Order and how they are able to recruit people to their cause. It also allows us to understand the ideas flowing through the other side of the war and how Richard is perceived.
The only reason that I gave this book 4 out of 5 instead of a perfect 5 is the re-read factor. There is just not enough going on throughout the book to re-read it (other than finding out what one "harmless" skinny wizard can do).
Again, this book is great and extremely well written. Its flaws hardly make it a book that should be left out of your collection. Hopefully, Terry will continue long into the future.

Although it was nice to see some new characters, I thought that this book simply wasn't up to par compared to most of the other books in the series. Jennsen and especially Oba got a little wearing after a while. Neither seemed to have much depth, and there was just too much of both. I waited a year for a fitting end to the series. It seems to me that Terry Goodkind is just prolonging the end with mediocre novels that were written just so he could get a new book out each year. This kind of writing turns "epic" fantasy into one book after another, written for money, while sacraficing quality. After Faith of the Fallen, this was an especially disappointing book. I also do not agree with the reviewer who stated that Robert Jordan was an excellent writer. I only read the first 4 books of his series, and from what I saw, despite the excellent storytelling, the writing went from bad to worse. Despite its flaws, The Pillars of Creation still kept me reading, and I just hope the next book ties into it, so it wasn't a waste of time

I have now read over 50% of the book and none of the main characters have shown up. This should not be titled a "Sword of Truth" book. It is the Jennsen Story.
Talk about dragging out a story. It seemed as if Mr. Goodkind is paid by the page by his publisher. I loved the first few books. I enjoyed them, because of the characters.
One of the other reviews mentioned a lot packed into the final chapters. I hope this is true. I hope it does not seem good because you have to suffer through the majority of the book to find out about the characters we have come to enjoy.
I feel cheated by the author. Yet I do acknowledge it is his work and he can write what he feels is important. But it still feels like a bought a Jag, opened the door, sat inside and found it was the interior of a Ford Fiesta.

It appears the author attempted to extend the series (and his profits) by devoting an entire book to an uninteresting new character. I have never been more disappointed in Goodkind. I actually returned the book back to the store. It is not one that I even want in my Goodkind collection. On a different note: although I am a great fan of Ayn Rand I've become a bit disappointed in the direction/tone of the series which at times it seems Goodkind is lecturing Objectivism: reason, individualism, freedom, concepts as abstract ideas, rational egoism, etc. No where was this more prevalent than in Faith of the Fallen. I'm pretty surprised that it took me until Book 6 to actually notice it. But Richard is definitely Rand's "heroic being" in a fantasy context. Not that it's a bad thing only give me more action and less philosphical lecturing.

This new approach, although successfully written, left a sour taste in my mouth. The character's naivety and easy manipulation left me baffled and angry at the same time. After reading the whole story of Richard, Khalan, Cara, Zedd, then coming to Jennsen, Sebastian and Oba left me noticing a transition between maturity and wisdom to immaturity and childishness. The character's views are narrowsighted and minded, leaving a bitter taste, almost wanting to scream at the pages for them to smarten up or use their brains.
If the point of the book was to make you realize how two-sided the world is, how people can be so smart and yet have such stupid counterparts, it succeeded hands down. Although leaving me a tad frustrated, I can't help but admire a book that can make me feel its story like it did. The story made me want to be part of it just so I could punch Oba and yell at Jennsen. :P All in all, it's a great read for most SoT fans, but keep an open mind. The story is nothing close to what you're expecting.

Ok, so I have been reading this series from the beginning and been waiting almost feverishly for this new book.It finally gets to my local library and I start to peel back the pages. This seems to be to be a piece of literary burnout. All the books before are riveting and the characters always suprise me. From their multi faceted complexity and their adult perspectives, to the world that surrounds them and its contained hardships. These things have pushed this series into its own creme del la creme in the fantasy realm. But all that is totally absent from this book. Page by page I looked for it, but it continued to drone on with its predictable, one dimensional blandness. I was glad I had to return it, for it has no home on the shelves of my own library. Maybe Mr. Goodkinds attention was concentrated on Debt of Bones, which I do plan to read. Or he wasted our time with a book to set up the next book in the series. Either way this book will be a serious letdown for avid fans of Mr. Goodkind. Thank you.

I have been an avid Sword of Truth reader since Wizard's First Rule was published, and have read each of the previous six books numerous times, as they have magnificent characters & plots, and I love his writing style. I have been looking forward to Pillars for over a year, and sadly, I am very disappointed. Though Goodkind continues to impress with his story-telling ability through his detailed character development, I felt the plot was unrelated completely to the rest of the books, Richard/Kahlan/Cara/Chase don't exist until the end, and it seems most of us, judging from previous reviews, enjoy reading about these characters the most. It seems Goodkind wanted to re-create Drefan, from Temple of the Winds, in an extended, prolonged, and boring fashion. This is not worth buying in hardcover, probably in soft cover just to have the book and complete the series. I sincerely hope Terry remembers the characters that made this series so successful in the next edition...Though his writing style is magnificent and unchanged, he forgot the characters, ideas, and story-line that caught everyone's attention and made this an amazing series.

I was quite excited that another Sword of Truth book came out and started reading it as soon as I could get my hands on it. I was quite annoyed however, to say the least. None of the main characters showed up in the book until halfway through at least. It was like a side quest in a RP game or something. Richard and Kahlan didn't even show up until page 497 of 557! I don't know if the ending was worth it or not.

The only explanation for this book is that an alien snatched Terry Goodkind and replaced him with an illiterate life form. This is simply a dull, poorly crafted book. The dialogue is infantile and strained, and the plot develops only because the protagonist and antagonist, along with the rest of the characters, are all incredibly dull-witted. Completely without subtlety or craft, Goodkind's worst-ever effort.

Although not a bad book, it didn't really have a whole lot to do with the main story line in the series. After about 100 pages, I found myself flipping forward to try and see when Goodkind would get on with it. Unfortunately, he didn't until the last couple of chapters, and then it was a bit of a forced tie-in.
This is more of a side story instead of a continuation of a series, which is disappointing as the description of it makes it sound like the main story line will be continued in this one. If he's going to write a side story, he should at least be honest about it.
After the last book, Faith of the Fallen, which I felt was an incredible book, this was a real let down. There were a lot of threads left open at the end of that one which were just ignored and now we have to wait another year to find out what happens.

I love the Sword of Truth series (except the chicken one, I still don't know what that was all about.) Then I read Faith of the Fallen and I was hooked again desperate to read the sequel. When I picked up Pillars of Creation I thought that's what I had. Boy was I wrong! I don't mind reading about a new character, but she shouldn't have more than a few chapters dedicated to her. In a Sword of Truth book, of approximately 550 pages, neither Richard or Kahlan appear until the last 50, and they don't play that big a role in those pages either. This wasn't a sequel, it was a cash grab. I'm just glad I read a library copy and didn't buy it. Terry Goodkind must be running out of ideas if Pillars of Creation is all he can give us. I'd rather have waited another year or two for him to come up with something worthwhile. Am I willing to risk wasting my time again and read the next book? Sadly yes, because I'm still looking forward to the sequel to Faith of the Fallen. Hope I get it next time.

When I discovered who the book was going to be revolved around, I nearly had a fit! "Why does Goodkind think I'd want to read about anyone other than Richard and Kahlan???" But, I gave in and read it. And, to my suprise, it was good. Not his best, though. If you're looking for finer examples of Goodkind's writings, read earlier books in the Sword Of Truth series, they are much better. However, this book is a must if you're a Sword Of Truth fan. Somehow Goodkind continues to combine unlikely coincidences with a frighteningly realistic plot and characters to match. As with all the rest of Goodkind's characters, you grow to love some new ones. Jennsen, Sebastion, Tom and - yes, even the goat, Betty all touch your heart. So, my recomendation? Do NOT read this book if you have not read the rest of the series. It will ruin the book and the series for you. If you have read the rest of the series, and plan to continue reading, read this book. It's worth it.

I've been a fan of this series... as have almost all the reviewers... HOWEVER, i feel that justice has not been dealt to this book. The purpose of Terry's writings and the books that do not follow the standard fantasy book : following the hero/heroine : is to make an actual WORLD.
Let me clear this up here... RICHARD IS NOT THE ONLY PERSON ON THE PLANET... Goodkind is simply showing this to the reader. The people in the wars, in the trials, in the problems throughout the nations that Richard is instigating/protecting/destroying are REAL people. They have emotions... they are not stupid... and they have a purpose. If the majority of the fans of this series can't live without Richard... than i doubt you will stick around beyond the life span of Richard. If you don't think the book will go that far... than why are there all the foreshadowings that give clues as to the type of person richard's son will be? The main point that has been made through all the lessons Goodkind is giving us is that ONE PERSON MAKES A DIFFERANCE... but no person is imortal. I believe these breakoffs from storyline give added plot, added character, and added foreshoadowing that we will all find in later writings and suddenly have that "oh my gosh!" revelation that we so love as readers. I just thank Goodkind for making such a masterful story... and encourage any and all fantasy readers looking for a real experiance that stays with you for life to forget what the naysayers speak... and see this series for what it is: one large, multi-viewed, fantastic book.
How can i not give this book a 5 rating when this book is not just a sequal... but a partner to every other sword of truth book? cheers to the greatest fantasy series ever created.

a lot of what the other reviewers are saying are understandable and valid, but i personally kind of liked this one. i liked the way it introduced and followed completely new characters, and those new characters are fairly interesting, especially obha. plus the anticipation is deadly when it comes to waiting for richard, and when he finally comes, it doesn't disappoint. maybe try to read it again?

....that I quit reading a fantasy series, or any series of books for that matter. This book, however, convinced me to quit the Sword of Truth nonsense once and for all. Early in the series, I put up with the ubiquitous main-character-that-has-almost-limitless-power-but-won't-realize-it-until-the-author-is-good-and-rich ploy, but when said hero didn't hardly make a showing in this volume, I lost interest for good. If you read reviews for the later books in the series which I have not yet read, you will see some of the same complaints that I have. One of those issues I have is with the some times pages-long chunks of narrative that read like an editorial out of the newspaper. Seriously - it takes no creativity at all to write out your socio-political manifesto, but don't try to pass it off as a gripping fantasy read - it insults the intelligence of your readers. Plenty of other writers have opinions that they want to come through in their writing, but they don't throw it in our faces verbatim with some quote marks around it. It's not even that I disagree with every point that he doggedly insists on making, but it rips me right out of the story, and I have a hard time breaking back in. Fantasy is about escape and suspension of disbelief. If, at the end of the book, I can look back and see the real world comparisons and extrapolate the opinions and points made, then the author has done his/her job well. Like a great painting, it is beautiful at first glance, but the more you look at it, the more there is to see. This series is the newspaper clipping mounted on the wall next to a Monet - I don't care how fancy the frame is, I'd rather look at the Monet.

After a ever so mildly disappointing 6th book, the pillars of creation made up for it. Although the typical main characters are missing from a majority of this book, the moral of the story is well placed throughout the plot. I could barely put this book down, as proven by the fact that it is currently 1am and have read almost a quarter of the book just this evening.

Ok I did the ultmait bad doing in a set of books like these. i read this book first and then read the rest. and while I know some extra info that I shouldn't have known when picking up the first book, but that made the whole book better than if i Had read them in order, I wouldn't know which to recomend first, they really do want to be stand alone books and you would find yourself wishing that you could have forgoten what ever you read first when you pick up what ever you read second. the only issue that i have with this book and most of the terry good kind books, is the abrupt endings. he takes intracket detail and winding and webing in order to get you reading the book like crazy, and conclueds and resolves very quckly, like runing into a brick wall at 120 mph. so I am not sure what to really recomened to you, I will say to all the soward of truth fans, this is not a sword of truth book, it is a spin off, and this is not about the people in the books that you have come to love.

I got plugged into this series with the first episode. Great tale with real characters. Ensuing editions left me wondering why I continued. Then this episode invigorated my attention and thoroughly enjoyed the new places Mr. Goodkind was taking me to.

I would pity the first time reader who picks up any of the editions of this saga and tries to put the pieces together. "The Pillars of Creation" is almost a stand alone novel and does showcase the talents of Goodkind with glimmers of the brilliance that launched the "Sword of Truth" franchise.