Temple of the Winds; Soul of the Fire; Faith of the Fallen

A good experiance. We ordered used books and they were obviously used but in plenty good enough condition. Communication with the seller was good and the books arrived in good time. We are pleased with the transaction.

I've started from tv-series, then I found the book (and how convenient the store.com is).
Great. I'm just over the firs book, and still eight to reed. It's gonna be a nice time reading!

Davide.

Four is still a good story, but five starts to fall apart. Six is essentially Atlas Shrugged for children, with a little bit of Fountainhead & some Asimov style dialogue to really get everyone confused. Stop reading the series at book 4, you'll never know why, but you'll wish you did if you don't.

Terry Goodkind’s nonsensical preaching is nauseating. To quote... the most ridiculous thing I have yet to hear Goodkind write...'Appearance, was a reflection of what a person thought of themselves...and therefore by extension, of others. A person crippled by self loathing or self doubt reflected those feelings in their appearance'
What nonsense! I so regret buying this idiot's books. What a waste of time. I certainly worry about what I am wearing because I want other to understand, BY EXTENSION, what my choice of attire means I think of them.... With each book Terry Goodkind writes, his belief in his own knowledge and Godlike understanding, grows beyond even the limits of fiction...

This series has kept me well entertained through all six books! I began the fifth book at the same time as taking philosophy and sociology college courses. I think, without the knowledge that these classes provided, I would not appreciate the books as much as I have! The depth of the main characters is astounding, and each new character gets at least a chapter of backstory. The fifth book is extremely political and intricate. Personally, book five was my favorite, but book four was a very close second!

If you've already completed the first three books, or are planning on reading the series, I highly recommend this box set. It's inexpensive and there are three of them. Mine came in great condition!

After reading the first boxed set, I eagerly read through the second boxed set. Each novel follows the same structure as the first 3 books, introducing new realms and new characters. The only problem I have with these books is that a good 1/4 of each novel is spent delving into the new realm or environment in which Richard and Kahlan are thrown into. It's a great backstory, but it is too much backstory. It's a little frustrating because I want to read more of the main characters, and it seems like some of the original minor characters like Verna and Ann get set aside in this set.

This is one of the first fantasy series that I've read that is really gritty, so there are lots of bad things happening throughout the novels (just like in the first boxed set).

Overall, I'm very eager to continue with the 3rd boxed set!

Book 4 is awesome and I couldn't put it down. However, things start going south when you hit Book 5. The only thing that has kept me reading are the characters, whom I have already fallen in love with. I'm not sure what's happened with the stories...either Goodkind got lazy or ran out of ideas OR his editors got lazy not caring about what they put on the shelves. As a writer, I know the editors are key in helping the writer shape the story into something consistent, but I think they may have taken a back seat because Goodkind's books got so popular. It's almost as if they said, "We don't have to edit these books as tightly as we did before. Goodkind's fans will buy it up anyway."

"Soul of the Fire" starts out with Richard and the Birdman pursuing the "chicken that's not a chicken", and though Kahlan thinks they're both crazy, she ends up being terrorized by this monster chicken as well, her life in danger. I couldn't stop laughing, and not in a good way. Then they leave the village to set out on this quest that Zedd urges them to pursue, with such urgency to the task...and they stop and contemplate what they're going to do next for a couple of CHAPTERS. So much for urgency. I really read the 5th book thinking, "I sure hope this all has a point," and thankfully, the fabulous ending of the book saved it, leaving me feeling 85% satisfied with the resolution, which is what kept me moving on to the next book.

Book 6 left me completely frustrated through the whole story, wondering where the hell it was going with Nikki's crazy quest of "Richard has the answer, but I don't know what the question is." She puts EVERYONE'S life in danger for this personal quest where she doesn't even know what she's looking for. Again, the ending redeemed the story, but this time I left feeling about 65% satisfied. Unfortunately, it just keeps getting worse after that.

Books 1-4 of Goodkind's stories are really good, but I would highly recommend NOT buying the entire series. Read them one at a time if you can get through them. I bought the entire series and just because I didn't want to have wasted my money, I'm TRUDGING through the remaining books. I've been on "Chainfire" (Book 9) for about 8 months, the book on my nightstand, waiting to be read. I just can't seem to get through more than 10 pages before I put it down disgusted saying, "Get to the freakin' point!" It has NOT given me any desire to read Goodkind's latest book.

I highly recommend books 1-4. GREAT stories, wonderful characters you fall in love with, and a world alive and full of magic. Just don't spoil it by reading the others.

That's my two pence...
Arial

This set contains books 4-6 of Terry Goodkind's wonderful epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth: Temple of the Winds, Soul of the Fire, and Faith of the Fallen.

Temple of the Winds - 5 stars.
This is the installment of the Sword of Truth series in which Terry Goodkind really comes into his own as a mature stylist and plotter. It is noticeably the best-written of the series up to this point, and the plot leads to a climax so brimming with conflict that it is physically uncomfortable to read. I found myself in the position of hardly being able to bear going on, but at the same time not being able to put the book down. In fact, I was quite angry at Mr. Goodkind the first time I finished the book, but a book that can have such a powerful impact and give you so much to think about is a rare thing.

The plot involves a Jack-the-Ripper-like serial killer, and a Black-Death-like plague set loose in the capital city of Aydindril. The latter storyline is more effectively written, but through Goodkind's brilliant contrivance both are combined to force Richard and Kahlan to face their most terrible situation yet.

Thematically, this is a book about love and sex, betrayal and forgiveness. Goodkind examines both romantic love and familial, fraternal love, using one case to explore when forgiveness is possible and appropriate, and the other to show when the requirements of justice preclude the extension of mercy.

In short, if you're looking for a good page-turner that can also make you think, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better book than this.

Soul of the Fire - 4 stars.
In the guise of a fantasy novel (and a pretty good one), Mr. Goodkind gives us a work about the nature of democracy. He examines, among other things, how race and class issues, as well as lack of education and political spin by the media, so easily undermine the system. Ultimately, he shows how democracy, as unfettered majority rule, amounts to nothing more than mob rule and cannot work without a constitution guaranteeing individual rights.

The story is good, although the Chimes seemed a bit abstract to make a good villain to me on first reading. Several new characters are introduced, some of whom are excellent, such as Dalton and Teresa Campbell, Franca, and even Beatta; others, such as Fitch, can be a bit frustrating.

Also, the ending here is the darkest of the series up to this point, but it follows from the theme and sets up the excellent sixth book that follows, Faith of the Fallen. The critics who complain that Richard is "perfect" and never makes mistakes apparently didn't bother to finish reading this book. They're missing out. Don't make the same mistake.

Faith of the Fallen - 5 stars.
By far the most ambitious Sword of Truth novel yet, Faith of the Fallen makes big promises...and delivers.

This is a novel about the indomitability of the human spirit that takes the reader on an astonishing philosophical journey along the way. Metaphysically, it addresses whether this world or some supernatural realm is the ultimate reality; epistemologically, whether faith or reason is the means to genuine knowledge; ethically, whether you should live for yourself or for others; and politically, whether people should be forced to live their lives a certain way or left free to do as they see fit. The book even turns ideas about esthetics into major plot points: should art celebrate the heroic in man, or depict him as essentially debased? And there is so much more.

Not only is this the most philosophical book in the series thus far, it also has the best new characters, such as Victor and Brother Narev (and the best new characterization of old characters, particularly Sister Nicci), and arguably the best story. It is also Goodkind's most well-written work--the climactic scene in which Victor declares his freedom and the revolution in Altur Rang begins easily could have come off as trite and silly in the hands of a lesser writer, but in Goodkind's capable care it is powerful and moving. Just try reading it aloud without getting choked up.

Many have noted, correctly, that this is the book in which Ayn Rand's influence on Goodkind really begins to show through. The fan of Rand's novels will notice echoes of all four of them in Faith of the Fallen. The student of her philosophy may also suspect that Goodkind draws his main theme from her essay "Faith and Force: The Destroyers of the Modern World." This is not simply a book about Communism, as many have thought, but more deeply about this idea of Rand's. Her essay talks about the "mystics of muscle" and the "mystics of the mind," or "Atilla and the Witch Doctor." These are represented in Goodkind's work by, respectively, Jagang and Brother Narev (the latter meets his just fate in this novel, but the former does not until the end of the series).

Of course, this is about where (give or take a book) those who hate Ayn Rand and the ideas she represents, as well as those who hate serious literature more generally, start to dislike the series. It's their loss.

I want to start with how happy i was that i did not read this popular series when i was younger. Just finishing up college and have not been able to relate to fantasy novels for a a couple of years tell i read these books.

What makes it different?

Well the world he creates is brilliant in its originality, the characters have a beautiful development (sound cheesy but extremely true), plot is phenomenal in each book, and i can keep going.

The greatest feature of the series is Goodkind's philosophy. Its beautiful in how real it is. I think the best way to describe it without giving anything away away is polarity between Wizards Rule's/ stupidity of man and the message of Faith of the Fallen/ beauty of man. For those who have not read the book, the characters act like people would in normal life- the good,the bad, the ugly, and the beautiful.

Advice- The last 300 pages of faith of the fallen need to be read in 2-3 days. Trust me make sure when you get to the last 300 pages that you have time to read it because you will end up not sleeping and skipping errands so you wont have to put the book down.

I loved the first 4 books, but starting with Soul of the Fire, my interest seriously started to wane. Richard and Kahlan, supposedly the main characters, are shucked to half or less of the book's pages, while we are thrust headlong into the lives of a few Anderith characters. Um, excuse me, but why should I care about them? Unfortunately this question was never answered sufficiently. I certainly didn't expect the two main Ander characters to disappear (one) or get brutally killed (the other).

I found Faith of the Fallen somewhat better, and doubtless just as wonderful an insight into the human heart and value of life as other reviewers have said, but throughout it all I simply got more and more depressed that Richard, Kahlan, and the New World allies will ever triumph and beat out the Order. Because of this, I am seriously considering not reading the rest of the series. I can't take anymore disappointment and despair for the characters. I almost didn't even read SotF or FotF, but I plodded on. Would someone just tell me, please, do they win in the end?

I really enjoyed this book and cried, laughed, and felt so many of Richard and Kaylan emotions through out this book. It was heart breaking to see Richard taken as a prisoner and away from Kaylan for a lifetime from what it seemed... but amazing how he prevailed in the end just being the simple loving kind man that he is. He showed the Truth right in the center of the enemys territory and an entire city supported him and took his side, including Nicci. I do wish that Warren didnt have to die as he and Verna were so happy after their special day in the midst of all the war. I do hope that Richard someday rebuilds the marble man and woman statue but I understand why the author chose to have it destroyed and the important Life meaning it represented to so many.

I believe that judging this series as a whole will favorably argue that Goodkind is every bit the equal to Tolkien -- even though Terry Goodkind himself would probably balk at such a comparison. I have it on good authority a very large chunk of Sword of Truth fans are not even typical Fantasy readers in general (or at all). The social & political upheaval that is covered within the entire storyline is truly epic in scope. The first three books (Wizards First Rule, Stone of Tears & Blood of the Fold) are easily my all-time favorite Fantasy novels. Not an easy place to be in my opinion writing in the shadows of Terry Brooks, J.K. Rowling, George R.R. Martin and the mighty Tolkien (to name a few). While I believe books 1 & 2 are STILL the best, in this boxed set, two remarkable stories stand out.

First...Temple of the Winds is simply AWESOME. While after initially finishing Blood of the Fold I was slightly disappointed, after re-reading it several years later, I decided that it was actually very good...but Temple of the Winds surpasses it in every way (IMHO). The struggles against Emperor Jagang and his evil plots to conquer the world as he sees it is amazing. Just the very idea of the Temple I found to be incredibly original all the way around. The eventual outcome and how Richard had to lower himself in order to save his people -- and his beloved Kahlan -- was nothing short of compelling.

Second...Soul of the Fire was my first (and only) serious disappointment in this entire series to date. While I wasn't very pleased with 'Pillars of Creation' and how Goodkind totally changed gears on his faithful readers by shuffling his main characters into microscopic roles (they only appeared in the final 40 pages or so), in SotF he did a very similar act. He created the brand new city of Anderith and immersed us head-first into this entirely new plot-line and kept Richard & Kahlan to nearly secondary characters altogether. Even though Pillars almost eliminated Richard & Kahlan, I STILL found the overall storyline to be quite entertaining...but with SotF it just fell flat for me. At least half of the novel kept me interested, but every time we went back to the problems in Anderith, MY interest virtually died.

Third...Faith of the Fallen really IS long on commentary by Richard, almost as though he were running for office. What I found to be utterly compelling however is that to the people Richard is virtually preaching to, what he is saying actually FITS 100%. The worth of souls ARE great, and Richard sees this, and has this monumental struggle to prove it to those in bondage to the Order. The pacifists of this world will never really fully understand what this means, because they are so busy trying to iron over any so-called problems and shelter their families from the real-world consequences that almost ALWAYS happen when you take a back seat to the oppression that threatens to consume the world as we know it. In short, I loved this book. If you put aside your political beliefs, and the outright incorrect way in which many attempt to connect FotF to Atlas Shrugged, LOOK at the situation that Richard finds himself forcibly immersed into...how ELSE can he express himself and talk sense into those who passively sit by while the evil-doers of the Order slaughter innocent lives all in the name of the Maker? Goodkind got it totally right here and I wouldn't change a word.

All in all I would rate the series 5-stars.

Wizards First Rule 5 Stars

Stone of Tears 5 Stars

Blood of the Fold 5 Stars

Temple of the Wind 5 Stars

Soul of the Fire 3 Stars

Faith of the Fallen 5 Stars

Pillars of Creation 4 Stars

Naked Empire 5 Stars

Chainfire 5 Stars

Phantom 5 Stars

I just wish that Terry could write faster...but if it in any way compromised the quality of the stories, I am perfectly happy waiting however long it takes to read whatever he writes.

When I started reading the first book, it took some time to get started. At first I thought it was a boring book, but I promiss a friend to give it a try. I enjoy reading books, and at times I learn, that sometimes books get boring but if you stick with it you be surprise. I ate the bait hook line and sinker! After reading the first book and learn that there others be hind it. I read them all. Just couldn't stop. Read them in order even though I bought them out of order lol!

After reading the first set of the Sword of Truth series and getting completely hooked I continued with the 2nd set Temple of the Winds, Soul of the Fire and Faith of the Fallen...and I have to say that this set was just as good as the first 3 and maybe even a little better....Faith of the Fallen has to be my favorite though...it was truly a life changing experience. Terry is an amazing writer and I am so immersed in these books the uplifting story of love, life and the human spirit. Truly truly wonderful! I hope that he never stops writing about Richard and Kahlan!

All I can say is these books (entire Sword of Truth Series) are absolutely my favorite of all time. I am what you would consider a moderate reader. I have read from quite a few authors and Terry Goodkind, by far, is my favorite. It is hard for me to actually pinpoint my favorite of the books, but I will say Temple of the Winds is HEART WRENCHING!!! Faith of the Fallen is a very solid book, leaving you with wanting more. I could not put these books down. I read each within less than a weeks time - and if you have seen how thick these books are, then you will see how impressive that is, considering I am a stay at home mom. :) Beats Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Paolini, S. Meyer, Weis & Hickman. And these are all within my top 10 favorite series writers.

Terry Goodkind is the new Tolken. This is hands down the most outstanding fantasy series ever written. The world, the characters, the story, all of it. The story of Richard and Kalan is a love story for the ages, and an epic adventure the likes of which fantasy readers dream of.

The characters are diverse and entertaining. There's good humour, love, hate, passion and plenty of intrigue. The plots have many twists and unexpected turns. I read the full set back to back over just three months and couldn't get enough of it!
The story sets off at a good pace and I found the books to be an easy read with action intrigue or entertainment on almost every page.

It 's the same story 3 times, Im not going to spoil it, but there isn't any character development over the 3 books, just the same development multiple times. The only thing that changes is the villains and the locations.

I could not put this book down, worth reading.

The paperback is so big you will bend the binding, it is just inevitable, but the story is so good. So many twists and turns in the story.

I am honestly a huge fan of the female heroes.

But I love the male hero in this book and there is also female hero.
And a quarky wizard too.

I nearly quit the first book over the graphic violence. But stuck in there because it was necessary. I got hooked. Goodkind is able to write such varied characters with incredible different "voices" that he is awe inspiring. No skimming (as I do... sorry... with much of Tolkien) over descriptions & info... trust me you will NEED it all. Goodkind has become my favorite author. His characters stay with you, his story hauntingly real.

This is the 2nd trilogy installment of The Sword of Truth series, and its still delivering. Although by the end of the 5th book, you get to see a dwindling of the story line, its still entertainment that only Terry Goodkind can deliver. Not as good as the first 3 books, in my opinon, this series loses track of the original characters we fall in love with in the first three. While still a good read, I was slightly disappointed.

I was given bookset 1-3 as a gift, but bought 4-6 myself. I can definitely tell that Goodkind has grown as a writer since the first book. Unlike other fantasy series I've read, Goodkind's world keeps growing even at the 6th book -- which makes sense. As Richard's view of the world grows, so does the reader's. I consumed these three books, finishing them in 3 days once settled down to it. I was warned by one of my liberal friends that the hints of libertarianism in the first three books explodes in the later books, and it's safe to say that he wasn't lying. But that's OK with me. I'm glad to finally read a fiction book that actually teaches a worthwhile lesson.

The one problem I have with these books is that they are entirely too repetitive. I found myself skipping just about every third paragraph because it was a paragraph devoted to summary of what has already happened. I realize this is common to every sequel, but in my opinion Goodkind takes it to extremes.

This is a great series! :-) Some may not like the end to this series, but I found it to be rather good. I don't like a lot of loose ends at the end of my stories. Case in point "The Lady and the Tiger". I had to read that stupid thing in School and then you are supposed to "Write your own ending." This series is wrapped up well, and you aren't left hanging on anything. I love it. :-)

I loved the Sword of Truth series and just finished the last one (# 11) a few days ago. I miss all the characters and wish there were more books in the series. Will be watching the TV series, which is "based on" these books but there are changes in the TV version, which is OK by me.

I won't go into a long review on the Sword of Truth books. The story is fantastic as are the characters. I'm currently reading the fifth book. I just read (on page 583) how Jangang's troops were visiting cities, giving speeches on "piece and prosperity". Really? Piece? The other books (1-4) all had typos too and the print was running off the pages cutting words off. How does the author write such a fantastic story and have his work go out to the public this way? I think he needs a new editor! If you can look past all the typos you will love the story!

For anyone who loves fantasy, or even those who are not keen on fantasy, will love this book series. The characters are without a doubt some of the very best ever written. The over all storyline keeps you guessing whilst still giving you a feeling that you are somehow apart of the journey as well. I would highly recommend this series to anyone who wants to escape to a world full of love, friendship, trust, loyalty, and more... or for those who just want a good read!

The fourth book in Terry Goodkind's series mantians the same momentum of his previous novels. Each of his books are like opening a door to a new yet familar world. I find that reading Temple of the Winds returns the reader to familar ground vistiting characters we have come to know and love. Some story elements are a bit contrived in order to give the main characters a strugle to fight against but at the same time the struggle is what these books are all about. An engaging read that will propell the reader further into Goodkind's world.

Okay so, you just finished book 3. You've had an intro to what all the rest of the books will be about. If you didn't mind the themes of rape, maltreatment, torture and kidnapping, then you'll probably do okay with the mutilation that is added to Temple of the Winds and on out through the series. Temple of the Winds is possibly the 3rd best book. There are websites that try to rank the books and you can find those. The constant separation of the two main characters gets annoying, as obviously the universe will end if they get to be together for more than a few minutes.

This contains the second 3 books in thsi ongoing series. although each book is essentially standalone, there are strands that appear in every book. So I would read books 1-3 before reading these. It's a good series though, but is certainly not of the calibre of Martin or Erikson

absolutely amazing, hoing from being an average joe to saveing lives, this book is truly adventurous, and the carachters are very relatable, none of them are out of the ordinary, but they capture you and take you into their sleepless journey.

Terry Goodkind continues the story of Richard and Kahlan. This box set was worth it since I had the three books at once and could have read through them as quickly as the plot carried me along. Will recommend for Terry Goodkind fans.

Read this book, but then do yourself a favor and stop
and save yourself from a hard fall.
The ending, 'Confessor', most awful ending I ever read in my life!
And worse, bad writing!!!
And worse because many of his books in this series were so awesome.
I really loved most of his books.But...I just read finished the last book last night.I got it from the library. I'm thanking God I didn't buy it.When I got it from the library, I noticed the spine was all broken and torn. I was intending to fix it...but now I realize it must have been because the last reader threw it against the wall.
I was tempted to as well, but didn't.
It was as monotonous and amateurish. Where the heck was his editor??
I should have listened and not read the book and just made up my own ending.

The one thing I think I hated the most was the way he ended it the whole boring slog.... It was COMPLETELY obnoxious.

His theme in most of the books was to protesting religious zealotry. Those in the Order where following some misguided notion that they were killing in the name of the creator and lived under very communistic conditions.

As I read Confessor the preaching and reminding got so irritating I ended up simply skipping pages and pages of 'reminders'.

Through out the series there seemed to be an acknowledged basic natural(and good) desire to connect with the Creator and the spiritual connection in all of us. And that there was indeed an afterlife and he seemed to be pointing out that those killing in the name of the Creator are wrong.

Also, Goodkind spends many chapters explaining the 'theology' of his fantasy world....how magic works and is connected with the underworld etc etc..But then he completely trashes it AND connects his fantasy world to our real world!!! The whole effect was disconcerting and took away from the 'fairy tale ending'...because you know in this ending the Creator is dead, or consigned to some corner and told not to bother anyone ever again.

In the end Richard destroys the entire afterlife for those banished to the non magic world, where he conveniently alludes to those formally of the Order are now the 'building churches'!!! What?)
Not mosques, not temples, not circles...but CHURCHES! (and not just any Churches, but CATHOLIC churches because they use medals and 'talismans'. What?)

Excuse me? Is Terry Goodkind really this ignorant, or is he just another patsy for the secular order that is encroaching with the culture of death? I think both.

Does anyone want a link to pictures of happy young jihadists brandishing the hands of Christians and other kaffirs they collected for allah???? Those of the Order where more like militant islam and the Saracens of history and militant communism and nazi's rolled up in one!! Knowing that as of this minute while I write this thousands of Christians are being executed for 'blasphemy' and oppressed with well documented sharia dhimmi laws in muslim countries or as in communist China's case, having children ripped from their wombs because they value life and would want to welcome a new child among them,...but it's against the godless of laws of china. Or what about the mass graves of Orthodox and catholic priests and nuns from Communist Russia and it's former satellites??

What an insult to those really truly have and are suffering on behalf of the values of life and liberty.

Ugh. I was completely irritated that I even read the series to begin with. I will not bother to watch the TV series.

My advice is save yourself aggravation and money and skip this series.
It's a garden path to nowhere even if slavish anti-catholicism and Nietzschism doesn't bother you, the ending is so horrifically badly written, disjointing and boring after so many really good books, you come out of it feeling like you were slapped...hard.

M~

If you have not read the sword of truth books. This is the one to read first. It starts it all. Richard the hero begins his journey as a simpleton woods guide, and is happy for it. but soon finds himself in a world of magic that is foreign to him. He never realizes that he himself is truly magic although he himself is the strongest magic of them all. A true adventure story. A good and easy read.

There's no end of trouble in Terry Goodkind's world; and it's certainly a world of its own. Terry has a lot of ideas, and he knows how to fill the pages, but he seems angry. -Stephen Prins, author of: Strife of the Lorin

If you like books where the good guy wins the battle and gets the girl then this series for you. If you want the good guy to have his head cut off and his girl raped and murdered then read R.R. Martin.

I'm going to call bull on the first review. It sounds like it was written by someone working to make Terry Goodkind richer. How else could he possibly compare the narcissistic drivel that Goodkind churns out to the literary classics of Tolkien? I mean, seriously?

Okay, I love scifi/fantasy and I can suspend my disbelief like it's going out of style. Wizard's First Rule was okay, although the writing was clunky and some of the things the characters did made me scratch my head a bit (like the part about the oh-so `virtuous' Richard kicking in the face of an eight year old girl because she said bad things about his girlfriend and the fact that he had to learn to love through his hate in order to harness the full power of his sword so that he could forgive then kill the woman who had tortured him and done unspeakable things to him sexually and lord only knows what those things could have been, but in the end the most evil of evil women overcame a lifetime of horrific torture and learned to love him because he was nice to her---aw, how insipid and cute), but then I went right back to that whole suspension thing. At least in the first book it seemed like he employed an editor and didn't repeat plot-points over and over and over. Although, Goodkind did make clear his love for writing about the baser aspects of the human condition, what with all the gang rapes and leather-clad dominatrixes.

I am actually ashamed to admit that I made it through 3 more of his books. Although, I did that by only reading the parts of the books that I found interesting, skipping over 200-300 pages per book of repeated plot-points or plot-points that did not advance the story or were just plain boring. Honestly, where the hell was his editor? His characters get increasingly bizarre, unbelievable, misogynistic and one dimensional, the writing is just plain bad and the dialogue is atrocious. The fifth book, which I started and promptly put down, not just because of the horrid rehashing of the first 4 books but because Goodkind showed his utter disrespect for his audience by writing something so horribly, laughably bad and actually expected his readers to buy it---oh yes, the chicken that was not a chicken but evil incarnate. And Richard and Kahlan should just save themselves the heartache and say "I love you infinity" because they're always in fear that one of them might die without them having said I love you one more time. Good writing is about creating believable characters, not characters that are completely one dimensional strawhorses designed to advance a narrow-minded, unrealistic point of view, e.g. Darken Rahl and Jagang. And let's not even talk about how his books devolve into a pulpit to preach the virtues of Objectivism, which he claims to be a strict adherent to while also claiming that he does not preach about it in his writing. Goodkind has also claimed that he modeled Richard on himself, which is equal parts hysterical and pathetic. And from his infuriatingly repetitive style, belaboring every single plot-point over and over and over and over, I can only conclude that Goodkind thinks his audience is a bunch of feeble minded retards with memory issues.

Seriously, if you're going to write such a positively glowing review about something as bad as the SoT series, then you've either proven that you have below average reading comprehension or you're a misogynist like Goodkind and fantasize about a world where gang rapes are plentiful and the scariest person in the land is the Mother Confessor (whose power is completely lame btw---only a misogynist would dream that the most terrifying power in the land is that of a woman who can make men eternally bonded to her, although to appease his misogyny she can only use the power once and then it fizzles out for a while) or you're a shill working for Goodkind or his publisher. Take your pick.

It's okay to like a trashy novel once in a while, but call a spade a spade. Don't denigrate authors like Tolkien, Rowling, and Martin by listing Goodkind as one of their equals.

People like Weber or Turtledove make it hard to tell which side is the villain because they make people on both side real and sympathizable. Goodkind does it by making them both equally reprehensible. The political platform of both sides boils down to: The other guy is pure evil. Ally yourself with me to stop him or I will kill you.

I used to laugh at people who compare things to Hitler; it's too much Hyperbole which takes away from the point. Yet Terry Goodkind IS like Hitler in some ways. Case in point: Devoted followers who are blind to the truth. How anyone can think this is good writing is beyond me. If only they read something, anything else, which they could compare this to. It boggles the mind. Just another sign that these are indeed the end of days.

1.God forbid he have characters that say or do things that make sense, or because they adhere to a shred of logic or cause and effect.
2. I LOL'd on some of the dialog, it is so bad.
3. Terry proves that the Wizard's First Rule is correct: 'People Are Stupid.' If you think I am joking, that is actually the first rule, 'people are stupid' wow, thanks captain obvious. Yet people are stupid enough to buy this book in droves.
4. My God...so bad...it's just sooooo bad...I've never seen writing so bad...............so bad.