Book 6), Faith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth

Those of you who have read Stone of Tears will think this new novel sounds vaguely familiar. In my opinion, it is a copy of Stone of Tears. First, Richard and Kahlan are together and happy, then a Sister comes along and forces Richard to come with her. Sound familiar? Then, she takes him back to the Old World while Kahlan joins up with a Midlands army and leads a battle against the Imperial Order(again, familiar?) I don't want to spoil key events and the end for those of you who wish to read it, but pay attention to how many other similarities you can find. This book was a big disappointment to me, and the only reason I gave it 3 stars was because Goodkind is a great storyteller. I am a HUGE Sword of Truth fan and have read the first four at least 9 times and Soul of the Fire at least 5 times. I eagerly await the next book and hope that it is better than this one.

I loved the book, Faith of the Fallen, by Terry Goodkind. This is my most favorite book. This book is romantic and adventurous. It sucks you in and holds you there throughout the whole book and even after your done reading, making you want to read more.
The story itself is amazing. Even though this book is fiction, I start to believe in it. It feels so real. It has its up and downs, like real lives.
While reading this book I found myself falling in love with Richard, Kahlan, and Cara. These three Characters are so detailed that I can feel the pain and joy they all go through. I find myself crying when Kahlan cries and overjoyed when Richard sees Kahlan, after thinking they would never see each other again. I also found myself hating Richard and Kahlan's enemy's, Nicci and Jagang. I can just feel the evil pouring out of the book from them.
This book is so detailed that I don't have to picture what is going on or where the characters are. I feel like I'm there with them. I can see myself standing in the middle of the woods, looking at the beautiful trees. I can see myself walking around the army's camps searching for Kahlan.
Reading this book, I have learned many new things. I learned of war and politics. Throughout the book Kahlan leads an army and Richard leads a war. They are looked up to and followed by billions. I learn what it takes to be a great leader and things about the government and how it works.
Faith is a huge topic in this book. Richard speaks to people about faith and pride. I love this because it helps me out in life all the time. Richard says in the book, "Every person's life is theirs by right. An individual's life can and must belong only to himself, not to society or community, or he is then but a slave," (515). Richard shows commitment and determination will get you so far. Richard is broke; he works hard to make money. He found one way to get it, and it wasn't easy. Richard works hard, unloading bars of iron. A blacksmith needs more bars badly. Richard tells the man, "I don't have a wagon, and I want to earn the money. It's not all that far. I figure I can carry five at a time. That only makes ten trips. I can do that by dawn. I'm used to walking," and he does, until he earned enough money to buy a wagon (373). Richard is very wise as well. He tells Nicci once, "Knowing when not to fight is just as important as knowing how," and I think of this all the time when I'm angry (350). All these things help me out so much in life.
When reading this book you can find yourself rooting for the characters. You get attached to them and feel all of their feelings. You start to think about what they would do if they were in your situation. You are no longer reading a book, but watching the journey of two people in love going through life.

I have read all the Sword of Truth novels (yet just learned there is a new one coming on june 21), and i think that this one is definitely the best of all of them. I am fourteen and love all Terry Goodkind's books (although he seems kind of wierd on the back cover) i thought at first that these books were sort of bad Lord of the Rings knockoffs. I was horribly mistaken. Although i am a humongous fan of Tolkien i think that for a kid my age or for anyone these are a way better read. I also thought that they were dumb. come on the first book starts off with a kid named Richard(oo interesting) getting bitten by a tree and getting his splinter pulled out by some old dude and a hot chick in a white dress. a pretty lame entrance but i hold no grudges because as i read on Richard, Kahlan, and Zedd became very good friends to me. Again being a fourteen year old boy i loved all the extensive battles, sensual(not rape) scenes, and numerous ominous bad people named cool cheesey names like Darken Rahl (sounds like a alter ego for Calvin or Darkwing Duck or something. Alright sorry im getting off topic. This is definitely the best book in the series because it shows that Mr. Goodkind can write something other than depressing deaths, battles and strange rapes. The "subplot" (if i can call it that because i guess it was the main one), of Richard and Nicci was heartwrenching yet also heartlifting. I guess that if you look at the bigger picture it is kind of cheesey, but having read this book 4 times and crying and smiling everytime i read it, it really is a great story. Its in a way like Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (at least i think so) because the author decided to find a new villian who can be bad or good or nuetral or... just there i guess. It is kind of an experimental book. I think that even if you skipped this book completely (and the pillars of creation) you would still get the whole story line of the series. BUT PLEASE DONT SKIP THIS BOOK BECAUSE I PROMISE THAT IT WILL BE YOUR FAVORITE. Foobird13 spends his time somewhere between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. lol

I definitely would not say that "Faith of the Fallen"was my favorite of the Sword of Truth series. In fact it's my least favorite. In agreement with someone else's review I say he did stray from his usual, wonderful style of writing. The novel just didn't have me turning the pages as quickly as his past installments. This is the first novel in which we the readers actually read scenes with Jagang talking from his own mouth. I did not like the way Jagang was portrayed. Goodkind made him a mix of an abusive husband and an intelligent cult leader. He was not the evil man I was expecting. The hardest thing for me to believe was that evil and lost Nicci could so easily make a turn for the better. Goodkind made her wonderfully complex and interesting but in the end he failed to portray a believable change. In fact overall I thought that Goodkind created too much of a gap between the hopelessness and defeat and the redemption and new found hope. Ofcourse if you've loved Goodkind up until now you'll read the book just because you love the series. I just hope that Goodkind continues the series and that his next novel will have all the wonderful elements that were somewhat lacking in "Faith of the Fallen."

First of all I have to say that Terry Goodkind is what got me in to fantasy books about 6 years ago, right after Wizard's First Rule first came out. The series itself astounds me and I eagerly wait, with a little drool coming out of the corner of my mouth, for the next installment. This one, however, is admittedly my absolute favorite book of the entire series. I'm personally someone who really enjoys some good revenge and when people learn. Yes, I'm a sap, I admit it. The good guy can do no wrong and I like it, it exploits all the things in me that I feel are bad and gives me a good chance to escape into someone much more perfect than myself. When I read, I want to escape and this book offers quite that quite a bit. There's one chapter I remember in particular that always gives me goosebumps, and to save those who haven't read it yet (shame on you!) I won't ruin anything. Suffice to say, Terry Goodkind is a great writer, I love his style and I don't think that he should change anything. Some people say his books are all the same "Richard beats evil but in doing so lets out more evil." So what? What are TV shows? CSIs solve crimes every episode. Oops? Buffy has to beat the Big Bad, Law & Order has to find the killer, etc. Terry Goodkind chooses a style that is somewhat bland and expands on it tenfold.

The entire book is written as a barely-hidden strawman argument against any and all forms of government assistance. Lazy political allegory using ridiculous extremes to justify nonsensical political stances. Constantly repeats the same information over and over. Implies that there's no such thing as opportunity or luck and everything in the world is possible via hard work. Deluded rantings of a man who can barely even attempt to understand the arguments made against his political views, and so must bastardize them with absurd caricatures to mock.

OK, OK, Richard and Kahlan love each other. Got it! Now can we spend more time on the plot and less on their pining?
It's kind of weird, actually, how much effort Goodkind expends on the Great Love. It is like he is creating something he wished really existed, instead of telling us a story.
Still an interesting book, especially the Ayn Randish philosophical debate about fate vs. predestination. I hope that continues. But please, let's see the poor kids moving forward (and not get so beat up so often!).

Thankfully, after a most disappointing "Soul of the Fire", Terry Goodkind has truly outdone himself writing one of -if not the best- novels in the Sword of Truth series. This book simply has everything the first two had and more: a good story, great characters, less fantasy book cliches, action and a fair share of that special kind of graphicality Goodkind has made us come to morbidly love. Moreover, the book does not betray its predecessors: battles are still vibrant, there is still humour interspersed throughout and Richard and Kahlan's relationship is as sickeningly melose as ever.
Nicci is by far one of the richest characters ever to grace a SoT novel. It is also a treat to discover new traits to utterly underdeveloped main characters from the previous books, for example Jagang. The relationship between him and Nicci, albeit shortly depicted, is excellently done, bringing the reader forth to new levels of understanding of a character that had been portrayed until now rather unidimensionally.
My only complaints about this book are that it is far too biased towards the author's political views, namely, the shunning of socialism and its depiction as moral hell, being capitalism the only true source of freedom and goodness. The constant preaching ultimately detracts from the whole experience of the book. Also, I think that Richard has been dehumanised in this novel to the point of perfection. Goodkind maintains the ever lingering ... fascination with his main character, but this time it has gone a bit too far. I know this is fantasy, but too much is just too much. Kahlan, on the other side, is brilliant in here. Thankfully she has evolved from her mushiness in SoTF to become a fully fledged Joan of Arc of the Midlands. It's good to see that most of the characters are not becoming parodies of themselves (I refrain from saying this about Richard). Cara is still as cool as ever.
The narrative moves somewhat slower than in the other books, yet the time lapse of the story is longer than in any of the prequels. The language is well used and the descriptions are solid. Besides the endless preaching, the last few chapters are beautiful and will definitely make your heart raise a few beats.
"Faith of the Fallen" is an excellent read. I was glued to it for days and after finishing it I was left with the sour taste of wanting more, something that hadn't happened to me since "Blood of the Fold". Terry Goodkind has reivindicated his credibility as an excellent author. You will not be disappointed with this one!

Mr. Goodkind puts in words the feeling of truth that most people can't even grasp. I own every book in this series, and it seemed to me like it was beginning to die. I picked up this book with very low expectations, and was shocked at the level of intensity underwritten in this book. Not only did it provide several insights into my own personal philosophy, it also helped get me a good grade in my philosophy class. A definite read for anyone who wants to see the underdog prevail, and human hope overcome tyranny and misery.

After reading the negative reviews of this book, I'm frankly amazed. Throughout the book, I was totally captivated and interested in the storyline, as I have been with all of his novels up to date. Up til the middle of the novel or so I would have rated it as par for his series. After this point, however, I fell in love with it. The thoughts he gave on the whole socialist society, and even the connections he feels with our own government today, hit very close to home for me, and I felt took a certain amount of courage to write with how most people are nowadays. I felt the whole ending, dealing with Richard's job, the unveiling of his work, and the way everyone reacted was perfect, and quite moving. I felt the ending just added on to his character, and gave me even more insight into what type of person he really IS. To make a long story(or review) short, I have to say that this was the most moving of all his novels, and if you turn away from the series at this step, you are missing out on more than you know.

While I generally enjoy reading the books in this series, this last one was a little over-the-top with regard to the economic philosophy (which did not necessarily mesh well with the orverriding message of "the Order" that has been set up in the past).
First, I am a fan of Ayn Rand and love her books. Terry should leave it to her legacy and not try to invent a bastardization Fountainhead/Atlas Shrugged meets swords and sorcery, as it comes across as extremely strained at best. Also, while I can appreciate the idea that the author wants to apply relatively modern economic commerce in a medieval setting, focusing on that aspect highlights the anomaly.
Next, a reminder that the main message of the Order through the earlier books is essentially death to magic. That does not mesh with the new message of the Order, sacrifice for your fellow man who has less. It seems that the Order as portrayed in the last book would not be out to destroy magic, but to subjugate it and bring it under control. Oh well, internal consistency is not always required.
The book itself was a fun read, not too deep despite the author's attempts, but I am not looking for depth from this series, just entertainment. At least the story moved a little, although the whole "they were separated, kicked some (butt) and now they're together again" motif is getting a bit old.
Still, I would recommned it to anyone who likes the series.

I think the main problem with this series is that Terry Goodking is telling the story in a series of episodes rather than a World-Building book in the usual fantasy big saga mould. Each book introduces new bad guys and new 'friends' and normally wraps up their story within the bounds of the book. It is a bit like Buffy and Star Trek - they both rely on very basic plots and then use characterisation to fill in the gaps. Something like the Wheel Of Time is there to create a living breathing world.
Temple Of The Winds and Soul Of the Fire were very bad episodes in this saga, and I did actually look at reviews before buying this book, and then only when I saw it for £8 at a local bookshop. Personally, I did enjoy the pseudo communism - a rare thing to have dealt with in normal western fantasy. I think some reviewers have taken it a tad too seriously.
The only thing that I would say is that, even though I found this a very enjoyable book, there is nothing in the ending that even remotely makes me think "another year to the next one... what will I do...". But I suppose that is the downfall of an episodic series with a years gap in between.

The Faith of the Fallen appears to have been an attempt at a poorly done and sadly out of date rant against the now largely historic Communist States. The Problem is that the Communist Party is being so over played by the Order that this becomes the story, and its not a good one. The Order is clearly trying to make things worst, not sadly destorying things by trying to make things better for everyone through a misguided and poorly executed economic system. People are amazingly stupid, but not that stupid. The characterizations are extremely weak, almost like they were never fleshed out from the story board versions.
There is nothing wrong with making anti-socialism a subject of fiction novel, even at this late date when nearly all the socialists are gone. However, even Ann Rand did a far better job in his slightly less overdone books. Its like this book was done by an US Government Propaganda factory during the height of the cold war. It could have been so much more, as are most of Terry Goodkind's books. I have read every book in this series, several of them more than once. Mr. Goodkind should do a lot more research on communism and the past commentary that already has been made on it before attempting such a work. Its basic professionalism, if you are a widely read writer stick to pure fiction or make sure you get it right.
BTW China isn't Communist any more, its a extreme Example of Crony Capitialism and has been since the early 90's.

I feel as others do that Goodkind's best work is in his first two Sword of Truth novels. The rest seem to slowly decline. While Faith of the Fallen is, on the whole, more interesting to me than the fifth book in the series, it still suffers somewhat from a few problems.
First of all, it seems to me that Mr. Goodkind often repeats himself to get a point across. You may read about a certain character's motives four or five times in the same page. For me this got old very quickly. I felt myself saying, "I KNOW why she is doing this, enough already!"
Secondly, this book really pushes a political agenda. On the whole this is not necessarily a bad thing, but for me it ended up taking away too much from the story. Those who proposed a socialist/communist system of government were so villified that one could not help but hate the system as a whole. It would seem that Richard is a libertarian, and while I have nothing against libertarians in general the dogma got old very fast. Again, the attacks against socialism were repeated so often that I wanted to yell out, "I've GOT IT! Communism is bad!"
Thirdly, I didn't care for the truly manipulative touch Goodkind seemed to have in this novel. While I expect characters to suffer, and perhaps even die, it seemed almost gratuitous to kill off all the characters that did pass on in this novel.
And finally, I found the passage of time very distracting in this book. From one chapter to the next months pass, and the entire novel encompasses more than a year's length. This is longer than the previous five books COMBINED. You feel there are many stories that are never fleshed out, and time seems to conveniently skip in places. Furthermore, you can literally go for half a year's time before the story returns to one set of characters.
Most of these points are all based on my own personal preferences, so many may find this review superfluous. That's fine. I just wanted to express my own opinion.

someone, i think it was harlan ellison but am perhaps mistaken, once noted that all fantasy literature is necessarily fascistic. this is not so unusual as it may initially sound; people crave strength, they crave inspired leadership of the sort that is all too rarely found in life. mythology provides that, anyone who reads fantasy fiction is obviously an escapist (myself included). what is to be absolutely avoided in fantasy literature is the urge to be didactic. my chief complaint is that goodkind has turned what was, in the first book, a remarkable world, into a platform for ideological warfare. furthermore, had mr. goodkind been intent on being remotely artistic about this unfortunate process, he would have done so in such a way that his own obvious opinions regarding the matter didn't distort the narrative. if you think this is impossible i suggest you re-read 1984. in addition to this i feel compelled to add that it is truly saddening when a friend whom you've come to love and deeply respect begins to do foolishly wicked things. what was initially a rather lovable rugged provincialism/individualism in richard cypher has morphed into an authoritarian madness which in turn, through some utterly implausible twist of the plot, turns into a sort of selfish apathy. mr. goodkind has given us a hero who is no longer heroic, a heroine who is no longer sympathetic, and a world that, now so steeped in a war of ideologies that it closely resembles our own, is no longer magical. just thank the good spirits that you still have dune.

Once again Terry Goodkind just keeps adding more and more to the already brilliant series of the Sword of Truth. Although not as focused on magic as previous books, this title is a refreshing change from the previous books. A detailed view at the world of the Order is provided, making us able to understand it better. This story takes palce right after kahlan got assaulted in the last book, and takes us through her long and painful recovery.
Certain characters come back, including Zedd, Adie, Verna, Warren, Ann, Richard Kahlan and Cara. Nathan the prophet doesnt come up, and neither does Gratch.
I was very pleased with this book and would recomend it to any1 who read the previous 5 books, and is anxious to read the rest of the story of our hero.
A few flaws include one mistake about the spell Nicci casted, towards the end of the book, the lack of Richard's growth in his magic, other than the discovery of the Wizard's Sixth rule, and once again, a book way too short leaving you begging for the rest of the story. (Unfortunately, it'll be another year before we get book 7. )
One regret? yes, certainly, the first 5 books focused on a specific threat of magic, to be coutnered by magic equally powerful and unknown.
This book focuses more on moral issues, and enlightnement. Im not that fond of Jagang and the order, and wouldnt mind to see them disapear after the next book.
Basically, GREAT BOOK! When can we expect the next one?

Terry, I have to disagree with most of the posts I have read. I believe this volume is the best of your books thus far. Yea, you pounded your political views enough and then some but... It is your book. I'll read the next one. My chest was tight with nervousness as I read the grand finale. Man, it was intense. A bit too short and jam packed though (I wished the ending had another 50 or so pages.) I have read some real duds lately so I am not just a cheerleader for everything I read. My wife called me to do a house duty at the very instant that Nicci said, "Richard make love to me." I wanted to yell because I had to put the book down at that moment. Life is so unfair. Then when I got back she did that vindictive thing. Man, that was so wrong. Hat's off to you for that twist. Even though it would have been out of character for Richard to get phisically tender with Nicci. I am sure that I am not alone with many of your readers in wanting to see Richard emotionally connecting more with Nicci. Be it just trying to connect with Kahlan through Nicci or a moment of weakness from being so darn alone and needy because of his situation at the time. It wasn't there... probably all the better. I really got pumped when the blacksmith said "I am a freeman, a free man!" That was oh so powerful. I got goose bumps and still do when I think of it. I truly got completley lost in the story.
If you are wondering whether you should read this book or not I say yes, do it. It is worth it. The biggest mark against this book is that it had to end. I loved it.
Terry, I hope you are busy writing!
P.S. I can't wait to read the look on Jagang's face when he gets to Aydindrl.HAHA!!!

I have to admit, I've been getting more and more disappointed with Goodkind's later books in the Sword of Truth series. It's fun to read, but it's been getting a bit ridiculous the way Richard always becomes the deux ex machina and complete hero with a god complex. I mean, this man can do anything! From getting people to confide in him and creating masterpieces to--whatever else he does fabulously well, Richard as a believable character is diminishing. Also, Goodkind's ubiquitous preaching about free will and love, etc. etc. through Richard and associated characters is getting pretty tiresome.

All in all, though, it's not a bad book. I rooted for Richard and enjoyed the way he was such a man about town. It's a feel-good book for when you're down. However, I wouldn't recommend buying it in hardcover; wait for it in paperback...from the library.

I was probably one of the many waiting in line to give Terry Goodkind a (in my opinion) well deserved, swift kick in the pants after Soul of the Fire. It was so humiliating to stand up and proudly proclaim myself as a "Goodkind-ite" after it. Why? Because i just COULDNOT buy the whole whiney, Richard "Oh, they took a vote and didn't want me, I'm gonna go crawl in a whole and DIE." combined with the senseless beating Kahlan recieved AFTER the book was over made me throw my hands in the air and ask HIM what the hell HE was doing. I was so glad when FoTF came out and, at least, set the record straight on why Richard left. I prayed for Goodkind to redeem himself with the next book. Terry, man, you came through in spades, brother. FoTF is, if not my favorite of all time, right up there with them. As an aspiring author, the way he used the language in some areas, while they seem simple (the chapter that ends about not looking into Nicci's eyes, and the then the next that starts with "Look into my eyes, child.") were amazing. I really love the argument Richard and Nicci get into about self worth when he makes everything she held to be true seem like a lie. Although, I read the review for PoC and... I think I'm gonna be disapointed.

This is a great book, and would have earned 5 stars, except that it is pretty boring. Mostly it is the same as Soul of Fire, except that Richard dosnt have a change (the plauge, darken rahl, the chimes) ect. All he needs to do is excape from a sister of the dark. However the plot is much more completcated. Overall, this is a good book. If you liked any of the first five books, then you should buy this one. It can be read more then once, and so it is a good deal. :-)

I have read all of Goodkind's books from the first and I have to say that they were all fantastic, execpt this one. While I fully understand the plot behind this, I think it could have been portrayed a little differently. It was most definelty like re-reading Stone of Tears with a new twist, Richard is abducted, Khalan leads a small army against a larger one, they get reunited and live happily ever after, until the next book. This book seemed to be missing something, I found myself skipping over pages of boring Imperial Order philosophy and Nicci's childhood(which was mostly unnessary, I picked up on everything i skipped just by reading the rest), in search of the meat of the story. It seemed to me that this book needed to develope some new characters, and kill off more of the old ones. It just seemed to be stagnant as far as that went.
I recommend this book to those who are fans of Goodkind, but I just thought you should know what you're in for.

Faith of the Fallen falls far short of expectations for this series. While it is true that since Jagang has been in the picture the story has declined somewhat, and it is also true that since he has been a character in the story there have been a number of rather unvague allusions to the glory of freedom and capitalism over tyranny and communism/socialism, Faith of the Fallen takes the propaganda a bit too far and the quality of the story suffers greatly for it.
Furthermore while, as a devout agnostic, I found some pleasure in Terry Goodkind railing against the teachings of Christianity, I felt it was superfluous and the story could have done without the anti-christian sentiment that has become all too popular in american culture.
The story in essence flings the main character into the evil communist country that wishes to take over the world, he then proceeds to change those around him with his divine capitalist spirit, and makes the community he lives in better. The leaders of this communist country find his meddling, and being stupid as they are evil, assign him the task of carving a gigantic statue to stand in front of their temple which is currently under construction. I won't spoil the ending for those who still wish to read on, but be rest assured, it is as much tripe as the rest of the story.
I for one intend to read the next book -- I am willing to give this author another chance before discarding the series entirely, but if I were you I'd wait until this book comes out in paperback before reading it.

This is definetly the best book in the whole series. The whole story of how Niki was brought up and how her mother twisted her thinking into not caring about yourself was interesting.
The way that Richard prevails again in this book without magic is one thing that Goodkind can make happen unlike other authors who just have some hero using thier magic to kill something. Richard uses his ideals and his passion for living to make others understand that their live is thier's alone. This is one thing that i really admire about Goodkind,he understands that his life is precious and wouldn't give it up for anything.
The one thing that isn't the best is the conflict of Richard and Kahlan being separated and will never see each other again. Sure it is repeating what has happened before, but its not like it wouldn't be plausable, or that Goodkind is going out on a limb here to explain the strength of the human spirit. Richard and Kahlan are the most important people in thier world at this point in time, so it is concievable that other people would try to get them apart or in some way hurt them.
Other than the repetition this book is a must read. Goodkind really shows off his talent for writing and imagination. There is nothing i would change about the book.

The socialist world presented was too extreme to be believable, and the story degraded into sounding like the rantings of distrubed bitter old man. The ineptness of the leadership and councils was too extreme, and the evil too intentional to make sense for such a large movement. The side of good's evil wasn't addressed well, though at least it was more complex than pure evil against pure good. The whole nature of the story was distorted by the idea that a simple woodsman, could so easily outperform all the locals in a business he had no prior knowledge of. Again, a little more work justifying the sequence of events would have helped.

Goodkind ran out of ideas with the last book and ended up taking a big detour with Soul of The Fire. With this book he gets back to what he likes best and what has worked several times before........Richard gets captured by a beautiful (but extremely evil) babe, and taken away from his true love, Kahlan. Sound familiar......it will if you have made it through the earlier books in the series.

If you have made it this far, you have to be wondering what sex toys are in Goodkind's bedroom. Take a look at his photo on the back cover of all the books. Come on, the only thing that this guy likes better than being tied up and tortured sexually is being the one doing the torture.

Goodkind also uses this book to defend capitalism and put down the evils of a socialist society. He should be defending capitalism if he can actually sell books like this one!

Ok at least this book does get the series back on track to some extent, and Richard does take a bite out of the Imperial Order, through an attack to their rear. He even kills the empire's head zealot (which is bound to really piss off Jagang when he finds out). Unfortunately you have to read through a political debate to get to the good stuff, as Richard has to convince the downtrodden citizens of Jagang's home town to revolt.

Richard shows his artistic side in this one. He is definitely a "jack of all trades". Of course the ending is no surprise. Richard and his merry band save the day and Richard is reunited with his true love. Of course there is lots of hacking, blood and death.

Goodkind overcomes the vast distances that were so hard to overcome in the first books by ignoring them in this one. Characters criss-cross the old and new worlds with amazing speed and no difficulties. You may also be amazed by the seemingly endless numbers of sister's of the dark. It seems that for every one killed at least 5 new ones even more evil and powerful pop up. Originally there were only around 12 and 6 of those are out of the picture.

As bad as it sounds this one was better than the last one.

Although I've found Goodkind's series a little easier-to-digest and faster-moving than Jordan's, I've continually been disappointed in what seem to be blatant [copies] of the Wheel of Time.
This one goes a different direction. If you were to take The Fountainhead, rename the characters to match the Sword of Truth series, and fiddle with events to match the going plot...you would have Faith of the Fallen.
Now, this story is totally enjoyable. And I'm a huge Ayn Rand fan who has always wished to see someone continue in her footsteps. I'm just not sure I wanted to see it done in replica form.

I loved the recent book. Terry Goodkind kind of deterred from his original style of writing but I think that it came out great! i love all of his other books too. every one should read them. i love how he makes the characters seem so real. He introduce interesting conflicts though a few of them are a little coincidental like havac is released accross the new world and Richard is the only one who can stop it. That part can be a little cheesy but the rest of it is great. The villains are portrayed better than I've ever read before. most authors just say that the villain is bad and they don't say why. Terry Goodkind gets int the mind of the villain and exlains why the villain thinks what he does and why he does what he does. i definately do not recommend this book for anyone who is not into fantasy at all, nor do i recommend as a nightime reading for kids. There's sex and other nasty stuff that is not appropriate for younger kids but i think teenagers would love this book if they give it a chance. Plus i also am wondering if Terry Goodkind is coming out with another. I hope he does. I highly recommend this book for hard core fantasy readers such as myself. Great job terry Goodkind!!!!

I love this author. The way he peddle the ideals of freedom and self worthiness is great and something that had been waning from society. Although I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as some of his previous books in the series, it was still a great book. The last 20 or so chapters definitely made the book great. Can't wait to start reading the next one!

i would have to agree with a number of other reviewers in saying that, if this book has one fault, it is that Terry Goodkind tends to bash teh reader over the head with the concept of communism-bad!, individualism-good! However, the plot is so masterfully woven that for the most part i was able to overlook or ignore the more preachy aspects of the book. This novel managed to not only maintain the suspence created thus far in teh series, but to buil on it, adding new dimensions, charactors, resolving aspects of the plot while simultaniously adding a dozen more. the charactors also grew, most notably that of Kahlan. And, although Nicci's reform was predictable, i found it quite intriguing as to the opportunities it creats for her charactor in future instalments. Also, i must say that the death of a main charactor, while tragic, was a nessesity to the series, for it prevents a ring of charactors to form whom the readers know cannot be harmed, it leaves everyone open to attack, thus adding the suspence of the novels, making it more important to keep reading the series. over all, an excellent instalment in that it managed to develope all aspects of the saga without re-using a plot.

The Plot: Richard is "kidnapped" from his wife Kahlan after living in seclusion in the forest with her for several months. He has sworn off leading his people against Jagang, emperor of the Old World, until they understand how badly they need the freedom they will be fighting for. (yeah, that was a long sentence.)He is led into the Old World, straight to the heart of enemy territory. There he finds people who truly need his leadership, and finds himself powerless to help them. But for Richard, nothing is impossible... I LOVE TERRY GOODKIND! I am very partial to him, so you may take this as a biased review if you like. But...wow. I loved this book. I find it hard to believe that anyone did not like this book. It far surpasses The Soul of Fire (which, I must say, is the worst of them, but even that one is wonderful)and definitely equals the Temple of the Winds in it's brilliance. If you gave up on this series during Soul (as I did for a short time) return to it for this one. I was absolutely blown away by this book.

Well, yet another Sword of Truth book with the same old cookie cutter pattern. We have the remnants of problems from the previous book along with the thrice used - Richard is captured against his will and forced to go somewhere with a women who intends to dominate him. And for some strange reason, I find myself going back to that well that Goodkind dips his bucket in so frequently. In Wizard's First Rule, I couldn't put the book down. I really couldn't. Beyond the obvious male tendencies to enjoy the idea of a women in skin tight red leather abusing the heck out of you, there was something about it that defined Richard. It also defined Deena, who in retrospect, plays an important part in the ongoing arc. As mentioned, for some reason, I saw the recycled pattern that Goodkind uses, things are bad, things get worse, things get even more worse, things continue to go down hill, until two thirds of the way through the book (roughly) the climax hits and Richard figures out how to prevail even in the darkest hours. (Ok, he's the Seeker of Truth and should be able to.)

One of the other reviewers mentioned Goodkind's objective philosophical view of capitalism. It does come out strongly in this book in the sense that I almost felt like Goodkind was standing at the pulpit in the Church of Capitalism, preaching directly to me through the pages. All that aside, it was an interesting view of the faults in communism, just as there are faults in capitalism. I can't help but remembering one of Frank Herbert's lines from the Dune series (don't ask me which book or which character said it, I just remember the line) - The difference between capitalism and communism is who counts the money. As I sit back and think of the imagery present over the first six books, I think Goodkind was using Richard to say that people need to truly embrace their freedom in order to have it. I also think he was saying that the New World in this series was as corrupt as the Old World, just in different formats. I.E. they had to prove themselves to Richard for him to lead them. So I don't feel that Goodkind's analysis was solely directed at communism, but at the pure ideological concept of pure freedom and the ability to control your life as you see fit, which doesn't blend well into a capitalist society in many respects. However, I really only saw this after I thought about where Khaylan, Richard and the tantalizing Cara have taken us. (I hope in the upcoming books Goodkind does more with Berdine. I thought she was a great character.) Obviously, Goodking is pontificating on his views of society, the real question is what are his views? I'm not so sure in retrospect that they are what they appear to be on the surface. If that is the case, I truly commend Goodkind for his slight of hand. If they are what they are on the surface, I would be greatly disappointed, not because of what they are, but that they were so easy to find.

From a technical perspective, I enjoyed most of the book. I felt after the first setup, which felt a little slow, things paced well. I enjoyed the battle scenes, but am drooling for the day when the War Wizard Richard stands on the battlefield with Zedd and releases the full fury of his power against Jagang's troops. In this book, we get a bit of the recycled Khaylan leading. Ok, but we need more there. Also, I found the final trip of Cara and Khaylan to be a bit out of place from the ability to slip by so many troops. Goodkind covered the idea from a marginal perspective, but I felt if Jagang could recognize her when he first met here, then anybody along their route would have known instantly that the Mother Confessor was on the move.

Otherwise, it was good book. I would recommend it.

I've been reading a lot of reviews trashing Goodkind for the stronger emphasis on philosophy and social commentary. I could accept these arguments if his work wasn't well done. While Faith of the Fallen isn't quite as entertaining as Wizard's First Rule or The Stone of Tears from an action and suspense standpoint, this is still fine work. Instead of action, he focuses more on a character study of the real psychological damage that can be inflicted by misguided parents and societies. Yes, this takes up a lot of pages but I found it interesting and thought provoking. And, by the way, he also takes up a lot of other pages throwing in a lot of really good action and building up a Empire Strikes Back-like sense of hopelessness for the good guys. All in all, a very satisfying read.
So, the bottom line is this: Mr. Goodkind exercised his free will in deciding to shift his focus to social commentary, even though he had to know that in doing so he would alienate some of his readers. So, it's now up to those of us who have enjoyed the Sword of Truth series to decide to continue reading or to find something else that suits us better. But please don't call such finely written books "bad" just because the author has decided to move in a different direction than you would like.

After thoroughly enjoying the first few books of this series, I have been steadily disappointed as time has worn on. I debated whether or not to even buy this one, and unfortunately curiousity got the better of me. I read the first 200 pages, put the book down and have no desire to pick it up again. It's awful. The characters are predictable and annoying. The grace and wit of the writer is long gone. Too bad. Another good Fantasy series sunk by greed and burn out. That's it for me. I'll stick to reading Robin Hobb. At least she knows how to END a book.

I've just read several reviews of Mr. Goodkinds new book and am sincerely saddened by the vacancy of thought and absence of imagination in the negative reviewers opinions of this fine work. Faith of the Fallen was one of the best reading experiences and a fluid passport to another world which we can only hope exists in some reality somewhere, though existing in book form in this world. As always, Mr. Goodkinds words create a visual picture in my mind of these characters and the situations they face which is certainly a quality severely lacking in many of the books on shelf that perhaps the negative reviewers absolutely enjoyed. This book is like its story for it is a piece of art that can be pleasurable only by those open enough and with hearts willing to savor its incredible seamless freedom and beauty. This is a rewarding story and my wait for his next book will be difficult.

Bottom line: Terry Goodkind lost his edge after Stone of Tears. Sure his stories kept up, but they were nothing like the first two. Instead, Kahlan and Richard are perpetually apart, only put together long enough to be sent away from each other once more. In FOF it happens again. Kahlan has to get better from being beaten to a bloody pulp and Richard doesn't get to use any magic. There's a whole lot of death that really shouldn't have happened and a lot more misery. Still there are amazing fight scenes, good wizard stuff (from Zedd and Warren) and theres even a promise of Nathan but don't get your hopes up. No Shota either, or any mention of the Mud People. Goodkind removes any interesting characters that might have added light to an otherwise dark, depressing, and very very sad book. On a lighter note, it gives you good insight on what happens when Communism goes all wrong.. but don't take my word for it... Read it anyway, it proves to satisy, but not satiate.

It is somewhat amusing to read the negative reviews on FOTF. Two that come to mind are that Nicci's epiphany is without merit and that Goodkind's views on the Imperial Order's politics are misguided. Let's deal with Nicci first.
Some have written that Nicci's conversion at the end is unbelievable since she was so evil (evidenced by her sister of the dark status), that no amount of soul searching and challenging circumstances, is adequate to pull her away from the gravitational attraction of evil. If this is true,then none of us are safe, not just Nicci. This means that if one strays from the path of good, they can never change course again. Goodkind's developement of Nicci, makes clear that it is never too late for one to redeem themselves. Nicci is one of richest and deepest characters introduced in this series. It is obvious she will have a big role to play as the series concludes.
Now as for the people criticizing Goodkind's views on communism/socialism, and religious fanaticsm-get over yourselves. His treatsie on the flaws of a political system based on "Old World," beliefs are not only intriguing, but also on the mark. One needs only to refer to recent history ie; the fall of the Soviet Union, the chaos in Afghanistan, to see the evidence of Goodkind's political acumen.
Faith of the Fallen is a must read for sci/fantasy fans.

Terry Goodkind appears to be in the midst of a problem, we'll call it "Jordan's Disease" for lack of a better term. This problem involves stringing out a popular story over a long period of time without actually advancing the plot or characters the way they should.
In the sixth installment to the Sword of Truth series, it appears that Goodkind is now firmly infected by Jordan's Disease (see reviews of the latest Wheel of Time novel) and so far does not show any signs of getting out of it. While the book itself is indeed a page turner, and contains an engaging plotline, it is clear that Goodkind has done this before, several times in fact. Again we see Richard captured (by women-- a Goodkind fantasy perhaps?) and again we see him rise above the situation to win freedom.
Fortunately, Goodkind's writing style and imagery are engaging enough to keep the reader glued to the book, however this formula that the author is using has now become tiresome. Hopefully the next installment will present a fresh viewpoint.
My recommendation is to purchase the book, but keep in mind that the story will feel very similar.

Terry Goodkind ought to be ashamed of himself. One of the great things which really made me a fan was after the 1st 2 books there was a final confrontation and conclusion to the story. I started getting annoyed after Temple of the Winds when he still hadn't fought Jagang. After Soul of the Fire I was angry. The Chimes and the mystery of Joseph Ander were cool but he still hadn't fought Jagang and he devoted half of the book to some moronic kid and his background. I thought he was introducing a new character so all of this was necessary but they end up running a sword through him towards the end of the book. That's when I knew he was just dragging this story out to rake in more money from his loyal fans. Faith of the Fallen is even worse. He drags Richard off on some silly side quest just to avoid a confrontation with Jagang. This novel goes nowhere and nothing of any importance happens. You could skip this book and pick up the next one and never notice you had missed anything. I take that back, 1 important thing did happen. He took Jagang, the most evil, exciting and intimadating bad guy to come along in years and turned him into a wimp. Yeah, he serves the creator now and gets pushed around by women. He did this just to put off the final conflict so he could make more money on books that go nowhere. When the final conflict does eventually happen nobody is going to care because he's ruined the character. Richard vs the Almighty Jagang could have been 1 of the greatest clashes in history but Richard vs a wimp is something nobody cares to read about. Terry Goodkind better start remembering what got him to where he is today and stop trying to screw his fans over because he's greedy.

As an avid science-fiction and fantasy reader, I am always glad to find an engaging series or author to keep me checking bookstores for new releases. Terry Goodkind's newest addition to his remarkable series was no letdown. After reading the first chapter between classes in a busy schedule, I knew that I was in for a treat. His writing style is fantastic; transitions, characters, and plot are thoughtfully woven together to produce some of the best fiction I have read in years. As for the plot rehashing, it is simply a preservation of continuity. If the plot dramatically changed, the series would no longer be a continuous series. Readers have come to expect the separations, fights, and tortures. Each of the components develops the characters further and introduces new ones, like Nicci, to draw the reader fully into the stories. Each character, even small ones, get some attention. Goodkind's storytelling reaches a new height in this novel, introducing ideas and ideals to make this a worthy novel outside the genre. It is a must read, especially if you are into the series already. If not, why not give it a try?

Unlike the other five books which slowly but inevitably built up a world of numerous factions, powers, and people, "Faith of the Fallen" takes a slightly different approach by approaching a rest stop in the nonstop action of the previous couple. After having just finished two books in a row (Book 4 and Book 5) that have greatly expanded the world of Richard and Kahlan at a cost of focus on the main characters, Goodkind reasserts Richard and Kahlan's role as the protagonists of the book. He returns to the original book's comfortable and directed telling of the main event without diverting on such a multitude of side stories that the main plotline gets obscured. Everything comes together in this book. Just the right amount of characterization, thrilling chapter enders, and action combine to offer a satisfying successor to the previous five. Lastly, unlike the deeply unsatisfying "Soul of the Fire," this book has an ending that is paced, careful and stable, offering closure of a limited sort for having finished such an engaging book without the tantalizing prequel of another in the works. The only problem that resulted from finishing this book is "WHERE'S THE NEXT ONE???"

i know a lot of people have been putting this book doen, calling it a "political pamplet" or "a series killer." all i have to say to them is if they want lots of meaningless violence like the kind of thing a ten year old boy enjoys, thats your choice. what goodkind rights is deep and meaningful. it is inspiring and beuatiful, but it still manages to be exciting.
as for the politicial side, i can't really talk. im only fourteen, and i read the book for the first time one or two years ago. it may be that im just reading with what some call child like innocence, or in this case ignorance. but honestly, who cares if goodkind decides to include his political views? he doesn't really include anything other than inciteful views, which if you think about them, are true. it doesn't exactly harm the story.
this is my favorite book of all time. i admitt that book 7 was rather dull and book 8 seemed to just be a repeat of old plots, but Faith of the Fallen took my breath away. so keep it up terry.

k first i'll talk to the people who have never read any of the sword of truth books. terry goodkind is an excellent writer and when you buy the first 2 books you think he is the best there is. on the 3rd book he made it short which sorta counted as a minus. the fourth was by far the best thing i have ever read. the fifth was great though some people called it a little preachy but i personally loved it.
this is the 6th book and i liked it too. but there is a reason i only gave it 4 stars instead of 5. that's because in this book i didn't see much of his usual action. instead [you should be able to tell be the cover] he sculpts a statue. though there was tons of action in-between. that's not to diss terry in any way, in fact i've read every book in the series at least twice and the fourth book [temple of the winds] 4 times. this book ive only read twice. but the fact that i did read it again should be enough to tell you that i loved this book as well as any of the others.
buy it, read it, love it.

I started reading TG's works, thanks to a student of mine. Since I teach English to Special Education Students (SLD), I could not bring myself to reprimand a student who was READING in my class instead of listening to my discussion. After class, however, I asked to see the book that had my student reading instead of paying attention in class. He assured me it was the best. Since I was not much of a fantasy fiction reader, I told him that it had better be. It was! He was reading the second book in the series, "Stone of Tears". Anyway, my student lent me his copy of book 1, "Wizards's First Rule", and I have been an avid TG reader since. This last book though has left me with little anticipation for the next in the series. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it just wasn't up to Goodkind's talents. Maybe it was do to the lack of Magic in the story, or the overdone kidnapping. It just seems to me that with all the marvelous treasures that Richard and Kahlen have at their disposal they should be able to use them to aid in their cause. As I read, I wanted Richard to be able to use his powers against the underlying political references Goodkind interwove into the story. This whole series is Good-vs-Evil. I may be a romantic at heart, but I DON'T want Evil to win. This book made me feel as if maybe Goodkind did. Where's the faith and hope this series instilled in my student with that first book? You got a high school special education student, with a 6th grade reading leval, to READ!!! Don't loose him now; he may never recover. I might not either.

I have read all six of the Sword of Truth series books. It was my first fantasy series to read and I thought it was incredibly imaginative and original. There were flaws of course. One of them was when Richard flew away on scarlet's back right after he had droped the barrier thingy that kept the new world safe from the old world. right before he flew away sister Verna said she had a sister of the light for over 200 years which can't be right because before she had said that she and Warren a only one year apart in age and he was 156 years old and to become a sister of the light you must train wizard which takes a minimum of 200 years so in that case she wouldn't have even been a sister of the light. Also he kinda had a thing about all the people. The thing was that everyone is supposed to be incredidbly goodlooking! there are no people that are ugly of just look regular eccept a few. After I read the Sword of Truth series I read the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan which surprised me a whole lot and made me realize that Terry goodkind had copied a lot of things from the Wheel of Time. How did i know that Terry had copied from Robert and not robert from Terry? all i had to do was look at the date of publication. one of the things that was copied was the color changing cloak that Richard obtained which is just like the warders cloak in the Wheel of Time. althought it was copied just a bit it still has an incredible story line,characters,plot developement,and magic which allows it to still be one of my favorites series

The Order presses its advantage in ever-burgeoning waves of soldiers and the Gifted striking hopelessness, fear, and despair into the hearts, minds and souls of its chosen enemies. The reluctant yet resolved heroes of the Midlands stand against the tide as they must. This is the action-packed backdrop for the story, which to me, is more about the evolution of individuals and the choices that they make as they evolve and learn more about themselves, the world around them, and life in general.
Very little is black and white. Hard choices must be made. Individuals take surprising directions in their internal development and thus their outward choices. The love between individuals, love of community, love of nature, and more (agape, eros, and philios) are all explored and illustrated beautifully. Goodkind manages all of this with excitement and beautiful writing. Goodkind now joins my small pantheon of writers in this genre who have earned automatic respect.
I despair of waiting how many ever months I must wait for the sequel.

The latest installment is a definite improvement on its predecessor. I've read a lot of the other reviews and they all make valid points: Similar story, boy has girl, boy loses girl, boy gets beat up, boy gets girl back. But if you are paying attention, it seems that Mr. Goodkind is taking a close look at the rise and fall of communism. The story is very well written and it kept me interested from cover to cover. It does advance the story, as we find more of the Midlands falling to the enemy, and we learn a lot more about the Order and its goals/reasons for what it does. Nikki is a great character, but she becomes a little frustrating after a while. Well worth the money and time to read. PS. I hate to see reviewers tearing a book apart when they obviously have a weak grasp of the written language themselves!

This is the BEST Sword of Truth book that Goodkind has written so far. Goodkind shows just how diverse a war wizard's talents are. Even without being about to openly use his magic, Richard uses his gift in an unexpected manner.
His portrayal of the kind of society over which Emperor Jagang rules is a realistic portrayal of a Communist state. All work must be shared equally. Productivity is discouraged. Workers are encouraged to use sick time on a regular basis. I thought that Temple of the Winds was the best when I initially read the series (FOTF had not yet been published at that time). Now, I consider TOTW as the 2nd best book. Read the series. Goodkind has established himself as a master of the Fantasy genre!

I am a new Fan to the Terry Goodkind series. With each book I've picked up beginning with the first, I was awestruck each time. He places himself in the top spot of fantasy literature with each word he develops on the page. With the character development in the new book, I agree! Terry Goodkind has definately sharpened his pencil.
I couldn't believe the fire that he lit behind Khalan's fury at Richard being taken away from her. With each page turned you could feel the pain of it. Her ire blazed its way across the story!! The virtue of Richard's love burned brightly with each word read. Of course the end, where they struck right in the heart of the matter. The answer to Nicci's question which was not quite alluded too near the beginning but slowly made a burning curiousity grow. I loved the book. You will not be wasting any money here.
One more thing, this is not a story convoluted out of Jordan's material. In fact, Jordan is stale in comparison.
If your new to Goodkind, Even this sixth book in the series would be a great place to start. I love that fact. Give's a reader options!! When is the next one coming? I want to know!

I am like many of the viewers here who gave TG 1 star for this book. I become tired of the same thing in each book, for example, Richard being captured and Kahlan off doing her own little thing against richard's wishes. I like most viewers, like to see Richard dominate, destroy, crush, and eliminate all of his enemies in the most violent gruesome way possible, be that by magic or sword. So i was dissapointed when he was captured in this book, but i promised myself i would keep a open mind about the book.
I use to not be a TG fan, i just liked his books but didnt rate them as good as the Wheel of Time series. Faith of the Fallen is one of the best works of fiction i have ever read. The emotion and characterization he integrates into this novel makes it shine. I really dont care about themes in novels, i know they are there and acklowledge them, but i really don't give credit to them. The way he portrays the theme of this book, especially towards the ending, is incredibily inspiring. Im not the type of person who watches a movie or reads a book, and all of the sudden im inspired to become a spy or a powerful wizard, ect, ect, ect. But this book seriously inspired me to better my life, and to live each day to the fullest. Enjoy life.
This book is a masterpiece.

Folks, I have read them all...Jordan, Tolkien, Brooks etc. etc. and T.G. is the man. I know everyone was disappointed in the last book, but compared to book XXV and counting on the dragon reborn series, goodkind is still kicking all their butts in my opinion. I love this guy and everything about his books. My only gripe is I wish Gratch would still luugg richard!!! and he would occasionally take a trip on a dragon that would like to eat him. I thought he was going to find them to see if they were still alive to see if the chimes killed them, but I guess goodkind is saving that for later, Terry Gookind if you ever read this keep em coming and we want all you have to offer. thanks and I know this was not an overview of the book, read it you don't need my version of how it goes read Wizard's first rule and you won't care about anything else except when you are going to get the next one.

First of all, I'm new to the Sword of Truth series, this is only the second book I've read in the series, the other one being the Wizards First Rule.
All I can say with this book is that it's worth the price. You really get to see the unfailing FAITH of those that are in dire situations. Never have it in the book written that Richard will win a head-on battle with the DreamWalker. It started with a very low note on the situation being so HOPELESS that the great Lord Rahl preffered to run away from the battle.
However, as you read the book you see that in the darkest of times, HOPE might just make life afloat. I really like the back cover saying that the book is a testament of our Humanity. It offered perspectives that would really get you thinking.
Compared to the waning Wheel of Time Series, I encourage you to take up the Sword of Truth Series because it will surely open up your MIND.
Happy reading...

Faith of the Fallen, while being slightly slow in its introduction, more than makes up for it as the book progress through Richard's struggles in the heartland of the Order and Kahlan's fight against the Imperial Order. Whereas Blood of the Fold and Soul of the Fire (both good books into and of themselves) felt like bridges between greater parts of the story, Faith of the Fallen feels like one of those greater parts--it brings old characters to new dimensions, and tells a good story, full of context and thought, while doing it. However, parts of the story feel slightly recycled: Richard is captured (Wizard's First Rule, Stone of Tears); Kahlan goes off to fight in his absence (S.O.T); Richard and Kahlan join together in the climax (Blood of the Fold). None of his stories have had quite the magic and intensity as Wizard's First Rule did, but despite Faith of the Fallen's flaws (which really are very few), it comes closest out of the series to matching the original's particular style of magic.

Despite reading some very critical reviews of this book, I still think it's definitely one of the best in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. It deserves 5 stars as although the 'Richard and Kahlan have to save the world from evil and get separated along the way...again' storyline is getting a bit repetetive now, I still think it's a really good read.

The plot was quite simple and there wasn't as much action as we've seen in the earlier books. Even so, the the story was well-paced and kept my interest - even though some of the anti-socialism focus in the Old World got just a bit pretentious. I really enjoyed the descriptions of the battle in the New World (but am still in shock at the death of one of the characters - I won't say who as I don't want to spoil it).
Terry Goodkind did a wonderful job of getting what are obviously his own beliefs across, how we should believe in the nobility of man,our own self-worth, etc. etc.

Faith of the Fallen is a really uplifting, inspiring book, and although some people might say that Terry Goodkind has no right to be preaching his views of life at us in what is just a fantasy book, I totally agree with his ideas and morals (take the Wizard's Rules for example).

Having said that, hey, it IS only a fantasy book so I guess I shouldn't start getting too high-minded about it. Even if you don't agree with the stuff Terry Goodkind says in this book, you will have to admit it is a brilliant read and in a completely different class to most other fantasy series that we see on the shelves. Go on, read it...!

While this title is not of the same caliber of the first three books of the saga, it is most certainly better than the fifth and seventh entries in the series. Though the "separate Richard and Kahlan" plotline is getting a little stale, Goodkind makes up for it by introducing Richard to the Old World. We finally begin to understand the conflict between the New and Old Worlds, and why they can never peacefully coexist. Is it a little preachy and is some of the communist/capitalist stuff somewhat obvious? Yes. But let's not tell ourselves that every single fantasy book ever written doesn't have shreds of REAL HISTORY inside of them. Where do you think the ideas come from? The Lord of the Rings is itself a parable for the Cold War as well. Sauron is lord of the "Evil Empire" that seeks control of the ultimate weapon, the One Ring (or the atom bomb). The characters are interesting and well-developed, a fresh setting is discovered, Kahlan's conflict with the Order is suitably action-packed, and we get a story with actual resolution. There isn't a lot to complain about here. As long as one doesn't expect for the central plot to be advanced too quickly in these middle books of the saga, they are great reads. Let's not forget that that other Tolkien-esque author of a very long fantasy series has a far more significant problem with middle books that go nowhere.

I loved this book! His writing has become so well defined. His great usage of vocabulary, description, and character interaction is what made this book so spellbinding. Now I'm no specialist when it comes to history or relgion, but do I have to be to enjoy this fine piece of literature. I'm reading many negative reviews of Mr. Goodkinds writing because people feel he's "preaching" too much and trying to "brainwash" his readers. Did it ever occur to anybody that maybe Mr. Goodkind is just writing a Fantasy Fiction novel to help people be wisked away into another world so we can forget about the dull one we are living in now. So what if Richard and Kahlan are the perfect couple, and they display all the quality characteristics that we don't. Maybe people in Altur'Rang are that stupid. Who cares? It's not real, so don't try and review it as if it were competition to the bible. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the story. I did.

I have a question for you why does every author with a series over three books, has to devote at least a quarter of the new book to rehashing? I really hate that, it's not like people are so stupid that they would pick up a book that says "book 6 of the sword of truth" and expect not to have to read the other five first. But the funny thing is that we dont have to read the other five, Goodking, Jordan, and others always retell, way past the point of tedium. I think, if you have stuck with an author for six books he should at least have the decency to not rehash every plotline and charecter. That being said, the book was good. If you can struggle through the constant rehash, that is. I really like where he has taken the book. I saw a comment earlier that this series had no progression, i disagree. I think this is a logical step for richard, faced with the staggering numbers the order can summon up, he has to destroy them from the inside out. So all in all, a good book.

Let's be honest. There are very few fantasy writers like Terry Goodkind. This book was one of his best. In fact, it is my second favourite, with Wizard's first Rule being my favourite. Some people will say that Goodkind is being too idealistic with this book. Come on! This is not a political science textbook! If Terry wants to give us some hope even if it may be a bit naive, it is fine with me. Also, some have complained that he paints the Order as unrealistically evil, and that the people there would not be so lazy or hopeless. Look people, if you want realism... don't read fantasy! The core of a good fantasy book is an unimaginable evil that must be crushed and some shining hero(s) that have to save us all! Plus, don't get too upset that Richard is such an unwavering pillar of virtue, since Kahlan is the real main character despite what the back covers say. Face it, Goodkind writes from her point of view over Richard's when they are in the same scene. Anyway, I'm off the point. This book was amazing- definitely worth it!

Oh Terry! Bags man! I hate to see a writer of your potential failing to learn from his Creator given gift. I got it man; Richard loves Kahlan; Kahlan loves Richard - do you really need to tell me that in 30 pages every damn book. It drives me mad to see, what is ultimately a great loves story, brought to the level of a petty romance book "a la" Sandra Brown or worse, just because you, as dear Richard, fail to understand your gift. I know you live in the woods but do you really need to make it that obvious; stop describing the Midlands as if you doing it for the National Geographic. It's the nature of the craft but think of all those trees man. Go plant one for every needless page of description you write. Writers Second Rule: More writing is never better writing. You create great characters, full of life and bound to trigger the imagination, but you scatter them all over the place. Intimacy! None. Terry! Terry! You've been a bad boy. And the worst; you became soooooo predictable. Prophecy: Richard will be kidnapped again by an unfortunate women (as if 3 times is not enough). Writes Third Rule: Prophecy is our worst enemy.

Terry Goodkind has dazzled me once again. Faith of the Fallen is one of the most well written explorations of religious and political thought I have ever read in my life. Best of all, Goodkind makes his points subtly with nothing more than the telling of a mighty yarn. Any author who can take me on such an introspective journey deserves my continued loyalty. Goodkind succeeded in making me questiong the very nature of good and evil. As I read, I found myself cheering for the villainess before I realized what I was doing, and then turning right around and screaming for the triumph of the hero and heroine. Goodkind continues to make war a fascinating and horrifying experience, and his dialogue continues to make me laugh while his plot twists make me wince with pain as my insides tear to pieces. Terry Goodkind is an author worth watching, and the Sword of Truth is a series more than worth following. Furthermore, Faith of the Fallen proves to me that this series just keeps on getting better.

While this book was fairly entertaining it left me somewhat dissapointed. I, like many other fantasy junkies, love larger than life characters who overcome the odds by their prodigeous skills and courage. Goodkind's latest left me wondering whether he still has the same vision for his characters. Example, Kahlan beats Richard in a mock sword fight? What!?!?! Isn't this the same guy who defeated all those blademasters earning the title "bringer of death"? Also, Richard STILL doesn't know how to use his magic. After 6 FAT books he ought to know at least something about how to use it.
Anyway, I realize that this review might sound a little jaded and might be taken as a warning not to read the book. Not so. Read it and find out for yourself. My suggestion to Mr. Good kind... Give us the original Richard back. Not the OVERLY esoteric and moody Richard who for some odd reason seems to be and expert in Philosophy. I still don't get that.

The people posting 1 star here are ignoring the Wizard's Sixth Rule, as well as the Fourth. This book is not a 'political platform' any more than any other fantasy book. It portrays reality and existence as the author sees it, as a growing number of people see it. The book is inspiring. Don't look at the statue and cover your eyes because it is too beautiful. Have the bravery to look the beauty in the face.
The book is a sublime statement of what it is to be human, what it should be to be alive. Goodkind finally has a coherent theme to tie the book together, setting this apart from his other offerings. The other books, though excellent in and of themselves, only act as set-up for Faith of the Fallen. I read it, and I flipped it to page one and started again.
Read it.

Best book of the series. Fresh, funny, magical, action-pack --everything you would expect from a Terry Goodkind Sword of Truth series.

I think this is the book when Terry brought his magic and philosphy together and weaved it into a beautiful tale that would leave you certain to turn the page until the end, and leaving you with the desire for more.

This book makes me wonder if Terry read Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead (and maybe We the Living for good measure) for the first time before starting it. While kahlan's bits are still his normal style, the whole thing with Richard and Nicci in the Old World was like reading Rand's books all over again. Hank Rearden's mother is reborn in Nicci's mother, and Nicci herself... all the most unpleasant characters in Rand's novel are reborn in Faith of the Fallen, and Richard has suddenly become an amalgamation of Hank Rearden, Francisco d'Anconia, Jon Galt, and Howard Roark.

Thankfully, Kahlan only channels Dagny/Dominique on occasion.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Atlas Shrugged for what it was... and I can see that the plot needed a bit of what it had... but Terry lays it on somewhat clumsily, with a very thick trowel. Maybe he should have hired Richard to edit, instead of one of the old world carving folks who "needed the work".

I made the mistake of reading all of David Gemmell's books before moving on to any other fantasy authors. Because of this everything else I read was a disappointment because nothing came close to Gemmell in terms of gritty realism and action. That was until I started reading the Sword of Truth series.
Goodkind's strength is that he'll do the unexpected, who would have thought Warren would be killed off soon after his wedding? Granted this book was a little more predictable than his others, possibly due to the cover which is a bit of a give-away. Goodkind isn't afraid to do things differently, the reasons others give this book a bad review is that it's not 'fantasy' enough, it's more like David Gemmell's style. Some people seem to need the same old stereotypical rubbish but I found this book very refreshing because it avoided these pitfalls.
As for the series not progressing, this I don't understand, Jordans series has crawled to a halt but this one is still in full flow. I recommend to anyone who wants a refreshing change from the sometimes dull world of fantasy and those who like their books realistic to give this a go, they wont be disappointed.

Many have said that this book is by far the best book of the Sword of Truth series and by all means i believe so. It is always hard to outdo the 1st book in a series but in this book, Terry Goodkind has more than accomplished this. Having all the components that made his previous 5 books great, this book has everything from emotional strife to bloody combat. As i've been reading over the years ive always been frustrated with the skipping of plots over different chapters. I've always found one to be more interesting than the other and i would just skip over the boring one. This book is entirely different. Each side plot kept my attention and i found myself reluctant yet excited to reach an end of a chapter. This book is definately a good read and all those who push it to the side are definately missing out in a great book. I can't wait till the next one comes out.

When concluding his previous installment in the Sword of Truth series (#5, Soul of the Fire), I had a bleak feeling there were a lot of loose ends that needed mending. His next book would make it all OK again, I was quite sure. Reading the reviews here at the store, many of you seem to have thought the same.
Well he did and I thoroughly enjoyed this one, and felt being captivated as I was before in the first 4 books. It really deserves a 5 star rating. Beware to buy and read it, because it may cost you your social life, your performance at work and your night's rest for as long as you are busy reading it! Can't wait for the next one, although a year of waiting between the volume releases is very long. But I understand that Mr Goodkind needs this time to complete his creative process so as to produce such a shining example of a fantasy masterpiece as this book.
PS: Nice cover art!
-Harry-

I enjoyed this book although the "Richard being captured" angle is getting a little tedious now. I thought the middle of the book was drawn out at times and that the "fire" in Kahlan's heart was good to see-finally. I thought that the book didn't deal with any of the issues from the previous one and was just a fill-gap book even though it was entertaining. Sometime the "Meat" of the storyline is going to have to be dealt with.

The latest book in the Sword of Truth series takes us on a journey through the Old World under the watchful eye of a powerful sister of the dark. I can't remember the last time I was so moved by a piece of literature. Usually, I'm one for intense fighting and many displays of mystical might, of which this book has only a limited amount. Nonetheless, the deep exploration of the brainwashing of an entire people, seen through both the eyes of a believer (a sister of the dark) and a non-believer (Richard) was truly an enlightening and moving experience. And, of course, lets not forget Kahlan, who suffers her own trials and travails and must come to a realistic conclusion about her situation. I love these characters, I have since Wizards First Rule, never have I felt so deeply connected to them as in this book. Terry Goodkind, you are a master, I applaud you.

As we've come to expect from Goodkind, dear old Richard can do anything and everything... and do it better than anyone else.
Kahlan was developed a bit in the book, showing her flaws and frailities. In others, being human.
Goodkind beat us over the head again with the Communism Is Bad(tm) stick.
I always feel robbed after reading one of these books.. Goodkind tantilizes us with intriguing villains, but fails to follow through with them. Same head true in this book with Nicci, Jagang, and Narev. Why is Narev such a zealot, Jagang so polar, Nicci so dispassionate?? The author just glosses over these aspects of the characters.

I thought Faith of the Fallen was a wonderfully written story. I loved the first part that delt with Kahlan's recovery. I especially loved her recount of the struggle she had to regain her will to live. I also loved the battle scenes - Kahlan comes across as a true leader. The character of Nicci was one I came to like as well. Her backstory is interesting and the payoff at the end made the journey worth it. This series continues to impress me. I hope after it is over we will have another chance to revisit some of the characters!

Nicci saves this book. Richard (the hero) and Kahlan (his wife) are one-dimensional. Richard is noble and self-sacrificing. Kahlan is brave and good. Nicci is evil and well-meaning. She loves pain yet lives to save others. She also kidnaps Richard, drags him away from his wife, and holds Kahlan's life over him like a club. Way to go, Goodkind by developing Nicci.

FotF is easily the worst book in the series. Not only does it needlessly repeat previously elucidated ideas (the whole capturing thing and the tyranny), but it spends too long on insignificant themes. The conclusion is abrupt and unsatisfying. Also, Goodkind had led us to believe in previous books that Warren would one day be a great prophet; evidently, he changed his mind rather quickly. The whole Imperial Order/ Altur'Rang concept was a carbon copy of communist rule - I was hoping the author could be a little more creative. It seems that Goodkind simply ran out of steam for Faith of the Fallen. The series to this point has been wonderful but this book was simply a letdown.

At a much slower pace than the first 4 novels, but similar to Soul Of The Fire, this novel gradually gains pace as you read it.
I have to admit I initially found the concentration on Nicci slightly tiresome, but I could not have been more wrong. The full portrayal of her character was necessary to reveal the 'thinking' behind the 'unthinking' life under the rule of the Imperial Order. I was utterly apauled by the awful life, attitudes and hopelessness of the people in Altur 'Rang, and I doubt if I would have believed in it quite so much if I hadn't recently read a couple of books about life in Maoist China during the Cultural revolution. These things really happened there.
In conclusion, an excellant read, worthy of your attention, but for God's sake let's get on the final chapter...we are desperate!

I agree somewhat with a previous author who wrote that he enjoyed the novel, yet at the same time was disappointed by it. However, my disappointment overshadowed my enjoyment of his writing style. As an ardent Goodkind fan, yet one who has the books in soft cover, I patiently awaited the softcover release so that I could continute the saga. Unlike some other readers, I often enjoy plot more then character development. This ultimately led to some disatisfaction with this novel. The final mighty blow to the novel came with the last half of the novel, where Goodkind quickly diverges from the fantasy genre and enters the realm of philosophical fiction.
With Kahlan half-dead at the end of the second novel and the entire plot in ruins, I was eager to attack this plot ressurected. However, the plot essentially stagnates the entire novel as a newly healed Kahlan wages a losing war and Richard goes in search of faith. In fact, these are the only key plot points of the novel, with the characters finally appearing together in the end for a final victory to end the book on a high note.
The characterization in the novel is top-notch, as can be expected from Goodkind. His characters are real and there motivations are as well. I also like that even the evil side is characterized through the eyes of evil characters themselves. Richard, in his Richard-like way however, becomes even more unrelatable as a character as he descends, through the eyes of the other characters, into a perfect philosophical hero. This is the major flaw of the novel.
Goodkind must have just finished reading Foutainhead because the parallels between the ideals of this novel and those of any good disciple of Rand are uncanny. Richard is the Jesus figure hero of this ideal anti-Socialist world. Capitalism is good. Even when he does things wrong, they turn out to be right. Capitalism is good. His understanding of the world is beyong even that of the greatest wizard. Capitalism is good. He is an artist, a lover, a wizard, and a mighty sworsdman. Capitalism is good. It's amazing that with all of the propaganda in there, there was a moment to include some actual action or maybe a bit of fantasy.
This book did not meet my expectations of the fantasy genre it was marketed in. He clearly had a philosophical epiphany as he was planning this book and it overwhelms the plot that while drying up recently, had shown so brightly in the first novels of the series.
I will read the next novel, he has earned that much; but if it ever becomes as steeped in philosophical rhetoric as the end of that novel did, I will discard it and my love for Goodkind.

I enjoyed this book more than the previous couple, but I am getting a bit tired of the preachiness of it all. I mostly agree with Mr Goodkind's sentiments (Black and White though he portrays it), but I have read it all before ala Ayn Rand's Fountainhead. We still have a pretty good series going on, but I am hoping for a resolution pretty soon. Or at least a draw back from proselityzing mode.

while i do think that richard getting torn away from kalhan happens to much that is the only defect i found. other people thought that the story isnt progressing fast enough but i think it is. I hate it when authors push the story ahead just because the book is at 649 pages and they want to end it at 670. i like when an author doesnt think he has to rush himself. even though i like authors like piers anthony he seems to do that a lot, so his stories are not as good as they could be. other people thought that he goes into to much detail with the violence. HELLO its a war happening. they are not going to throw flowers at each other. and goodkind needed to show all of this so that you know what he went through so that the character developes. this book is a must read in my opinion along with the rect of the series. authors like robert jordan are terrible authors that should be selling their books in a van down by the river.

I have to start this out by saying that I found this book to be both engrossing and frustrating. I agree with the majority of different views on this book. Some of the extensive communist description was both repetitive and annoying. "For the greater good" is one choice phrase that comes to mind. Anyway the characters are developed quite well in this novel, and at least he doesn't waste half the novel on characters that die pointless deaths anyway. If one isn't looking for a very fast-paced plot advancing novel then this is a *very* good read. The battle scenes are almost realistic, but Goodkind tends to throw away numbers...150 000 died here, oh and another 6 million there...Oh did I mention the thirty million who are coming to replace those guys?
Now done with the criticism, this novel is exceptional. Goodkind finally rationalizes Jangang's motives with something concrete (yet again "the greater good"), and the Richard in the Old World subplots are actually fun to read about. And the ending lives up to the pace to book four (a pretty hard standard). All in all i do not regret reading this book. I think Goodkind is just trying to flesh out the story so that he doesn't end the novels on the note that the Old World is full of pure evil and must be killed to a man while the D'haran empire is a great and wonderful place (he should have decided this earlier).
Final Summary: READ THIS BOOK!

This is the best book in the series. I read 250 pages the day I bought it. This novel combines philosophical ideas with epic adventure. The good guys are pro-reason individualists, while the bad guys are emotionalist collectivists. The struggle between D'Hara and the Order can be compared to the struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, or between Athens and Sparta. Except this time, the good guys are devastatingly ruthless in their defense of what they know to be right.
This book will undoubtedly offend those of the more collectivist/tribal mindset. Reading these reviews, I see that a few of them have already come out of the woodwork. Don't listen to them. This is a thought-provoking page-turner of a fantasy novel. I highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed the first few volumes on the series. The Pace was fast and the story was excellent. Now, it seems that Mr. Goodkind has caught the Jordan's virus and that the serius will drag on and on and on. It always surprises me that people with such vivid imagination will get stuck within one story and never move on.
I really think that Mr. Goodkind is good. But the series should finish and he should move on to something else.

First of all, I have to say that I strongly object to the rating this book got from Paul Hughes. Granted it is not nearly as good as the first book of the series but it is still very excellent with great characters and an interseting plot. I am also reading the series by Robert Jordan and they cannot be compared at all. If you try to compare them you might just as well say that if you have read one fantasy book you have read them all. I can only strongly recommend not only this book but all books of this series, it is a great read and promises many more good books to come.

A HUGE fan of The Sword of Truth series, I found "Faith Of The Fallen" to be Terry Goodkind's best work to date. I am very impressed with the author's ability to make us genuinely "feel" a certain emotion. In this story one experiences the feeling of oppression and the resulting hoplessness it brings to the soul, followed by the light which dawns when one is finally victorious over such tyranny. You can actually "feel" the hope as it spreads like a fire over the down-trodden multitudes. This book also explores the other side of Richard's power and finally gives us the balance between his war wizard nature. I encourage everyone to read this and let it fully permeate your emotions and allow yourself to better understand what freedom really means.

I have long been a fan of this wonderful Author and have followed his work eagerly, so it wasnt hard for me to get his latest offering FAITH OF THE FALLEN. This is without a doubt my most favourite book of the Sword of Truth series! my past fave WIZARDS FIRST RULE has been ursurped by this fine piece of storytelling!!
Richard Rahl, Kahlan and crew are back, fighting the injustice of the Imperial Order, a tyrannical ruling body from the Old World, trying to enforce its twisted ideals on the New, (earlier in this series we gradually came to know the Imperial order and what they stand for). While trying to unite the fragmennted lands of the New World under one rule Richard has discovered that the people he is trying to protect are refusing his help, denying the terrible truth and unaware of the horror of life under Jagangs Imperial Order, people blindly accept these invaders and what they offer.
Richard disillusioned takes his Wife Kahlan and his Mord-Sith Protector Cara deep into the hartland, hoping to regain some of the peace and simple enjoyment this land had always given him. However forces conspire to take what he prizes above all else, imprisoning him yet again for purposes unknown. Separated from his beloved, Richard finds himself in the heart of the Old World fighting a different kind of battle. Kahlan forced to endure their separation decides to take control of matters within her power to affect, dispite her loss, she determinedly sets about making the Imperial Order pay!!!!
We are introduced to characters from previous Books in the series, such as Nicci a Sister of the Dark and slave to Jagang, (yet another women intent on making Richards life a misery!!), Warren a Wizard from the Palace of the Prophets (friend of Richard), Anne and Verna Sisters of the Light and Alessandra a Born again Sister of the Light, former Slave of Jagang and Sister of the Dark, we also come to know new Characters adding to the colourful richness of this well crafted, frighteningly terrifying, yet inspiiring and uplifting world of tragedy and triumph!!!
I am not ashamed to admit that I was crying like a Newborn in certain parts of this book, I felt a sense of pride and joy along with the characters, sharing their anguish and misery with sympathy, while looking at 'Evil' in a different light and shuddering at its.terrible simplicity. Thanks MR GOODKIND for a fantastic read, I have come to care deeply for all these characters wanting this series to never end, read this book its simply brilliant!!! DOWN WITH MEDIOCRITY, and INDIFFERENCE!!!!! LONG LIVE THE RIGHT TO SELF DETERMINATION!!!

Everyone agrees. The series starts out great. Some people seem to think that this is the last good book int he series. I disagree. Its the first really AWFUL book in the series. Action, cool magic junk and characters we are emotionally involved with. Sure its there, but the book is ABOUT pedantic philosophy. But you can find that in other reviews.
People talk about how 'LIFE is GOOD. Everyone Live LIFE.' his the basic philosophy. And it is annoying, but really its just a talking point on the way. The real point is that any organization that preaches that 'the group as a whole is more important than the indiviual' is wrong. So communism is evil, live you own live. But its treated in such a rough poorly though out way that its also saying. Christianity which is basically altruistic and was originally founded in communal living is also evil. It squashes sell will and so we should burn it to the ground. Einstein once said that the only life worth living is a life lived for others. Well according to Goodkins theory of life, he should have been burnt at the stake.
But remember, YOUR life is worth living.

I read up to temple of winds then skipped to faith of the fallen because i heard it was good. A big surprise was the huge change in philosophy. In the previous books the message was to have no interest in personnel desires only in the good of all. Goodkind showed how the characters would make huge sacrifices (especially in temple of winds)to save others. In Faith of the Fallen the message is changed to be rationally selfish. The main characters now do what is in their best self interests. There are other themes such as use reason over faith. The book has aristotle and ayn rand philosophy along with some ayn rand political views. I gave it fours stars because of the gross descriptive scenes it contains and I do not consider it 5 star meterial compared to atlas shrugged or the fountainhead

With so many reviews of this book I will keep mine short. This book is still no masterpiece, but it is a massive improvement over the previous book in this series. Good action and a story line that made sense for the most part. It did get very repetitive with beating you to death with the Orders ideology and was very predictable, but I suppose I am a little lenient based on the low expectations set by the last book. It is to bad this book was not book 5 as it felt very similar in story when compared to last books story of Anderith "educating" the Hakens about how horrible they are, cant do anything on their own etc.... As in this book it is the Order "educating" all the people about how horrible they are, etc..., but this book was much better as the story line flowed well and made sense for the most part. I would have given it a bit higher of a mark if the last books story didnt seem so similar to this ones. I gave this series one more chance after the last book and based on the improvement I will read 1 more and see.....

This book takes everything that makes life worth living, every good thing that Richard stands for, and sums it all up in one incredibly powerful and succinct statement. That statement is so powerful, it had my STANDING AND CHEERING, with TEARS IN MY EYES. Terry has produced a work of great literature that truly is "a novel of the nobility of the human spirit."
You will be inspired by it. It even has the capacity to be life changing -- I'm not exaggerating here.
And by the way, in addition to the inspiration, I must say that the plot is excellent. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read. And it is truly a work of art.

This book is a masterpiece of modern fantasy fiction. Goodkind's books before this one (and as far as I have read, after) have been good, but not great. Take away all of the battles, all of the magic nonsense and you have what is at the heart of the series here; Richard's indominable will and devotion to truth even when it hurts him the most. Some readers criticise Goodkind for injecting too much philosophy. I simply think that there is so little in modern books that people now can't deal with it. To this end I tell Goodkind; don't listen to what the looters say. Write your book because it is yours. Ayn Rand lovers will understand.

I've been reading this series from the very beginning and I've never looked back. I found it almost impossible to put this book down. As it has been with all of the other books of the Sword of Truth. Terry Goodkinds writing is like no other. I've became so immersed in the story that I felt that I was there watching and not just reading about it. Terry has the ability to keep you interested in the story even during a lull in the action where many other writers usually loose my attention when the pace of a story slows. And the way Richard and Kalen never loose heart that no matter what, thier love will survive and prevail is, although cliche' in most stories, inspiring. And as this story came to a climax at the end, I found myself on the edge of my seat with anxiety and excitement. I impatiently await Mr. Goodkinds next installment in this fantastic series. Long live Lord Raul!!!

This volume continous the story of our brave Richard Cypher, and as some other reviewers already told, it is the same as the last five books.
The Good:
-Written very vividly.
-Something importants happens.
The Bad:
- The cover already reveils a great deal of the plot (I think)
- There is a wise lesson of about 500 pages on Communism in this volume.-----We don't need that! And I hate most that Richard seems to be an All American Guy: How cheap!
-New temptation for Richard, New depart from Kahlan, New 'impossible Task'to perform, New foolhardeness', New Magic Rule and a lot more New. But the problem is that it is not new, but it goes on and on and on, each volume, every time the same.
The Ugly:
Geeeeez, Richard is too close to the Creator: is he immortal?? George R.R. Martin would have killed such a guy a long time before.
Anyway, if you read this series you'll probably buy it anyway;'for the always developing story'..................

I found this book to be a bit scattered at time but mainly I found it to be entertaining. I do not know that it merits a purchase as a hard back but it is a must have as a paperback. I would like to see more emphasis on character development as i find this a good feature with authors, and Terry does this admirably. I just think we need a few more characters ala Robert Jordan.

Okay, for those of you deciding whether or not to purchase this book, it is obvious to me that if you are person who leans toward liberalism, and/or FEELS (instead of thinks) everything in life should be fair, and that it is government's job to create fairness, then you should NOT read this book. Yes Ayn Rand would have thouroughly endorsed this book. I kept thinking of John Galt as I listened to the words of Richard. Why does it detract from the book to have the embodiment of true evil accurately described as communistic philosophy? I don't think it does. In fact, it even makes the plot more realistic because in life, communistic philosophy is indeed true evil. Those of you who cry a fantasy book is no place for philosophy are more than likely upset that your brand of politics is so accurately shown for what it truly is-evil at it's most basic. Trying to claim that your objection to the book is because of style is just a mask to hide your true objection. Don't criticize the book just because you don't like the light of truth it shines in the dark corners of evil. If you like Ayn Rand, you will like this novel. If you like most liberal ideas, then you view the world as a half-empty glass, and you definately don't like Ayn Rand,and you definately will not like this book.

I read this book after addictively reading the other 5, and I must say that I truly believe that it will never end! I hope it doesn't because these books seem to grow as they cover more and more of Terry Goodkind's world. If there any book better than this one, it's the first, which was the best. However, with no end in near sight, the 7th book will have to be better, as the readers expect it to be. I found that Richard still does the same stupid things that he always has, making him Richard and not someone else. Kahlan is, of course, even worse as she really doesn't listen to him or anyone else. Zedd is barely there, and that's just wrong. Nicci is basically the whole book, making it seem awfully boring at times. You know the ending right away - they make it. Duh!
Terry has to come up with an amazing plot for the next book, because if he doesn't, I will!

While world saving is a respected job for heroes of fantasy novels Goodkind Richard could be called a serial world saver. O, sure there are enough worlds that should be saved periodically - Robert Jordan's for example - but each several thousand years, sot each several month. Even the Wizard first rule has some definite faults - the plot is totally predicable, the characters two-dimensional e.t.c. but still contained enough original to be worth reading if not rereading but after it the serial becomes a neverending story with the same plot and same events returns in each volume of it. And because Goodkind need something to keep his Superhero busy - he create a new crisis each new installation. But don't worry - a hero would solve it to the end of the volume except some loose end to be left for the next one. All mentioned in other reviews faults - schematic characters, repetitions, ridiculous social and historic references are just consequences. When fantasy world is well designed writer is just should follow a "natural" for his world course of events. Sometimes when author tries to follow to many of them a story would be slowed (Wheel of Time) but still events are natural and could or even should happen in that world. For Good kind's world there is no natural or logical course of events so he must invite something to fill the place and no wonder he has difficulties with it. If you just wondering about Wizard rules - ask somebody who already read these books to make a list for you and read it - it would save you from great wasting of time. If you are looking for something epic to read - try Robert Jordan or George Martin.

Terry Goodkind is a genius! I have just finished reading all 6 books in the series for a second time. Not only did I read them again, but I read all off them in less than two weeks. Why, you must ask, because I couldn't put them down. Each book has something different to offer (although some of the plot lines are in some points the same)and they keep you guessing as to how Richard is going to get out of this one. In Faith of the Fallen, Richard is captured by Nicci, an evil Sister of the Dark, and is taken back to the old world. In the old world Richard is forced to live in a communistic world, where he has to start from nothing to build a life for himself. I finished this book in one day without stopping becuase it was that good. And by my standards this wasn't even the best book in the series!!!

Since english is not my first language I cannot judge the style or the quality of the prose so my opinion goes only to plot and characters. As the title recites, I think FOTF is not the best book of the series, so let's start with the flaws: - same plot lacking originality (Richard and Kahlan parted and then reunited); - author insists too much in providing his vision on economics and society, not that a writer should't do that but Goodkind is too much direct in his opinion and besides depicts a world far too simple - Nicci, though being probably the most intriguing character of FOTW, lacks introspection and her redemption comes too easily and it's not well investigated - the end lacks of credibility and resolves everything in a too simple way
Nevertheless FOTW is a good book that has the typical Goodkind's qualities: lots of interesting and not monolithic characters, intriguing plot, good balance between magic and feelings.

This is by far the most well written book in the series. The reviewers that say it's just a rehashing of the same plot have some valid points, but it's much more than that. I, too was disappointed at how the story was unfolding, as it seemed the same as before, but this was not the case.
The key thing to good Fantasy is the characters. ALL of the characters in this book become more fleshed out than they have been before, including Richard and Kahlan. By far the best character written was Nicci, but all of the new characters in this story were great, only thing missing was Nathan.
This book was AWESOME, don't let anyone convince you otherwise. I wasn't really looking forward to it, but the storytelling was great as always, and even though I thought I had it all figured out, it was still exciting to the end. Can't wait for the next one.

I have so far read every one of the Terry Goodkind sword of truth books but after reading this one, I have decided to never touch them or any of the future novels. Why? a) Weak charachters. Does anyone like Richard. He is barely 2 dimensional! His only charachter flaw is being an idiot but thats only bacause Goodkind counldn't wright an original plot if his life depended on it. His other heroes are all perfect as well, except some times they can't see Richards "vision" and screw things up. b)The plot. Or rather the lack there of. Basically we have a book whose only redeeming feature is the violence, and there is a lot of that. c)Facist ideology. What exactly is Richard fighting for? Certinly not freedom. He's just as much a dictator as Jagang would be. And he isn't even morally superior. He does after all condone torture and we certinaly saw what Richard thinks of Democracy in the 5th book. In this book Goodkind takes it to te next level by attacking socialist programs like Welfare and rent control without having the faintest understanding of the issues, and doesn't even acnowledge the flaws in capitalism which lead to these programs. d)Huge gaping falacies. Goodkind failes to create any plausable reason for there to have been a stalinist takeover. He seems to think that communism is created when people are poor. In truth there wasn't any communism before the industrial revolution and theres a good reason. Without a middle class these sorts of ideas don't come around and Goodkind failed to include one. The second area where he got everything hugely wrong was his logistics. With he level of technology present there is no way that any area could support close to 4 million soldiers! Nor could anyone, not even a dream walker, maintain control over an area the size of the old world without technology and the level of buerocracy and social thought control in the Imperial Order.
In summation do your self a favor and don't give money to a facist charachter like goodkind.

This is a very good book. Although the plot is a little weak you know what is going to happen pretty much but the main plot is moved forward very well. It was a great surprise to see where it led Richard though and what would come of it.
I enjoyed it and read every word of it. I hated to see some of my favorite characters go away but it was one of the best in the series so far.

ARGH! Enough already Goodkind! What a slog! This is basically a book in fawning reverence to Ayn Rand and her social/political philosophy of Objectivism. Particularly in the chapters detailing the raising (?) of the character Nicci (wow! I just got it: Nicci - Nietzsche?). Basically Goodkind's Sword of Truth books, especially this one, preach and preach and preach. Please note that I am NOT talking about religious preaching, but rather social/political preaching. The preaching is way over the top and goes on and on for chapter after chapter - We get it, we get it - stop already. I had hoped to find an entertaining, exciting fantasy series, and instead ended up with a social/political diatribe. If you don't mind being preached to in the guise of a fictional novel and/or you like Ayn Rand then you will probably enjoy (and agree with) this book/series. But for anyone else, don't waste your time or money.

While reading this novel I experienced an odd mix of joy & disappointment.
Joy, because, once again I was reading about the adventures of my favorite hero & heroine. Disappointment, because I felt that MORE WORK could have been put into the development of this book. The plot was not fantastic and certainly had nothing new. I was expecting new twists & variations, but no such luck. Having started this series from the very beginning, way back in 1994, I couldn't help but say to myself: "seen that before...".
I do hope that Mr. Goodkind finds the determination & inspiration to finish this series with a novel that can rival the story that began the Sword of Truth saga: "Wizards First Rule". I fervently hope that we finish with a BANG!

The first book was genius. The second book was nearly as good. And then it all went downhill. There's only so many times you can use the same storyline with different settings. Also (this made me laugh) the book seems to just be an excuse for the author to rant against two things he apparently dislikes--Organized Religion and Communism. Oh well. I enjoyed it. It was an easy read. Does anyone else out there have a strange misprint in theirs where Chapter's 33-37 are printed twice? I might just have a collector's item if no one else out there has a strange mutation like this...

Goodkind's series started off well, but does anyone really remember all of the wizard's rules (besides the first)? He also needs to find a better editor who can catch such errors as the use off the word 'weekly' when 'weakly' should have been used. It's as though someone ran the manuscript through a spell checker and made corrections without referring to the context of the word.

I have read Faith of the Fallen, and I feel that it is one of the best fantasy books I have ever read. It not only contains the hack and slash action that many fantasy books contain, but it also has a deeper meaning. Faith of the Fallen helps show what Richard is going up against by explaining the conditions and attitudes of the people of the Imperial Order, as well as expanding the characters of Richard and Kahlan. There were a few characters that I was hoping to see more of that did not make up a big part of the book, but I think the fact that Terry Goodkind made this a book with a deeper meaning and also made it a little more deep that the average fantasy novel more than makes up for this. I can honestly recommend this book without any reservations. Faith of the fallen is most definitely a must read.

I have read literally hundreds of books from various authors. The Sword of Truth series is by far the best series I have ever read. I have looked over all these reviews and paid special attention to the bad ones. These people that write the bad reviews are nothing more than petty liberals. The philosphy in the Sword of Truth series is a conservative one. That only you are responsible for yourself. That only through your ability and hard work will you succeed in life. Some people do not like that philosphy and would try to stamp it out if they could. I see some of that in the comments made about Terry's books. The anger and rage directed at an author for only telling the masses the truth about what a free society is. The story in FotF is extremely well written and centers around the belief that you are responsible for yourself and not for someone else. This book isnt for you if you believe that half the population should support the other half or that the government should make all your decisions for you. If you believe that then this book will enrage you. This book basically shows the horror and abuse that occurs in that type of society. The degradation of the human spirit to the point that you can no longer think for yourself. The brain washing that begins at birth so you look at other societies as evil and uncivilized. People who buy into that type of system will only see this book as trash and hate it all the more for speaking the truth. I found this book very insightful, well written, and touching. The masses that believe in a free society will find this book a confirmation of their beliefs and values. It will give them strength and heart to fight the good fight. Keep it up Terry!

I was late in coming to the Sword of Truth series and was looking for something to read while waiting on more of the Wheel of Time books to be written. So I read the first 3 books in this series pretty quickly. By book 4, I was getting bogged down.

When I hit book 5, I just about lost all momentum. So I took a break of about 6 months before picking up book 6. What did I find? The same old story lines, the same scenarios, just with different characters. It was almost as if there is an outline used for every story. The location changes, a few new characters are introduced, and new ways to mame, kill, and torture characters are invented... but it is the same story.

Yes - I did read the whole book. Sometimes fantasy novels can redeem themselves in the final couple of hundred pages - as Mr. Robert Jordan was famous for doing. However, the ending on this one was just about the stupidest thing I've ever read in fantasy. No spoiler alerts here from me... but I've got to say this ended it for me. I just cannot spend any more of my reading time on this series. Sorry Mr. Goodkind, but you've lost a customer in me.

After a lackluster fifth book, Mr. Goodkind brings it on strong in "Faith of the Fallen". I have always been a fan of Ayn Rand's objectivism and this book gave forth the same ideas, if in a fantasy world. I won't go on about each point and how he made it, but if you are interested in more, read The Fountainhead", and "Atlas Shrugged".
The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I was hoping for more of the 'world building' that made his earlier works so enjoyable. It seems he gave much more attention to driving home his points than in dealing with creatures or Richards magic.

Terry Goodkind is my favorite author. I can't tell you how many nights I've lost sleep because I couldn't stop reading. The stories are inspiring and engrossing. I'd recommend reading all of his work. If you like fantasy novels, then look no further...there are plenty to keep you entertained for a good long while. I don't read too many books more than once, but I've read every one of Terry Goodkind's novels at least three times. Highly recommended!

Some reviews that I have read have actually made this book seem to be horrible. I got a bad sense and almost didn't buy it. In my opinion, the reviews less than 4 stars are all mistaken! The book runs well, and although Kalhan does go into battle again, its in a way unlike no other. Character Development is excellent, And the book teaches much about pride, honor, valor, and LIFE. I loved Nikki's continual struggle to find out what exactly is good. I simply could not put this book down. To he who said that it was a poor show of government, I feel that government isn't a point Goodkind is meaning to hit on. This is a WONDERFUL book, and is a MUST read of the series!!

While I have had the pleasure of reading many authors, from many genres, this was the first time I read any of Terry Goodkind. And while I probably shouldn't have started with Book 6, it was a gift. Having said all that ...
This book was an excellent read. The story was good, while not tasking the reader to attempt to figure out what was going to happen. Many things were obvious, such as Kahlan deciding to join the fight against The Empire, although not directly. Guerilla warfare may be indrect, but it is still "against" Richard's wishes. So much for a wife listening to her husband.
Nicci's flashbacks to her childhood got old, especially when Mother trashed Father for having pride in his work. Richard & Nicci's trip to the Old World was figured out early on, and the final conclusion was pre-determined as Nicci finally "saw" the truth her Father had been trying to show her, and she joins with Richard to overthrow the Empire.
This book could have been shortened considerably, but Mr. Goodkind doesn't know the term - concise. He rambles on about many obscure items, while espousing his ideals to the world. Although some of his thoughts are truly provoking, they are just a retread of existing theories and failed governments.
If you expect to get anything enlightening from this book, don't buy it. If you just want a good stand alone yarn, then go ahead. But be forewarned.

In "Wizard's First Rule," Terry Goodkind began a series that promised to be one of the brightest stars in the Firmament of Fantasy along with other greats such as JRR Tolkein, Melanie Rawn, and David Eddings--to name some of my personal favorite authors of at least one series. This promising inception was followed up with equally--if not even more--stirring, heart-wrenching, and complex novels. Yet with each novel, the series as a whole has begun to unravel, and none have done so more than "Faith of the Fallen."
Each installment of the series has set before the main characters of Kahlan and Richard some harrowing experience which they must endure, very often involving some sort of sexual violence committed against one of the two (I believe that Kahlan has now experience two incidents of rape). Simultaneously, some new facet of Richard's abilities role as Rahl or wizard is revealed. By the time one reaches "Faith of the Fallen," the believability of Richard's character is stretched as tight as a drum and as thin as tissue paper-and that is a lot to say for when speaking in the realm of fantasy.
While "Faith of the Fallen" is an enjoyable read in and of itself, it pushes too far the bounds of a well-structured character in the scope of the series that Goodkind has been building with the initial novels. He has imbued the character with so many traits-master of the woods, superior hunter, unparalleled swordsman, War Wizard, fulfiller of prophecies, and on and on-that an entire novel centered around the latest traits, an amazing talent for sculpture and a ridiculous level of generosity, is just getting sickening. If Goodkind is looking to create a character that he is going to apotheosize, he would do well to read Sara Douglass' "The Wayfarer Redemption" series to get a number of pointers on how to do it!
And this ridiculous level of character exploration is just a facet of a larger problem: the overall plot and experience of the series. Goodkind initially set up as the conflict of the series as a splintered society that needed to come together behind a young huntsman who is slowly discovering his true self, and his love interest, a beautiful and complex woman with unique abilities of her own. This Goodkind then complicated by adding the threat of a foreign empire ruled by an utterly malevolent, mystically empowered figure as well as a series of betrayals and other obstacles.
Basically, Goodkind has done as any good author of a series would, he has convoluted his plot to add interest and tension. The problem, however, is that Goodkind has interrupted the flow of his series by doing so to too great a degree. While each novel may be able to stand alone as a very interesting piece, the greater composition of the series has suffered by Goodkind's convolutions. They have become distracting digressions into siblings, magical beings, and character traits. He needs to return to the meat of the series. Hopefully, in the next installment of the series, "Naked Empire," Goodkind will do so and return to a plotline that furthers the conflict he had constructed between Richard and the emperor Jagang that somehow draws back upon the initial conflict between Richard Rahl and his predecessor.
...I'll also put money on it that Kahlan will at some point in the future become one of Jagang's unwilling sex slaves--afterall, she has recovered from her last rape already.

If you read only one fantasy novel this year, let it be this one. With strong themes of individualism, self-motivation, freedom and independence, Terry Goodkind brought out the most intense patriotic feelings I have ever had for this land we live in. Those themes are woven in with the deep story lines of Richard and Kahlan and will keep you up late at night to see what happens next.
Buy this book and read it before the November 2000 presidential elections. I guarantee that if you didn't know who to vote for, the choice will become very clear to those who cherish freedom and indepence and are wary of the the slow, sweet stangulation of government programs.

If people do not completly believe in what their leader is doing than you can not lead them. An excellent book. I was really drawn into this book once I started reading it. I found myself getting worked up over what was happening and realizing the truth of it in reality as to what "they" were going through. He outlined a story and stuck to it, describing it in the most alluring detail. In my opinion, this book only followed the other books in the series by the fact that Richard was caught again, though this time as with the others the method of capture, story line, and plot were completely different. I see no flaws in the story, whether the characters or the battles. This is truly one of the best series I've read. I hope it continues until I find something better.

No matter what genre of writing you work in, it is always important to think about the entirety of what you want to accomplish. Review the work and characters for cliches, plot for redundancies and the world you've built, if you choose to write fantasy, for contradiction. Most of my concerns after reading this book have been addressed in the multitude of reviews that precede this one, but as always I'm dismayed at the casual comparisons and superlatives here. Both Goodkind and Jordan seem to be churning out massive tomes of prose without any macroscopic structure, albeit very different writing styles. Both started very strongly with their debut, and then have become lost along the way. Compare that effort with the clarity and pace of George Martin's current work, or with the still unmatched worldbuilding of Tolkein. What's always amazing about the latter is that he wrote such a tightly conceived book in LOTR, only splitting it into three volumes at his publisher's urging. With Goodkind's sixth installment, we're gettting the equivalent of verbal diarrhea, prompted by the likely demands of TOR and unabated by the presence of anything more than a spellchecker. Both Jordan and Goodkind could really use a better editor. I was also disappointed, as it seems many others were, in Terry's emphasis on exploring objectivism instead of explicating futher on fantasy world or systems of magic he had spent time on in early volumes. The gars and dragons, last remaining confessor, unlikely hero and slowly developing wizardry, along with the rest of his world, were what drew me in, not this rehash of Ayn Rand or free market philosophy cloaked in the shell of the early series. I'm disappointed, to say the least, and while I've never been one to stop reading a book or leave a movie in progress, I doubt I'll be wasting anymore time reading the Sword of Truth series.

To all lovers of the Sword of the Truth series - stop now!

This is the book which has made me stop returning to earlier volumes for a fun reread.

Faith of the Fallen is Goodkind`s retelling of Ayn Rand`s "Atlas Shrugged." Now, he is a far superior writer to Ayn Rand, but this book suffers from a common curse of a philosophy-espousing novel- it sacrifices plot and characterisation for preaching the message.

The characters have beome puppets designed only to illustrate points. Even Richard, in the first volume a wonderfuly rounded character, full of the contradictions and flaws that made him real, is now a cardboard cutout - a "perfect" hero incapable of fear or true doubt. The supporting characters are, if anything, even worse. Most of them cannot be imagined having any life outside of the scenes they appear in.

The plot too, suffers - the characters acting in ways that are unrealistic or just downright silly in order to illustrate a point, events occurring which make no sense whatsoever so that Ayn Rand`s thesis can be made to seem reasonable.

Yes, the book- is as always with Goodkind, well-crafted - but ultimately disappointing and irritating. Book 5 is the place where you should stop if you want to be able to revisit earlier volumes - they just go downhill from here.

Will I read new volumes? Yes - I`m already tainted - but it`s the library for me - I will not be spending any more money on these - nor will his earlier volumes remain in my best-beloved shelf.

Like the Phantom menace did to the original Star Wars, reading this book makes the originals harder to enjoy, like watching a video of your friends preparing for a road trip, knowing that later in the trip they would crash.

A sad comedown for a great series.

Many have said that Terry is only expressing his political and/or economic views with this book, and doing it forcefully. True, views are expressed, but that was not his purpose in writing this book. Mr. Goodkind wrote this books to show us the Nobility of Life. This book tells us just how lucky we are to be alive and that living life as best you can is the best thing you can do with your life.
The events taking place in the world are present only to show that they are second to Man's Nobility.
This book is a novel written to enhance your understanding of what it means to be alive and what it means to have the ability to think for yourself.
If you read this book expecting to see great feats of magic and immense amounts of detail, you may be disappointed, but if you read this novel expecting to learn something about yourself and the people around you, you will be pleased.
On my scale of 1 to 10, this is the only book I have ever given a 10. This novel portrays Richard as everything that I could ever hope to be.

I thought this book was excellent.
I was looking for a new series to read and chose the Sword of Truth series. The series has not let me down and been enjoyed from the first book. Unfortunally one bad review turnes away more people than a excellent review would encourge. Some of the reviews here do not give the book the justice it deserves, some of the reviews are a little to analytical, while others demand an end to the series. I recommend this book to anyone who doesn't pick the small and irrelevent fishbones out of a book. Read this book and soon you will be a faithful follower of Richard's......if you aren't already. Don't pay attention to the bad reviews because you fear they are true, because I asure you they are not.

After enjoying the first five books in Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series, I was completely disappointed in his latest offering. We can only try to keep the list of negatives to a minimum. First, the author needs to get off his soapbox. It is one thing to make a point about the social status of the world, but another to continually drive that point into the reader's head. Three chapters of such repetition could have been cut and no one would have missed a thing. Second, the plot is the exact parallel of at least two other books in this series. Apparently the author has been writing the books in such close proximity to each other that he hasn't been able to create new plot lines. Third, while smooth, Goodkind's prose drags at the speed of blah. It's almost as if the author enjoys hearing the sound of his own voice and must put everything he says on paper. Again, repetition sinks this effort by what was once a better than average author. In conclusion, avoid Faith of the Fallen. If you want fantasy, read Robert Jordan and forget that this book ever existed.

Congratulations to Mr Goodkind! He took a series that was becoming rather pedestrian and resurrected it from the grave. After reading Faith of the Fallen, I felt the need to read all of the books of the series again!
Unlike most other readers, I enjoy long series of books, as this is the way life is - it does not just end happily ever after, but other trials arise and that is what makes Goodkind's characters become a part of the readers' lives. The fight against oppresion that takes place in this book is inspiring and well thought out. The love and devotion expressed is realistic, not a fairy tale but true to life and humanity. Thank you to an author who has captured my interest and ensured that I will come back for more.

I don't know why I kept putting up with this series. I really liked the first book, even though it had some problems, and I thought the next books in the series would get better. They didn't. They got progressively worse. Every book in the series followed the same damn annoying formula: characters get 10 pages of relaxing peace and then some dumb monster appears out of nowhere and they go on a pointless journey for another 950 pages, and the 50 pages in which the story is resolved is hardly connected to all the BS that happened before.

OK, enough of my angry bashing, let's get the facts straight. Goodkind disobeys Writer's First Rule: SHOW DONT TELL. This book spends way too much time repeatedly summarizing events and explaining and analyzing their meaning, something the reader is supposed to himself. Most of his ideas are totally unoriginal, obvious and uninspiring, talking about pointless stuff about the real world WE ALREADY KNOW.
But what pisses me off the most, is the pointless, graphic violence. What is this guy's problem? What point does he see in describing in such graphic detail? It does not bring me sympathy to the characters, but rather anger towards the stupid writer.
Although I can't testify whether this is true, I have heard many reviewers complain that Goodkind just copies from other books. I would have to agree though, because Goodkind just in general demonstrates unoriginality. He can't think of interesting ways for us to sympathize with characters, interesting conflicts, so he just gets their head's chopped off or tortured.
I have thus dispatched this meaningless waste of paper and ink in the trashcan. I can assure you, Goodkind, I did so in a forceful manner to appease your appetite for violence.

I loved this. The work was original to Goodkind's story in particular. Also, love the political undertones. Thank you Mr. Goodkind for not being afraid to put your beliefs into a wonderful demonstration of the human condition.

This book is very, very different from the previous books in the series. This book has much in common with Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. There are so many parallels I lost count. The story wasn't as engaging as the first three books and wasn't all that original in terms of Richard's moral struggle with the Order (similar to Rand's stuff).
I hope that the next book lives up to my expectations, as this one did not.

Terry Goodkind has written another episode in his amazingly popular series. And like a tv sitcom, everything happens the same way. Again, we see Richard and Kahlan happily together in the beginning. Then they are forced to separate, again. Richard discovers a wizard's rule, again. No one listens to what Richard says, again. Richard goes through torture, again. Richard refuses to quit, again. Richard's beautiful "evil" captor changes her ways and falls in love with him, again. (i don't think this counts as a spoiler).
So if you liked everything Terry Goodkind has written before, you'll like this one too. However, if like me you are tired of the lack of originality in fantasy today, this books will be a waste of time.
Well, there was one innovative idea, which was to write this book as a propaganda piece. Someone should tell Mr. Goodkind that the Cold War is over and capitalism has triumphed over communism almost everywhere.

Now I know some folks don't think Terry Goodkind does that great of a job, I think to the contrary...that man makes books where you can feel the pain, the love,the lust and the hate...when a book can do that to you you know you've found something special...now Faith Of The Fallen epitomizes now a days...we sit in a state of disillusion till one of us figures our place in life and rises above bringing others with us...as usual Terry Goodkind shows that art is alive and well...

When I read the other bokks I was impressed. When I read this one it made me very happy at times and very sad. I think Mr. Goodkind has hit our times of today with this book. If you can read this book with an open mind I think you will enjoy it. I also wish there were more people like Kahlen and Richard out there. I do not normally read science fiction but am loving these books. Yes there is a lot of philosophy in this book but it is good to read. I have shared quotes out of this book with many people and they have all been impressed. It is not for the weak minded. I am very thankful that Terry Goodkind has written these books.

First off, to those who say Richard started carving all of a sudden. Not true. Read book 1 again. He is carving by the fire in that book. As for this being an Ann Rand type book. Quite true. I enjoyed this book not only as a book that explains why self sacrifice for no reason is faulty but also as a delightful story making it one of my most favorite books.

I am a 17 year-old male, and this book elicited extreem emotional reactions from me in that it put me on the verge of tears. Terry entwines the emotions of the reader with the characters, you feel happy for them, sad for their defeats, and exilirated with their victories, as though you the third unmentioned character- living out the experiences with them as their best friend. As for an anylitical book review, i say this is the apex of the series thus far, and though i wish Richard would learn how to control and harness his god-like magic that we have seen glimpses of throughout the books, it doesn't happen. But besides that, for you of the other gender buy this one with a box of kleenx because the end will send you on an emotional high unlike anything you have ever felt. Do not hold me responsible if you fall off that high and right down into flat depression when you have to return to reality. happy reading =D buy this book!!!

Terry Goodkind has written so many AMAZING Epic stories! Faith of The Fallen is so far my absolute favorite. I am really looking forward to his newest book that is released in less than a week. Terry is a pioneer in the literary world for having published this by himself. I feel that this is a fantastic accomplishment, especially because I love my Kindle and have no problems not having a paper book! I will always continue to recommend Terry Goodkind's work to my friends and family as I feel it has so much to offer the world!

As soon as I picked up this book to read it, I couldn't put it down. It was non-stop heart-pounding action. From the first page till the last page, this book never slowed down. There was not one dull moment in this book. The fifth book was a bit disapointing (the soul of fire), but Terry Goodkind fully redeemed himself with this latest installment. He is by far the BEST fantasy writer I have read to date, no other authors come close to his ability and talent. Some of his new ideas in this book are truly marvelous and totally original. I am already looking forward to the seventh book and I'm sure it will be well worth the wait. I do not understand how some people can give this book only 1 star, they are obviously reading a different Faith of the Fallen than the one I am reading.

Goodkind spins the same tale as always, and I am getting bored of Richard and Kahlan. However, Goodkind's grasp of suspense kept me reading until the end.
I like Goodkind's use of the Old World politics and the way that it reflects on governments of our world. It made me think about social policy, and especially the merits/demerits of extreme socialism.

I have to admit that the first time I read this book I stopped a few chapters in and basically threw it across the room. I was so mortified, so upset, that I literally couldn't even read it for months. When I finally calmed down and rationalized that I would have to read it if I wanted to finish the series I picked it up and soon discovered it to be one of Mr Goodkind's best stories. Richard is infectious and you see first hand how a little common sense can go a long way. It frustrated me to no end how stupid the people of the Order could be. But every good book has something that you hate. I can't get over how clever Mr Goodkind is in his writing. I feel like I'm there with the characters at times. I can see what they see, and when they are in pain, I feel it too. I can't wait for more.

I'm not sure I'll be reading much more of Goodkind in the future. I enjoyed the earlier books but it seems that Goodkind lost it with Faith of the Fallen. It is a non-stop diatribe of right wing political beliefs from someone who seems really bitter. Fantasy fiction authors take note, I don't care or want to know about your political beliefs and forcing it on me in such a way will just ruin the book and cause me to not want to read any more of your work. I'd seen elements of this earlier on but mostly ignored it but in this book it would be simply impossible to ignore it.

Nothing to see here, the story unfortunately takes a backseat to the preaching, in fact it seems almost like an afterthought - nothing more than a vehicle for promoting his message.

To Goodkind I would say: I guess you know when an author has "made it" when they can put out a book like this. You show contempt for those that read your books on nearly every page. I guess you don't need a large following anymore. This is a work of fiction and is supposed to be entertaining not a lecture on what you consider the ills of society.

It isn't because I necessarily disagree with your beliefs but that they have no place in this story yet you belabor the point at literally every opportunity to shoehorn your message into the story. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying there can be no political or social commentary in fiction. I believe most of the best fiction does have an element of this but usually the best authors do it in a subtle way. You repeatedly hit us over the head with it "Rand-ian" style. I don't appreciate it.

Have you read any Ayn Rand? Terry Goodkind obviously has. In fact I was so turned off by the unsubtle pushing of capitalism in the beggining of the book that I almost stopped reading. Don't get me wrong, I love Ayn Rand, but If I had wanted to read a good old fashion communist bashing book I would have reread "We the living" or "Atlas Shrugged". Terry manages to keep the story (slowly) moving, but it is a far cry from the first book, which I couldn't put down. The main plot is basically the same one we have seen in the last five books. What happened to the origional story lines that I used to enjoy? I was hopeing that this book would prove my fears wrong, but it hasn't. The series is slowly dying. Sorry Terry, I think it is time to put the Sword of Truth to rest.

My favorite book in the Sword of Truth series. To me, it summarizes all the beliefs that Mr. Goodkind was trying to relate. You are the master of your fate, believe in yourself and don't let what someone else believes stray you from your course. I love this book. I won't say more in case someone else would like to read. All I can say is read it for yourself.

I will in no way cover the plot in this review, if you haven't read the book, it would ruin it for you, or if you have, you will in no way need to know it.
The faith of the Fallen is more politicaly potent then Terry Goodkinds last books in the series, now covering the
philosophical heritage of Ayn Rand(Objectivsim, roughly boiled down to the individual being more precious the the MAsses in such terms that no man should live for others).
WOW, that sounds boring, but in not only are the political ideals in Faith of the Fallen in no way a manifest in such terms that they are simply being listed, they are being put into use.
If you do not care for politics, this book is still great because the plot is wonderful, entriguing and filled with beauty, just as teh Main characters in this book.
If you are a fab of Comminism, or just hates Objectivism, this is not the proper book for you.
This truly is a book about the nobility of the human spirit.

...when I first read her books back in high school. There is certainly a lot of value in what she wrote, as it's thought-provoking and interesting.
The Sword of Truth series, however, is something that I indulge for entirely different reasons, and as entertainment this installment falls flat on its face. Goodkind leaves out interesting subplots and characters whose fates were totally unresolved at the end of the previous book so that he can hammer home his Objectivist points. I have philosophic consonance with those points, but don't buy his books to hear them rehashed. If I really wanted that, I'd pick my copy of Atlas Shrugged back up and read it again. Heck, he even named Nicci's father "Howard". How obvious is that?

I'll admit that I really enjoyed the first two novels of this series, but in my honest opinion, Kaylan needs to be killed off. All she ever does is betray Richard, doesn't listen to him and basically is a spoiled woman. I mean, how many times is she gonna feel that Richard is cheating on her? How many characters are going to be so stupid and dense (Nicci in the revelation scene about Richards doings in the Old World). Come on , Terry, bring back the old excitement. I'm not going to buy the next book, I think I'll just get it fromt he library. I truly believe Terry has no idea how to end this story. Each book is just a retelling of the previous one, with a few differences. Even the characters are the same., No development what so ever.

The SOT series is without a doubt the best I've ever read, and I've read plenty of them. This book is the best of the entire series, but you need to read them all in order. I reread the entire series every year or so. I buy used copies of the first book and give them away to people, and they all get hooked on the series. Incredibly powerful, profound series.

I am a fan of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series. So naturally, I was attracted to the "Sword of Truth" series as well. It is well written and something I've enjoyed. Until now, that is. This 6th volume just dragged along without mercy. I wanted to stop and put it away on several occasions. I think of it as the 'pothole' of the bunch. I did barely manage to stop myself from returning it to the bookstore and have nothing further to do with the series. Thankfully, I gave it the benefit of the doubt due to past experience, and my patience did pay off near the end of the book. I do feel that I should've just waited for the paperback issue.
Anyway, I just hope the next volume is able to live up to my expectations.

Having only recently discovered Goodkind's amazing work, I've been reading through his Sword of Truth series systematically for about 3 months now. This is by far his best work, and a perfect culmination of everything he has written up to this point.
The end left me near to tears. This is the stuff of life.

I have been a fan of Terry Goodkind from the very begining. His magical world emits so much emotion and realism at the same time that you could almost believe it to be real. Though I was slightly Let down with Soul of the Fire, I believe that Mr. Goodkind has truely made up for any previous shortcommings. The book was absolutly beautiful in it's portrail of humanity's most precious gift--life. I would recommend this book to any one who loves fantasy and believes in the nobilty of the human spirit. It was a truely inspring book. Well done Mr. Goodkind, Well done.

True, it is the same old plot but the story does move along. I hated book five and thought it was a compelte waste of time. However, I enjoyed the first four books so much, I had to read book six. Mr. Goodkind restored my faith in the series. I liked the not so subtle political message of the book. Further, I really enjoyed the development of the new and old characters. I missed the magic.
Over all the book moved the story along in a very entertaing way. I look forward to the next book.

Wow. Terry Goodkind delivers a profound philosophical message through fantasy. Second only to Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead both by Ayn Rand, Faith of the Fallen reveals the evil that is socialism/collectivism. Mind you, as Rand was prone to do, the Imperial Order is a far extreme. It is hard to believe that a government could become something like the Imperial Order but when broken down to the fundamentals, that is exactly what they want to do. Goodkind shows us the rise of the human spirit and just how great man can be. He shows us that one must struggle to give one's life meaning and to bring happiness to oneself. Very good read. I recommend it to all with a philosophical appetite portrayed in a fantasy book. Perhaps, even to those who do not care for fantasy. It's simply that powerful.

Terry Goodking is an excellent writer and I have always enjoyed the unabridged audio versions of the Sword of Truth; however this book has brought together a point in purpose that you can gather from the previous versions - I believe that Faith of the Fallen is only a transition in the making for the 7th book he is currently writing. I have come to understand each and every character in his book as if I've known them for years. Each holds meaning of a sense of honesty, strength and intrigity. I look forward to the continued story of Richard and Kahlan -

In my opinion this is the best book yet from Terry Goodkind. The story is very compelling in that it speaks of humanity and strength of character. I have read and enjoyed all of The Sword of Truth Series, but none compare to book 6. In this tale the hero and heroine must deal with battling their own demons to survive their repective struggles. Richard must understand his role in the struggle for freedom and the world as he knows it. Khalan must understand that her role, and world has changed, not an easy task for someone born and trained into a specific position of power. This was a great book and I will continue to buy and read Terry Goodkind.

I feel that this book is the best book I have ever read and can't wait for the next one. How do I know there will be a next one? The emporor lives so the saga must continue. This book truely moved me and left me with a satisfying feeling when I was through. Please take my advice and read this book.

This book has definately picked up where some of the others didn't. In my opinion, books 3 through 5 were a little boring. They started off slow, and picked up near the ending. This however, starts strong, and finishes strong. It's the best book in the series behind Wizard's First Rule. A lot of questions get answered in this book, while new ones arise. People think the story line has been done before, and perhaps it has, but the author twists the line a little to create excitement nontheless. This book tries to represent humanity, and save Richard's world from the advancing shadow of tyranny. Even in the heart of darkness, light must fall.

As always Terry Goodkind has showed us what a master of description he really is! This book is a breath taking tale of two lovers torn between the massive army of the Old world as it swarmed into the small but powerful New world fighting to survive.
My favorite part about this book was how Goodkind describes every little detail, letting you paint a picture in your mind.The only draw back to the incredible story is that it takes about 15 pages before you become absorbed into the storyline.
I'd have to say the best character in this book was Richard. Not because he is the main character but because he never gives up. Even when torn from his wife and brought against his will to a poverty stricken town in the heart of the old world. He is truly a complicated individual.
Over all this book is in the top five books I've ever read right up there with the hobbit and the Trilogy.

If you've ever enjoyed an Ayn Rand novel, be prepared to like this book. It reads a lot like her's do. Terry Goodkind's series is slowly departing from its charming course of fantasy, into a text book on social science. It feels like the plot of the story is becoming secondary to its message. He does a good job of mixing philosophy with action, but I liked it much better when his main concern was for characters rather than morals. Don't get me wrong, its still a very readable book. I can't wait for the next one to come out. I just hope that we'll get to hear more about Richard, and less about the definitions of good and evil in his society.

The first few chapters were so uninteresting that I almost put the book down. What happened to the magic and evergrowing growth into the all powerful War Wizard? There is nothing remarkable accomplished by Lord Rahl that any ordinary leader could not do. The basic plot is too predictable.
Still and all the second half of the book was well written if wordy. The story flowed well enough to keep me wanting to see the finale blossum. If your a true fan of the series you will be happy enough to get to the next installment.

Having finished the entire book, I feel drained and wishes for the next book today. I love this book in its entirety and every page fills you with need to read the next.
The book is once again filled with bits on real life from Mr. Goodkind and the reader could share in his view and know what he is talking about. You will be able the empathsize with the characters every step of the way and at the end, feel exulted at the life you have or could have.
The cover of the book is also astonishingly beautiful, and you'd look at it in a new light if you finished the book.
I strongly recommend this book and even if you've never read previous Sword of Truth serie, Mr. Goodkind fills you in the information from previous books into this one as before. You wouldn't be lost by starting from this book.

If I could give a book negative stars, I would. This is definately what I call an "author in love with his own words and characters" and halfway through the book I was rooting for the bad guys to pulverize both lead characters (Kahlan and Richard). By the end, I was at least liking Richard a bit, but I still say the world would be much better off without Kahlan in it. When your favorite character is the villainess (Nicci) for most of the novel, you know you're in trouble. It took me three months to read it for a reason, I suppose. I will not bother with another of this series - a waste of my time and money.

I really enjoy reading the Sword Of Truth series. After I finished reading this book, I found myself smiling with pleasure. Terry Goodkind has again masterfully advanced the story of Richard, Kahlan, Zedd, and all of the other characters in this book. True to form, Goodkind develops the main characters of this book to the extent that you, as a reader, can understand their motivations and actions.
The pages of this book (as well as the entire series) are full of captivating content and rich story lines to keep the reader reading way past bed time.
As others have said, there is a very prevelant social comment about humanity and its spirit running through the entire novel, which serves as the perfect backdrop for this story. So, be it there to open people's eyes, or just to create background and motivation, the comment fits perfectly into this tale.
If you like to read fantasy full of well developed characters, rich and continuing story lines, suspenseful and emotionally captivating action, then this book is one to own and read several times over.

Although I agree with another reviewer of this book in that Terry Goodkind has placed Richard yet again in the hands of "the evil woman sharade", I still felt he did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life even further. In this book it doesnt test Richards balance of magic, but his attempt to bring others to the realization of what freedom actually means. I liked this book for its realism of the characters, and although I didnt like that fact that he was again captured "by the evil woman", I liked the twist of how he was thrown into the heart of the Order and brings what only he can bring,.....awareness. You will love this book, as I did.

Faith of the fallen is easily one of the best Goodkind books in the series. Although in some ways, it's underlying theme could be considered rudimentary, it is satisfying on many levels for the reader. At this stage, Goodkind has mastered his balance of the slow burn while meeting our desire for blood. The novel builds to a delightful crescendo, which in my opinion is not matched until perhaps the last novel in the series. It's a must read for fans, and a worthwhile standalone book for anyone who enjoys a good story.

If this book wasn't so heavy handed in it's idealogical sermon, it would have been better. It had battle scenes, it had nice chunks of classic Super-Richard-who-knows-how-to-do-everything subverting the enemy the way he did with D'Hara, a nice climactic ending.

but unfortunately, it was very heavy-handed in its depiction of the mindless stupidity of order, in such a way that it seemed just not believeable. there is no sophistication, no attempt to describe the order/communism as anything but ugly, stupid, brutal, and hypocritical, even when the character doing the describing was a proponent of the order.

take nicci, who is crucial to this book:

**SPOILER** now, we have here a genius "as capable as they come" magic user of great power, which suggests intellect. she can take pain and she flouts jagang even when he had a hold over her, which suggests that she does not go with the flow and can think for herself as well as has the will to act upon it. she demonstrates political acumen and ability to see at the heart of things when she coins "jagang the just" to propel the Order's reign to the next level. she plans a foolproof method to capture richard, which is executed perfectly. again, intellect and independent thought. she is a sister of the dark, which also suggests ability to disregard (if not outright enjoy) the suffering of others, AND (again)intellect (hate to say this, but the sisters of light by and large seem pretty stupid compared to the dark sisters). and of course, death's mistress and probably the most powerful woman around except maybe Shota.

then you have the moronic, pathetic, chained by her childhood upbringing shrew of a woman nicci who trembles and cannot help but give her last penny to violent beggars accosting her in the street, supposedly because she cannot stand to see them suffering and needy (death's mistress indeed!where o where did you go, sister of the Dark?), whose highest level of intellect shown is shrewishly apeing the most rudimentary, crude, Order/communist propaganda that they feed the masses, that not even two-bit petty officials really believe, but that she, could-be consort of Jagang, slave queen, sister of both sides with 180 years, and tons of atrocities under her belt, apparently believes with every fiber of her being. capable of maternity spells, she is apparently really confounded by the most basic capitalist logic of supply and demand. having lived in the palace of the prophets and traveled in the New World, with numerable experience seeing the other side of a smoothly working economy, she apparently believes that the Order brings great succor to the needy even as she contentedly waits in line everyday to end not getting food half the time. I mean, even if she's not the out of box thinker Richard is, this book puts Nicci, a woman of great power and much experience, a sophisticated tactician and political planner, at the intellectual inferior of not just Richard and the great people of his cause, but also blacksmith Victor, delivery guy Ishaq, charcoal maker Faval, even former-street thug Kamil and Nabbi, and probably half of the people in Altur'Rang who understand that despite the propaganda, life sucks.

**END SPOILERS**

basically, Nicci becomes a shrewish moron throughout much of this book just so Terry Goodkind can beat on why communism sucks. then she cries tears of joy at the end of the book. when nicci, the single character embodiment of "the faith of the fallen" is so crudely protrayed and forcibly bent to the authors obvious purpose, the book is just not the fist pumping work it could be.

and this is a personal peeve of mine, but once again, Kahlan passes up a perfect chance to use her confessor power with Harold and the galeans. killing people and getting confessions are probably the two least effective uses of her power, and that is all she does with it. another character who should be smarter than she is in the book.

I just recently finished Terry Goodkinds latest wonder "Faith of the Fallen", and once again I sit in spellbound silence. The greatest of praise for the "Sword of Truth" series. Not often does a story of this quality come around, and for any of you readers out there that enjoy an excellent fantasy series, this is for you. I would recommend starting at the beginning with "Wizard's First Rule", as to experience the full effect of the series. Few have achieved what Mr. Goodkind has, as I call it, the mastery of capture. And I hope with my small contribution of praise (and a dab of persuasion), you will give this series the chance it deserves. I guarantee you will not regret it.

When I first picked up a Wizard's First Rule from reading about it in a news paper ad I didn't think this series was going to amount to much, but after finishing the first book I knew it would. In this latest book Goodkind continues to irritate his readers by causing pain and suffering of Richard and Kahlan, but this may be the best ending of all the books. Leaving you asking what's going to happen next? For any true Fantasy fan this series is a must read and for all Goodkind readers get this book immediately.

I think this series had started to go downhill with soul of the fire. This one confirms it. It less a novel and more a social commentary on a nonexistant society. Goodkind needs to get back on the ball with some more epic adventures. However this is a SoT book and is still better than a lot of the stuff out there. I hope Bk. 7 starts climbing out of this unfortunate valley. Incidently regarding the cover, from the description in the novel the artist (no offense) really doesnt do it justice. I am not sure he could have. He should have probably depicted a scene that was less dependent on an almost preternatural beauty as described in the novel. That's all folks.

Since I happen to enjoy Rand's Objectivist philosophy these books are in keeping with my philosophy as I like Richard and his companions believe that life is only worth living if it's your own. And that being a slave to the weak and the lazy because they demand it, not because you offer it is a slow death and makes them no better than the highway man that takes what is yours at knife point simply because he wants it. Socialist / communist societies work in a similar fashion. Take from those that produce and give to those that don't. If you don't give (i.e. in the US if you don't pay your taxes) you go to jail. So that part is not different than "the Order", but as least for now, you are free to pursue your own goals, start your own business, and become rich from your efforts. Now the flip side of that is the the greed and corruption that goes along with profit being a primary motive for productivity.

The net result is there is no perfect system, but those who are productive will always favor a free, capitalistic society while those that are weak or lazy will prefer something like communism or socialist welfare states where they are provided for w/o any putting forth any effort on their own behalf other than to state their need and demand it be met. The problem with the communist / socialist ideals is that they drag down the wealth of all and all live in sqaulor, except for the rulers (like Jagang) of course who spare no expense for their own comfort and take what they want without regard for anyone else all the while claiming that what they do is not for themselves but for others.

What does all this have to do with a fantasy series named, The Sword of Truth. Everything. At it's core this book is a much longer re-write of Atlas Shrugged where those that can struggle to remain free of slavery to those that cannot or will not. In addition, like Rand he paints a fairly dim picture of religeon and how it is used to manipulate, steal, and give moral sanction to bad behavior. The Randian aspect of the Sword of Truth series really comes to the fore in The Faith of the Fallen. The book becomes the start of what will be a treatise on Objectivism over the next few books.

I don't want to ruin the surprise, but often in life there are things that cause one to experience an epiphany. When you have been brainwashed by a belief system, rational discussion may not cut through that belief system. Something more profound may be required. I did find the mechanism they introduced to have the blind suddenly see the light was a bit oversimplified and contrived and found it hard to believe that people would so easily cast off their beliefs and fears. However, understanding this is fiction it did have the intended dramatic effect and served as the focal point for the book and a turning point for the series from a series of very good fantasy novels (books 1-4) to a series of philosophical and political novels in a fantasy setting (books 5-10). While there was hint of this in book 5, book 6 made it a focal point.

SOT Book 6 - Faith of the Fallen was a fun read and had lots of interesting new characters and lots of lairdo! As an author, Goodkind is a mixed bag, as he does tend to ramble on too much at times and he tends to explain things over and over and unfortunately he does that again in this book, but you can skim over those parts as you like and the meat of the book is excellent and one of the better books in the series. I think Goodkind would do himself and the readers a service though if he would stick with the story at hand (rather than constantly re-explaning things already covered many times over in the current book and often in previous books as well).

I started reading this book and felt, Oh No, here we go again. Same dang plot we've seen before. But because I have enjoyed this series immensly, I kept reading and WOW did I change my mind about this book. Terry Goodkind turned me from immense hatred of Nicci to immense pity. This book is an emotional powder keg. Yes, we have seen this before, Kahlan leading a smaller army against incredible odds, Richard being taken from her to far land. HE SUCCEEDS at this. Some reviews complained this story is not moving. HOW WRONG can they be?!?!?!?! This book was great.

I really haven't been much of a fan of Goodkind in the past because long series tend to bore me. I want finite stories(I know that in real life stories have no end, that is why I read books) That said, this book was notable because it really was a story unto itself...And I loved it. It brought tears to my eyes. Goodkind said it was it a novel of ideas and it really was. I wanted to go out and change the world after reading this book. I read it about 6 months ago and I still feel energized. It really got to me. Don't turn away from this book.

I have been following the Sword of Truth series ever since it first came out years ago, and I can honestly say the Faith of the Fallen was well worth the wait. Terry Goodkind really makes this a compelling story, and ties it in to the other five books very well. Terry Goodkind is the only contemporary fantasy writer I know of whose works can compare to Tolkein's Middle Earth. Goodkind has established an entire other world, and populated it with characters that people can relate to. I hope Goodkind continues the series, because Faith of the Fallen has been entirely worth the time spent waiting for it.

I have read the whole series up to this one (7th is on the way to me.) and I'm not in the least disapointed. Goodkind does a very good job at writing a good classic epic fantasy. The books in this series as of yet have almost never let me down and I finished this one off in one day of lazyness. This series is definately in in my top 5. Start at the beginning of the series though as it fills in the background. I would have to say my review is more directed at the series rather than the individual books, but it is the individual books that make the series.

The first Sword of Truth books were a grave disappointment to me. Total "Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time"ripoffs they were. But, truth be told, the first three books were apart from that quite entertaining. The fourth and especially fifth were booooring, horrible. But this sixth books has fire in it. And a lot more originality than the rest. Not much stolen, good battle action, very good Old World action. I loved it and couldn't stop reading it. I truly hope mr Goodkind has bettered his life, stops stealing from other authors, and keeps up this good work.

This was the best and most thought provacating of the books. the title befits this book, for there are many questions the characters ask of themselves. this brings about true emotions from the character and reader alike, especially from one interesting point of view. Sorry won't spoil it for those who haven't read it In this book goodkind has been able to capture the true meaning what it is to be free and to have LIFE in this world. He does a great parallel i believe with occurences happening in the united states today and events in the book. Just a phenomenal read if you allow the characters to take you on there journey

I enjoy the way Goodkind writes, so I still enjoyed book 5, but, let's face it, it's often more enjoyable to read about your favorite characters than people you despise and who talk about their twisted beliefs endlessly. Faith of the Fallen has much more of the good guys in it, lots of action, suspense, drama, everything. The only thing that keeps it from being five star is the amount of Imperial Order philosphy that you have to wade through. Otherwise, it's perfect! Loved it!!

"Faith of the Fallen" was an excellent book. Some say that it is worse than the other books in the series but it's still DEFINETELY worth reading. There was less action on Richard's part, perhaps, but Kahlan's role makes up for that. If you have read the other books in the "Sword of Truth," it would be a shame to stop at this wonderful book. If you haven't started the series, start with "Wizard's First Rule" right away!!

Faith of the Fallen is by far the best in the series. Goodkind really takes a hold of you and makes you feel more for these wonderful characters. He has really evolved as a writer and his approach in this book leaves you captivated and anxiously waiting for the next book. I personally feel that you have to relate to the characters and feel with them so I have become a great admirer of Kahlan and Richard's strength and morals. I am truely in love with these characters and if you really want to experience this series you have to let it go and just let the story take you.

I'll be blunt. Mr. Goodkind COULD be a good writer. Nice style. Good form. Pretty well-developed characters. Unfortunately, after you've seen the same plot repeated over again and again and again it begins to get...shall I say a tad stale...! I started reading this book and about a quarter of the way in was struck with some incredibly powerful Deja Vu. Hadn't I seen this before? Ah yes, book one- Kahlan and Richard painfully separated and then re-united, Book two- Kahlan and Richard painfully separated and then re-united,Book Three, Book Four, Book Five- Let me guess...,need I go on? It wasn't hard to figure out the plot for the sixth book. MR.GOODKIND, PLEASE, YOU HAVE TALENT! USE IT FOR GOODNESS SAKE!

This was the first Goodkind's book I've read. I bought it by chance, expecting yet another sword'n'sourcery flick. To be fair, there is plenty of that, but in fact one can safely call this book a Manifest Of The Libertarian Party Of United States Of America. It does way better job of propagating ideas of Objectivism than the Ain Rand's books, particularly among the youths. As such this book has great value, I believe.

Being completely different, I find interesting parallels in the books of another Terry - Terry Pratchett. Objectivism, even in disguise, seems to be very popular among Terries of the world. :-)

This book was one of the worst written fantasy books I have made the mistake of paying money for. The plot is nothing more than a poorly-conceived stab at political commentary, and I think having teeth pulled is more fun than wading through it. What a terribly disappointing installment in a series that started out brilliantly, then went downhill from there. If you want to read a real fantasy author, try George R.R Martin, and leave Goodkind behind.

I've enjoyed each and every of Terry Goodkind's novels to date; however, Mr. Goodkind's masterful, demonstrative contrasting of the effective principles of rational self-interest against the disastrous principles of mindless altuism brings Faith of the Fallen up to a new level of excellence. I particularly appreciated the fact that Richard Rahl, the most self-sacrificing character ever created, was the heroic advocate for capitalistic ideals. Similarly, I enjoyed the fact that it was intellectual inactivity rather than foul intention that was the root of all evil. My only wish is that every politician would be required to read and study this inspiring allegory.

Wonderful book! Does follow the patterns of the previous book where the main character succeeds by turning the villains into allies. This book has the most twists and turns and is the most interesting of all the books in this series.

Out of this entire seriers(I've read all including the pillars of creation) so far, the first book, "Wizard's first rule is the best. I think most people will agree that terry's forethought is well played out, but his foreshadowing hints are too predictable once they get started, and the storyline is similar to the ones proceeding. Read the entire series if you think you can hang on to your horses and not fall off of the saddle of boredom only to evade the more intereting and true part of the story. Although I do not recommend the pillars of creation if you want the meat of the story, it's totally off line and character. It's like being dragged away from what truly matters.

I have read all of the Sword of Truth books in the past. I just got a kindel for my birthday and have started to get the series on the kindel. I love this series, but there is some sick stuff in each book. I want my 11 year old son to read these books, but in I can't allow it quite yet. I will have to wait until he is probably 13 or older. Very great books. I can't put them down even when I know what is going to happen. I recommend this series to any fantasy reader who likes the works of Martin, Jordan, and authors of that caliber. I have noticed several gramatical errors in the kindel downloads in each book. Some of the sentences are hard to read with repeated words or totally misplaced words in them. But the errors are few in each book. Hope this helps.

Let me start by saying I enjoyed Wizards First Rule but enjoyed each ensuing sequel less and less. I hardly know where to begin the list of things I found apalling about the last two (especially) books of this series, but I'll attempt to be concise.
I'm sorry but the basic plot repeats through every book. The tension of "will Richard and Kalhan get back together again?" grew thin by the end of the second book. And when he repeated it again and again, well, there's no tension, there's only the annoying sound of the same note being played over and over. Perhaps Goodkind cannot write a deep and satisfying relationship and covers this by keeping the protagonists separated and tortured in various and sundry ways.
The infusion of Goodkinds political philosophy into the last two books goes beyond irritating, it downright made me mad. It was not an "intricately woven subtle facet", blimey! He hits the reader over the head with it for unending pages and unending senarios only to repeat his rant against the "red menace" again and again, oh, excuse me, I mean the order, or do I mean the democrats? He sounds like McCarthy or is it Rush? Heavy, heavy handed, repetituve, boring and written like a politics 101 primer for dummies.
Lastly, I really liked Richard in the first book, he was conflicted, he was not always perfect and even though he has always been somewhat superhumanly strong (he's been beat to a pulp more times than the road runner and survived just as easily), he was pretty much a human being. He felt real. His character is now so bloody perfect, god, the man can do anything, even learn to carve marble like Michealangelo in a month. He has gone from a favorite to one of my *least* enjoyed characters of literature. He is light as air in his unerring do-right perfection. Even Dudley screwed up sometimes. He's boringly flat and now feels like water torture to me, ping, ping, ping. No variety, no substance, just square of jaw and I'm sure he's as perfect of breath as he is of intention.
Oh, wait, I forgot Nicci. Was there ever a less developed villian? She was brought up politically incorrect so she gave her soul to the Keeper and became the Lady of Death. She then figures one day that she doesn't want to go along with jagang anymore (why is this? It was never explained *at all*)so she steals Richard so he can "teach" her something? This just felt incredibly weak to me. And worse, her redemption was totally unbelievable. This sister of darkness, capable of unreal horror is magically transformed by looking at a sculpture carved by Richard. Conflict over, she now wants to join the good guys... and it only took 534 pages. Oh, the story only took about 10, the rest is political rant. And of course, in his perfect perfection, Richard forgives her indiscretions.
sheesh
Shame on me for reading the whole thing

This is the most amazing book I have ever read, it blows away the rest of the series entirely. Terry Goodkind comes out and says what he has been hinting at all along, and if you think about the connections between the series you'll finally understand exactly what he has been trying to say. This book is, in my opinion, the most emotional of them all. While there are places of intense action the main focus of this book is the characters, how they think and why they think that way. This book defines Life in the simplest, yet most stunningly correct way I have ever heard it defined.

After the last two books I was reading just to see how it turned out. I felt that terry had gotten bored with his characters, which made it boring for the reader. I was surprized that I loved this book, It was refreshing right when I was starting to get really bored with the same old stuff. Mr. Goodkind could have included a couple more windows on what our favorite lead characters were up to, (this seems to have upset quite a few of his readers) but overall I enjoyed the change. If you hate change, even change for the good then you will hate this instalment in the series.

This book was good better then soul of the fire and it had its own kind of story, very original and not often done by other authors- if you would like to know about the story itself read the other reviews- i give my thoughts even though no one asked for them-
very good if you liked the other one you'll like this one for sure, so buy it now

Terry Goodkind's 6th book in the Sword of Truth series is of pure fantasy. The problem is, this was not his intention. Terry has sacrificed his talent for creating a compelling fantasy storyline, for some sort of Ayn Randian political philosophy which he perceives to be a reflection of reality. The running plot from the previous five books is shredded in order for Terry to construct his quirky -greed is good, but it is not greed, and anyone that may disagree is evil and deserves death- principal. The result is a silly incoherent tale, and a complete game stopper for any possibility of finishing this series.

I am an avid Sword of Truth fan. I read all the other books in the Sword of Truth series. If I had it my way, they would all be given five stars because they all had me hooked on them until the end. Faith of the Fallen is no exception. This book is spectacular, as are most Goodkind books. I couldnt put this book down and its long enough to keep me that way for a long time. Im not a slow reader either (the fourth Harry Potter book took me 2 1/2 days). This is an awesome fantasy book but if you are new to the series, you HAVE to start at the first book (Wizard's First Rule) or you wont get what's going on.

Faith of the Fallen is spectacular and I literally could not put it down. I read nearly the last two thirds of the book in one setting because I just could not stop, even at three o'clock in the morning. After looking at the cover and reading the marvelous foreshadowing of events written by the author, it is pretty clear what is going to happen. However, the events leading up are written so well, it was just impossible to stop reading. This is by far the best book of the series. Even though the end has a fantastical conclusion, it leaves me wanting to read more to know what happens next.

I have been a fan of Goodkind's work ever since my freind gave me a copy of A Wizards First Rule. All these books keep the intensity and the conclsion comes in the last 40 pages of the books. I think that the only reason that i did not give this book the five stars is that it is about time that Richard makes some headway with his character. I mean that the series needs to end with a bang. I am getting tired of Richard getting beat, when it is obvious the most powerful being in the world. Terry, if you read this, please let Richard go and defeat evil in the last book.

Wow, this is definitely one of the best books I have read. I really loved 1-4, 5 was a letdown, but this one is the best almost! It was excellent with plenty of action. I truly liked how well thought out the book was. It is a must-read. DONT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU HAVENT READ 1-5!

If you have been reading this series, then you know the story. Boy loves girl, boy loses girl, boy gets tortured, girl cries alot and kills people, against all odds they find a way to each other in the end. Come on!!! This is what book 20 or something, and has the same structure to every book. If you have read the other books than this one will be absolutely predictable. The more deliberate interjection of politics into Goodkinds writing is becoming loathsome. We get it already, controlling people is bad, freedom is better, now get on with the story. The only difference between this book and the others, is that Richard doesnt save the day with some great magic that is never explained. Istead he saves the day with... are you ready... A CARVING!! UGGGHHH!

I've read all the books leading up to this one, courtesy of my sister, Jaimie. She recommended them to me, so I got them. I read the first 5 and then I couldn't read any more. I just didn't care about what happened. After a few months, I decided I was interested again, so I picked up this book.

Here's the scoop: Richard Rahl and his wife Kahlan are hiding in the woods with their friend, Cara, after Kahlan is injured in a battle with The Imperial Order. Richard takes her someplace where he thinks they will be safe while she recovers. Richard is The Lord Rahl and the commander in chief of the D'Haran Army. After an incident that happens in the last book, Richard decides that he can't lead the army in the war against the Order. To do so would be to allow the Order to win. Richard says that it is not up to him to prove himself to the people, but up to the people to prove themselves to him. So, he is off waiting for Kahlan to heal. Then, Nicci shows up. Nicci is a Sister of the Dark and used to be Richard's teacher, back when she was a Sister of the Light. (The good guy/bad guy imagery is pretty basic.) Nicci puts a spell on Kahlan, allowing her to kill Kahlan at will, no matter where each of them is - even if Kahlan and she are on other sides of the planet. She does this so that Richard will come along with her because she knows that Richard would give his life to save Kahlan's.

Richard and Nicci go to Altur'Rang, the seat of the Order. Nicci isn't sure what she's looking for in Richard, but it's something. She wants him to see what "normal" people live like and why it's important that everyone surrender to the Order. In order that they might be protected. It's an interesting commentary on social welfare gone bad: everyone has to pay taxes and give pretty much everything they have so that those who aren't able to work might get fed. That it leaves those who are working hungry does not seem to matter. They are told that they should be grateful that they have a job. Jobs are rigidly constructed and you must not do anything that is not strictly your job or you could be fined or imprisoned for stealing work from someone who needs it. So, if you're the guy in charge of driving the wagon, say, you can't help the person whose job it is to unload it. Even if they are under the weather or having a difficult time. It's all quite ridiculous.

Meanwhile, Kahlan and Cara have joined back up with the D'Haran Army and are fighting the Order at every turn. It's a losing battle due to the sheer number of men the Order has and the limited number the D'Harans have.

The Emperor of the Order is building a new palace as a monument to man's evil nature. Richard is conscripted to carve a statue for it. All the other statues and artwork of the Order are filled with misery, pain and ugliness. Richard carves a monument to beauty. Because of the way life is organized in the Order, no one checks on the statue until it is installed and people have seen it. The statue is of a man and a woman and somehow it incites many of the viewers to rebel against the Order.

A man who does not like Richard joined the Order and is captured by the D'Harans. Somehow, they figure out that he knows Richard and is brought to Kahlan. Kahlan finds out where Richard is and she and Cara set out to find him. They do. Nicci stops being a Sister of the Dark. The Order is not overthrown but is somewhat thwarted. A couple of bad guys are killed. And the people have proven themselves to Richard.

What I'm really interested in is how the series *ends.* However, I have to read all the books to get there. Do Richard and Kahlan ever get to lead a normal life? Do they get to have children? Does Cara wind up married? What about the Mud People? I miss them. In every book, (I think) Kahlan and Richard are separated and Richard winds up in the clutches of another woman, though remains faithful to Kahlan. There is constant reminders that Cara is Mord-Sith and ever faithful in her quest to protect Lord Rahl. It's formulaic. There's a lot of bloody war scenes. Still, the characters are fully formed. Zedd is hilarious and you can count on him to both be consistent and to surprise you. Other characters are like that, as well: seemingly dichotomous. I love Zedd. I love his "curses" and his attitude. He's my consistent favorite.

Fantasy books are hard for me to review because of the explanation that is needed. If you like fantasy and you don't try to read all of them in a row, these are good. But too many and you'll not give a rats rump whether the Order wins or Richard explodes.

The first time that I read this book it took me 8 hrs to read. It was simply that good.
Contrary to some peoples' opinions this book is not a rant against communism or any other faulty premise. It is simply a fine example of escapist fantasy literature. The characters are deeply involving and love or hate them you want to find out what happens to them. If you want a book to read to simply depart everyday reality and take a vacation in a far away world this book may be for you. If you are looking for a book with deeper life lessons go read the Illiad, Oddessy or Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. And yes I have read them.
BTW If you think that you can write a better book feel free.

Guess what? Terry Goodkind doesn't fancy himself a fantasy writer... not even one bit. Go to his website, read some interviews... he honestly says that the fantastic world that he creates is just a place to espouse his philosophy. Yes, Wizard's First Rule was less of this, and some of you out there may be unfamiliar with fantasy as a genre that does espouse Idealism, Libertarianism, Individualism... many books out there do not do it as obviously as Goodkind does, but it's there, even in the first few books of this series. I believe wholeheartedly in the "virtue of selfishness" and Ayn Rand, although I belong to a segment of it that gives more credance to emotion... in a rational sense. (yes, even the great Rand was wrong sometimes, but her essentials were dead on.) However, just like Richard and Kahlan, I will not let emotion blind me to reality, and I will not use emotion to excuse anything that I do wrong... Some of the contributors to this forum are genuinely frightening... you actually believe that I am wrong because I see my own preservation as the only moral purpose of my life? I'm not fighting for it all the time, thanks to humans motivated by self-benefit through history, we have developed technology that has helped us to easily overcome the hardships that cavemen faced... but when I DO feel that I am fighting is when people like the detractors here are talking. You will not get my money, my time, or my help when you demand that I sacrifice myself to you or your inane causes. No, instead, I will make a productive life that I can live off of, and in the process teach my childen that when they are finally adult humans, they can be so incredible that they cannot imagine it... THAT is what we should be teaching our kids... to help themselves... not to live every day in a stagnant pool of mediocrity and altruism... that's what happened to Nicci... I can only hope that some of you see in yourselves what she saw in herself... that you are that incredible, and that capable...

"Your life is yours alone! Rise up and live it!"

Oh, and by the way.... Richard was gifted in the ways of the stone... it was magic, how he carved the statue. There are stories told in the book about how some wizards were born with this gift... to use their intellect in that way. The fact that "that's not possible in real life" is irrelevant. The story is still fantasy. The philosophy behind the book is the real truth.

alright. First of all, if previous reviewers were troubled by Goodkind's political and sociological ideals that influenced this book, that is their problem. I don't believe that it detracts from the story in any way. It actually made the story seem more believable, and I enjoyed seeing the world through another's eyes. After all, that is the whole reason why I bother reading....to see something I wouldn't normally see. Plus this book had a great story, happy ending....yada yada yada. I definetly recommend this book, ya come away with a sense of understanding about the purpose of mankind.

This is one of the best books of the series yet. The character development is great. The book does a superb job of showing how strong richards endurance and will to survive is. Many people critize this book for symbolic issuses of our present political situations. I say forget the real world symbolism and just enjoy the book as a good fantasy. Another point of critiscim I have observed is the casual use of very large casualty numbers in the battle. I think the purpose of this is to futher convey the might and power of the imperial order.

Goodkind is a master storyteller. While using fantasy elements he shows us an interesting and new perspective on human emotion and character.
Even though he uses some of the same basic plots like Richard being captured. He tells the story in such a way that it isn't old yet.
His style makes it so you don't want to put the book down. It make you laugh and cry with the characters throught their experiences.
The characters are very detailed and realistic, even though most fantasy characters aren't. His philosophies are realistic also and applicable in our lives.

My name is James (others might know me by Jagang). I must say this book was a sensational book. I didn't see anything wrong in it at all except for the fact it was so short. I am literally craving for some more. Faith of the Fallen is definitely worth the money to read and put it next to the rest of your Sword of Truth books. It captures just about everything you want in a book such as romance, action, intelligence, the very value of life I would even say. If I was the Ebert of books, I give this book 2 thumbs up definitely. As I said before, it's without a doubt worth it.

Combine Faith of the Fallen with Mr. Goodkind's last book and you have a very thoughtful maturation of the lead characters. It will be interesting to see how other readers respond to the political nature of this book. I think it will depend on whether or not people can see past their propensity to try and fit Mr. Goodkind into contemporary political molds. This may be my favorite fantasy book ever, but not for the typical reasons. I'll never swing a broad axe or cast a spell, but this book does challenge me to be a hero in how I live my own life. Truly inspiring for those who can handle real world lessons in their fantasy novels.

Book six of the series found me skeptical as to how much longer i could go on reading about the sword of truth. Goodkind was seemingly using the same repetitive itinerary for each book: Richard and Kahlan love each other, something bad happens, they almost lose hope, their love overcomes this bad thing, the end. Book six follows the same itinerary, but the new setting and the new characters make the book awesome. The second half is where all the action happens, and i couldn't put the book down at 2 am when i got to the last 200 pages.
In a nutshell, this book revives the series

I must say that Faith of The Fallen is a great read....I could almost picture Nikki. The reason I gave only four stars is that I am ready for Richard to start to learn his power and to use it. I'm sure the next book will do this as well as give Richard and Kahlan a son. That will bring Shota back into it. Faith was well written and almost seems to parallel current political issues such as conservatism and liberalism, communism and capitalism. I like the way Goodkind incorporates this in his themes....Anyway, let's bring Gratch back and keep up the good work, Goodkind.

THis book was great, a real Fanatsy lovers dream. I had thought that Nothing would top Wizards First Rule. The first Sword of Truth book, boy was I wrong. This book has it all, a great plot that keeps getting deeper and deeper. A load of new charactors that you soon grow to love. Anything you want and love in fanasty books is in this book. If you are to read this pick a clear afternoon where you have ntohing to do. because once you start this book you wont be able to stop. Thats just my 2 cents worth E-mail me at [email protected]

I can't believe it! The Wheel of Time is no longer my favorite fantasy series! Faith Of The Fallen is the best in a line of great books. Even as the kind of person who's always looking ahead to when I know the hero will worm his way out of the current predicament, I hung on every word in this book. I simply could not fathom how in the world Richard would get free, and I wasn't disappointed. One of the most powerful endings I've ever read. I highly encourage you to start with Wizard's First Rule, and work your way up to this book.

I would love to read the rest of the series but in Australia they only give us books 1 to 5 for download to kindle. Must be the hope that we will resort to paying the exorbitant prices of paperbacks here in Australia to increase their profit margin. To put the icing on the cake, the dooshbags have made the remainder of the series available for us to download in GERMAN.

As with the other books of the series this one is a must buy. Upon perchasing this book i sat down to read it and 12 hours later i was still reading it. less then a day after the purchase i was finished. Goodkind creates in his stories charectors that you can love, hate, laugh at or with. he writes an emotionally gripping story that grabes the readers attention. He steps outside the traditional grounds of fantasy writers and gives us a new story, a new world, and not a reguratated stale fantasy book. I can hardly wait for the next in the series to be realeased.

Wow! The first time I read this book, I was amazed. What a great plot! What a beautiful philosophical discourse! One thousand pages later, I found myself disgusted with the entire book.
The one thousand pages I refer to are modern philosopher Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged," a wonderful book which I am not reviewing here. However, I will say that the book describes her philosophy, objectivism, which is remarkably similar--read, identical-- to the philosophy Goodkind puts forth in the conclusion of Faith of the Fallen.
I can understand appreciating Rand's philosophy. However, appreciating to the point of putting it in a fantasy novel and passing it off as your own creation can only be called plagiarism.
The plot of Faith of the Fallen was excellent, but I found myself disgusted with Goodkind's blatant replication of Ayn Rand's ideas.