The Conclusion (Richard and Kahlan) - Sword of Truth

Major disappointment. This series started so excellent and promising then with the last three books it seemed that Goodkind was searching for something to write about. He would take an idea then have the major characters "research" this idea which would take up 70% of the book and then have it come to a head in the last few chapters. Getting through Warheart was very tough and I didn't enjoy the read at all. Not to spoil the plot for anyone but the concept of this book basically tells you that every other book in this series is wrong in it's own way. If you're a fan of this series like I am then you'll purchase this book regardless but had Warheart been a book early in a series I would say take a pass on it and find something else to read. Very bummed.

While the characters remain the same, there are points in the book in which it seems Mr. Goodkind rushed the plots together more than he has in any of his previous books.

Pros:
Characters - All the characters we know and love are the same, complex characters with their own thoughts and feelings. Introduced characters immediately have some form of depth.
Villains - Mr. Goodkind has always had very well written villains with clear end goals, and that doesn't change in this book.
Setting - With the setting of the book it's easy to understand where we are geographically.

Cons:
Pacing - Mr. Goodkind's pacing seems off in this book as compared to his previous ones. There seems to be an almost rush to the end type of feeling thought the entirety of the novel.
Plot - While there have been some plot holes in the past, this book seems to have more than most. Our main character seems much more "I can do as I please because I'm the main character and plot is on my side" in this book. Conflicts are solved less with his head and without being explained as well as they have in previous book, and problems seem to almost solve themselves.

All in all, I would recommend this book, but the writing isn't as good as his previous ones. 3 of 5 stars.

So this is the end for Richard and Kahlan. Terry has written a novel that once again takes you on a rollercoaster ride. I judge most books by how much I don't want to put it down while reading it. This gets five stars because from beginning to end I just did not want to put it down. There is so much that I want to say but will leave it to others to read for themselves. As a conclusion to Richard and Kahlan's story, it is fantastic. My only sadness is that I won't get to read any new books about them, but they will forever live on in my mind. They have forever changed me.

I have been desperately awaiting the release of Warheart since I finished Severed Souls. I had to know how the story ended, and I feel as though I've gotten my closure. I feel that the series ended well, though there are still a few (relatively unimportant) unanswered questions that remain, mostly dealing with secondary characters. All in all, there are very few series that I've read that I feel come close to the quality of the Sword of Truth/Richard and Kahlan novels, which have been a part of my life for over half my life. Having finished, I feel like I've lost an old and dear friend, so it's a little bittersweet to think about it being over. I strongly recommend this book as well as the rest of the series.

This book was everything I could have hoped for! An amazing conclusion to Richard and Kahlan's story, with all the excitement and plot twists I could ask for. I could not put this down until the end.

It was a nice surprise for me, to be honest. I felt the last few books were slowing down, and Severed Souls was not particularly fun to read. I was worried about this weird final story arc, and of course the ending of the last book left me confused and concerned.

But, without spoiling anything, I can say that it was all worth it to build up to Warheart. If you keep an open mind and make it this far, you will not be disappointed.

This last quadrilogy of books from Mr. Goodkind are good. Waiting for this fourth book was probably difficult to many of the fans, but I believe well worth the wait.

Some of the critiques about this most recent series complain about the shorter, episodic chapters and the shortness of the novels altogether. I've also read/heard that people found the constant throwbacks to the earlier novels incessant.

I found it helpful to really consider the series more like 2 books or even a single larger 2000page novel (plot points and story-arc-wise, it is more sensical structurally).

The fact that the books reminisce to earlier on-the-nose points about character development makes what transpires in 'Severed Souls' that much more effective, and gave Warheart that much more of a payoff by bringing back to the surface what made you fall in love with all of the characters, as this was in a large way a send off of sorts to this beloved couple.

One has to suffer through (and eventually appreciate) Empire Strikes Back before enjoying the victories in Return of the Jedi.

That being said, this was a fun book that was worthy of Mr. Goodkind's pen and time.

As with all the books in this series, the plot is never known 'ahead of time'. VERY well written, and a book (series) that I had to "think" to read and understand all the characters. A bit sad to see the series come to an end, but it was 'wrapped up' very nicely and it was time for the series to end. Most all of the loose ends were 'tied up'. I was very pleased with the series, although a few of the books had a little too many real graphic scenes for my taste. Sad that so many of the main characters died throughout the series, but still a very enjoyable adventure.

As far as stories go this series (Richard and Kahlan) was enjoyable, a bit repetitive in nature and long winded in unnecessary segments, but had interesting concepts that could have work great in a separate franchise.

As is it seems like a tacked on money grab, stretching a wonderful story into a something a bit contrived. Posing plenty of questions and few actual answers to plot lines.

I wouldn't recommend this series to anyone that enjoyed the ending to The Sword of Truth, but if you enjoy Goodkinds writing try approaching it as a new separate entity.

Not a bad book, not a good book. If you read the entire Sword of Truth series then you will read this short series. If you didn't read the Sword of Truth, I advise not reading this series. The writing in these additional books is not as good, the author takes a lot of time explaining things reader's already know if the read the original series. I skipped paragraphs at a time because it was so redundant.

It also felt like there was a lot more filler than there needed to be. I believe in having detail so you get a feel for the world but there were so many mundane, unimportant details that I, again, found myself skipping paragraphs just to get the story to move forward.

I loved the Sword of Truth series, but this series has felt rushed (to publication) and drawn out (a lot of filler to make more books). This could have been done in one, maybe two, maybe two, instead of four.

Thank you Mr Goodkind for taking us on this incredible journey that has accompanied our lives for a period of time and immersing ourselves in the characters, their victories and their heartaches. This is truly a world I could revisit time and time again and still fall in love with the story. So, from a very happy and yet sad friend of Richard and the Gang, I thank you??

It was ok, but I feel that the writing was lazy. It's pretty obvious to me that Terry Goodkind has had enough of the Sword of Truth novels. I can't blame him, he has been writing them for decades, but this story just felt like he wanted to write it just for the sake of writing it. I don't think he cares about the characters or the universe like he did before.

So this is the end. I first started reading the SoT series back in 2008 and got hopelessly hooked. So much so that i reread the series three times, and each time I was delighted to find things i had originally missed or didn't fully understand until going over it again. When the Omen Machine was released, I wasn't as impressed as I was hoping. Severed Souls nearly made me quit. But then Goodkind's penchant for storytelling finally felt like it was reborn and The Third Kingdom got me hooked all over again. Warheart is a success in almost every way. From start to finish it kept me invested and wanting more. Sure there were things that made me say "huh... Now wait just a second. You need to explain this otherwise it's just utter nonsense", but the core story is what drives it. Aside from two things that are left unfinished, I am content Mr. Goodkind. Well... Actually one thing I can live with, but for the love of The Creator, what ever became of Beata?!

When Terry shared that this novel would be the finale to Richard and Kahlan's story I was filled with sadness. My journey with these characters began back in 2008. I had discovered the show "Legend of the Seeker" and thought it was pretty enjoyable. I decided to check out the book series the show was (loosely) based on. I was blown away by just how much better the story was than the show. I quickly purchased and consumed the entire original "Sword of Truth" box sets, only to be disappointed when there was nothing left. Since then, we've had the release of the four "Richard & Kahlan" novels, the "Law of Nines," and "The First Confessor." I've enjoyed all of those novels, and that brings us to "Warheart."

This is what we've been waiting for -- or have we been dreading it? I had mixed emotions as I approached the novel. After spending seven years with these characters, I did not want their story to end (I can only imagine how people who have been with Richard from the very first publication feel).

Anyone who invested any amount of time in the journey of Richard and Kahlan should enjoy this novel. Does it speak to me in the same way that "Wizard's First Rule" or "Faith of the Fallen" did? No. Those novels were more of the sprawling, behemoth-type fantasy novels you'd expect to come right out of the 90's. Comparatively, this chapter of the journey is only about half as long as either of those titles. There is just enough time to tie up some loose ends, reunite with beloved characters, and conclude this arc of the story.

Where did Richard end up, and is he gone for good? What's happening with prophecy? What is the real endgame for Hannis Arc? All of these questions and more are answered satisfactorily. Yet, for some reason, I was left craving more. I devoured the novel in about five hours, but it left me feeling somewhat empty. Perhaps, though, I just miss the length and expansiveness of the previous entries in the series.

All-in-all, "Warheart" concludes the series respectfully enough. I liked the novel, but I wouldn't say I loved it. Recommended for anyone who has kept up with the series since the "Chainfire" trilogy ended.

Yep. I loved it. Back to the best of Terry Goodkind. The characters were clear and the plotline was focused. An interesting beginning with Richard being dead with no apparent way to come back to life. A stunning relevation about the importance of prophecy. And I liked the fact that Richard was even more human in keeping the full truth about his plans from Khalan. After all, he never lies

This was a good ending to a good series. I'm not sure that I love the story so much as I love Richard and Kahlan, although I suspect that is a common sentiment among Goodkind's readers. I was a little disappointed with the lack of detail at the end of the story. I wouldn't have minded a "20 years later" chapter, or something similar, but the book was definitely a good read. I knocked it out in about a day.

If this is truly the last book of the series they are leaving out some other unexplored plot lines that I wanted to see come to life. I am a little disappointed in how everything happened in the last quarter of the book.
I mean, seriously, 16 or 17 books in the series, and this is how it ends?

This is a very satisfying conclusion to a long series of books that had started as The Sword of Truth; loose ends are tied and the intricately weaved plot is explained. This book is best for someone who has been reading the entire series, including The First Confessor.

Long time Terry Goodkind Fan, I read every book he publishes and I plan to continue doing so in the future. If you have read the story so far you know what to expect and this is a good continuation of that world with the same mix of greatness and frustration. If you are a new reader, I would not recommend starting with this book as it is very deep into the series.

Too much rehashing of all the other books in the series. This is the 17th book in the series. I hate how he has decimated the characters. They have become stupider as time goes on. It seems they have forgotten most of the information/lessons learned in the other 16 books. It was an okay read that I struggled to finish.

Having waited for what seems like an eternity for the last Sword of Truth book and closing chapters of the series I am feeling bitter-sweet now that it's over. The book took a few chapters to get going, but it got going and I couldn't put it down. It was a nostalgic rush and in my opinion Terry Goodkind did a wonderful job tying up the series. As I finished the final page I enjoyed thinking back over all the years I've been reading the Sword of Truth and enjoyed remembering all the characters and adventures very fondly.

Great job Terry. Reading the adventures of Richard and Khalan over the years has brought an extra degree of happiness and spirit for adventure into my life - along with many wonderful bits of advice and life lessons along the way.

This was a pretty decent conclusion to the Richard/Kahlan story line. By this point I am getting a little tired of Goodkind's writing style and will probably not be reading his next series, but if you have got this far I would definitely recommend reading this one as well as the rest of this mini series.

When One Comes Across a Tale that takes Thousands of Years and BILLIONS of Souls to see, it is not only Prophetic, It reaches to the Heart. Terry can Stand Proud to be in such Company as Isaac Asimov, and other Great Authors who Capture Your Imagination and Inspire your Dreams! Thank you for such a Tale

This book was extremely repetitive and did not feel like the rest of the series. The main characters had awful, repetitive, mind numbing dialog that really did a disservice to them and the reader. Feels forced and I get the impression the author is glad to be done with it. I know I am. Still worth a read just to finish the story.

A great way to bring this part of the story to a close. But is it really a close? In the book of nines it tells the house of Rhal escaping to a world like ours. And opens the door that Richard's descendant to return and once again help the people from the clutches of a mad dictator.

It has been an amazing run since we first were introduced to this epic fantasy world. I was pulled, hooked, and literally transported into his writing.
It was fun to see how he was going to tie everything together and wow in one book got rid of prophecy... LOL. Pretty simple solution.
Here's hoping for a whole new fantasy to explore when he that's his super amazing writing talents and let's us see what's in his minds eye
Thank

Read them all..... Went from a good humble set of books to the characters being like unkillable God's and the author just making up random crap as we went along that made zero sense to the story line. Also extremely repetitive. When things were not randomly plucked out of the blue he was repeating what you literally read in the chapter before. Sad it turned into a money grab. First few books wee absolutely great then it went straight to the depths from there :-/

Wrapped everything up nicely, only reason I'm giving four instead of five stars is because I wish we could have seen more of the underworld! I hope he continues to write! I have never and will never find a series as good as his! ♡♡

This is the finale of the most amazing book series I have ever read and I've read a lot. Terry Goodkind is a master storyteller and the depths and richness of his characters are as vibrant and rich as when the series first started. Warheart is the culmination of a epic drama in print and I was well pleased with it.

I am in love with the series so I can't rate it low but as a finally I was expecting....more. Still a great read and I will forever love the characters, it was all just so bland. I feel like it should have ended with Confessor. Still a great book, would read again.

The Richard and Kahlan of old are long gone in the current writings of Terry Goodkind; instead we are given pale shadows of once great characters. Even so, the book might be tolerable if Goodkind didn't constantly repeat everything two, three, and four or more times to reiterate even the most meaningless information.

The Sword of Truth series was fantastic in books 1 through 6, and then began to decline. By this end it's no longer recognizable as the same author. I've stuck with the series in hopes that there might be an upswing in the writing, or that traits that gave the characters life and interest would return, but instead we get repeated tellings of the surroundings as if Goodkind thinks we didn't get the point the first or second time around.

Certain key elements of the story feel inserted for convenience; major moments lack any intensity, and the once clever twists are gone. Truly a disappointing end to the series.

The end of an era, and a nice wrap up to the series! If you had issue with any of the later books in the series, I think you'll appreciate the wrap up of all the story lines with this final chapter.

I blew through the book in 5 days, and work full time to boot... if you've been reading these books, you will find it an easy and fairly fulfilling read.

Very pleased with the series as a whole and look forward to seeing what Terry Goodkind has in store for us!

Let me start by saying that I have been a fan of Terry Goodkind for years now. Almost a whole decade. This book makes me wish that I had just imagined an ending to the series all by myself. And this review is going to be loaded with spoilers, so if you read this and want to know why I disliked this book so much, then read knowing that major plot details will be revealed.

One of the series' shorter entries- especially disappointing when considering that it is the last- has very few chapters with any change in them whatsoever. Chapters 29-33 were absolutely useless to the plot, except to name the "eternal now" and name drop the "Warheart", who is none other than, of course, Richard. Richard, the guy who died in the last book in a completely shocking fashion. It was absolutely heartbreaking to me to see that Richard had actually given his life for Kahlan and was going to suffer in the depths of the underworld for all eternity for his failure. By the way, this book has 59 chapter. One is given to Hannis, two are given to Nicci, and the rest are dominated by Richard and Kahlan. One of the things that made the other entries so great was the pacing of multiple branches at once. None of that here, though.

Everyone was sure that he would make his triumphant return in the following novel and prove once again why he is the best there is at saving lives. So when he finally did come back to the land of the living, it was wholly disappointing to see how easy it was. At the start, we learn how much effort bringing him back was going to require, with the need of both dead and living people all in the same spot at once to bring him back.

And then the fight for Richard lasts all of one chapter, consisting of six pages. Suddenly, Richard's free and ready to be taken back to the light of Kahlan.

Cara would end up being the one who gives her life for him, which, being a fan of her TV Series character, was gut-wrenching, but all of that went away with this huge smile at seeing him come back to life. Trust me; that was a third of the way into the book, and that should be considered the climax of "Warheart" instead of the garbage that comes at the end.

So he comes back to life in the midst of a huge battle with the walking dead (the balls of Terry to refer to his zombies as "the walking dead," oh man), and then the chapter ends. I get why we didn't get to see the battle because of how it needed to be kept a secret (until the next chapter, at least) that Richard was still afflicted by the Hedge Maid's slow acting poison. Still, not having a comeback victory soured his return to life.

Then, despite having just returned from hell with a limited lifespan of about a few weeks, it's time to hold a funeral for Cara. Samantha attacks during the ceremony, and when her plan to crush them all with a tower falling, she runs.

For whatever reason, Richard feels that he could approach her safely as she's running, despite knowing that she had killed Kahlan in an act of vengeance, and that he had no magic of his own to defend himself with. Somehow, HE'S RIGHT! She chooses to let him speak. And boy, when he speaks, you just want to claw your own eyes out with how annoyingly repetitive he talks. I am positively convinced that Goodkind's editor must left during the drafting process, because no reasonable person would see Richard say the same line 7 TIMES in four pages and think it a good idea.

Richard and his group then travel to a library where the Seeker then finds a bunch of scrolls written in the language of the Creator that- surprise, surprise- only he could read and decipher adequately. Nicci does the same, but she obviously wasn't paying attention to what she read, as we later find out near the end of the book. Then comes the dreaded chapters 29-33 I mentioned before. Literally, the only thing that happens in all of these chapters is Richard explaining to a very confused Kahlan that prophecies all come from the underworld and the omen machine. Despite him putting it into very simple terms several times over, she still doesn't get it and the reader will most likely roll his or her eyes every time she asks a question. Goodkind's intention here was to make it look like she didn't want to believe Richard because it would contradict everything she had learned growing up, but he fails miserably because it just comes across as her looking stupid in front of her husband. Oh, also, there's this concept where the underworld is actually called "the eternal now". Seriously, why did that ever get past the drafting process. "Grace" was one thing, but this is a new low. Considering the number of times Richard mentions it while trying to help Kahlan understand him, the term becomes infuriating.

All of the climactic moments like the second battle with Samantha and the showdown with Hannis were all incredibly anti-climactic. I don't want to say how, because I'm in such a rush to forget them considering how Richard had no involvement in either battle.

My absolute favorite books. They have been such an honor to read and I'm sad to it go. Do think you should have let us know whether they were ever going to have a baby and what happens to each individual. But once again love them and ill be starting from book one.

New ideas introduced and concluded with out really exploring them in the way Goodkind did in the first 'half' of the series (books 1-11). One clever take down and one exceptionally ordinary take down. These last 4 books have felt lacking compared to the 'epicness' of the first half of the series. But, I am glad to have read it and finished the series.

Glad it is over...again. the worst thing about this series is that the author continually reiterates plot points from previous books as if by now any reader would just pick up from here. Nothing real surprising.

HIs first 15 books are amongst my all time favorites but I really did not like the last one as everything in the book was repetitive while the characters all seemed to act like they were all the same person.

This book is utterly --------- (I censored myself) in my opinion and after re-reading everything a few times until page 32, I stopped reading it. If I don't expire of a sudden death before then, I will keep this book and read it when I am on my deathbed, for the sole purpose of having closure on the series (hoping that he won't write any more of these books).

Page 1 was actually Page 9, and the book was written with 33 lines per page on the hardcover version, using extra wide fonts, trying to give the book the appearance of being a thick and long book which would have been no more than 250 pages if it was written using spacing and lines that are the norm for most paperbacks.

I immediately looked up online to see if Mr. Goodkind had suffered a stroke or was suffering from Alzheimer's as the language in the book seemed totally different than his first 15, and while closer to what the last book was, this one seemed written to me with the language skills of an average Junior High student. There is no fluidity in sentences or between them while the redundancy and repetitiveness made me sick to my stomach, causing me to re-read everything multiple times to see if I was actually imagining things.

Some spoilers below (only 32 pages though).

It is mentioned "Kahlan knew that if there really was a CHANCE, any CHANCE at all to bring him BACK, NO MATTER HOW CRAZY it might seem....", and then 5 pages later, we read "Nicci would do anything, take any CHANCE, NO MATTER HOW CRAZY,...". The word BACK is used about 20 times in 3 pages as well in between those 2 "chance" occurrences.

The Dark Lands is used as plural such as "the dark lands are", and a few pages later, it is referred to in singular form as "this is the Dark Lands".

The cat, Hunter, is added into the story and the journey starts with "Hunter turned and BOUNDED DOWN öff the rock and then across a field of tall grasses", and half a page later, we read "Hunter BOUNDED DOWN a narrow trail, ...." I really have no intention to read a whole book to see how many times Hunter ended up "bounding". Vultures are seen, while "riding the gentle breezes", and in the next sentence, some of them glide lower, "riding the air just above the tall trees". How many times can you use RIDING to describe a bird's flight patterns in two sentences???

Thoughts or conversations often drift to Red, the with woman, many times in the first 32 pages and while only she is being mentioned as the sole witch woman in the story thus far, generalizations are made to plural "witch womAn", and then to "the witch womAn" without a pattern or any logic.

Sentences that use a specific word have that same word repeated in the next sentence (about 25 times in 32 pages", and unconventional and sentences containing useless information seem to have been used a lot to make the word count go up I guess. Some make no sense. For example "Hunter stopped not far away"; how about telling us where he stopped instead of telling us where he didn't stop?

"Althought there was PLENTY OF LIGHT, it WAS GETTING LATE IN THE DAY, and it WOULD BE DARK SOON". Nice deduction skill, thanks for clarifying that it would be dark because it was getting late in the day, otherwise we would have never managed to figure that one out... Extra description to add to the word count basically.

Soldiers are told to extinguish their torches, and they are "doused in buckets of water". How many funerals, especially funerals of nobility, kings and emperors would have buckets of waters sitting by the body of the perrson? Why are we getting so much information about the fire going out when there is plenty of other things that can be described such as how many people attended it, how and where was the body placed, etc... Instead, we have a "they carried the HISSING, CRACKLING TORCHES, FLAMES FLAPPING, BACK AWAY from the pyre, and doused them in buckets of water". You put a torch in a bucket filled with water, the torch goes out right away, as in IMMEDIATELY. Yet, we have "the flames fizzed and popped and sputtered in protest, but finally out". It takes a split second to go out in a bucket, it doesn't take a painstakingly slow time. And for the body, the soldiers are instructed to "carry BACK up to the bedroom where he was. Place him back on the bed. Be careful with him". Using the word "back" already implies a return to where something was, so why say "back to the bedroom where he was". If "where he was" is not mentioned, not like we are going to assume, "take him back to where he wasn't before". And why "back on the bed" and not simply "on the bed"??? Why even ask soldiers to be careful? If they aren't told to carry the body carefully, are they going to drag it by the legs or make sure they have parts of the body hitting walls and doors???

In the following sentence, "she told me that Richard is the pebble in the pond, and because he acts of free will, the ripples of those things he does touch everything, so it disrupts what she can see", someone please tell me what "it" in the "it disrupts what she can see" refers to. Is it the ripples? Is it Richard? Is it something else?

We are told, "there was no such thing as time in the eternity of the underworld. Time mattered only in the world of life." Skipping the next 2 sentences that just use up words for the sake of using words, we read about Kahlan's death that "it had seemed an eternity in the underworld, but in the world of life it had been only a brief time". So why mention it or even make that statement if time means nothing in death? And then, the next sentence is "Richard had been dead for a considerable time, but that had meaning only in the world of life. Time had been suspended for his worldly form by elements of the underworld, where his soul had gone, and in the underworld time did not exist as such". Any meaning that comes out of any of these sentences that make up no sense whatsoever based on the first statement???

And Kahlan manages to tell Nicci in consecutive sentences,"do you see", "see what I mean?", and "you know what I mean" in between rantings..

Sadly, I can write about 5-6 more times of what I commented above, and all that simply for 32 pages. I can't bring myself to read a whole book filled with this much redundancy even though the Sword of Truth books (everything until the Omen Machine) were my most favorite books..

By reading the following sentence, we are supposed to figure out what the cat reminds Kahlan of:
"The creature reminded her of nothing so much as a cross between a lynx and something like a wolverine or badger, with the same kind of muscular shoulders but not the long nose or short legs of one of those animals." Short legs of "one of those animals", meaning one of which animals? Good luck figuring out what it looks like.. or what it doesn't look like... Btw, wolverines have round head/faces, not long, and they look like baby bears, and both animals have tiny shoulders that are probably smaller than the shoulders of a lynx, not to mention wolverines don't have short legs either.

Anyway, I am done with the book unfortunately. I ended up with 2 copies as well as I am in the middle of a trip away from my house and since the book was supposed to ship last month, I thought I would have already gotten it before my trip. I didn't want to wait to go back to read it, so I got a second copy, and all I can say is what a waste both have been :(

I won't put spoilers here, but this book is an incredible finish to an amazing series!

I wish Terry would write more in the series, but understand he wants to put his efforts into other things.

Here's to hoping his other books are as awesome as this series is!!

Very disappointed with the finale. A lot goes unexplained, a lot of It is just ridiculous, but worst of all it was just a poorly written book, especially for Kahlan. She came across as ditzy and not able to understand or comprehend anything, when we know that is not the character she is. Not to mention, especially in the middle of the book, the horrible repetitive rambling of Richard when explaining the Cerulean scrolls. Oh, what's that Kahlan? You don't understand? What if I explain it to you in the same exact way three more times, will that help?

Not only is this a great book, it’s a satisfying ending for the series too! The action will keep your eyes glued to the pages and the plot intricacies are so well-written that it will leave you wondering how he managed to tie everything together so completely, through so many books! In this book, you will laugh, you will cry, and you will be riveted! You really have to read it!

Finished in 2 days, could not put it down. Very frustrated with ending of the last book. This book made up for all that. It was riveting, fast paced and closed the story in a perfect way. These characters we have come to know, became almost real and had the reader invested in their story; received the ending their story deserved. This book will have your emotions scaling the heights and plunging into the depths. We gain an understanding on what it means to share your life with the one who is your soulmate. Highly recommend.

I have been reading Terry Goodkind's books since the 1990s and have seen a couple of great books, some gook ones and a couple I didn't enjoy all that much. This one was a really good book. Saying goodbye to two of my all time favorite characters, Richard and Kahlan is kind of bittersweet, and I will miss following their adventures. Mr. Goodkind sent them off with a great finish, wrapping up almost all the loose ends from the many storylines providing a very satisfying (at least for me) ending, His writing, as always was masterful and had me living the experience. The book was not at all preachy like some of his others were, and I really appreciated that. His writing of Kahlan's character was much better than it has been for the past several books. The only criticism I would offer is that I thought it dragged in a couple places, but overall one of his best efforts. Well done Mr Goodkind and I look forward to new adventures in your next book. Who knows, maybe someday down the road Richard and Kahlan will have another adventure.

Definitely an improvement from omen machine, third kingdom, and severed souls. Goodkind did a fair job of wrapping up all the loose ends from the previous 3 books in a decently satisfying way. The first third of the book definitely feels rushed and the "missions" way too easy for how difficult described in the books. The last 2/3 are classic Terry. Very similar to Confessor in many ways. Lot's of very convenient magic explanations, and logic that definitely would not have flown in any of the previous books. Still, a fun read, and I thought it was a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Excellent ending to an excellent series. I downloaded this Tuesday morning and finished Tuesday night. Could not stop reading it. While I am sad to see the series end, I'm looking forward to what he comes up with next.

I have been reading the Sword of Truth books since the beginning. I was disappointed with only two and one is Warheart. It seems Terry Goodkind is repeating himself to fill a good sized book. I hope this will not be his last in this series because I will still read them but hope they will be more compelling without all the repetition. Thanks Terry for many hours of good reading.

This series is by far the best I've read. I'm a Harry Potter fan and LOTR fan as well, but I have this series in its entirety. From The First Confessor, now to Warheart, I've gobbled up every book since I first picked up Wizard's First Rule. Every time I read these books I always find something new, so I will definitely be doing a reread from the prequel to the end. I can't properly describe how much I love these books, so I'll just mention that I've named my daughter after one of the female characters from Wizard's First Rule and I hope she grows into the woman that her namesake became.

I didn't want to read this book but I couldn't help myself but to read it only because I didn't want the story to end. I'm glad I did but also sad since now the story is over. I'm very "pleased" with the way he ended the series and I wouldn't trade what I've gotten out of this series anything. Terry Goodkind has a writing style that just sucks you into the books from the very start and this book is no exception. Thank you so much Terry for all the feels that your books have given me and I look forward to your next novel.

I had some fear in my heart when I was opening the first page. I won't deny it, my feelings at that moment were best summarized by "okay, Mr. Goodkind, let's just end this". After all I've read since Omen Machine, there was a deep suspicion in me that some kind of evil plan existed in Terry's head - to end the series in such way that no fan will ever dare to ask for more.

I'm happy to say that I was wrong about this certain title. I'm again seeing the Terry Goodkind I used to know behind the words and lines, I see characters I used to admire - searching, thinking, getting into complicated matters to solve formidable problems etc. In certain spots, especially near the end, I had that already forgotten feeling of being anxious to know what comes next, and I remember myself being frustrated about the fact that I must take a break and finish reading next day - it's good to have these feelings back again, I missed them.

It should be remarked that a number of things about this conclusion feel like "deus ex machina", but I'm basically fine with that - logic and established laws can hardly be expected to function properly in a collapsing world. I'd also add that some elements of the plot feel rather compressed, and I wouldn't have minded if they were described in greater detail. A separation of Warheart into two books might have even been a better choice than releasing Severed Souls.

I'm also happy to see that an amount of critique contained in many reviews I read regarding previous books has obviously been taken into account and used to improve style, dynamics, environment and characters. Thank you for listening, Mr. Goodkind, and thank you for binding previous inconsistencies together so that they could have a kind of plausible explanation and get built into the general system.

So overall, it's a nice conclusion, and I like it. It left some positive emotions in me when I finished reading, and in that it is unlike some of the previous titles. It won't be going as high as some of the initial books, just for the mere technical reason of the universe being already described in tiniest detail and squeezed dry, but it's still a good effort. Unfortunately, there's a lot of "it wasn't as bad as I expected" in that "good" (and it certainly should not be like that with a writer of Terry Goodkind's imaginative force), but taking all the circumstances, there surely is something to be happy about.

So, it's all over. Time has come for a new era, the golden age, to begin. Thank you again, Mr. Goodkind, for all we've read in these years; it was an epic journey.

As always Terry Goodkind delivers a masterpiece. I am saddened to know this series has come to an end. The sword of truth series opened my eyes to the wonderful world of fantasy and I will treasure it forever, to be retread for years to come

This is a ***SPOILER FREE*** review.

Terry Goodkind's WARHEART hit the ground at a run-for-your-life pace right where Severed Souls left off. Knowing this to be the last book in the series, every paged turned meant one step closer to bidding farewell to larger than life characters I hold dear to my heart. I am not a fast reader by nature, but the pages cried out their story and begged to be turned quickly. Too quickly. WARHEART is not for the faint of heart. My own heart pounded as I paused between chapters and Terry tore out a bit of my soul as further payment for the privilege of continuing.

Still I read...

Tears mark pages in tribute to those we have lost. I know it's just a book. I know it's a fictional story. It didn't stop me from rereading the same pages over and over in hopes the outcome would be different. As in all things, life goes on...even as the pages containing the world of Richard and Kahlan dwindle. This story reached out and gripped me with an invisible force that showed no mercy to my own desire and needs. This was always Terry's tale, not mine. Anger, fear, sorrow, anxiety and righteous revenge spent time reading with me. Always taking turns tag-teaming my emotions. In the last few pages, salty tears mixed with a sad smile and a final guffaw. Then, finally, Terry allowed me to close the book and rest my head on it, still radiating heat from being held so long.

It's over.

My emotions are a wreck. My mind buzzes and my hands tremble. I never wanted it to end.

WARHEART must surely have taken a toll on Terry's own heart to create, write, and then share with us.

Thank you, Terry.

May your future endeavors enthrall millions of more readers happily ever after. Now, please excuse me while I pull out WIZARDS FIRST RULE and reread the ENTIRE SERIES...one more time...

Anyone who has read any of Mr. Goodkind's books, knows that his stories are GOLDEN. This one is even better.
I was so lost when he finished his earlier work, but he just kept coming out with MORE to let his readers know that he wasn't quite finished yet.
This story is even MORE important to let us readers know how much he cared about Richard
and Kahlan. They have been a huge part of his life too.
I have read all of the Sword of Truth series twice.(I have the time) and I know I'll be reading this last story at least that many times.
This story ties in with much of what has gone on in all the previous books. I sure hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
What a legend this entire creation is already.
What's next Mr. Goodkind???????

Thank the good spirits that this series is finally made it into the underworld without bending the Grace to a breaking point never ever to be continued again (I hope).
Do I sound like I'm complaining?. .. well after paying over $14 for an e-book of this dubious quality perhaps I am but I'm sure there was a reason it was so poorly written. Maybe the author's editor was a half-human? If so maybe that's why this book is so bad...Hey... that makes sense .... they stole the author's soul 3 stories ago!!!
OMG. It does make some sense now. Poor Terry. He has been writing without a soul after those half humans gouged a hole out and finally got lucky and stole his soul.... That explains how such a promising series ends so poorly. And the poor guy has been trying to tell all his fans this for so long and all we've been doing is complaining about how bad the series has gotten ... I mean half-humans steal souls... people without souls sort of act human but can't really show real emotion (just like the last few stories)! And we've missed it all this time. What kind of fans are we? We can help him. I bet he's at the Miami Book Fair right now with his new book that's being released today. We could go there right now.. I'm sure we could help him get his soul back. Maybe we could find a witch woman in some bodaga in Miami and she could tell us were we could find someone who could talk to some of the dead who could then talk to some of the other of the dead who could then ... oh well this is just getting too boring to do. Maybe we could just take him out to a Starbucks and tell him we really understand his problem... no soul = lousy writing.
But that doesn't explain why characters in this book explain all past plot details when answering simple questions... why doesn't someone just smack the blithering idiot upside the head and tell him to just answer the blinking question?
At this point these are questions that if answered would be more interesting than this sorry excuse of a book.
And yet the author was talented enough to get me to cough up over $14...
Read this review and beware of your $14.99!!!

***SPOILER ALERT***
I’ve never written a review of a book before, but this book and the last one made me so freaking mad that I just had to vent.
Warheart and Severed Souls were both so incredibly disappointing it is hard to describe. I loved the first part of the series (up to Confessor) but wish that Goodkind had not continued the story. The emotion and depth of the stories are all gone. I was so disgusted when I finished Severed Souls that I threw the book on the bottom shelf of my bookcase hidden from sight. The only reason I did not immediately get rid of it was that I was hoping that Goodkind would redeem himself in the final book. He did not. There was no action, Kahlan doesn’t use her power once, Richard doesn’t use his sword once. He doesn’t have his magic abilities the entire novel. The end was extremely rushed and has a very boring conclusion and you are left with a lot of unanswered questions. All the magical theories and explanations in this book made ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE.
My first big issue was Richard seeing Zedd in the underworld. No happy reunion, no I miss you, it was over in two seconds. Zedd basically says that he was “meant to die” to help Richard out of the underworld. If you ask me Goodkind was just trying to convince his readers that he had a reason for killing off Zedd in the last book because I am sure I am not the only one who was upset about that and how little emotion any of the characters showed at his dying. And also how he was killed by such a minor, insignificant character after living through so many dangerous situations before.
And then there was Cara’s death. She appears from nowhere with no explanation as to where she was and dies. No one seems to care. After how many times she narrowly escaped death and finally finding love after all she had been through Goodkind unceremoniously kills her (after first killing her husband) and she gets to miss out on the rest of her happy life.
Richard then expects Samantha to automatically believe him over her mother because “she knows him”. Pretty sure she knew her mother for longer so why would she magically know that he was telling the truth about her?! Richard fails to do what he does best – explain to a character his point of view and win them over. We as readers are supposed to be angry at Samantha for her being upset at Richard for strangling her mother right in front of her. How was she supposed to react? How would any normal human being react to that?! I also object to Richard thinking he can come along and just change her name. I found that very self-absorbed of him. And then Goodkind kills her so pathetically.
The author seems to have forgotten a lot of the rules from his first books…why are Cassia and Vale able to go in the Sliph?! Mord Sith DO NOT HAVE MAGIC! The ONLY reason Cara was able to travel in her was because she had captured the magic of someone with both subtractive magic and additive magic! Also, RICHARD DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO HIS GIFT. He cannot get past shields but he can travel in the Sliph?! And the stupid reason he gave for Richard only now being able to bring the Sword of Truth through the Sliph did not make any sense.
MY BIGGEST ISSUE. When Richard arrives at the Keep and tells Verna, Chase and Rachel briefly that Zedd died, absolutely no one cared. They didn’t even say anything. No, “What happened?”, “I’m so sorry that he is gone”, no tears. NOTHING. Zedd was my favourite character of all in these books and I am so angry that the rest of the characters all of a sudden don’t care about him. They literally did not react AT ALL to finding out he was dead.
Also didn’t enjoy that the author killed the two villains in about 5 seconds. Boring. We also find out that Richard has been lying to everyone he cares about and has known how to stop Sulachan all along but didn’t trust? Kahlan and Nicci and so didn’t tell them. Isn’t he supposed to be the “Seeker of TRUTH”?
No wrap up of the “children” question. I wish this had been addressed in the first part of the series. We will never know if they are able to have children.
To wrap up. I loved the first part of this series. I was introduced to it by my uncle. I told him NOT to continue on with the series after Confessor. I wish I had not. Hopefully in time I will forget the content of these books. Unfortunately I spent hard earned money on the first 3 books of this continuation series. I will be donating them. After Severed Souls I vowed not to buy the next book until first reading it to see if Goodkind redeems himself. I borrowed the book from the library and am very happy I did. Fans of this series should stop at Confessor and stay happy.

I have decidedly mixed feelings about the Series Finale...

On the one hand, within the Structure, Setting, Rules, Geography, Chronology, Events, and Characters of his universe, Goodkind delivers a Finale which fairly and freshly -- and in some cases retroactively -- ties-up most of the loose ends fairly well and in a way that doesn't feel like a cheat or a rip-off with the notable exception of Richard $ecretly and (Further) $upermanishly $upercharging himself and his powers whilst in The Underworld but not telling anyone about it until later.

The Central Problem is that basically every single problem and solution eventually comes down to: "How Will Richard Alone Solve THIS ONE?"

In 'Wheel Of Time' though Rand Al'Thor was the central messianic figure and the nexus of probabilities and events, he was also served by and part of a larger ensemble, and not a single aspect of the storyline was ever determined completely by him and him alone. In the 'Sword Of Truth' Richard's Posse basically exists to serve Richard and make him look good but don't necessarily contribute anything original or vital. As a result their importance is greatly reduced and the tale becomes that of a Lop-Sided + Grandiose Superman Epic.

Beyond his rampant plagiarism of Ayn Rand, Terry Brooks, Robert Jordan, and David & Leigh Eddings I've long been been critical of Goodkind's Conception of Life, Death, Underworld, Afterlife, Prophecy, and Free Will. All of these things, in his world, are simply there for Human Reason and Will to Understand and Master and Dominate. The Creator never directly intervenes nor makes it's intentions and/or it's expectations or plan known. As a result, all of Life, Prophecy, and Cycles of Ages comes down to being a sort of A La Carte Buffet shaped entirely by Human Will and Desire which kind of removes Divine Intelligence, Imperative, Plan, and Mystery.

However, though the explanations of everything that led-up to the Star-Shift Finale -- and the Deconstruction of Past/Present/Future Prophecy -- are a little sketchy, as a concept, clearing the decks for a New Age Cycle not Completely Governed by Previous Events and Prophecy (More than a little bit similar to 'Wheel of Time's Finale!) was a refreshing idea. It also allows Nicci's Adventures to Spin-Off in New and Exciting and Uncharted Directions.

When all is said and done, despite his limitations and utilization off other people's original work, there's a lot to like about Goodkind and his epic.

This book concludes the Richard and Kahlan series . Thank the gods as it was going on and on. While certain books n the sword of truth series became redundant and repetitive , this last trilogy seems to have avoided those pitfalls. Starting off with Richard in the world of the dead, Kahlan and company journey to a Wichita named Red. Traveling through a perilous country on the look out for half people, they meet the witch who tells them how to release Richards spirit from the realm of the dead . It takes great sacrifice to bring him back, the death of someone who loves him. Getting Richard back from the dead will not make the problems with Saluchan and zhannis Arc go away. Richard still has the poison on him. It is a race against time to defeat his foes and to save himself .

Richard is the one who will end prophecy . Prophecy comes from the world of the dead. The Omen Machine or the Regulais what brought prophecy to the world in the first place. Richard must put it back in the world of the dead. Once accomplished free will reign, life affirming . Saluchan and zhannis Arc wish to erase the barrier between the living and the dead

Those who enjoyed the earlier books should find enjoyment in this final tome. Will Richard defeat his foes? Will he even survive? His foes are powerful and relentless . The poison is killing Richard , blocking his ability to use his gift.

This book is over 400 pages long, but the actual story parts of it probably only fill about 200. Sometimes I wonder if Mr. Goodkind has set out upon a quest to see how many ways he can say the same thing, on the same page or chapter. The massive amounts of repetition in this and the previous 3 books is stunning. The spacing in the hardcover is huge compared to others and there isn't much writing on the pages because of it. I have to assume this is to raise the page count.

I had intended to skip this and the last 2 books but having read all the previous books I wanted to finish the series. One thing I loved about the books was the overriding themes in them. "Faith of the Fallen" was obviously the anti-socialism book, and other books had other themes that reflected the authors beliefs. But this book and the previous 3 had none of that, it was like he just wanted to cash in on his fanbase. I'm in the process of re-reading the series but I will likely never re-read this or the other "Richard and Kahlan" books....the quality of the writing is so poor that is makes me question if it was even Goodkind that wrote it or a hired flunky.

Half-people? Re-animated dead?....I take it Mr. Goodkind is a fan of "The Walking Dead"

Warheart being either book 4 of set 2, or book 15 of The Sword Of Truth saga was a satisfying conclusion now matter how you look at it. I've enjoyed reading Goodkind since I read the first paragraph of Wizard's First Rule 13 years ago. I personally didn't feel that Confessor was the satisfying conclusion The Sword Of Truth needed. So I'm glad that Goodkind continued Richard and Kahlan's story up to Warheart and ended it in a much more fulfilling finale. I'm going to miss looking forward to new Sword Of Truth books though. My reading category nowadays is almost strictly Roman historical fiction. Terry Goodkind is almost the only exception of deviating from that. I'm interested to see if Goodkind is going to write another series. I'll definitely keep on the lookout and give it a try if he does. Even though my reading category preference has changed. I appreciate the dedication to us the readers to start off the final book. I say thank you to Terry Goodkind for an unknown amount of entertaining hours and for writing one of my favorite stories I've had the pleasure to read.

I don't feel the sadness I felt at the end of Confessor. Then I felt like I would miss dear friends. This last trilogy felt tacked on.
The last few chapters also felt like Terry Good kind rushed to finish the tale.
That said, I would very much like to thank Terry Good kind for writing Sword of Truth. Richard, Kahlan, Zedd, Cara, Nicci, Verna, all feel like family to me. I cried for Cara when Ben died. I was angry when Zedd died. Zedd, who made me laugh.
Thank you Terry. I look forward to reading of Nicci's adventures. I hope Richard and Kahlan make a few cameos.

OK ,OK. Maybe the book is not Stellar but Terry Goodkind IS !
So the last three books were not up to his normally Stellar rating.
Frankly, I gave up before finishing The Third Kingdom.
However..... How many Fantasy Adventure Writers can you name who produced an 11 book series with every single
book no less than Great , to say the very least.
We all fell in love with Richard and Khalan's story and I miss them too, as well as Nicci and Zedd and all the rest of the main
characters. But all things must end. And I believe their story ended with Confesssor.
Although I must say Law of Nines, The First Confessor and Debt of Bones were very good.
Truth be told,( no pun) writing excellent books is extremely difficult.
The Sword of Truth series sold twenty-five million copies worldwide and was translated into more than twenty languages.
AND there was nothing sexually explicit in any of his books.
Terry Goodkind is still my Favorite Fantasy Adventure Author. After all, even J.R.R.Tolkein wrote only four Excellent books.
rain

The Sword of Truth series changed my life. The original series was so rich, rapturing, and fascinating. Confessor ended the series: or so we thought. Spoilers ahead: When Goodkind decided to continue the adventures of Richard and Kahlan, I was ecstatic! However, the books following The Omen Machine did not nearly catch the detail, action, and drama. Kahlan Amnell is one of my favorite literary characters EVER. I literally named my daughter after her! The chick has the power over love, goes into Con Dar (first book only), and leads countless battles against the forces of evil. Remember when she painted herself white during an ambush against a huge army to look like a spirit from the dead and kicked ass??? Kahlan after Confessor loses her passion and becomes submissive to Richard. She really doesn't even get a kick-ass fight scene or even use her Confessor power in the last book. Richard, the Seeker of Truth, lies in the end to win the battle of truth... The major battle he has to fight against Hannis Arc is ended abruptly by some random Mord Sith. Richard doesnt even "dance with death" at all in the final book!! Let's also not forget that Goodkind kills two major characters in this add-on series: Zedd and Cara. Their deaths were so overshadowed! These two played such huge roles in the series and were thrown away for nothing. The plot and story do not flow like Goodkind's old writing, and it shows. I still love this world, but I didn't love the last 4 in the "series." It was like fan fiction gone wrong.

An amazing end to an amazing series. I've cried and laughed not only through this whole series but through this book alone. Terrycloth Goodkind wraps up the series, answers all of our question's AND Richard''s questions dating back all the way to book 1. It was great and this second half of the series, after the Imperial Order, was just written so well and was so gripping.

Can't wait to read it's successor series, starting with "Death''s Mistress" out in January 2017. '

'Death's Mistress: Sister of Darkness will launch The Nicci Chronicles, Terry Goodkind's entirely new series with a cast of characters centered on one of his best-loved characters in the now-concluded Sword of Truth' series.

I enjoyed it but it was predictable. I wish Richard and Kahlans future together was wrapped up better.

Spoiler alert!...

It was so obvious that Richard was being brought back at page one but it took over 100 pages just to get there. Sigh! So long just to get to the point. Totally unnecessary. After so many long arduous battles it would have been nice to have a chapter dedicated just to the couple finally getting a small bit of happiness maybe even the forbidden son born in secret. Hopefully it will be continued and we will eventually see a happily ever after.

Warheart is better than the previous novels in the series in that it's shorter, has less padding and actually has some clever ideas Goodkind uses to tie up the series. Still has some repetitive dialogue which has marred his writing for a while now, but, he managed to pull this shorter series off with an overall cracking story.
However, if he does decide to go back to this story...again...I will probably give it a miss. Overall, this series, from Sword of Truth onwards, had too many books that the series never needed. Much like WoT.

I began the Sword of Truth series many years ago, as someone had recommended it as a fantasy "basic". It was the second series I read, after The Wheel of Time series, and, at first, I really liked it. It had a neat magic system, the characters seemed interesting, and it was darker than what I was used to.

However, after reading through numerous other series in the time I've been waiting for Warheart to come out, I've come to realize just how underperforming of a writer Terry Goodkind is. His magic system starts out interesting but ends up being shallow (It's like Wizard Wire and subtractive lightning are the only two offensive means for magic), redacted (occult powers apparently are near divine powers that wholly repel the previous magic system, though it's explained as a "balance"), and repetitive (how many "occult powers" lines have occurred in the last three books?). His characters are given an obvious black or white role which fully misrepresent the human condition. His want to be explicit with every action/event/situation is admirable but never comes off natural in the dialogue. *SPOILER* Lastly, Richard never EVER gets to be the war wizard that he's expressed to be. He has moments where he doesn't know what he does but does something and then never remembers how, but at the very least, I was hoping this book would include that moment we've all been waiting for: Richard actualizing his gift and kicking some ass. *END SPOILER*

I'll leave it at this: could I write something as well as Terry Goodkind? Most certainly not. He's not a bad writer; he's a misguided writer. I just wish his stories were more consistent, more mysterious, and more climatic. As for Richard and the crew, I hate to see you leave, but I love to watch you go. Best of luck, friends.

Warheart (2015) is the sixteenth Fantasy novel in the Sword of Truth series, following Severed Souls. The initial volume in this sequence is Wizard's First Rule.

In the previous volume, Bishop Arc and Emperor Sulachan were using the Shun-tuk and raised dead to conquer the D'Haran Empire. They led the Shun-tuk to Insley. There they raised the dead and then took the town.

Meanwhile, Richard had given Cara permission to leave his service. She was still mourning the death of her husband. After Cara left, the Shun-tuk located and attacked Richard's men.

The Shun-tuk scouts had been sent to capture Richard. The First File soldiers killed many of the half-people, but were slowly losing men to the attackers. Richard moved them to another position with a cliff behind their backs.

The Shun-tuk kept coming out of the woods. Richard sent some First Filers to the sides of a stream coming out of a ravine. He let himself become unconscious and his troops lashed him to the only remaining horse. Then they rushed to the stream and up the ravine.

Zedd released a flood of Wizard's Fire upon the Shun-tuk. Some had occult powers and were not harmed by the fire, but others were burnt to ash. The survivors pursued Richard as the horse ran up the ravine.

In this novel, Richard is Lord Rahl. He and his allies are now fighting the Shun-tuk of Third Kingdom and risen dead.

Kahlan is the Mother Confessor. She is married to Richard.

Zorander was the First Wizard of the Midlands and D'Hara. Zedd was also Richard's maternal grandfather. He was murdered by decapitation.

Nicci is a former Sister of the Dark. Now she is a sorceress in Richard's retinue.

Isodore is a death sorceress. She is able to contact spirits. SHe is dead.

Naja Moon is also a death sorceress. She is also dead.

Magda was the first Confessor. She was a close friend of Merritt. She died about three thousand years ago.

Merritt was a War Wizard. He is now deceased,

Cara is a Mord-Sith. She was recently married to Benjamin, a general in the D'Hara armies.

Cassia, Laurin, and Vale are Mord-Sith. They have chosen to follow Lord Rahl.

Irena is a sorceress in Stroyza near the gates to the Third Kingdom. She is a widow, but has one daughter, Samantha.

Samantha is the daughter of Irena. Sammie is more powerful than her mother.

Red is a hedge witch. She has more talent is tracking the life line than most and is friendly to Richard and Kahlan.

Hunter is a cat-like creature used for errands by Red. He is larger that a house cat and has heavier hind legs.

Jit was a Hedge Maid living in Kharga Trace within the Dark Lands of Fajin Province in D'Hara. She had very powerful magic. With her death cry, she introduced a poison into Richard and Kahlan.

Hannic Arc is the Bishop of Fajin Province. He collects prophecy.

Ludwig Dreier is an abbot from Fajin Province. He generates prophecy for Arc.

Sulachan was Emperor of the Old World three thousand year before. He had his wizards create new magical weapons.

In this story, Richard is dead. He had been released from life by Nicci. He went beyond the viel and lured away the demons taking Kahlan down to the deepest part of the darkness.

Now Kahlan and the soldiers and people of D'Hara are standing before Richard's funeral pyre. The First File is awaiting a word from Kahlan to plunge their lighted torches into the wood.

Then Kahlan notices Hunter outside the crowd. She wonders if Red has sent him to fetch her. She calls off the byte and follows Hunter.

Kahlan, Nicci and three Mord-Sith follow Hunter of foot. The way through the forest is hard. They follow a stream coming down from the mountain.

A single half-person attacks them from the forest. He is carrying many minor wounds. Vale cuts his throat before Kahlan can get the Sword out of the scabbard.

A while later, the see Red tending some cooking pots. She has come to meet them half-way. The half-people have invaded her home, but only one got away. Yet the shed blood has made her home uninhabitable for a time.

Red feed them and listens as they describe Kahlan and Richard's death. They convince Red to return to the body of Richard. After they reach the town, Nicci has to describe how she kept Richard's body from decaying.

They decide to track Richard's soul in the underworld. Nicci goes in a trance and looks for Isodore. Then Isodore finds Magda Searus, Merritt and Naja Moon. They call upon the good spirits to help free Richard. Zedd come and uses wizard's fire to destroy and drive off the evil spirits.

This tale returns Richard to life. Cara has sacrificed her life to form a bridge for him. However, he still has the poison within him. Kahlan starts planning a way to get him to a containment field.

Richard has other plans. This is the last volume in the sequence. Possibly you have missed The Law of Nines.

Highly recommended for Goodkind fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magical talents, occults powers, and evil villains. Read and enjoy!

-Arthur W. Jordin

Ok, so ive read all Terrys books, with the exception of the first confessor multiple times. Ive enjoyed them all, and even when they ended on a cliffhanger i was caught up in the moment.

So on to the conclusion of 21 years of a series, with 15 books in the series.

SPOILERS AHOY......
We get a few minutes with many old characters, and one new character. We see them already dead(Zedd, Denna, Magda,Merritt), dying(Cara), and in dire straights(everyone else).
We meet a new acquaintance for all of 5 pages, with no real explanation of who 'she' was(Im talking to you Lucy, the brand new sliph who can only go to the keep and to the lookout).

We have 3 enemies in the way of our happy ending. One is an enemy who used to be a friend(Sammy) who is interested in killing Richard, after hurting him emotionally first. 2 are there for world domination(the Emperor and Hannis Arc).

They all die in incredibly stupid and contrived ways, in manners that we have already seen happen to past Big bad guys. One kills themselves because they let emotions get them carried away, with no regard for their personal safety(Sammy), One dies the same way Jitt the witch woman does, but by richards mouth(The emperor, you know the dead guy, hes killed by Richard using occult powers to scream death at him, seriously????), and one is killed by the person whom he thought was his all along(Like Jagang was collared by Nicci, when he thought he had Richard beat, so Hannis is beaten by his Mordsith when he thought he had won).

The prophecy to end all prophecies is fulfilled, by RIchard the free will balance to prophecy.

Allies appear to have fallen in love, without any real major interactions in the last 3 books.

There was too much repetition of explanations in the book, and while there were no real loose ends at the conclusion, im still left wanting, and am not satisfied the same way i was when the other books were done.

Don't read this. I loved so many of the Sword of Truth books & continued to read them as they descended into drawn out sermons with very little plot. I wanted so badly for Warheart to be a satisfying end to Richard and Kahlan's story. But it was so awful.

Summary (don't worry I can't spoil a book without a plot): Richard runs around with his entourage of once useful people, like a badass sorceress and a woman queens once bowed down to, trying to save the world. His useless entourage argues and/or complains just enough for him to explain how ignorant they are and how amazing he is (he fights invaders while the First File gets knocked about, he takes on a sorceress while Nicci and the Mord-Sith cower behind him, etc). And it all ends anti-climatically with him lying to almost every person around him because once again, he is the only one who can do anything, anything at all. None of the other characters have any real roles in this story.

Goodkind has turned the Mother Confessor into an emotional trophy wife and Nicci into a disapproving and skeptical side kick. The Mord Siths only role is apparently to look intimidating without actually intimidating anyone. And best of all, all those great wizards from centuries ago couldn't solve a problem that Richard figured out in less than a week and fixed without help from anyone.

It is done. We finally made it.

This final book was not perfect but by lengths better than the previous installments (omen machine, third kingdom, severed souls). Omen Machine was nearly unreadable for all its flatness, repetitions and plot holes. The next two books were somewhat better, somehow getting that old suspense and addiction back - you wanted to know how it all ends (all in all the only skill of the author).

positive:
# Some old characters from the previous story arc made reappearances
# same goes to some old locations that got revisited, adding to the old familiarity of the first books of arc #1
# Very fast pace (in that case good because the earlier books of arc# 2 were not good at all)
# Some long forgotten questions have been answered (even back to story arc #1)
# Less propaganda from the authors queer views (Objectivism; brutally brought upon the reader in the installments 6-11 in arc #1, and to somewhat extend even before)
# Less repetitions (they are still there, don't be afraid)

negative:
# Characters still very flat, especially Kahlan
# Reappearances are very, very short
# same with the old places
# Still enough plot holes, even some obvious errors: (for example [SPOILER] when returning to the peoples palaces Richard tells the Colonel that all soldiers have died - which is not true - most of those soldiers were alive at the citadel in the dark lands[/SPOILER])

All in all, looking back on all the books of both series, I asked myself more than once: "Did the same author write all those books? Could they differ so much in quality and philosophical view?" Well, I don't know and maybe we shall never know, but my pensum of the TRUTH is filled and a certain ambivalence stays back. On the one hand gratitude for a long and suspenseful fiction, on the other hand utter terror from the personal philosophical view of the author and his mediocre writing style that is combined with a very efficient and good working propaganda(and the possible damage that could come with it, for these books are especially influential with the youth).

From the maker of confessors brings you zombies and souls. This book is bad, he does wrap things up but in such a unimaginative way it's painful. You get to hear how dark everything is you might have forgotten that there were other words. Richard ends up lying to those he loves something very out of character then explains everything at the end. The characters sound like children when there not randomly dying something that rarely happens in any of his other books. There are so many problems with the extremely simple plot that it's frustrating

Spoilers ahead

Goodkind expects us to believe Richard really dies but of course he comes back with the help of Cara who knows he needs help how or even where he is? When his wife needs help who does she turn to? A witch woman , because witch women have been so helpful in the past. Then they goto a sliph but don't explain how the mord-sith can travel. Or how the solders could if they hadn't died. Of course sammie died by herself which is horribly anticlimactic. There are more problems but the last thing that really annoyed me was this eteral now concept. It's fantasy I get that but goodkind claims there is no way to mark time in the underworld , it's changeless but this is so untrue. When a soul enters the underworld is a event you could mark time by otherwise you wouldn't need dead ancestors you could just help yourself. There are other events such as spirit meetings with the mud people or things like the temple of the wind coming and going.

In summary it was better than the other books in the second story arc but not something I enjoyed very much. I'm going to pretend the last 4 books didn't exist

So sad that my most favorite series come to end. Parting with my most favorite couple is heartbreaking. l enjoy Warheart very much it but I think it's a bit rush especially at the end and a bit short book. Some part of the story can be shortened (ex: Richard and Sammie conversation) and some need more longer. Hannis Arc ending is not so great ( remind me of Jagang ending). Too easy to kill. I expected a great fight magic against magic.

With this book i felt that Kahlan and Nicci character is not so strong compare to the other books. It doesn't give justice to them. In the beginning it was really interesting but then it stop when Richard come to live.. As if both stop thinking. Overall i think it a good book but not great.

One hope i have from beginning is Kahlan & Richard have a child at the end. Well my wishful thinking ..
Maybe Terry can write a short novel about the golden age era ...

When I saw a co-worker reading Blood of the Fold back in the day, I knew something was going on just looking at the cover. He told me to start with Wizard's First Rule. I ended up reading the first three books in less than a week and was slavering for more. Terry Goodkind's characters have become my friends. I bleed with them and love them. Very few writers in my life have spoken to me the way he has.

I wasn't sure what to think of Warheart when I finished it. It seemed anticlimactic at first and kind of light hearted in a way, but it works exceptionally well for it. In the ensuing several days it has grown on me like crazy. It's deceptively heavy and subversively straightforward. It opens a lot of doors. It speaks of a man with a kind heart but with a serious message. Richard, like his writer, dispatches without quarter, because sometimes it must be done, but without rancor. I am forever grateful to Mr. Goodkind for writing this series and saying things that are life-affirming and positive. Truth will out.

A great finale to an amazing series. I almost hope that Terry Goodkind changes his mind about this being the end, but Richard and Kahlan have certainly earned the rest. Maybe we can get some more books in the universe, or a follow-up to The Law of Nines?

This is the conclusion to the Epic Sword of Truth series. I would love to have given it 5 stars as the series itself has been addicting and inspirational; however, it was just not as good a book as most of the other in this series. The story line could have been achieved in half the pages and at times the story dragged terribly. Many times I thought I had read the book before as many passages were redundant to earlier books. A must read for all who have been treated to one of the best stories ever told over the past many years and books but this was a disappointing final book in its execution.

Its been a long journey with these characters. While I have enjoyed Mr' Goodkind's writing his books have devolved into narration and preaching. He has said he will reinvent the modern fantasy novel and on that score he has failed. If you have read the other books then this one is worth your time as a cap to the story. It is at least 200 pages too long.

I read the main sword of truth series in 2007 and have read each subsequent book as they were released. In preparation for this book I reread the series.

It’s no secret that Terry can be a little inconsistent, but the last few entries in series have been strong. Warheart is a good, but not amazing book. It’s worth your time if you’ve read the other books, even if some of them have disappointed you.

As much as Terry has said that he isn’t focused on world building he’s built a compelling world which he adds to in this book. It really ties together events from the first series, “The First Confessor”, and the other books of the second series.

We see Kahlan frantically trying to do the impossible, and we see Richard trying to find a way to stop the world of life and the underworld from undergoing a cataclysmic merger while his own life is slipping away from him.

The books major flaw is the way Kahlan and Nicci are handled. In the beginning of the book they are treated as competent characters in the remainder of the book they are used as a cheap way to allow Richard to give exposition. While the flaw is irritating the book still works.

This is another great book, the story always leaves me wanting more. Terry is an amazing writer and his ideas always make connections to his past stories. By doing this he brings to life this world that I an many others have feel in love with. Thank you Terry Goodkind for sharing your world with us!!

Another great chapter in the story of Richard and Kahlan. Action packed and true to the series so well established over many volumes. I know that this is supposed to be the conclusion, but I will always hope that the author will give us more from this world.

A Good finish to the Richard and Kahlan story, but it did seem at times a bit amateurish in the writing. Perhaps I've become a more discerning reader over the past several years with more exposure to Terry Brooks, George R. R. Martin, and Robert Jordan. Parts of the dialogue between characters seemed unnecessarily repeated, like the author had a quota of pages to fill but not that much to say, so he stretched the story where he could. Still,a very good read.

I sit here with an expression of dismay and disbelief upon my face as I peruse the multitude of four and five star reviews given to this book. Well written? Exciting? Unpredictable? Did we read the same book? To those of you who genuinely enjoyed Warheart, I really don’t mean to insult your personal taste. Really, I don’t. But for the life of me, I cannot understand the overwhelmingly positive reception the Richard and Kahlan series has gotten. Let’s be honest. It is obvious that Goodkind doesn’t care at this point. Little to no effort was put into writing these, and the same goes for the amount of editing applied to these latter novels of his. For those of you who would still persist in the delusion that this book and its three predecessors are well written, or that they even sound like classic Terry Goodkind, please remove from your shelves Temple of the Winds, Soul of the Fire, or even Faith of the Fallen(these being the best written of the series, in my opinion). Crack open one of these books and read a couple of pages. Immediately after, do the same with Warheart or any of the R&K novels. The only similarities are the people and place names, and that’s about it.

Despite the books in the Richard and Kahlan “saga” being significantly shorter than those in the Sword of Truth series, they managed to detail one of the most plodding, meandering and tedious journeys that I as a reader have ever had to slog through. There’s enough padding in this particular volume to use it as a mattress, and there is a huge problem with pacing. We start off all wondering what the ultimate fate of our hero will be, and although it’s literally a matter of life and death pages are devoted to descriptions of rain and torches being put out and following a giant cat creature through a sodden forest. A few sentences should have been devoted to the trip at most; anything else undercuts the feeling of tension and urgency the scene should have held. We get all of these unnecessary descriptions that are meant to aid in our envisioning the surroundings—“Hunter was sitting on a small, dark, outcropping of rock” or “Nicci picked up the corner of the dark, rust colored carpet” but because of their placement all they do is bog down the story with superfluous detail. There is a time and a place for such descriptions, and you’d think that Goodkind with all of his experience would know when it is. If you ask me, he’s just desperately trying to bump up his word count, and it certainly shows.

In general, the writing quality is very poor, though a little improved from the previous three books, which still isn’t saying much. For example—“Another dead man, this one bigger, stepped through the doorway and into the bedroom. He was more decomposed than the first and smelled even worse. Flaps of dried skin with hair attached hung down over an ear. One arm didn’t work right. Even so, he moved well enough.” Or, “The focus of his glowing red eyes stayed locked on her.” I’ve heard other reviewers say it sounds more on par with how a middle schooler might write, and I think that’s apt. I’m not trying to make fun of Terry; I’ve just come to expect far better from him. The way this book reads is sort of like an uninterrupted stream of thought—Richard doesn’t want to fall down in the marsh before confronting Samantha. The books in the prophecy room would be hard to move, so they probably have permanent homes on their pedestals. We don’t need to know these things, and they add nothing to the narrative other than to AGAIN severely undercut any tension you may have built.

I think Warheart’s most serious crime(or the entire R&K series, for that matter) is that it was entirely pointless. I understand that many authors probably end up somewhere they never thought they would, and a lot of them don’t plot out how the story is going to go. They have a general outline, sure, but sometimes an idea takes them one place, then on to another, and so it goes. But a good author can do all of that and not have it sound like they are just pulling things out of their ass as they go. Verna knows who Sulachan is, yet up until now there’s been zero mention of him or the Dark Lands? We have this place so shrouded in mystery and menace that’s even given the blatantly bad name of “the Dark Lands” but there’s been no mention of it up until now? All of this was so obviously shoehorned in to extend the series in the most unnecessary fashion possible. The story was told, and if Goodkind really didn’t want to stop writing about the SoT universe, there were a number of loose ends he could have tied up instead. How about Shota’s threats of what she’d do if Richard and Kahlan had a male child? Sure, the series ended with her being on the side of “good,” but there’s no reason she couldn’t figure as the next villain. The entire world of life doesn’t have to be at stake for the drama to be compelling.

This book was just bad. I realize I’m repeating myself, but it was irredeemably, unapologetically bad. The concept upon which the entire story was built was an awful idea! Star shifts and twilight counts and whatever else Terry cooked up at the last minute…just none of it was good. You do not introduce a concept by having one of your characters explain it in excruciating detail. If you have to do so, it is not a good concept. Terry just dumped a bunch of information in our laps without really building up to it naturally, and giving us little hints so we can have that gratifying “aha!” moment when we at last figure it out for ourselves. That’s one of the hazards of trying to tack a new plot line on to your existing story when it was already over and done with.

The truth is, I can’t even recommend this book to a diehard Sword of Truth fan. I actually feel like it’s tainted how I feel about the other books, if that makes any sense at all. I’d have to suggest skipping anything from the Omen Machine and on if you value your fond memories of the series. I’m sure Terry will never read this, and from what I understand he has a very inflated sense of his own talent as it is, but there’s only one thing I can ask of him: if you ever do decide to pick up your pen again, please, write the way you used to. I know you are capable of far better.

This is the last in this series according to the author. I had hoped for more, I.e., their child...remember what they were told by the witch if they ever had a child. As many have said this volume ties up loose ends but in so doing while continuing the predictable story line tends to bye a bit uneven. I can not imagine someone who has not read the prior episodes understanding much. The style is consistent and there are enough twists to maintain interest but somehow it lacks the flavor of the earlier books in the series. I think one of my stars is given as a fan, not entirely on the merits of the writing but I did enjoy it.

I have tried to buy this book, I tried 2 times, because it didn't show the date of this purchase that confirms my purchase. Yet it said thank you your book will be available to read after the download! Please do not charge me 2 times for it, and try to help me download this book, for the initial purchase! I don't have it on this device and It's the only one I use the kindle app for reading all the books I borrow or purchase. It also showed that I was supposed to be able to buy for 2.99 for being a member and I want to know why am I paying 9.99 a month, when I paid in December for your the store membership which includes free lending library for 99.99 a year, yet I am forced to pay for your kendal lending library??? Why??? So don't charge me for the download, when the the store account has free reading, plus that's where I end up getting to my account to remove book or redownload all my book in the my library section through the the store account!

excellent read, wraps up the series nicely.

Some reviews mention book length/chapter length as an issue (too short), but the story is well written and that's the important part of it. I've never read a book by Mr. Goodkind that wasn't worth the investment. The ride is worth it my friends, partake.

I love the Sword of Truth series, so naturally I had to get the last book in the series to see how everything ended. However, this book seemed rushed. It was not nearly as interesting as the other books in the series. Everything just seemed to get wrapped up super quick and clean...which is not how the rest of the series ran. Overall I still love the series, but I could have lived without the last three books.

I have spent most of my teen and adult life reading this series. I haven't been disappointed up until now... I'm just disappointed because that this inspiring series has come to its end. I'll admit, I was a little timid to start reading this last book. After the devastating ending of severed souls. I wanted my hero back :( It's hard to understand for some people but this book series has been the one thing to always give me hope. Near the middle of the story I was yet again heartbroken but when all hope seems lost Richard does what he does best. I have to say I love how it ended. I look back over the last 14 years of my life, over this incredible journey this story has given me and this world, and I cry and I smile as I remember all that terry has written, all that I have experienced and learned, and all the good memories these books filled me with. I am filled with love and joy for having experienced such a lovely story.

Wow! Terry Goodkind's latest work of art left me speechless. His mastery of detail is what made this book a gem, from the 15 novels and one novella that all takes place in his fabulous world of magic, every loose end left throughout was tied up in the neatest of bows. Even in the final chapters Lord Rahl and company were still learning and developing. This capstone on the epic fable written by Goodkind's masterful hand puts such a satisfying end to the story that has caused tears and laughter among readers since 1994 with the publication of Wizard's First Rule.

Loved the life and death suspense, and with more than one character, kept you on the edge of your seat. A crying shame its the last book in the series although i believe that death mistress continues on the plot but with Nicci as the main character so i will begin reading those.

If I could rate more stars I would. I was obsessed with Harry potter for the longest time, then started reading Eragon. While these series are amazing In their own light, Sword of truth is by far the most life changing experience anyone could ask for. Terry Goodkind, through Richard, Kahlen, Nicci, Zedd and so many more characters, has taught us an extremely valuable lesson. OUR LIVES ARE OURS ALONE. RISE UP AND LIVE THEM. I can say for every Sot fan, when warheart came out, and we found out it would be the end of the Richard and Kahlen story, we were both excited to read it and devastated by the fact we will never see them again unless we reread the series. I for one thank Mr. Goodkind for his profound lesson and I know I can speak for everyone who loves Richard and Kahlen. We are both heartbroken and enlightened, by your works. Thank you Good sir, for the amazing ride through this world.

Warning: Semi-spoilers within this review. Please read with caution. If you have not yet read Warheart, I recommend you do so! It’s a fantastic book and a proper ending to an amazing series.

Warheart is the conclusion to the 18 book, millions sold, Sword of Truth series; a critically acclaimed fantasy and science fiction anthology that has spanned more than two decades. Author Terry Goodkind first introduced us to the world of Richard and Kahlan in 1994 via Wizard’s First Rule, a novel that raised the bar for the genre and set the literary fantasy world on fire. And for me personally, ignited my love of books. It’s difficult to imagine any other series that has the breath of story, scope of character, deep emotional resonance, and riveting pacing that has been the core of the Sword of Truth. It is with great sadness, anxiety, and my most heartfelt appreciation that I say goodbye.

Warheart takes place after Severed Souls, itself part of a continuation mini-series that begins with The Omen Machine and picked up directly where Confessor left-off. The Sword of Truth was originally set to end with Confessor but has since grown and evolved to include alternate universe story found in The Law of Nines, the prequel foundation story from The First Confessor, and even a side-story novella (Debt of Bones). Had the Sword of Truth ended with Confessor, we would have been far poorer for story today. Make no mistake about it, the world of Richard and Kahlan has grown beyond its original limits, and for good reason.

This series has a rightful conclusion and a true ending now. Why were Richard and Kahlan constantly beleaguered with so much chaos and destruction? Where did prophecy come from? Who is Hannis Arc? What is the Omen Machine? What happened after the Boxes of Orden were combined? Who made the Sword of Truth? Who is Magda Searus and how does her life affect Richard and Kahlan? What happened to Zedd? And so much more I don’t want to spoil in a review.

If you have read the Sword of Truth series there is no question in my mind you simply must read through to Warheart. You will have missed so much of where, when, and why if you close the door at Confessor. If you have never read the Sword of Truth, rest assured the series now has a fantastic and proper ending. It is a complete work with an amazing beginning, a riveting middle, and a heart-slamming ending.

Thank you Terry Goodkind for so many years of great stories. I look forward to reading whatever you write next. Richard and Kahlan will forever be in my heart and mind.

I'll be honest, I only downloaded and read the sample. So, I don't know how the story may go which is why I rate this 2 stars instead of one. It was incredibly difficult to get through the 4 chapters that were provided in the sample. How many times can you say that it's raining? Let me count the ways on just the first page. 1) "fitful rain" 2) "irregular pools of standing water" 3) "tears of rain" 4) "bouts of rain" 5) "drizzle"
Now, on to page 2! It was a struggle and I truly feel like I was reading something written by someone who is just learning to use a thesaurus. Kahlan looks off and peers off and glances with her gaze while starting across the citadel with Nicci beside her and three mord sith in tow for two chapters. Seriously! I'm not even sure if it is still raining anymore... All the while, Kahlan is also looking at Richard's worldly remains and worldly body and worldly form that was preserved by occult magic because occult magic and occult magic. And his spark of life is being dragged into eternal night for eternity in the darkness for all time.
If you're a fan of the series, I do hope that it gets better for you. The writing can't really get any worse. And I just can't even anymore.

Just when you think this series can't get any more intense, Terry once again destroys your preconceptions of what's possible with great fiction! I have been reading and reareading these books for the last ten years and this book filled me with such intense emotions that I had to take breaks to collect myself at times. Thank you so much Terry for these books and an amazing ending.

As a conclusion to an epic fantasy, I feel that Warheart delivered a resounding exclamation point. The story wrapped itself up in ways that I was not expecting. As a writer, I know the difficulty in bringing a story to fruition, from a definite beginning to a definite ending. Terry Goodkind is a master. He is able to bring everyday problems and solutions into a fantasy setting that is both entertaining and believable. Excellent conclusion to an excellent series.

The last couple books have been found wanting. I feel Goodkind lost his passion for this storyline 1/2 way through Confessor. The ending of Confessor seemed to have been spewed out of necessity to finish the book. From there it had diminishing returns of the time taken to read Omen and later. For such a long an epic story, it's disgusting how unremarkable the conclusion was.