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rowdya22's review against another edition
3.0
Well after the epic build up that reading the series gave me, simply put...I expected more. The new story line has potential but I dont think that Goodkind should have messed with his completed master peace. That being said...It was a heck of a cliff hanger and I cant wait for the next one.
cokiereads's review against another edition
5.0
Loved it! With those against magic finally gone from the Midlands we have a new adventure for Richard, Kahlan and Zed!
mjcole85's review against another edition
4.0
After getting through the first 12 books in this storyline, I was wary to return to the world of D'Hara and Richard Rahl. However, this book was a pleasant surprise. It did a bit of back story-telling in order for you to remember what happened in the past books, but it wasn't too heavy handed. I equate reading this to visiting family you haven't seen in a while. You are stressed and may not want to go, but when you get there it is a good time.
diliapickle's review against another edition
2.0
This was not the quality of the earlier books in the series. I loved having Richard and Kahlan back but they felt like shadows of their former selves. This felt like half of his normal books and was just rushed with no real story to it at all. So sad!
frazzld's review against another edition
4.0
Decent story, seemed much shorter than most of his books, definitely seems to be a setup for more to come.
yruss972's review against another edition
2.0
Reading this for the sake of completing the series. Writing is unfortunately so repetitive it takes away from the story which could be ok. Book leaves lots of unanswered questions.
piperkitty81's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed it and it was very exciting. There are still mysteries that need to be solved, so I’ll start the next book soon.
weaselweader's review against another edition
3.0
Overwritten, overwrought, under-thought, and under-edited …
… and noticeably weaker than elder siblings in the long-running Sword of Truth series!
The Omen Machine opens improbably with a D’Haran populace suddenly and inexplicably angry and dissatisfied with the leadership of Richard and Kahlan, the day after a riotous and joyful celebration of their stunning defeat of the evil forces of Darkness and the ending of the story in Confessor. The dialogue, the narrative descriptions of settings and the sketches of the dramatis personae, both good and evil, are strained and repetitive. The problems and their solutions appear as deus ex machina constructions as opposed to evolving naturally out of a well-crafted plot. The lead nasties, Hannis Arc and his “companions”, the Hedge Maids are cartoonish and too hastily created without any meaningful depth or motivation beyond an overwhelming, simple drive for power and the consuming need to kill their enemies. All of that, of course, would leave any reader of this review reasonably convinced that I would part with at most one or two stars for the novel … and, grudgingly, at that!
But to do that would also leave the impression that The Omen Machine was unenjoyable or without merits and that would, simply put, be wrong and unfair! While I acknowledge that the foundations for the plot were poorly laid and some plot resolutions came out of left field, it was actually pretty gripping stuff and I’ll readily admit that I read the novel quite quickly. My hope is that the nature, the history, the meaning and the motivation (given its obvious description as a sentient entity, albeit whirring metal cogs and gears) of the Omen Machine, Hannis Arc and the Hedge Maids will be more completely developed and meaningfully explored in the second installment of the new Richard and Kahlan trilogy, The Third Kingdom. I would also hope that patient readers and long-time fans can look forward to a face-off between the Mord-Sith who have sworn allegiance to Richard Rahl and those who have chosen to remain as “Sisters of the Dark”!
So … the solution? A three-star rating and a provisional recommendation contingent on reading The Third Kingdom.
Paul Weiss
… and noticeably weaker than elder siblings in the long-running Sword of Truth series!
The Omen Machine opens improbably with a D’Haran populace suddenly and inexplicably angry and dissatisfied with the leadership of Richard and Kahlan, the day after a riotous and joyful celebration of their stunning defeat of the evil forces of Darkness and the ending of the story in Confessor. The dialogue, the narrative descriptions of settings and the sketches of the dramatis personae, both good and evil, are strained and repetitive. The problems and their solutions appear as deus ex machina constructions as opposed to evolving naturally out of a well-crafted plot. The lead nasties, Hannis Arc and his “companions”, the Hedge Maids are cartoonish and too hastily created without any meaningful depth or motivation beyond an overwhelming, simple drive for power and the consuming need to kill their enemies. All of that, of course, would leave any reader of this review reasonably convinced that I would part with at most one or two stars for the novel … and, grudgingly, at that!
But to do that would also leave the impression that The Omen Machine was unenjoyable or without merits and that would, simply put, be wrong and unfair! While I acknowledge that the foundations for the plot were poorly laid and some plot resolutions came out of left field, it was actually pretty gripping stuff and I’ll readily admit that I read the novel quite quickly. My hope is that the nature, the history, the meaning and the motivation (given its obvious description as a sentient entity, albeit whirring metal cogs and gears) of the Omen Machine, Hannis Arc and the Hedge Maids will be more completely developed and meaningfully explored in the second installment of the new Richard and Kahlan trilogy, The Third Kingdom. I would also hope that patient readers and long-time fans can look forward to a face-off between the Mord-Sith who have sworn allegiance to Richard Rahl and those who have chosen to remain as “Sisters of the Dark”!
So … the solution? A three-star rating and a provisional recommendation contingent on reading The Third Kingdom.
Paul Weiss
proggeddy's review against another edition
5.0
When Goodkind wrapped up the Sword of Truth series with Confessor, I had a feeling we'd be seeing Richard and Kahlan and everyone else again. And I'm so glad we did. I fell in love with those characters time and time again and will follow them on all of the adventures their lives take.
We find ourselves picking up just where the series left off. Cara has just gotten married. The People's Palace is still in celebration mode. Dignitaries from the provinces are hanging around, taking it all in. The war is finally over.
But new problems are beginning to surface. Someone or something is checking in on the Lord Rahl and his wife while they sleep. Prophesy, or what seems to be prophesy, is running a muck and coming from some very unlikely sources, and it's scary enough that people are killing their own families because of it. At the heart of it all is a machine. Discovered in the most unlikely of places it likely dates back to the construction of the palace itself. It talks to Richard and tells him things he doesn't want to hear. Things are supposed to be better now, but they're not.
We get to meet a new evil, or two, or three, in this latest addition to the series. Something foul is afoot and it's not interested in the new found peace that's our heros have fought so hard and so long for. The road is lined with peril.
We find ourselves picking up just where the series left off. Cara has just gotten married. The People's Palace is still in celebration mode. Dignitaries from the provinces are hanging around, taking it all in. The war is finally over.
But new problems are beginning to surface. Someone or something is checking in on the Lord Rahl and his wife while they sleep. Prophesy, or what seems to be prophesy, is running a muck and coming from some very unlikely sources, and it's scary enough that people are killing their own families because of it. At the heart of it all is a machine. Discovered in the most unlikely of places it likely dates back to the construction of the palace itself. It talks to Richard and tells him things he doesn't want to hear. Things are supposed to be better now, but they're not.
We get to meet a new evil, or two, or three, in this latest addition to the series. Something foul is afoot and it's not interested in the new found peace that's our heros have fought so hard and so long for. The road is lined with peril.