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vaderbird's review against another edition
1.0
I think Terry needs to learn to write another series. And shame on the editor for allowing this to be published, Tor did a very bad service to Terry and the legacy of his series.
castaya's review
4.0
This book was pretty disappointing to me. While the story itself was rather enjoyable, it just didn't feel like a Richard and Kahlan novel. None of the characters really behaved in the way that I would have expected of them, especially after spending countless hours reading the 12 previous books and getting to know them. That being said, the story itself was quite interesting. It kept me reading, wanting to know what would happen next. But it could have just as easily been written with a whole new set of characters.
I also feel like Goodkind has become a little bit sloppy in his writing. The story felt a little bit rushed and there wasn't nearly as much explanation given about the situations at hand. Not to mention, whoever did the proof-reading for this book really needed to take a few extra minutes here and there. There were more errors than I think I have ever encountered in any published novel.
All in all, not a bad book. I think that had Goodkind's team spent a little more time on this one it could have been much closer to what his fans would expect.
I also feel like Goodkind has become a little bit sloppy in his writing. The story felt a little bit rushed and there wasn't nearly as much explanation given about the situations at hand. Not to mention, whoever did the proof-reading for this book really needed to take a few extra minutes here and there. There were more errors than I think I have ever encountered in any published novel.
All in all, not a bad book. I think that had Goodkind's team spent a little more time on this one it could have been much closer to what his fans would expect.
jessaca_with_an_a's review against another edition
3.0
Wasn't as impressed with this one. I didn't understand why a new book had come out in this series (as much as I love Richard and Kahlan and was glad to continue reading their story!).
levit8ting's review against another edition
2.0
Terry Goodkind has stood as one of my favorite authors for years. His Sword of Truth series still holds its place firmly as my favorite fantasy series. The magic of Goodkind's world is the believability and the relevance of the message in his stories. Each book carried more than just a fantasy story that was entertaining. I was fascinated with the idea of a contemporary author actually creating a world and writing philosophical novels in a readable form.
I haven't been too impressed with Goodkind's work lately. His Law of Nines was a terrible disappointment. It was supposed to be a departure from his fantasy genre, but it turned out to be tied to his Sword of Truth series in very pathetic and hokey ways. I was hoping that, with a return to the characters and the world that I had grown to love, Goodkind would redeem himself. I wish I could say that he did, but he did not. For me, this was a weak installment in an otherwise amazing series that he probably should just leave alone.
About 95% of the novel the characters spend deliberating and trying to figure out what is going on. They seem so bewildered and shocked when they shouldn't. The characters I came to love would have acted. Think about it: they had just made it through this huge war with Jagang, they are seasoned warriors and wizards. They should not be shocked that the peace would end so soon. Instead, they should have been like "Bring it. Hannis Arc, you've got nothing on Jagang and Darken Rahl." Really, all Hannis Arc has on those two is that he looks more evil.
Richard has pansied up in this novel. There's maybe one or two scenes (I specifically remember one, but I vaguely remember another one...) where Richard actually acts like the Richard I remember. He is a do-er. He thinks and then he acts. This book Richard just THINKS. And he's just a victim. By the end of the novel I don't feel like he learned anything or that he really ever figured anything out. These omens keep spinning out of control, and I wanted him to kick some ass, but he doesn't.
I found myself skimming through the last 3/4 of the novel because the writing was lazy. The characters became stereotypical and forced into molds. There's a scene where they go down into the room where the Omen Machine is and Goodkind lists them in order of the way they go down the stairs as if I care. And I kept wondering why ALL of them had to be there. It just seemed empty and void of really any point to it. I kept wanting to reach through the pages and shake them all.
The only reason I kept reading was because I love the characters, but this book even made me sick of them because they weren't acting like the ones I came to love. These were just carbon copies of them. I think Goodkind is tired of the world, but he knows a Richard/Kahlan novel will sell. Personally, I think he should have left it well enough alone and created something new and different. Redeemable scene could possibly have been the one with the Hedge Maid and Henrik and Hannis Arc, but even that was mediocre. By the end of the novel I still didn't understand what the hell a Hedge Maid even was, and what Hannis Arc's hold was on her. Why was she doing his bidding if she was so scary herself? What was in it for her? SO CONFUSED!!!
Will I read more Goodkind? Most likely. I will just be more hesitant to read it even if it is a Richard/Kahlan novel. I gave it 2.5 out of 5 Cryptic Messages.
I haven't been too impressed with Goodkind's work lately. His Law of Nines was a terrible disappointment. It was supposed to be a departure from his fantasy genre, but it turned out to be tied to his Sword of Truth series in very pathetic and hokey ways. I was hoping that, with a return to the characters and the world that I had grown to love, Goodkind would redeem himself. I wish I could say that he did, but he did not. For me, this was a weak installment in an otherwise amazing series that he probably should just leave alone.
About 95% of the novel the characters spend deliberating and trying to figure out what is going on. They seem so bewildered and shocked when they shouldn't. The characters I came to love would have acted. Think about it: they had just made it through this huge war with Jagang, they are seasoned warriors and wizards. They should not be shocked that the peace would end so soon. Instead, they should have been like "Bring it. Hannis Arc, you've got nothing on Jagang and Darken Rahl." Really, all Hannis Arc has on those two is that he looks more evil.
Richard has pansied up in this novel. There's maybe one or two scenes (I specifically remember one, but I vaguely remember another one...) where Richard actually acts like the Richard I remember. He is a do-er. He thinks and then he acts. This book Richard just THINKS. And he's just a victim. By the end of the novel I don't feel like he learned anything or that he really ever figured anything out. These omens keep spinning out of control, and I wanted him to kick some ass, but he doesn't.
I found myself skimming through the last 3/4 of the novel because the writing was lazy. The characters became stereotypical and forced into molds. There's a scene where they go down into the room where the Omen Machine is and Goodkind lists them in order of the way they go down the stairs as if I care. And I kept wondering why ALL of them had to be there. It just seemed empty and void of really any point to it. I kept wanting to reach through the pages and shake them all.
The only reason I kept reading was because I love the characters, but this book even made me sick of them because they weren't acting like the ones I came to love. These were just carbon copies of them. I think Goodkind is tired of the world, but he knows a Richard/Kahlan novel will sell. Personally, I think he should have left it well enough alone and created something new and different. Redeemable scene could possibly have been the one with the Hedge Maid and Henrik and Hannis Arc, but even that was mediocre. By the end of the novel I still didn't understand what the hell a Hedge Maid even was, and what Hannis Arc's hold was on her. Why was she doing his bidding if she was so scary herself? What was in it for her? SO CONFUSED!!!
Will I read more Goodkind? Most likely. I will just be more hesitant to read it even if it is a Richard/Kahlan novel. I gave it 2.5 out of 5 Cryptic Messages.
alexmorse's review against another edition
1.0
Amazingly terrible considering how well I enjoyed some of his previous books.
theartolater's review against another edition
1.0
This may be a contender for the worst book I've ever read.
It's not so much its tenuous grasp on its own reality - the introduction of places and things that never got mentioned before, the use and understanding of machines in a setting that has never shown anything like it before (I made the mistake on Facebook of referring to it as medieval, but you get my drift).
It's not so much the terrible, terrible writing - writing that used to create lush, interesting landscapes and places, with characters you cared about, and now only exists to jump from scene to scene with little care, and highlight action scenes above plot and character development.
It's not so much the ridiculous, thrown-together plot - the omen machine is literally what the book is about - a machine that generates omens. Why this matters or only comes up directly after Richard and Kahlan effectively save the world, and never comes up in any other way, even if it's effectively retconned into the previous books, we may never know.
It's not so much that the plot is ridiculously predictable from start to finish - riveting, interesting basic plot, but done so poorly that the results are telegraphed from miles away.
It's not even so much that it's billed as "A Richard and Kahlan Novel," even though Kahlan, once a great, strong, effective character, has been reduced to nothing more than a plot device for Richard to go and save like a damsel in distress. That's not why I read Goodkind.
I have a lot of nostalgia for the Sword of Truth series. If the Shannara books were the ones that got me into fantasy, Goodkind's series is what made me love it, even when it devolved into weird S&M/libertarian tracts along the way. The first few books in particular were quite good! This book is simply shameful. It almost come across as a ridiculous money grab given that his attempt into thrillers was such a flop overall (never mind it fit into the SoT universe).
The limited goodwill I had left with Goodkind's books is gone with this. Just a shame.
It's not so much its tenuous grasp on its own reality - the introduction of places and things that never got mentioned before, the use and understanding of machines in a setting that has never shown anything like it before (I made the mistake on Facebook of referring to it as medieval, but you get my drift).
It's not so much the terrible, terrible writing - writing that used to create lush, interesting landscapes and places, with characters you cared about, and now only exists to jump from scene to scene with little care, and highlight action scenes above plot and character development.
It's not so much the ridiculous, thrown-together plot - the omen machine is literally what the book is about - a machine that generates omens. Why this matters or only comes up directly after Richard and Kahlan effectively save the world, and never comes up in any other way, even if it's effectively retconned into the previous books, we may never know.
It's not so much that the plot is ridiculously predictable from start to finish - riveting, interesting basic plot, but done so poorly that the results are telegraphed from miles away.
It's not even so much that it's billed as "A Richard and Kahlan Novel," even though Kahlan, once a great, strong, effective character, has been reduced to nothing more than a plot device for Richard to go and save like a damsel in distress. That's not why I read Goodkind.
I have a lot of nostalgia for the Sword of Truth series. If the Shannara books were the ones that got me into fantasy, Goodkind's series is what made me love it, even when it devolved into weird S&M/libertarian tracts along the way. The first few books in particular were quite good! This book is simply shameful. It almost come across as a ridiculous money grab given that his attempt into thrillers was such a flop overall (never mind it fit into the SoT universe).
The limited goodwill I had left with Goodkind's books is gone with this. Just a shame.
mpscrimshaw's review against another edition
1.0
Why did this series continue? It was tied up so nicely in the actual last book (after a meandering mess of propaganda and repeated story beats over THOUSANDS of pages). Even with a fresh start, it still just feels like the same old same old we've had for 11 books before this.
vfullerk's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing! Some have complained that it is short, but it did not bother me. It was a great story. I hope there is more to come.
rachelcus's review against another edition
4.0
So, I wrote a review for this when I read it but accidentally deleted a whole bunch of reviews when I was reorganizing my shelves... So I guess I just have to read them all again so I can give accurate reviews :D
brokebybooks's review against another edition
1.0
I've tried 3 times to finish this book. I just can't do it and I'm the kind of reader who always finishes my book. I can count the number of books that I haven't finished on my fingers. Sadly, this book is now among them.
These are not the characters I grew to love in the SOT series. I was annoyed with the seemingly endless repetitive preaching in the last books of the SOT but still enjoyed the characters and loved the series. The Law of Nines book had an interesting premise but honestly fell flat for me. It was disappointing to see the author's libertarian beliefs just trumpet all over the book and take over. And now the author has just shat all over the once great series with this addition. I was so hopeful that this book would be a great return to the characters and place I've loved so much.
Unfortunately, I will not be reading any more if this series is continued.
These are not the characters I grew to love in the SOT series. I was annoyed with the seemingly endless repetitive preaching in the last books of the SOT but still enjoyed the characters and loved the series. The Law of Nines book had an interesting premise but honestly fell flat for me. It was disappointing to see the author's libertarian beliefs just trumpet all over the book and take over. And now the author has just shat all over the once great series with this addition. I was so hopeful that this book would be a great return to the characters and place I've loved so much.
Unfortunately, I will not be reading any more if this series is continued.