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Submitted by witchy_woman291@hotmail.com 
(Feb 15, 2004)

Some Goodkind fans have not appreciated this book as much as it should be. Some think that perhaps it is one of Goodkind's "lesser" novels. But in fact this novel is actually one of his better works. Through this book Goodkind can really demonstrate his literary skill, and being able to see all sides of an issue. The series takes on the perspective, not of Richard's and Khalan's side but of the Order's side. You get to see a whole different perspective, and it is a nice change for the series. Goodkind has also done an excellent job of building up the suspense for the next book in the series, Naked Empire. So if any are in doubt about the quality of this chapter in the Sword of the Truth series don't worry and read on in this most enjoyable story.

This book is by far one of Terry's best books. He displays a different aspect and point of view than in his other books. This book is mainly about Jennsen Rahl an ungifted offspring of Darken Rahl who has been hunted all her life and now wants to hunt her hunter. This book is not about Richard and Kahlan like the other books but it is still a great book.

I think it is sad that most people seem to be disappointed with this book. I will admit that I got highly frustrated while reading it in anticipation of what was going on with the main storyline. However, after reading Naked Empire, I realize that the Pillars of Creation added so much richness and depth to the Sword of Truth series that you would be missing a lot if you passed this book up.

Yes, there is almost no Richard or Kahlan or Zedd or Addie or Verna or Mord-Sith or much of anything else familiar when you read through this book. It is hard to put all your favorite characters on hold and put the main storyline on "standby" mode as you fill your head with knowledge about different characters that you probably don't care about.

After getting over the initial shock and instinctual cravings for reading about "what I expected to read about" I realized that this book gives us great depth and insight into the inner workings of Goodkind's world. It opens up morals and values to questioning that have not been previously thought about such as the importance of personal freedom and success versus the good of the community as a whole. It gives us a first-person look into the minds of the "good guys / bad guys" and lets us see that not everything is as simple as black and white like most books like to portray.

It is astounding to understand the way different people with different goals think and rationalize as they fight for their personal ideals. I would definitely give this book an A+ (it causes the next one-Naked Empire-to get an A+++!) .....the one thing I will concede is that I really really hate Jensen's stupid goat

With this book, Terry Goodkind takes a completely different approach than he has with the rest of the books in the series. The main characters from the previous six books don't even show up until the last 75 pages or so. Not only that, but it does very little to advance the plot that has been developing. Instead, Mr. Goodkind takes us on an exploration of the world he has created through a completely different set of eyes. We are introduced to Jennsen, a young woman who has been almost completely isolated from everything that has been happening in the books. She is learning about the world outside of D'Hara and the events that are occurring for the first time. Through her eyes, the reader gains a different perspective on things, a perspective that relates more to the common person and how these events affect them. We have been used to seeing things through the eyes of the characters in the middle of the war and this outside looks causes us to view things from a completely different angle.

Goodkind's ability to suck the reader in is still as strong as every. As with the previous six books, I found it very difficult to put the book down. The characters he has created to populate this book are greatly varied and all have personalities all their own. As usual, they must suffer through trials and tribulations along their journey and we see how these events change the characters throughout the book. By the end, the main character has evolved into almost a completely different person.

I would imagine that most people who have enjoyed the series so far would enjoy this book as well. I am guessing that a lot of the negative reviews here represent people who have not enjoyed the last few books, but have stuck around either out of morbid curiosity or to see if the series gets any better. If the last few books have not appealed to you, odds are you won't like this one any better. For all of you hardcore Goodkind fans out there, this book will most definitely please. Just don't expect to see much of Richard, Kahlan, Zedd, or Adie.

Like many of you, I was disappointed that Richard and Kahlan didn't show up until the end of the book. But I think the very fact that such disappointment exists over this matter is testament to the strength of Terry Goodkind's writing, especially with respect to the depth of his characters. Think about it: we all love Richard and Kahlan and therefore were peeved by their minor roles in this book. Maybe Mr. Goodkind is testing his readers' loyalty to his main characters (Richard and Kahlan), and in doing so, testing his own ability as a writer, in a way. I think he passed the test. I still thought this was a great book, though not quite as fast paced as the others. The end seemed a bit rushed and came together a bit too perfectly and a bit too quickly. But overall, I thought Jennsen and Oba were good characters in their own right. It was definitely interesting to see things from a new perspective, but like everyone, I'm looking forward to getting back into the minds of Richard and Kahlan.