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Submitted by Dennis Sutherby 
(Oct 19, 2003)

Despite all the hard criticism Goodkind got from writing this book ("it has nothing to do with the other books", "Where are Richard and Kahlan?") I would like to say that it was an excellent book.

I think that it was possibly one of the best (no, it doesn't compare to Faith of the Fallen). I mean, yes...Betty was kind of annoying...but Oba Rahl makes up for everything in this book. Either he or Darken are my favorite characters.

But to say that this book has nothing to do with the others is wrong. It was a huge introduction into Naked Empire. We would have known nothing of the "holes in the world" had this book not come out.

I would like to voice against the majority by saying that this was one of the best books in the series.

OK, OK, it's fantasy. Earth's rules of science and physics don't matter  but in many places this book fails to adhere to the rules of common sense. Also, I thought the editing was poor. There were spots where it felt like Mr Goodkind took a break then started writing again before he re-read what he had just written. One such error comes to mind where two full sentences repeated just two paragraphs apart. I don't mind letting a few nonsensical things slide, but there are so many big and little screwy things here that it was impossible to reconcile them short of turning off your brain. Here are a few examples in no particular order (a few spoilers  noted with '***'):

* Jennsen is selectively ignorant/knowledgeable, observant/unobservant, or strong willed/easily manipulated depending on what is convenient at the time throughout the story to maintain the weak plot.

* The Emperor's key strategists are not very strategic, nor does he listen to them.

* Doesn't the existence and knowledge of these "holes in the world" make places like the Wizard's Keep a whole lot less threatening? If the Emporer knew about Jennsen why didn't he use her to assault the Keep? Or, why didn't Richard use her (or someone like her) previously - wasn't one of the main themes of a previous book based around trying to get past the magical safeguards of the Keep?

* The Emperor losses a million plus units of his army to an unknown force that strikes at the heart of his camp and his response is basically, "oh well, it'll take a little time to rebuild."  Yeah, this guy is going to have many followers...

* Tom covertly follows Jennsen (who is in the middle of this million plus unit army) in a horse drawn wagon.

*** Tom is supposed to be one of the elite protectors of Lord Rahl, but idly watches while Jennsen charges Lord Rahl with a knife.

*** Tom is supposed to be one of the elite protectors of Lord Rahl  Why would he be working, deep cover, in the market?  Convenient coincidence.

*** The idea is repeated several times that Jennsen never had the chance or right moment to tell Sebastian that she was immune to magic even though they are lovers and traveling together for months. This didn't make sense to me, but to use this as the key point in Jennsen discovering Sebastian's treachery was just plain weak. WEAK! I cringed reading Jennsen say "I never told you magic didn't effect me..." Hmmm, didn't he just see her come away unharmed after battles with wizards and sorceresses in which she saw through the illusions that nobody else did?

* Jennsen's bluffs to get into the palace and free Sebastian were unbelievable and most of that sequence was silly.

The list goes on but unless I missed some deeper meaning, it's not worth the mental energy it would take to go over all the inconsistent events and convenient coincidences in this book. The ending felt rushed with the main baddies conveniently killed or missing, with a few obscure references to other characters thrown in for whatever reason  "Wait until we tell this to Nikki"  or other such lines. In the end I was left feeling that nothing happens in the book.

Questions or comments on anything I've said? Feel free to email me at homerinvests@hotmail.com.

Homerinvests

The very first time that I read this book, I would have given it a maximum of 2. Like most people that I have talked to, I grew anxious waiting for Richard and Kahlan to show up and missed the majority of the story.

I went back and reread the book later, this time knowing when they would show up and found myself fascinated by what was actually contained within those pages. The majority of the book takes place during the same period of time as Faith of the Fallen and serves to introduce us to not only two new characters, but also to a completely new concept in terms of how magic in this fantasy realm can work (holes in the world).

This book shows a wonderful example of the Wizard's First Rule in action and also introduces the first adversary that I have actually despised in this series since Demmin Nass and Darken Rahl.

This book is more set-up for future books than anything else, in my opinion. What I love about Goodkind's writing is his ability to flesh out characters - to make them seem human (unfortunately, there are people even more psycho than Oba) and even allow the reader to understand their motivations and see the fallibilty of each one.

Oh dear, where to start? I'll be nice first I think; this book gives a little more background to the House of Rahl and develops some new characters which is always good, it keeps you turning the pages - if only to discover where Richard and Kahlan have gone! - which is clever writing on the author's part.
Now onto my criticisms; this book holds no significance to the rest of the series, main characters don't get a look-in and frankly having to wait for the next book to appear to carry on with the story is going to kill me! lol. Seriously though I don't believe this book warrarnted being a main book - perhaps it would've been more suited to a shorter book like Debt of Bones.

Like many readers, I felt let down when I picked up his latest book. I was eagerly anticipating the continuing saga of Richard and Kahlan only to be greeted by a completely different cast of characters. I can imagine many fans felt cheated out of their next dose of the Sword of Truth series. "Where's Richard and Kahlan? We want Richard and Kahlan!" While the summary on the book's jacket does allude to our much-beloved protagonists, they only creep in to save the day at the end of the novel.

What is interesting though, is that the story is told from the point of view of the new characters, Jennsen and Oba, who both evolve into quasi-villains. Though each is only semi-aware of the existence of the other, their paths are oddly identical. Both finally come to the resolution to kill Richard, though their individual moral journeys and reasons are different. That the villains serve as the main protagonists is refreshing and gives added depth to the moral complexities of Terry Goodkind's world.

What sets Terry Goodkind apart is that his world is a place where the divide between good and evil is uncertain. The conflict between good of self vs good of community makes this novel all the more compelling, for it seeks to address serious issues that are usually avoided in mainstream fantasy, which delights in clear categorizations of black and white. It shows that even a fantasy book can be like real life, where nothing is cut-and-dried and even the heroes and villains live in shades of gray.