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Submitted by Charles Netto
(Feb 12, 2001)

I found the other novels in the Sword of Truth series to be quite strong. However Goodkind seems to have ran out of any strong or interesting ideas in this novel. Instead the series turns into an plodding introspective soap opera. I certainly have no desire to read further on in this series.

This was by far the best Sword of Truth novel other than the first.  It completely captivated me especially the last 300 pages.  I read it non-stop for two-and-a-half hours.  It was impossible to put it down.  The betrayl and loss of hope is so enthralling.  While the continuing dissapointment between Richard and Kahlan is somewhat annoying, there never seems to be a situation that they can't get out of.  Recommendation is HIGH!!!

When you come up with a great idea like Wizards First Rule following it up is always going to be difficult. Books 2 and 3 in this series were worthy follow-ups, but sadly Temple of the Winds does not quite live up to the readers expectations, mainly because I felt it was too predictable

It is a good book, and I would still recommend reading it, but although you should still enjoy it, don't expect it to captivate you like the previous books in the series.

Outdistancing his contemporaries in terms of exploring the mythological path of the hero is Terry Goodkind.  In Temple of the Winds, the journey into the abyss is as agonizing a process for the compassionate reader as it is for the characters.  It took the great Robert Jordan eight books to finally achieve a similar journey, and only the ninth will answer whether or not the hero responds accordingly.

How desparate and futile is Richard's plight!  Examine the hero herewith.  His sword is no answer and the call to action bellows forth from unfamiliar sources.  It would readily appear that Terry Goodkind understands something about the treachery of the hero's journey.  For the first time in the series, Richard faces a foe for which there is no face; his only weapon, virtuous inadequacy;  The resulting emotions are uncomfortable for readers, and in my experience with fantasy literature, they are unique to this book.  The situation evokes despair, and the only hope is found in betrayal.  Most readers are apt to anticipate said betrayal in the form of a Benedict Arnoldesque turning from the cause.  Others surely expect a conundrum of circumstance sweeping unwitting characters into misconceptions of one another.  How shocking it is then, the intimacy of the Judas Kiss which finds itself imprinted on the cheek of each reader.

Richard's is the true path of the hero.  It is a path of turmoil, not action.  Any writer can take their character through the darkness, but only the exceptionally rare can take the darkness through their character.  Criticism for this work seems to come from a complete misunderstanding of it's relation to former and future themes in the series.  It would be a banal and generic expectation to resolve the already hashed issues of previous texts with the probverbial sword and its accompanying raucous thunder.  Richard, and even Kahlan, must move on, individually, and as the bonded souls that they are.  In the end, Richard learns the lesson of true love that separates him from the sickeningly vengeful antiheroes of contemporary fascination.  He learns the saving and requisite power of forgiveness.  It is a necessary step on the path, one that Goodkind executes in leaps and bounds compared to his peers.

i thought this was a great book. i knew from the beggining what drefan was going to do, i wont say what, if you havent read the book, i dont want to give it away.  it wasnt as good as the first three, but it was still good.