The Omen Machine - Anyone here going to read it?

[Heather Myst]

rhallava,

The Sword of Truth series is one of my all time favorites but I would not recommend that you give it another try. The reasons that you listed for walking away the first time do not go away. I am looking forward to the new book and revisiting the Mord-Sith.

[Hobbit]

Heather: you could be our SFFWorld directional compass on this one!

Does that mean you've ordered/plan to buy Omen Machine? Or will you share/borrow?

Mark

[Twinner]

Thanks all! I do remember thinking the Mord Sith were a cool idea.

I think I will keep a look out for some pre-release chapters to read. I will probably either be pulled in or driven away in a chapter or two.
Thanks again!

[Hobbit]

Best of luck with that one. We will be interested in what you think, as no doubt will the man above!.

Mark

[JustaStaffer]

Best of luck with that one. We will be interested in what you think, as no doubt will the man above!.

Mark

If nothing else, dude is kinda scary.

[Hobbit]

And he's watching, even if he doesn't care.

Mark

[Loerwyn]

He looks scarily like my next door neighbour. I wonder if Goodkind peppers his dialogues with F-Bombs as frequently, or if he checks his car for damage every. single. time. he. gets. home.

[Grim]

I won't be buying The Omen Machine. If someone shows up on my doorstep with a free copy I will liberally douse them with tar and then fetch a chicken.

coughCARDcough.

I'm feeling slightly traumatized. Ender's Game is one of my favourite novels; I've read it a dozen times or more. I knew nothing about OSC so I did a quick search. I was stunned at what I read. I'll be avoiding his works in the future.

[Spears&Buckler]

I won't be buying The Omen Machine. If someone shows up on my doorstep with a free copy I will liberally douse them with tar and then fetch a chicken.

Don't you mean a chicken that is not a chicken?

[Twinner]

Someone sent me this link, and I think that even if you are a fan of Goodkind you might have to admit it's pretty funny. I know most have probably read it, but it made me laugh my butt off so here ya go...

http://sandstormreviews.blogspot.com...-parodies.html

[Grim]

Don't you mean a chicken that is not a chicken?

I am not using evil incarnate on random passersby! They will have to make due with a regular bird.

[Sfinx]

Don't you mean a chicken that is not a chicken?

haha, took me a while before i realized this thread was about the latest SoT incarnation. The chicken reference clinched it

And no, I'll not be buying or reading the Omen Machine. To be fair, I did enjoy the earlier instalments of SoT, but somewhere along the line things soured (actually not so much due to Goodkind's world views; more to do with chickens of war, sudden statue carving skills and unrelenting annoying characters). But like someone said: SoT, WoT, Magician - all pretty good introductions to the world of fantasy when you're in your teens (at least I thought so).

Cheers,

Sfinx.

[Sfinx]

Can't resist posting this (taken from Twinner's link here)

OPERATION: Enhance psychic substructure. Trace Core Identity
NARRATIVE DETECTED:

"I ****ing hate this place," says Richard.
"Tell me about it," Kahlan says.
Richard looks around at the Buildings of Midlands--identikit matchbox blocks built by Mudpeople with a hard-on for thatch. An extermination camp for Free Will. But it's good enough for the overspill proles, Richard supposes. No ****ing wonder the people of Midlands succumbed to a power-hungry commie pederast.

Zedd plays with his cloak, weaving it between the fingers of one hand. Richard watches him. Zedd's the girl-magnet, smooth as a shark through water. Richard's the badass, black-clad bastard, stroking his sword with sullen hostility. Gratch? Gratch is the tagalong weird kid with the big ideas.

"That's what we all are, you know?" says Kahlan as she eyes a chicken with obvious suspicion. "Just another ****ing number. They'll be tagging us like ****ing animals next. Nipple magic. ****ing chickens, bred to be vicious, bred for the ****ing army or as fodder for the Mord-Sith."

"Soldiers of the Empire," says Richard.

INFORMATION UPLOAD: Location--Schemes; Period--Book One? Two? Doesn't Matter, They're All The Same.

INTERJECT THOUGHTSTREAM.
OPERATION: Reroute digression. Specify locale.

Richard has the weirdest feeling that he's been here before, a long time ago (at least two books ago), when he was younger. He looks around at the remorseful goat, the gore-drenched gar, the chicken that is evil manifest, and---
"Check this out."
Some kind of giant statue.
Richard feels his thing rising. Reaching out, he scratches the words onto the statue's chest with his Sword of Truthiness, hears the hiss and sees his hand moving.
GIVE PEACE A CHANCE
"What the **** does that mean?" asks Kahlan.
"I don't know. ****, I don't know."
Then Richard laughed. Gratch laughed. Zedd laughed. Kahlan laughed. They all laughed while Betty the Goat butted her head into Richard's stomach, looking ashamed.

ANALYSIS: Compensatory fantasies; narcissistic fixation. '

Cheers,

Sfinx.

[Karyle]

Hey all, I'm new here, but I'm avid reader/collector of various Fantasy/Sci-Fi stuff, so I figured I'd chime in!

I've actually got The Omen Machine on pre-order through Amazon and it should arrive on release date. Whether or not I'll get to reading it on that day I dunno (still pacing myself on Butcher's Ghost Story so that it won't be over too quickly, and I have several lined up after it) but I'm curious to see where Goodkind goes with the book.

I originally started reading his SoT books back in high school and then continued on with them every time a new one came out. I didn't think they were all great (or even all very good) but my OCD tendencies make me want to read to the end, especially after being as invested in a series as three or four books in.

I'm actually having a hard time looking forward to The Omen Machine, though. It's more a feeling of resignation. I felt like Goodkind's ending to the SoT series was pretty terrible, and I can certainly agree with many of the downfalls to that series, though I still find them fun and try not to be too judgemental. I also, for completion, picked up Law of Nines. I know that the book is supposed to be connected to the SoT series, but honestly it's one of the only books in all my life that I didn't just plow through to the end after having started it. I got a few chapters in, actually skipped ahead a bit, and read a couple more... it was honestly one of the most terrible things I've ever picked up. Just awful. It frightens me when thinking about The Omen Machine, because I felt like in Law of Nines there was just an uncanny amount of filler in order to create a giant book like his other published volumes. I don't know what it is concerning page count or word count and what it might affect (whether it be his ego, his paycheck, etc.) but my lord that book was fluffed to the point of it reading like a child's language primer.

I'm also mildly concerned that The Omen Machine apparently picks up immediately at the end of Confessor. Terry posted a blog-thing talking about his distaste for missing time in a character's story, but I can't help but feel like all he's doing is creating a series of events so packed together that they're completely unbelievable. Sure, everything was resolved at the of SoT series, but why should some new incredible threat rear its head immediately? I see nothing wrong with skipping some time in the characters' lives while keeping those characters from book to book, because it means the story you're getting is only the interesting parts (which I feel mimics life).

Oh no... I think after finally finding a place to voice these opinions/concerns (my friends and wife are avid Goodkind haters) I've talked myself out any excitement I was holding for this new book... Oh well, it's still coming in the mail, so I'll give it a go!

[Loerwyn]

Hey Karyle, welcome!

I've got to say that's a very well written post, and I'm looking forward to hearing your views on The Omen Machine, assuming you both stay here and finish it.