Customer Reviews

The Pillars of Creation (Sword of Truth Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

i love the sword of truth series but this book was awfull i couldn't even finish it. i have owned this book for 2 years and i can't get even half way through it. it is boring and i cannot believe Terry Goodkind even wrote it. i suggest that you should buy some other book and not waste your money on this one.

Wizards First Rule was one of the best books in the fantasy genre I have read and the subsequent books have done at best, kept my interest (2 and 3 were really good). God, I mean the main character seems to have become a more special and powerful person with every book. I did not mind the war wizard thing a while back, but the statue that made the entire city cry and revolt in the last book? Come on. This entire series just appears somewhat to cliche. This has just become a never ending tale of Richard vs. the big bad world (whomever the great evil at time seems to be).

Goodkind's writing really seems to have come down to extending the series and not doing high quality work. Don't get me wrong, The Pillars of Creation isn't a bad book and I think it is worth reading if you have read all the others, but it leaves alot to be desired.

Well its a great book...but it went off the beaten path of Richard and Kahlan...which kinda is disorienting....although its a great book the character Jennsen isn't that important over all...buy it to get a grasp on the story...and for the quality writing...although it was what got me into Terry Goodkind to begin with...if you get this book be sure you read all the ones that come before it...or you'll be lost

Do you know the feeling you have right after Christmas? After the presents are opened? Well, that's the feeling I had after I was about half-way through the book.

I've read all of the Sword of Truth series so far. (...) However, this book really disappointed me.

Why? Well, though Mr. Goodkind had a story to tell, he did so in a choppy, hard-to-follow way. It seemed that the ending was hastily written. Instead of an enjoyable read, I had to struggle through the book - something I am not used to in a Goodkind novel.

(...)

I loved the first five books in the series but they are just getting worse and worse. Where is the sword of truth? This book should not have been included in the series since the main characters are missing. we wait so long for the next book in the series and this is all we get??

My first impression of this book is that it's targeted audience is teenagers or an even younger age group. The writing was stilted and elementary, which eliminated any chance of a nice smooth pace to the story. And to make it worse, Goodkind (or whomever really wrote this book) wrote as if the readers needed to be hand-held (or guided) towards understanding the reasons why the characters acted or thought in a particular manner. For example, some of the dialogue between two characters read more like a teacher/student interaction - full of examples and explanations to make sure the student understood what the "teacher" was saying. These long preachy "lessons" seemed unnecessary and dragged on much longer than was warranted.

Plot: The plot was less than riveting too. I understand and can appreciate the need/desire to introduce new characters into the series. In fact, I'm all for that since it can greatly add to the storyline, but these characters leave much to be desired. Quite frankly, they nor their lives were exciting nor seemed to add much to the story - aside from the fact that Richard and Kahlan had someone new to fear - if only for a short while. One was just plain stupid and too blind to "see" the truth -- though I understand she led a sheltered life; and the other was a plodding brute who apparently used cruelty to make up for his low self-esteem.

Characters: A few of the characters had potential, but overall, the book lacked so much of the zest and life found in the previous books that they paled in comparison. I wouldn't mind seeing one or two in future books, but the remainder should stay in the background.

Action: Well, all I can say is, there was little of this. This was more of a story of discovery with a couple of new characters learning about their heritage and going on a journey in search of "something". One wanted to rid herself of what she perceived as an ever-present threat, the other wanted to attain glory and a higher status. There was a drop of action here and there, but for the most part, don't expect much of it.

Dialogue: The dialogue suffered from the same problem as the writing; it was stilted and unlike the first books in the series, seemed geared towards a much younger audience. It made the read a bit more painful than it had to be.

What I liked: Sorry, there's little here. It was nice to see life from another person's perspective, but I don't feel this book added much progression to the storyline. Nonetheless, I continued to listen to this book in hopes that something would happen that would make me feel that the money spent on the unabridged audio version of this book was worth it. Unfortunately, aside from making sure that I haven't missed a book in the series, this book didn't add much to my collection - except for a strong hope that the next book is much, much better. I admit, I was happy when Richard and Kahlan finally showed up -- in the very last pages of the book, but even their brief appearances couldn't help pull this book up to a more acceptable level since they had what amounted to no more than a "bit part" in the series. Finally, the reader left much to be desired. He read as if he were just as bored with the storyline as I was.

My recommendation: If you've been following the series, you'll likely want to read it to make sure you don't miss anything, but I'd suggest you save yourself some money (and angst) and check it out from the library.

The first time I listened to this I didn't like it. The author doesn't let us know what happened to Richard and Kahlan until close to the end of the book. I listened again a year later and am enjoying it more. For those who know the story and have become familiar with the characters please stick with this book. It's actual not all that bad.

You will be introduced to new characters.

When I read Terry Goodkind's seventh book in the Sword of Truth series, it seemed to me that I wasn't quite sure what was occuring in the story. As I was reading through the first seventy pages, I hardly got any information about the main characters from the previous books. It is instead revolving around a woman who comes out of the blue, apparently a hunted person. However, there was a mention of her in the 4th book The Temple of the Winds (if you have read the books). I do think however the it was very well written and tied in to the rest of the books at the end. I also liked the change of perspective in the story.

The SOT series is unlike most others in that Terry Goodkinds' style makes the books difficult to put down once started. They are extremely engaging and are a quick read. The latest book at 557 pages took me little over 7 hours of reading time.

That said, this was not the most enjoyable book of the bunch. The addition and development of new characters was welcome, but it would have been nice to see how the main characters reacted to the new ones, from their POV. An example is when Jennsen catches a glimpse of Nathan Rahl and then runs. What is Nathan thinking when a familiar looking woman flees after spotting him? He winds up going after her, but we don't really get why.

If you're reading the series, this is a nice addition. But don't fret if you don't read it "right away".

This Book was very disappointing almost from the start. I was wanting the continuation of the last 6 books (which were fabulous). Instead I was forced to endure all about two someone's new, whom I could care less about and never did grow to like. It was the next to the last tape before out hero or his wife show up. All in all, just a big let down.