De Wet Van Negen

Sword of Truth #15.5

by Terry Goodkind, Emmy van Beest (Translator)

Op weg naar de galerie die zijn schilderijen verkoopt, voorkomt een weinig succesvolle kunstschilder, Alex, met gevaar voor eigen leven een aanslag op een jonge vrouw. Op het nippertje weet hij haar weg te sleuren voor de bumper van een aanstormende truck met een piratenvlag op de cabine. Zo begint Alex' zevenentwintigste verjaardag – een dag vol verrassingen.

De jonge vrouw heet Jax en is afkomstig uit een andere wereld, een wereld waar magie werkt, een wereld ook die grote omwentelingen te wachten staat. Jax waarschuwt hem: 'Pas op voor spiegels. Ze kunnen je via spiegels volgen.'

Nog vreemder wordt het als Alex op zijn verjaardag ook verneemt dat hij die dag erfgenaam is geworden van een immens landgoed in Maine. En Jax heeft nog een verrassing voor hem in petto, de kernzin van een profetie: 'Alleen iemand uit deze wereld kan onze wereld redden.'

Op dat moment is het Alex al duidelijk geworden dat levensgevaarlijke tegenstanders uit die andere wereld de overstap naar zijn wereld hebben gemaakt om te voorkomen dat de profetie uitkomt.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Thriller, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook

462 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2009

About the author

Terry Lee Goodkind was an American writer. He was known for the epic fantasy series The Sword of Truth as well as the contemporary suspense novel The Law of Nines (2009), which has ties to his fantasy series. The Sword of Truth series sold 25 million copies worldwide and was translated into more than 20 languages. Additionally, it was adapted into a television series called Legend of the Seeker, which premiered on November 1, 2008, and ran for two seasons, ending in May 2010.
Goodkind was a proponent of Ayn Rand's philosophical approach of Objectivism, and made references to Rand's ideas and novels in his works.

Reviews

[Ed [Redacted] · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first foray into the frightful and bewildering world of Terry Goodkind. Goodkind has quite a following in the world of Fantasy fiction. (Though Goodkind claims not to write fantasy, but instead writes books with Important Human Themes. His interviews are the main reason I have avoided the books to this point.) I read a novella of his that was included in the Legends anthology and was not very impressed.

But the Law of Nines was a thriller/mystery novel, of course. So it couldn’t have anything to do with Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series, could it? Well, the answer is yes apparently. I’m not familiar with SoT so the similarities are lost on me, though they are well documented in other reviews.

To the book then. The Law of Nines is not really a thriller; it’s more of an Urban fantasy Important Human Theme novel. It is set in what I can only assume is present day. The protagonist is Alex Rahl, a young artist who is turning 27 this very day. Alex paints only forest scenes, not stupid “impressionistic”, or “abstract” or “mildly interesting” stuff, oh hell no. Just Goddamned trees. Strangely he is not all that popular with the artsy crowd. Anyway, he has a girlfriend named Bethany who is just a giant pain in the ass. I mean she is gorgeous, appears to be smitten with him, wants to have crazy sex with him, but she sends him text messages. Alex is more of a “get off my lawn” 27 year old who hates text messaging and other things hated by the elderly. Alex has never been into Bethany so he has only dated her for “several weeks” and they have not had sex. This might be the least believable plot point in the entire book. He doesn’t like to talk to her, he doesn’t want to be around her and he won’t have sex with her. Why the fuck is he going out with her for “several weeks”.

Alex saves a beautiful woman from a runaway landscaping truck with a pirate flag on it. The woman is named Jax, and was so christened due to her amazing hand speed at the game of jacks. No I am not kidding. So Jax is from another world and so were the pirate landscapers. They were trying to kill Alex, Jax or both. Then Jax disappears. That’s OK though, because she comes back. She says she has very little time so they go to a café and talk about whether magic is like technology or not for three chapters. Then she leaves again.

****Spoilers from this point forward. ****

In the meantime, there are a bunch of evil people from the planet Jax is from. They are on Earth to try to get some gateway thing working so they can take weapons back to the other planet and be evil more. The leader of the evil guy group is named Cain. He was elected on a platform of change and what not, like Obama. All the change stuff is bullshit though because, Objectivism. So this Cain guy sends several waves of people over to kill Alex. Luckily, Alex’s grandfather was a “green beret” at some point in the past and has shown Alex some moves. This appears to be a far better training method than the thugs from the alternate planet have, because Alex just mows them down all book long.

So Jax comes back, they have to drive halfway across the country to sign some paperwork because, plot. They kill tons of people. There are at least two almost rapes, that I remember, and various scenes of torture. Alex is almost-raped by Bethany, who is apparently some kind of evil queen from the other planet but not working with Cain. Jax shows up and kills Bethany. Then Jax is captured by Cain’s folks who are all chuckling and being almost-rapey until Alex cleverly tells them to cut it out or he won’t cooperate. Curses, foiled again.

I really don’t have the heart to go through the rest of the plot such as it is. So I’ll cut to the chase. The spoilery, spoilery chase. They get to the gateway portal and are met there by a crapload of thugs from the other planet as well as Cain himself, who had been passing himself off as a much better painter than Alex. It turns out Alex is the only one who can open the portal. He is forced to because Jax has been captured and they threaten to rape her (sensing a theme here) and cut her up and what-not if they don’t get the portal open. Alex opens the portal…except. Actually the portal only kind of opens and ends up killing 3/4 of a crapload of bad guys. Jax and Alex kill the rest of the bad guys. Alex later explains that he was able to turn the portal into a killing machine after he noticed some trees painted on it. Because he is so goddamned good at painting trees, he noticed a tree was in a position that was all stupid looking or something, so he knew the portal would kill all those people. Again, I am not joking here.

I don’t use the word “flabbergasted” often, as I am not 75 years old. I was, however, flabbergasted at this ending. Incredibly stupid does not begin to describe it. What. The. Fuck.

Well, I can say that my first Goodkind novel was an experience I will never forget, no matter how talented the therapist. Goodkind seems to be able to move the story along in parts, then he invariably gets bogged down in some boring moral or pseudo-philosophical debate that goes on for page after page. Luckily these can be skimmed without missing any useful information, making the reading experience go very quickly. The more troubling aspect is that Goodkind seems to have no idea how humans act or talk. He may, in fact, be from another planet himself;A planet where a series of almost mind numbingly improbable events is believable even to children.

I would recommend The Law of Nines to virtually no one.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be a fairly readable and engaging paranormal thriller. It had a good mix of action, mystery, and interesting paranormal happenings that kept the story moving at a fairly good pace.

The story was interesting enough. Alex, a Midwestern artist, has just turned 27 and is stunned to learn that this birthday comes with a mysterious inheritance. Things only get stranger for Alex when he saves the life of a beautiful woman and then becomes the target of some weird incidents. It was all to do with the mysterious inheritance of course!

The story was enjoyable enough. Alex and Jax were just about likeable enough to root for and it was fun following Alex as he fought his enemies and learned the reasons why he had suddenly become a target for a group of very dangerous people.

This definitely had a few flaws. Goodkind has a tendency to prattle on a little to long while explaining things. Honestly, I do not need the same thing explained to me 3 or 4 times! His other big flaw is his need to use his characters as a mouthpiece for his own opinions. Fine if you happen to agree with them but damn annoying if you think the guy sounds like a pompous and annoying ass (which I do!). As well as Goodkind's well documented love of Ayn Rand's Objectivism philosophy we also had to suffer a few of his observations on modern society. Things on his shitlist include:
-Pretty Actresses: No talent, apparently.
-Airport Security: Can you believe those bastards do not let you fly with your own guns!
-Texting: Why can't you youngsters just phone people like we old people did?
-Abstract Art: Not real art! To be fair he might have a point on this one.
-Social policies that aim to help the poor or needy: Help yourselves you lazy bastards!

Despite all those annoyances this I did still actually manage to enjoy this one. This has served its purpose of reigniting my enthusiasm to make a third attempt at finishing the Sword of Truth series.

I thought this was a standalone story when I picked it up but it actually turned out to be very loosely connected to the Sword of Truth series. Not in any way that meant this did not function well as a standalone but the connection was there so people familiar with the SoT series would recognize a few things and names.

Rating: I'm a little torn between 3.5 stars and 4 stars. It was engaging but did have quite a few prominent and annoying flaws.

Audio Note: Mark Deakins did a good job with the audio. It is actually a pity he does not narrate the SoT series as that is a series that got stuck with a whole bunch of terrible audio narrators!

[Eric Allen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Law of Nines

By Terry Goodkind

A Retroview by Eric Allen

Deus Ex Machina - Latin: "god out of the machine." A plot device whereby a seemingly inextricable problem is suddenly and abruptly solved with the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object. - Wikipedia

MacGuffin – A plot element that catches the viewer’s attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction. The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are (at least initially) willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is. In fact, the specific nature of the MacGuffin may be ambiguous, undefined, generic, left open to interpretation or otherwise completely unimportant to the plot. Common examples are money, victory, glory, survival, a source of power, a potential threat, or it may simply be something entirely unexplained. – Wikipedia

Contrived - Obviously planned or forced; artificial; strained. Fake. – Webster’s Dictionary 2002 edition


Upon finishing The Law of Nines by Terry Goodkind, I had two thoughts. The first was that it felt almost like a fanfic, where some fan of Goodkind’s previous work made up their own ridiculously bad adventure where his world meets ours and no one with a single bit of taste would ever allow it to actually be published by a respected publisher. The second was that I am reasonably sure that Goodkind finished his first draft of the project, shrugged, said "good enough" and mailed it off to his publisher. I can sum up The Law of Nines in six words. Terry Goodkind just isn’t trying anymore.

Now, before I begin there are some things that I need to go over, and I will probably spoil the end of his Sword of Truth series for you if you’ve yet to read it and are planning to, because the ending ties in greatly with making this book make sense. But fear not, that horrible spoiler has been hidden if you wish not to see it. After finishing his Sword of Truth series, Terry Goodkind basically dropped off the face of the earth for a few years. It led me to believe that he’d told his story and didn’t have anything else to say to the world at large. Then I heard that he was writing a murder mystery book and thought that it was rather strange for an author to write a book completely different from the ones he was known for under the same name.

When the book finally came out, it was neither a murder mystery, nor was it the epic fantasy like his previous eleven books. It was a bizarre combination of our present day world, and the world of his Sword of Truth series. Two things that, as we learned in the eighties with such memorable classics as Beastmaster 2, SHOULD NEVER BE MIXED!!! This book, in effect, jumped the shark before it even began because the idea upon which it is based fails so much that it is impossible for anyone to enjoy even a single word of it. But I’m getting ahead of myself. In order for this ridiculous premise to even attempt to work, you need to know how it came about.


In, quite possibly, the biggest cop out in literary history, Richard, the hero of The Sword of Truth, used the boxes of MacGuffin to create a new world. This world is a mirror world exactly the same as his own where the people who do not want to live life by his own ideals could be separated from his people solely by the power of Deus Ex Machina. I call this the biggest cop out in literary history because this was the confrontation of good versus evil that had been building up for ELEVEN FREAKING BOOKS and the hero did not defeat the antagonist, in this case an idea rather than an actual person. Instead, he used his power of Deus Ex Machina to sweep the problem under the rug and started singing The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow. I cannot tell you how let down I was by this ending. Jagang, the personification of the ideas destroying Richard’s world, unceremoniously has his throat cut by a side character and dies without a word, all the problems are conveniently shifted to another world entirely so he doesn’t have to deal with them anymore.


I suppose that I should not have been surprised, Goodkind’s work is rife with uses of Deus Ex Machina solutions to problems rather than the characters actually working out how to overcome them on their own. But the sheer scope of taking the ending of an eleven book series and basically saying that god intervened and all is right in the world now is just unforgivably lazy. Terry Goodkind is a hack, and that ending proves it. The series should have been called The Sword of Plot Conveniance, rather than The Sword of Truth.

What does this have to do with The Law of Nines, you ask? Plenty. You see, at the end of The Sword of Truth, a prophecy (a.k.a. MacGuffin) was found that says a man from another world would save them all in the distant future. And how will that happen when Richard banished all of his foes from his world forever in such a way that they or their descendents could never come back? "Why, read my new book," Goodkind replied. And regrettably, I did. In fact, I actually paid money for it. Money that would have been more enjoyably spent at the dentist getting a cavity filled.

Now hop to our world, Alex Rahl is the last surviving descendant of Darken Rahl, the villain from the very first Sword of Truth book. His ancestors were amongst those sent away to the new world at the end. There is a large area of land that his family owns and has always watched over, and with the death of his grandfather--a huge, life-changing event that Alex shows not one SINGLE shred of human emotion over, though it happened just before the book begins--that land falls to him, but he must pay legal fees and travel to the land to sign the contracts in order to take possession of it. But it seems that there are people set upon keeping him from taking possession of this land.

There are a lot of plot elements in this book that really make no sense--like the entirety of WHY he has to go sign forms and crap halfway across the country--and ultimately lead nowhere, reeking of padding for a book that could have used some actual characterization in its place, but oh well, Goodkind is getting lazy in his old age, so padding it is. This is where the idea that the published draft of this book is actually the first draft that Goodkind finished comes in. None of these plot lines about people from the world of the Sword of truth coming to our world for various tasks makes any sense. They lead nowhere, and basically just take up space that could have better been spent developing characters or filling in holes in the rest of the plot to make it more believable and enjoyable. They have no point or purpose, and some of them just disappear halfway through the book.

The main story follows Alex and a girl named Jax from the other world as they go cross-country in his beat up old truck to get to the land so he can take possession of it. The villain, basically a rehashing of the villain from The Sword of Truth who remains "off screen" for the entire book except in the final chapter, believes that this land contains a portal between the two worlds and wants to use it to bring weapons from our world to theirs so he can conquer it. There is a lot of ridiculous going on about how people of Alex’s family were driven insane by people watching them through mirrors throughout the ages, various different factions trying to gain control of Alex, and fragmented plot lines about what’s going on in the other world, and it really doesn’t hold together in anything resembling a cohesive storyline. Goodkind expects his readers to simply accept a whole lot of things without much explanation as to why they should be willing to accept them, and he fails so miserably at writing the thriller he was aiming at because he keeps trying to tie it in with his earlier epic fantasy.

The biggest disappointment, again, is the use of Deus Ex Machina to solve all of the conflict and make everything all shinny and happy in the end.

The Good? Nothing. I can’t think of a single good thing to say about this book. It was crap from page one to the end.

The Bad? First and foremost, bad writing. There were numerous grammatical mistakes, use of the same word several times per paragraph, shifting, vague descriptions, inconsistent character personalities and histories. The plot is a train wreck that is almost impossible to follow. And it is extremely hard to suspend disbelief when you have the world of The Sword of Truth colliding with our own and we’re just expected to take it as if that sort of thing is perfectly natural. In fact, Goodkind spends the majority of the book almost pleading with us to accept the fact that it’s actually happening. Honestly, from a writer of Terry Goodkind’s caliber I expected more.

The Ugly? I put up with Terry Goodkind’s excessive use of MacGuffins throughout his Sword of Truth series, and his introduction of unbelievable plot devices, and his over use of Deus Ex Machina. I even put up with how incredibly and unrepentantly preachy he can get at times. They fit the story. Are his fantasy books masterpieces? No, they’re not, but they do entertain. They’re cheesy, often unfulfilling stories that will beat you over the head with their morals until you’re bloody, but they’re also fun to read because you can suspend your disbelief in a fantasy world and take it as it comes. Goodkind is normally an excellent writer, crafting worlds and people that seem so very real, even if the things that happen in that world and to those people are a little over the top ridiculous at times.

When you take those elements that work in a fantasy book ONLY because it IS a fantasy book, and put them in our world in modern time it COMPLETELY falls apart. When you remove the one and only aspect of the story that makes it so you can accept everything and, instead, put it in the real world, it’s not just bad, it’s painful. Combine all of the other problems it has with the fact that Goodkind has always been EXTREMELY preachy in his books, beating you over the head repeatedly with concepts that he basically tells you that you are evil if you do not agree with, and this book is just plain awful. It’s nearly impossible to get through for even the most avid of his fans.

The actual titular law of nines is a completely ridiculous plot device that makes no sense at all, no matter how many times he tries to explain it to us. And oh does he try to explain it. He goes into painful detail on why the number nine is important, and none of it is convincing in the least bit, and not just because he’s expecting us to accept this all happening in the real world either. In fact, about eighty percent of this book is made up of either Goodkind preaching to us, his trying to explain why nine is more important than it actually is, or him saying, "yes people, this IS really happening, deal with it."

In conclusion, this is a book that should never have been written. It’s poorly paced, based on ridiculous premises, and an obviously contrived load of incoherent babble that was turned in for nothing more than a paycheck. Goodkind’s usual skill as a writer is completely absent from this soulless abomination, and all that is left is his grating need to preach to his readers for hundreds of pages to little or no point. Do not read this book. Your life will be all the better for it. I can think of far more enjoyable things to be doing with my life than wasting it reading this book. Dying of cancer for instance. And I mean no offense to anyone that actually may be dying of cancer, in fact, you have my deepest condolences. But at least you're not reading this book, that's got to be a bright point.

The Law of Nines receives 0 stars, I put up 1 because the rating does not show up with 0. It’s horribly conceived, contrived, badly written, and Goodkind is completely out of his depth trying to write stories that take place in present day. After the unforgivable cop out at the end of The Sword of Truth this book was another slap in the face of his fans. Goodkind’s books normally sell extremely well in their first few weeks, but his fans seem to be catching on. I think that it's pretty sad to say that after The Law of Nines, and his most recent book The Omen Machine, Goodkind's career is effectively over unless he can dazzle us again with his next book. As things stand, it's perfectly clear that he couldn't care any less about his fans, only about the money in our pockets. It's sad, because he started out so promising. This book was horrid, anyone with a single modicum of taste would do well to avoid it.

Check out my other reviews.

[Belen Schneider · Rating 1 out of 5]

Kahlan...uh...I mean Jax Amnell, with her thick, luscious brown...uh...I mean blonde hair and riveting green...uh...I mean brown eyes and her special smile she only gives to Richard...uh...I mean Alex Rahl appears in a world devoid of magic by traveling through the veil...uh...I mean underworld to warn Richard...uh...I mean Alex about impending danger to both their lands. Richard...uh...I mean Alex, with his penetrating gray eyes and impressive strength and cunning when angry, was raised by a quirky old family friend...uh...I mean his grandfather after his father's mysterious death. Wanna guess what happens next?

Seriously...I'm all for echoes of previous characters, but Mr. Goodkind has bludgeoned me to death with his carbon-copy characters and plot.

I could rant more, but I think Goodkind has wasted enough character-count on this story already.

Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series started so well. I LOVED Wizard's Fist Rule, his first book in the series. I even enjoyed the 2nd and 3rd. But as I slogged into the 2nd and 3rd trilogies, my enthusiasm continued a downward trajectory. I kept reading them because I really DID want to see how things turned out for the characters, despite the preachy diatribes that dominated the later books.

I was intrigued when I saw Goodkind had written something contemporary, and on Earth. And then curious (in a dreaded way) when I realized he was bridging it back to the Sword of Truth series. I waited years to give it a read, and I really just finished it out of morbid curiosity.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alex is an artist who just wants to paint the beautiful landscapes that reveal his hope for mankind. But he is at the heart of an ancient prophecy that turns his world upside down, and is forced to see it through by whatever means necessary. Through it all, Alex doesn't waver from the core of who he really is. And like his ancestor from another world, neither does he waver from the woman he loves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this contemporary fantasy novel by Terry Goodkind. It was a page turner from the very start. While it works as a standalone story, readers will miss something if they're not familiar with Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. There are references both direct and remote that allude to these novels. If you've really got some time, and you truly want to appreciate all the nuances in this book, read all eleven novels in the Sword of Truth series beginning with Wizard's First Rule. The series creates an epic saga of good triumphing over evil. And by the way, don't look to the TV series, Legend of the Seeker, to provide you with a Cliffs Notes version. It has definitely lost a lot in the translation.

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked the first six books or so of Goodkind's Sword of Truth fantasy series. At first I found the characters and the world-building great. But while some authors (Bujold, Pierce) simply get better with successive books, others (Tom Clancy, Mercedes Lackey, LKHamilton) get bloated, self-indulgent, get tired blood. In Goodkind's case his at first appealing hero became the worst Marty Stu I have read in professional fiction, and his world-building, narrative and dialogue got more and more bogged down by Ayn Rand polemic. (He makes no bones about being a devotee if you look on his website.)

I'm not going to sneer. Ayn Rand was an early influence, and if these days I don't swear by her by chapter and verse, neither am I someone to think she didn't have some valuable ideas to offer. But especially because I went through my fangirl days, I can see the Randian influence in this book--and it's not to the good. This book is being billed as a thriller, and starts out as a present-day story, but the fantasy element is hinted at in the early chapters, and eventually it ties into his popular fantasy Sword of Truth series.

That could have been a chance at a fresh start, but by the third chapter we're right into the heavy-handed Randian polemic on aesthetics--that no abstract art has any value. Mind you, it's not even a view I don't have sympathy with, but the way it is presented through the artist hero and the gallery owner--well, real people don't talk like this. Real enthusiasts of modern art don't talk like the straw man Goodkind creates. And that's a lot of the problem with Goodkind's characters in this book: cardboard. I couldn't make myself read beyond the first ten chapters of the book (although I flipped though some of the rest). Also, Sword of Truth kept me as long as it did because the characters created and developed in the first books: Richard, Kahlan, Zed, Cara among others were characters I liked.

Alex and Jax of The Law of Nines though couldn't hold me. They seemed watered down version of Richard and Kahlan, and very, very square-jawed romance aisle versions at that. Alex started annoying me just about from the first when he complains about his girlfriend Bethany texting him all the time. He doesn't like her. He doesn't look at the text messages, but apparently he can't get up the nerve to simply say, "Look, I'm just not that into you." (And man, I just met a blonde Hottie and you're so yesterday).

It's a shame. Goodkind is capable of much better, as the first several books in his series proved.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining book--I couldn't put it down.

[Stefan Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this one up on a whim because I had a few dollars left on a gift card and I had never read any Terry Goodkind, although I had heard quite a bit about his books. After reading the blurb on the back, I was intrigued enough to add it to my stack of selections and make my purchases, it then got set aside and I forgot about it for a while.

Imagine how thrilled I was when I ran across this book on the shelf one day, started to read it and could not put it down. I don't know how I never read any of Mr. Goodkinds books before this one, but I was immediately hooked. His characters were great and the story moved along beautifully full of action, suspense and mystery.

I liked that in this particular novel, Mr. Goodkind mixed the world that we all live in with peril and mystery moving in and out of it from the fantasy world. I found that mix to be quite refreshing and even though it was a bit predictable at points, the rest of the story and the characters just made me want to continue reading even when I had figured certain things out along the way.

All in all, a great (mostly) blind purchase that now will cost me many more dollars and enjoyable hours catching up on the rest of the series. I look forward to getting started on Wizard's First Rule soon!

[Erin Hawley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terry Goodkind rushed the finale of his Sword of Truth novels... to write this?? I was really disappointed with Law of Nines despite the allusions to the novels I so love. I felt like the story was a direct parallel to Wizard's First Rule, except in today's world. However, unlike Wizard's First Rule, there was little character development in Law of Nines; I felt like TG was relying on readers to associate Richard and Kahlan's personalities with Alex and Jax. Their love seemed fake and convenient compared to Richard and Kahlan. The Ayn Rand philosophies were much more muted than in the last 5-6 novels of SoT, but still present. I wouldn't say it was a thriller... there were exciting parts, but not nearly like some of the SoT books where it was nonstop action from start to finish. The ending was a let down, too. I couldn't believe I had spent 450 pages of so-so writing, uncharacteristic/unnecessary violence, and cheesy lines for such a lame ending. Bottom line: Terry Goodkind tries to recreate the success he had with Wizard's First Rule, but falls short with flat writing, flat characters, and a flat message. I wish he would have spent the time he took writing this novel to perfect the 50 page resolution of a 7000 page epic.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Can't say I typically bother writing reviews, but after finishing this book I'm having trouble not . . . well venting in some small way. I liked the idea of following the Rahl bloodline in this world, I enjoyed some of the little links between the Sword of Truth series and this book-Jennsen's, or Tom's old dagger, the idea of spells of three, Orden Nebraska, the Woman of mystery figurine, ect. Beyond this the book is sadly lacking.
The characters just aren't up to par for Goodkind. In every other book this man has written, even if the plot was a little lacking (Pillars of Creation and Chainfire come to mind), or if he's droned on a little too long with a speech/description, the characters have always been great and done much to redeem the work as a whole. Radell, Alex, and Jax all seem like watered down versions of the cast from Wizard's First Rule. Alex at times practically quotes Richard from Naked Empire. I suppose I can see what he was trying to do with the allusions to his other works, but there is something to be said for subtlety. The defined original characters I've always loved just aren't there.
As far as plot, that was worse. How many times has Goodkind reused this same idea of people fighting for a world without magic? You've got the war 3,000 years before Wizard's First Rule, the main conflict in the Sword of Truth series with the Imperial Order, and while the most unique, but still in the same vein, the partitioning of Westland after the War with D'hara. Why rehash it with the Law of Nines? In fact the opposing army in Jax's world is only different in that the whole "for the afterlife/creator" aspect is removed. The ideology, the arguments, they are all the same.
Less grand annoyances are scattered throughout: No one being able to trace the Rahl bloodline in Jax's world past Richard-the Rahl family always played a pivotal role, good or bad, in that world and suddenly the just disappear and die out? (though it looks like Jax herself is a direct descendant. With how heavily implied it was that she is a confessor and all-"Queens bow to me", how upset she got during the whole mother confessor figurine thing, "I've never had a friend before" . . . not to mention being named Amnell) The lack of an explanation as to how people from that world came here. (This is very unlike Goodkind as anyone who has even glanced at his overview of prophecy can attest.) And speaking of prophecy, he does a lot to contradict himself here. Anyone who remembers the end of Confessor and how Nathan points out that prophecy is blind to a world without magic-the great void as he called it-how prophecy is incapable of saying anything about such a place, would, I imagine, be just a little curious as to how a core prophecy can be about someone from said great void. They go on, but I'll leave it at that.
On the whole I just found this book to be profoundly disappointing. I applaud the effort, but not the result. The start to this series was less than mediocre and if the following can't do a lot to help it along the series won't be worth the time wasted reading it. I find it a painful truth as I've in the past found Goodkind's works to be interesting reads, but as Alex said, and Richard before him, the truth is the truth and wishing won't change it.

[Odile · Rating 1 out of 5]

For those familiar with Terry Goodkind’s massive fantasy series, The Sword of Truth (see Wizard's First Rule), it might have come a bit of a surprise that the author has chosen a slight genre departure for his latest novel. The Law of Nines is best described as a supernatural thriller, and especially the seemingly mundane beginnings of the book are quite a change from the usual fantasy worlds.

There are ties to Goodkind’s other works, though. The protagonist, Alex Rahl, is linked to the universe of The Sword of Truth by his last name, as well as in other ways that become clear as the book progresses. Alex is a struggling painter, at odds with a society that seems to place highest value on superficiality and fleeting ideals.

Parallels can also be found in the novel’s ideology. It is no secret that Goodkind’s works are influenced by Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, and this is clear in the book’s attitude towards art and the right to freedom and self-determination. This has some genuine appeal in the part where Alex and his mother are constrained both physically and mentally in a psychiatric hospital, but most of the time, it bogs the novel down in a most preachy way, and reduces its characters to ventriloquists’ dummies.

The Law of Nines isn’t the first or the only work of popular fiction to reference Randian philosophy in recent years. The 2007 video game BioShock did so extensively, and in a way that was more fulfilling than that of this book. Where Goodkind is content with simply rehashing ideologies in an upfront manner – with protagonist Rahl resorting to extreme and seemingly uncharacteristic violence to protect himself – BioShock sought (and succeeded in some respects) to problematise Rand’s capitalist philosophy, allowing the player of the game to form his own opinion about the system’s merits and flaws. Sadly enough, The Law of Nines offers little of that, even when a book might appear a better medium for ideological reflection than a science-fiction horror computer game.

In this sense, Goodkind hampers his own agenda, by putting ideas in the foreground, at the cost of characters and story, and it is to the detriment of the value of the book as a work, whether it be philosophy, art, or entertainment. Apparently Goodkind wasn’t able to display the skill or ambition as a writer to pull it off all at once.

Nevertheless, despite these issues The Law of Nines has quite some value as a thriller. If you’re willing to put up with some of the preaching, and are able to stomach heavy loads of violence, torture, and suspense, it can be a gripping book that has some interesting things to say about freedom, autonomy, and how these are at times oppressed by outside forces. I don’t think it will disappoint readers who have grown to love Goodkind’s fantasy works.

[Reviewed for The ABC Blog: < http://www.abc.nl/blog/?p=12281 >]

[StarMan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Law of Nines : nine-tenths of this book is ridiculous and/or painful to read.

[Emily Diehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is strange so far.

well damn Mr. Goodkind, why do you torture us like so?

When a certain name came up I thought of his other series.

Also, Jax, Alex's female protector reminds me a little of Kahlan, the main female character in The Sword of Truth.

The idea is also the same. He lives in a world of technology and she lives in a world of magic. Almost the same as The Sword of Truth.

It just makes me laugh and want to keep reading it.

I love it, the idea about love just takes over for me. The hope for Alex and Jax. Ah, too much of a hopeless action-romantic. damn you Goodkind

And then to torture us with Jax's last name? Quite harsh Mr. Goodkind.

This book could've and still can be written as a series. Hell! It leaves me wanting to know more about the characters, how they got where they are, who they are related to, etc. AH! so you see Mr. Goodkind, you've created this attachment,

*sigh*. The true beauty that drives this book comes from your characters actions in regards to distress. I love it.
It sort of reminds me of another 'perfect' love you created.

Seriously, I almost slept with the book in my arms last night, just to 'feel' that gorgeous love.

Cheers to you Mr. Goodkind for taking old love and showing us it still works,
and for driving me nuts.

there better be another

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading "Wizard's First Rule" earlier this year, I wasn't inclined to pick up any more of Terry Goodkind's fantasy novels. So, when I heard that his new novel, "The Law of Nines" was an attempt to take his writing in another direction with a novel that was labeled as a thriller, I decided I'd give Goodkind another chance.

Unfortunately, every issue I had with "Wizard" was on display here in "Nines."

Alex is an artist, living painting to painting. On his 27th birthday, he rescues a beautiful woman from death, finds out about a family legacy and begins to discover there is more to his life than meets the eye. On paper, it sounds fairly interesting, but right from the first chapter, Goodkind's story seems little more than a rehash of "Wizard's First Rule." Our hero rescues a damsel in distress, who he falls instantly in love with, and then spends the rest of the book dealing with the fall-out from that one event. Of course, the two can't be together due to complicated reasons that are meant to drive the narrative forward and make the romance feel "forbidden" but instead only serve as a reminder of the same plotline and thread in "Wizard."

Unfortunately, the novel never really picks up from there. Alex could be an interesting character if Goodkind didn't repeat his same mistake from his other novels and have him sit around and contemplated his navel for pages on end. The sheer number of pages in this book could be cut in half if they'd trim some of the characters sits around and reflects on things that have just happened in the previous chapter parts. It becomes more obvious in this one because the chapters are shorter, so the recaps become more and more unnecessary.

And the novel isn't helped by being sold as a "thriller." Is Goodkind trying to distance himself from his niche of fantasy roots? If so, he's not doing so well since this novel clearly has fantasy elements written all over it. There's some mysterious land left to Alex as part of his family inheritance and characters who cross between their realm and ours to either befriend, bewitch or bewilder our hero.

But being the kind of reader I am, I found myself just intrigued enough to want to find out where it all ends. Thankfully, this novel seems fairly self-contained so hopefully we won't get a plethora of sequels. I feel as if Goodkind could be a good writer if he'd eliminate some of what I see as excesses in his writing. But having read two of his books now and seeing no attempt to correct these excesses, I doubt he'll ever really be my cup of tea.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like it if every reviewer would say whether they've read The Sword of Truth Series or not. It might indicate interesting trends in how people enjoy the book. I would love to compare my experience as a fan of Sword to those who didn't like it as much, and even more to those who are reading Goodkind in a new genre for the first time. Might make a good discussion for the sci-fi/ fantasy group as more people get the book and start reading. I bet the author and publisher would also like to know how newbies and fans react differently or the same. Could be interesting!
-----

Well that was weird. I really have no idea what people who haven't read The Sword of Truth will think. My main motivation in reading so quickly was to see what the connections were. It was a fast-paced action/fantasy/adventure more than a thriller, as it is billed. It certainly wasn't scary-suspenseful, although it was often exciting and occasionally violent, but not gory or anything. What it was is almost an exact carbon-copy of Wizard's First Rule set in our world in a modern time. Same guy, same girl, same story, same philosophy and rants. Still interesting to some degree, although I'd guess that the philosophizing would be a lot more interesting to someone who hasn't already read 11 long books of it. Goodkind is still a very strong writer who turns a terrific phrase and writes a vivid and engaging story. Alex and Jax are as likable as Richard and Kahlan, probably because they are clones. Goodkind used the modern American setting to full advantage, illustrating some of the scariest horrors our world offers to helpless victims. It really was a 3.5 star book at best, but because I really liked a few of his descriptions and language, I had to round up.

I do think it's funny that Goodkind is such a mix of tough guy and softy. He seems to believe in love at first sight. His guys are warriors and brainiacs, his women are lovely fighting machines. It's really very Heinleinesque.

[Al · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was keenly reminded upon finishing this book that I should have remembered my vow to never read Terry Goodkind ever again.

[Jake Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished Terry Goodkind's new book, the Law of Nines. Before I go on, I will warn there are spoilers in this review.

I loved Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. Finally, some fantasy with depth and vision. What made that series so incredible was the way he mixed in philosophy (the objectivism found in Ayn Rand's books) with a really great and entertaining fantasy tale. Richard and Kahlan, the two main characters in that series, were believable as lovers and as heroes. They both progressed and developed in very natural ways that made the reader get really attached to them. He had created a world that did not seem irrational because it mirrored our own so well except it had magic. The ending of the series was particularly interesting because it was unexpected. Lord Rahl, Richard, ends up sending those who are against his philosophy (the bad guys) to our world. What a cool commentary. Goodkind essentially said, in the end, that those bad people live in our world and they are trying to push the same philosophies here as they were there.

I needed to tell you all that information for you to understand my review of the new book. Now, I had heard that Terry Goodkind was going to write in the thriller genre. I was ecstatic because I don't think that authors should always have to write in one genre. Certainly, if you are a good enough writer, you should be able to write in several genres.

It was a little weird, at first, to realize I was reading Goodkind when all that was happening was on our world and in a modern time. Not only that, the writing quality was nowhere near the quality of the Sword of Truth series. I read a review that called the writing "blocky and strained." I was willing, however, to overlook the lower quality of writing because I believed in Mr. Goodkind.

Then he started throwing in all these hints about the world from his other series. I was shocked and a little excited because it was unexpected. But then I found that the fact that he tied in this book with the other world made no sense. We get 1,000 years worth of history between the end of Sword of Truth to this book in just a chapter. I felt like someone had taken a beautiful painting and written all over it with marker. Oh wait, that's what happens in The Law of Nines not only once, but twice, a detail which was confusing because somehow the bad guy, Radell Cain, had been watching Alex Rahl the whole time.

That brings another point. Alex Rahl. Rahl is Richard's last name. How the hell did a Rahl get to our world? This is a detail Goodkind never addresses. Then, not only that, his love interest is Jax Amnell which is the same last name as Kahlan in the other series. Correct me if I'm wrong but, if Richard and Kahlan got married (which it's not outlandish to think that they did), Kahlan would no longer be Kahlan Amnell. She would be Kahlan Rahl. So...in that case...wouldn't this relationship between Jax and Alex be a form of incest? I was really confused. Her last name was supposed to be some big revelation, but I found myself wrinkling my nose in distaste because of the implications. Whether or not that was intended, I know not.

Moving on. Alex is a nice guy, right? He's your average Joe at the beginning of the novel when he saves Jax from a van that's about to run her over. Somehow, in the midst of all this, Alex goes from regular Joe to a killing machine. There is a gruesome description of Alex strangling a nurse at the psych ward where his mother is being taken care of. The nurse is a bad lady, but this is one of the first acts of violence in the book. It makes me less sympathetic to Alex simply because we have not seen the bad guys do anything really terrible up to that point.

Another thing. The action scenes drag on forever. And I found myself skimming a lot toward the end because I wanted to get to the main point of the story. It took forever for the climax to come around and it was disappointing. It all felt like a rehash of The Wizard's First Rule. Well, more like a cheap imitation of it because WFR is fantastic. This book is just mediocre.

I guess I could sit and nitpick at the book all day long. Kudos to Goodkind for trying to get out of the fantasy realm. I've been trying to figure out if it is best to read this book without having read the other series, or if you should read SoT and then read this book. I don't know. This book relies so heavily on you understanding what happened in SoT that it would be even more confusing if you had not read them.

So...I would only recommend this book if you're a die-hard Terry Goodkind fan. I am still a fan because he was able to produce an amazing series, but I hope his next book is not as hard to get through as this one was. It was entertaining, but not worth getting excited over. I kind of hope he returns to fantasy. We shall see.

[Meredith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terry Goodkind presents: Terry Goodkind's Glock of Truth novels.

Once upon a time Goodkind wrote some pretty decent sword-and-sorcery novels. Not mind-blowing, not life-changing, but solid and fun adventure stories with some seriously superb world building and characters that I liked enough to follow to the end of the Sword of Truth series. Followed it to the bitter end, because my affection for the characters was the only thing that sustained my interest in an increasingly preachy and unenjoyable series. When it ended, I breathed a huge sigh of not completion and satisfaction, but relief. But I can't write a review of The Law of Nines without talking about the Sword of Truth series, because this book is basically an extension of that series. Even if Goodkind thinks this is an independent new work (and if he doesn't, his marketers seem to think so), I consider this the latest addition to the Sword of Truth series.

So when I heard that Goodkind was going to write another novel, this time a modern day thriller, I was interested to see what he'd do outside the series he's spent over a decade writing books for. I was disappointed, though, when I first read the cover flap and found out that his main character's last name was Rahl. I had a sinking feeling that Alex Rahl was going to be Richard Rahl 2.0, and that was pretty much true, right down to the habit of running his hands through his hair and having piercing gray eyes and being inexplicably great at killing people. Worse, though, while I started out liking Richard in the Sword of Truth novels and then grew to dislike his speechifying and rhetoric later in the series, Alex is immediately as self-righteous and preachy as Later!Richard so I never really warmed to him. Jax isn't so much a person as an excuse to move the story along, and I guess Jax and Alex love each other because Goodkind tells me that they do. The appeal of Richard and Kahlan's relationship in the Sword of Truth novels is gone; there's no challenge or romance in this that made me cheer for Alex and Jax like I did for Richard and Kahlan. It's sad when you know what an author can do, and he doesn't deliver.

Furthermore, the plot is not particularly interesting. Alex and Jax chase across the country, followed by evildoers from the Sword of Truth world. There's not much suspense there, because we pretty much know at least Alex has to make it to their destination, and if Jax dies along the way... well, that's sad but it's not going to break my heart or anything. There's a villain who's evil I guess just because he likes being evil, which is never all that interesting. Nothing about the plot is more complex than "You Bad, Me Good," and characters are the way they are because the plot requires it, not because they have any dimension to them. The book is less a story than a vehicle for Goodkind to deliver his particular flavor of Randian Objectivism. As in the last several books in the Sword of Truth novels, Goodkind's philosophical leanings are glaringly apparent in The Law of Nines. It's grating for readers like me who are only there for a solid piece of fiction, not to get the Truth According to Terry Goodkind. I know what you think, Terry. And I know what Richard Rahl thinks, and I know what Alex Rahl thinks, because they think what you think. I'm not opposed to an author who wants to twine in philosophical leanings with a story, but I feel like Goodkind has played, ad nauseum, an Ayn Rand techno remix at full volume throughout his last several books. If I want to read Rand, I'll read Atlas Shrugged, thank you. Nowadays, his writing doesn't engage me in thought (like he obviously wants it to) rather than turn me off. I simply don't engage with his literature like I did when reading Wizard's First Rule, which is a shame. This reads more like Sword of Truth fanfiction than a novel that can stand on its own merit. Sorry, Terry. I think I should see other authors now. It's been real.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contrary to the summary provided on goodreads for this book, I did NOT think that Goodkind "proved he could jump genres."

Though I had my stickler points with Goodkind's epic Sword of Truth fantasy series, mostly having to do with the fact that Goodkind is a stark objectivist and licks Ayn Rand's cold dead feet every night before going to bed. Aside from that, I really enjoyed that series. It was clever and dramatic.

This however, was a mostly failed attempt to "jump genres" but really not do anything of the sort. Well, actually he did abandon all of the good stuff about his previous books.

The Law of Nines is to The Sword of Truth as "Joey" is to "Friends". For anyone who missed that reference, this book was like a bad spin off. Goodkind kept throwing in random details that link the content of this book with his previous work, but the connections would either be lost on non-fans or eye rolling to fans. I could tell that Goodkind kept trying to bring in the same type of dynamics and social commentary that existed in the sword of truth books, but without the overt fantasy setting. The result is that you get a lame "thriller" which incorporates hollow and loosely supported fantasy elements. And because Goodkind has "jumped genres", we get the slew of descriptions of weapon hardware and over the top explanations of "how it really could happen because it's real world stuff" that you commonly find in thriller books, and which I tend to hate. It really wasn't all that exciting anyway. The most the book held my attention was when the protagonist was held against his will in a mental institution. Goodkind held my attention as I overly scrutinized the escape scene and description of psychotropic medication to see if he did his homework. That's the beauty of a fantasy landscape--you can do whatever you want, as long as you stick to your own rules. With real world thrillers, you have to research your Glocks and your car parts and your thorazine to make sure you got it right, and then make sure you convince the reader you're being realistic or you'll get angry letters.

Overall--Meh. Probably not worth it.

(I've noticed that books that disappoint or appall me get long reviews and the good ones get a single line or paragraph. Guess I like to gripe and point out flaws? Or maybe they just make themselves targets?)

[Melinda Haas · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a diehard fan of The Sword of Truth series and Terry Goodkind, I felt this was a compromised peice of work, similar to the Legend of the Seeker television series. It feels like Terry did not spend the time fleshing out the story and the characters as well as he did with SOT. When he started referencing Alex lifting his gun to make sure it was ready and Jax' special smile she only gave Alex, among other things, I really came up short and couldn't believe he had borrowed so carelessly from the the Richard and Kahlan characters. It just seems like he put all of his effort into his original series, and the spinoff works are just to milk it for money without regard for the quality of SOT. It just feels like he is yielding to the pressure of the commonness of what's popular, which really goes against his entire philosophy in his stories.

I actually recognized the potential for a spinoff when Richard created our world and put all of the nonmagical people in it. If he could just spend a little more time with some intelligent design, it might be worth checking out the inevitable next novel where Jax comes back so he can help her with the next problem that is sure to immerge. After all, when Richard killed Darken Rahl and then sent him back to the keeper again, there was a whole new set of problems that took the rest of the series to resolve. Nothing leads me to believe Terry won't copy that idea for this series.

Another problem with this series is the lack of detail in the law of nines. He never made it clear how the law of nines works, other than Alex was born on September 9th, at 9:09 a.m.

[Tulara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am usually reluctant to read what I call "changeover" books - authors who cross their specialty writing to another. Terry Goodkind wrote a new book, but it's a mystery thriller type of book. Oh, it has magic and the Terry Goodkind guy who doesn't know he's to save the world kind of formula. I was getting really engrossed, but then the "hero's" last name was Rahl. As in Darken Rahl, Richard Rahl...??? sword of truth anyone? And I'm not even going to tell you the last name of the woman of magic who crosses the barrier to save/help him.
Pretty good story, but falls back on the Sword of Truth series a little too much for me. I'd rather read more our Richard and Kahlan.
And Goodkind really looks different - from when he first started writing with his long blond hair - and just a writer-looking guy. On this book jacket, he's shaved his head and wears a black turtleneck and stands like he's a clothes model. In fact, the description of the villian in the book reminds me of the picture of the author on the back cover. Hmmm.

[John Funk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gets a bad wrap but I really enjoyed it. I picked it up long before I read Wizards First Rule - at a time I had not even heard of The Sword Of Truth. It wasn't until years later that I realized The Law Of Nines is part of a series. It is a good read.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

First, let me say I was very disappointed in the Sword of Truth finale. I was first drawn into his Sword of Truth series because of the descriptions of the characters and the world that just made it all feel real. Towards the end of the series, though, the books seemed to be shallow. I continued to read them, though, because by that point I had to know how it all worked out for Lord Rahl and Kahlan. The last book seemed to be written as though TG was tired of the whole thing and had one more chore to do in order to be through with it all. When I saw The Law of Nines, I thought I would give TG another chance. When I started reading it, I felt TG might be on track by trying his skill with a different genre. Was I wrong. Unfortunately he has merely attempted to recreate and old love story between Lord Rahl and Kahlan, and insults the reader by resurrecting what was best left finished in the Sword of Truth series. I am disappointed in his writing, too. I felt nothing for the characters in this book. I don't really care what happens. He should have kept the grandfather and mother alive...had us feel for everyone if he intends to make a series out of this. I have no attachment to any character in this book. I also found some dialogue incredibly unbelievable. For example, Alex is suppose to be acting drugged up and unable to rationalize or feel anything because of the drugs, yet is able to convince the villians why they shouldn't violate Jax. The villians didn't question this? Right. I also couldn't believe that Jax and Alex would have long discussions while escaping a burning building or villians! Incredibly insulting to the intelligence of the reader. I am not sure if I will spend any more reading time on TG books. How sad, because I know he is a talented writer as his earlier works proved.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series some time ago, so when I heard rumors of this book I was quite intrigued. I read that it was a non-fantasy change up for Goodkind and that excited me even more; I love fantasy, but I love a good change up, a break from the mold, even more. All of the publisher's material hinted at "a stunning" new book that defied genres... this is where the problems begin.
The book is good, don't get me wrong. I enjoyed it very much. However, this was a fantasy book through and through, or at the very least a fantasy/ sci-fi book. There was nothing out of the ordinary and nothing that was particularly "stunning". *** Spoiler Alert*** The one unique thing I did see, and what I am assuming the publisher was trying so hard to promote, was that this book is really a continuation on "The Sword of Truth" series. The main character is a descendant of Lord Rahl, but he exists in our world and current time... I won't go further. Neat trick, and the end is set up for more to come, but still not "stunning".
Now, the story itself is fun, fast paced, and a good read, but it has a few issues as well. The main character is an artist who starts out as a kind of lovable bumbling everyday Joe, but by the end is killing people by the dozens and can handle himself in a gun or knife fight as well as a seasoned assassin. I won't get into all of the times I stopped and thought, "Now wait a minute..." I choose to think of it as a action adventure flick, where the explosions are a little too big, the guns pack a little too much punch, and the good guy always wins.

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is set in a world like ours where there's no magic, but there's technology that does the same sort of things that magic might accomplish in a fantasy world. There is a connection to that sort of fantasy world, and people of that world can cross over to our world. And they want something. That's the more or less spoiler free premise.

Terry Goodkind is starting to repeat himself... The villain of this book Randell Cain is startlingly like emperor Jagang, espousing the same philosophy, having the same sort of goals. So when Jax is warning our hero about Randell Cain, it's like "come on, we get it already, let's get on with the story". I was thinking the same thing when she started drawing parallels between magic and technology.

Anyway, there is one difference between Randell Cain and Jagang, and that's that the new villain is all too easily defeated. (He should have read the Evil Overlord list - ok, just kidding)

I was surprised by the revelation of Jax's last name. I didn't realize that the person I knew form other books with the same last name had any relatives... Unless in that world they don't take the husband's name (that's probably it).

[Kendra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book. I am an avid Terry Goodkind fan, and I absolutely love his Sword of Truth series, so needless to say I was very excited when I heard he was writing another book that supposedly had nothing to do with Richard and Kahlan. Unfortunately, that didn`t turn out to be the case.

Terry Goodkind basically put the exact same personalities and looks into the same characters, called them different (first) names, and threw them into a Sword of Truth plot that took place in our world, except it was lacking most of the plot elements that make SoT books such good stories. I understand that the whole point of the book was that they were descendants of Richard and Kahlan and it was suppose to be an explanation of what happened to the people who left for a world without magic at the end of Confessor, but for me it was a huge disappointment.

I`m sure some of you loved this and its connection to SoT and probably disagree with me in every way possible, however I was looking forward to seeing another good, original story from Mr. Goodkind. Hopefully next time he'll prove to me that he isn't just a `one story` author.

[Cole · Rating 1 out of 5]

What. The. Fuck?!? Don't waste your time with this repetitive predictable attempt at writing. What happened to the author who wrote the first few Sword of Truth books?

[Andreas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a typical Goodkind book. Not the best or most unique book I've ever read, but still entertaining.

3.75/5 stars

[Mrs Mo Foeva! · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm nervous about dipping into this monstrosity. The first couple of chapters have me looking at the back cover to make sure that I am, indeed, reading a work by Mr. Goodkind. The words dance across the page like a stiffly choreographed sequence geared to a specific audience. Unlike other Goodkind fantasies, this story seems a bit contrived...forced...???...whatever it is, I like the mystique of the lady with the "knowing eyes", and I hope the story takes on a life of its own in subsequent chapters.

We. Shall. See.

Although this Goodkind fatty was like eating fistfuls of cotton candy washed down with hot chocolate - pure junk - I read through it faster than I expected to. There were no subplots, no back-burner stories, just one, long, unraveling yarn chronicling the hardly-believable rise of one man from starving artist to savior of mankind. His love interest (blonde, of course) was brave and encouraged him to go above and beyond what he thought he could do. Of course.

This was a far cry from his typical books about the dark arts and magic, yet with some aspects remaining, it morphed into a bizarro mix of sci-fi and romance. For instance, the graphic depictions of violence, near-decapitations, broken appendages, crushed faces, etc. were pure Goodkind. While he dedicated this book to his wife, and the undercurrent is L-O-V-E, the gore and agony kept it from teetering over the edge of ridiculousness.

I would read it again.

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you can see from the dates - July 8th-July 19th - this one took me a while to finish. Really it was an easy read, i.e. not full of harrowing language I have to squint at to try & understand. But I found bits of it quite frustrating. Actually, the main thing I found frustrating was the main character, the hero Alex!

I don't know if anyone else has had this problem before, but while I was reading this book, I got REALLY annoyed with Alex sometimes. When he first met Jax and was doubting that all she said was true, he just kept asking questions (quite often stupid questions) and she kept having to say, "I don't know," and explain why she couldn't possibly know answers to his stupid questions. He actually reminded me of a really annoying little kid going through the "asking questions" phase. Urrrgh. And during the hospital scenes where he & Jax were held prisoner, I realised that I liked Alex a hell of a lot more...why? Because he hardly talked at all!!! It was far less talk and way more action. I much preferred him in the latter part of the book when his stupid questions grew more and more infrequent, and he had less and less to say. It was quite a relief.

All that said, I think the story is really cool, and I did enjoy reading it and seeing how it turned out. But I'm not sure I'd ever read this book again. It wasn't that sort of read, I suppose.