Temple of the Winds (Sword of Truth, #4)

by Terry Goodkind

book data

6,240 ratings, 3.88 average rating, 154 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		33%
4		33%
3		24%
2		7%
1		2%

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published

February 25th 2007 by Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged (first published 1997)

details

Audio CD

isbn

1423321677 (isbn13: 9781423321675)

description

To fight a magical plague cutting a deadly swath across the land and slaying thousands of innocent victims, Richard Rahl and his beloved Kahlan Amnell…more

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Jul 30, 2008

Ben Babcock rated it:

(review of isbn 0812551486)

bookshelves: 2008-read, borrowed, fantasy

Read in August, 2008

recommended to Ben by: Stephanie Chow

The only part of this book that truly aggravated me was the end. Once again (and I can say this without spoiling it, because I won't reveal any details), Richard manages to avoid the consequences of the tragedy introduced during the rising action. Maybe I'm just sick. Maybe it's wrong of me to want characters to suffer. But this guy's luck is incredible.

The redeeming aspect of the end is that there are sort of consequences (the chimes), but they won't make an appearance until the...more The only part of this book that truly aggravated me was the end. Once again (and I can say this without spoiling it, because I won't reveal any details), Richard manages to avoid the consequences of the tragedy introduced during the rising action. Maybe I'm just sick. Maybe it's wrong of me to want characters to suffer. But this guy's luck is incredible.

The redeeming aspect of the end is that there are sort of consequences (the chimes), but they won't make an appearance until the next book. I guess that's okay. But this reveals Goodkind's heavyhanded writing style that mars the previous books.

I must say that from a philosophical standpoint, the books are actually getting easier to stomach, not worse. Almost everything I read about them told me to expect the opposite. Instead, the amount of exposition is now tolerable. Maybe it's because Richard's character has evolved to the point that the philosophical arguments Goodkind is trying to espouse actually make sense from Richard's perspective. He has the whole "burdened hero" motif. Or perhaps I'm just too naive (or maybe too jaded) to actually pay attention enough to pick out the philosophy Goodkind is apparently attempting to impress upon his readers.

Compared to the last book, however, this book is rather slow. It reminds me of The Stone of Tears, although I'll admit that this one has more action in it.

Goodkind struggles with portraying all of his characters and putting them in interesting situations. Some authors pull this off well (i.e., George R.R. Martin). Others, like Goodkind, are very good at creating a lot of characters and giving them important roles in certain parts of the story, but then later they fade into the background. This is also noticeable in the next book when it comes to Verna and Warren. This is a shame, because many of those characters are interesting. Some of them get less page time than the villains. The books are already rather long, but maybe a different editing approach would have allowed our favourite recurring characters some more time to shine.(less)

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Mar 11, 2008

Substance rated it:

bookshelves: didnt-finish-it

Read in March, 2008

currently reading this, and compared to book 3, this one is rubbish.

i do not like kahlan how she keeps crying
richards character is quite boring and two faced, he is trying to be mr perfect...his acceptance as the ruler was just to sudden, i felt there was no good flow between woods guide and ruler.

the story line is concentrated in that damn confessors castle
there is to much about fighting some plague and not enough action trying to find a solution.
very s...more

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1 comment

Jan 30, 2009

Amber rated it:

Read in January, 2008

Terry Goodkind is a superb author, and in my opinion, his "Sword of Truth" series is the best I have ever read. So good, in fact, that I have read the entire series three times in a row, back to back, non-stop. This series is *not* for children. The series covers many aspects of the dark side of humanity, in great detail, as the heroes try to overcome the evils in the world. Goodkind is not afraid to show his readers just what evil *really* is, that is, most often, people who perform...more

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Jan 20, 2009

Blake rated it:

(review of isbn 0812551486)

Read in February, 2009

Yes, folks, this book is very hard to read. But there is redemption...

Any part with Zedd is pretty good. But he's a pretty decent character, so that is to be expected.

Kahlan cries some more. No surprise here.

Lots of people start dying. And there is a bit of sex. Oh la la.

Trudge through it. The other books are better.

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Feb 24, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

bookshelves: pure-fantasy

This is the one that made me stop reading the series. In fact, I set the book down without even finishing it. Goodkind just keeps rehashing the same old stuff over and over and it's not fresh any more. He's also downright fixated on sex and I just felt too disgusted to continue. I don't have a problem with reading about sex (I read the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey, for crying out loud!) - it's not the sex, it's the intent that creeped me out. I haven't picked up another Goodkind book since...more

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Jul 04, 2007

Nick rated it:

(review of isbn 0812551486)

Read in January, 2005

This book was the nail in the coffin for my interest in reading this series. While the first offering was an alright read, the events that occured in the following books got more ludicrous. Add in a cheesy romance story that's so over-the-top and this rubbish became almost unbearable to finish. I don't know how so many people can recommend this series. I feel that it is utter garbage. If I could give less than one star (read: zero) I would.

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1 comment

Mar 14, 2009

Meagan rated it:

bookshelves: fantasy, series

Read in April, 2009

This is the fourth book in the Sword of Truth series, and it had the double whammy challenge of being the fourth very long book in a very long series, and of being the book I was reading just before my comprehensive exams for grad school. These challenges made me move through this book a little more slowly than the previous three, and the beginning was a bit more slow moving than I would have liked, so it took me a bit longer to read than I expected. Nevertheless, The last 200 pages or so abso...more

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Mar 26, 2009

Tracey rated it:

bookshelves: books-i-own

Read in March, 2009

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahh!
I can't remember ever reading a book as dark/twisted/perverse as this. So THOROUGHLY MESSED UP. And I love it.

I cannot believe the shit Goodkind puts his characters through.
Not even TV!Kahlan/Richard will be the same to me after this.

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8 comments

Jan 16, 2009

Jaye rated it:

Read in January, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 04, 2009

Kat rated it:

Read in January, 2007

This is the book that starts a change in the series. Emperor Jagang becomes Richards new enemy even though he was mentioned in the last book. He's not as good as Darken Rahl, but a worthy replacement. It's been over a year since I read this book, but I do beleive this is where I really started to like Cara's character. I felt a little frustrated with this book, as there was a few new characters that I really hated, in facted they pissed me off. As you get furter on in the series, Terry feel...more

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Jan 02, 2010

Nancy rated it:

Read in December, 2009

This is the fourth installment in Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series. I got hooked by watching Legend of the Seeker on TV and now I can’t put the books down. As in the other volumes, a love story propels the plot, which features woodsman Richard Cipher, now known as Lord Rahl and a wizard in his own right. His powers are tested as a plague sweeps the land, decimating his people and his army. Dark magic started the disease, and only magic can stop it, but at a terrible cost to both Richar...more

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May 19, 2009

Madeline rated it:

bookshelves: science-fiction-fantasy

Read in May, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jun 04, 2008

Benjamin rated it:

bookshelves: scifi-fantasy

Once again, a story line that would be inconsequentual if the main characters would only talk to one another instead of rushing of headlong into danger (to cause more problems). I stopped reading the series after this book.

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May 12, 2009

Diothaen rated it:

bookshelves: srp-2009-books

Read in June, 2009

I started reading this series of books by Terry Goodkind at the recommendation of a friend. As some of you may know, I am not an avid reader, so the thought of me completing a series of 11 books each well over 500 pages is a daunting task for me. That being said, I have finished the 4th book in this series, Temple of the Winds.

Once again we follow the adventures of Richard and Kahlan, as they fight the forces of the Keeper. This book follows the pattern that has been established in ...more

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Feb 23, 2010

Adi rated it:

(review of isbn 0312890532)

bookshelves: 2010-read-list, fantasy-and-sci-fi

Read in March, 2010

A stunningly thrilling, action packed new chapter in the story of Richard Rhal and Kahlan Amnel.

Even though this is the fourth book of the Sword of Truth series, it lived up to my expectations, being as good as its three predecessors. As always, Terry Goodking paints with words on paper an experience full of the sharpest emotions and feeling, describing them so well that you cannot help but be submerged into the world of the Seeker.

And yet, this story is as diffetent from...more

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Jun 30, 2009

SKCircles rated it:

(review of isbn 291554929X)

Read in August, 2008

Le quatrième tome des aventures de Richard et Kahlan, et franchement, je ne m'en lasse pas ! De fil en aiguille, Terry Goodkind tisse un monde à part entière, un véritable univers dans lesquel les choses, les créatures et les personnages ont la substance du réel. C'est tout un art que de réussir à nous plonger ainsi dans les aventures des deux héros et de leurs amis, comme si l'on y était ! Dans ce volume, l'intensité dramatique atteint en plus des sommets : c'est l'amour de Richard e...more

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Jan 12, 2009

Michael rated it:

Read in January, 2009

Defnitely not the best in the series so far. Drug on quite a bit. One of the things that drew me to Terry Goodkind is the fast-paced storyline. While I wasn't bored with the story, it wasn't as captivating as the first three and moved at a much slower pace. I don't need hundreds of pages of half-hearted character development for characters i've already been through 3 books with - especially when it's the two main characters and its the same thing over and over and over again.

It ...more

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Dec 03, 2009

Karen rated it:

Ok, so I'm still wizard-obsessed. When the stress of the holidays and work close up, I hope to get back to my life. Until then: Wizards.

The books are starting to shift to a critique of socialist systems. Communists are really, really evil in this book. They do things like take over continents and make women into slaves. Which is fine, when it's a totalitarian government, but I'm wondering what his take on health care is.

I'm still enjoying the books, but I'm a litt...more

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Jun 02, 2009

Rozanne rated it:

This book had a great storyline with an interesting twist and lots of action. It also had a great ending...my favorite of the books so far. However, unlike the other books, there were some gruesome chapters that I kind of skipped over because of the explicit sexual content involving rape-type situations...not the romantic type. I found that it really wasn't necessary to read those chapters at all once you knew it was another of "those". I found the explicitness of those chapters ve...more

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Oct 05, 2008

Julie rated it:

Read in March, 2009

Not my favorite Sword of Truth Book. I still however like the overall story of Richard's journey. I think Jagang is a worthy evil opponent for Richard and I really enjoyed the deviant Drefan. I do like most of the side stories - Verna and Warren; Nathan Rahl; and Zedd and Ann. I like the Mord Sith(Cara, Berdine and Raina), however I do feel like they should be harder given their past. Sadly, I have come to the conclusion I really can't stand Kahlan. Everyone thinks she is so wonderful yet all sh...more

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