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Faith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth #6)

by Terry Goodkind (Goodreads Author)

4.11 of 5 stars 4.11 · rating details · 27,751 ratings · 609 reviews

Terry Goodkind author of the enormously popular Sword of Truth novels, has forged perhaps his best novel yet, pitting Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell against threats to the freedom of the world that will take them to opposite ends of the world to defeat the forces of chaos and anarchy.

Emperor Jagang is rising once again in the Old World and Richard must face him, on his own...more

ebook, 800 pages

Published December 14th 2010 by Tor Books (first published January 1st 2000)

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Jun 30, 2009 Keely rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childhood, fantasy, novel, reviewed

This book has become an unusual point of discussion between me and my literary fantasy friends. It all started years ago when this kid from fencing and I were discussing what fantasy books we read. I was a Goodkind fan, but I admitted that, partway through this book, I just couldn't do it anymore. Something in me just stopped responding, and I never managed to finish it.

He creased his brow and frowned and said the same thing had happened to him. He'd been following the series and at this book, i...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

My husband and I have both been addicted to the Sword of Truth series since my brother introduced it to us. We're down to the last couple of books. FYI- don't bother with the tv series "based" on the books.

This particular book makes you question the widely followed philosophy of always caring for your neighbor. This shows the dark side of putting others before yourself, essentially saying that their lives are more important than your own.

It would certainly be best if you read the books before t...more

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Oct 08, 2009 Lance Riley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Recently I finished a fantasy novel entitled Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind. This is book six in a series of books entitled “The Sword of Truth”, a classic fantasy series with magic and swords and wizards and such. One of the main characters in The Sword of Truth books is a young man named Richard. Richard’s character is fundamentally defined by two components, in my view – the “angry young man”, and his belief in the nobility of the human spirit. Richard can be very angry and defiant whe...more Recently I finished a fantasy novel entitled Faith of the Fallen by Terry Goodkind. This is book six in a series of books entitled “The Sword of Truth”, a classic fantasy series with magic and swords and wizards and such. One of the main characters in The Sword of Truth books is a young man named Richard. Richard’s character is fundamentally defined by two components, in my view – the “angry young man”, and his belief in the nobility of the human spirit. Richard can be very angry and defiant when he is captured or under duress, but as he has matured and the books have matured, the author has brought out Richard’s second quality – his belief in the nobility of the human spirit – more and more. And this really takes shape in Faith of the Fallen. Reading the series has been enjoyable to me to this point, but nothing profound until I read Faith of the Fallen. This development of the philosophy of the nobility of the human spirit in this particular book really struck a chord with me. In the book, Richard is “visiting” a new land, a land which is under tyrannical rule, with leaders who attempt to brainwash the public into believing that man is a wretched creature, their lives are all miserable, and all they can do is try to get by and should give all their “extra” money to the needy. This world is basically heavily controlled by the government (called “The Order”), and anyone who earns any extra money because of their success and hard work has that money taken away from them because they are “greedy” and the money is in turn given to those “less fortunate.” Into this scene strides Richard, and in his inexorable, stubborn way, he transforms the world so that people see the nobility of the human spirit within themselves, and not wretched misery. Here are a few quotes from the book that may help to illustrate:

Victor tapped his temple, as if to dissuade a skeptic. "In here I have ability. In here I have beauty. That is all that matters to me. If I never touch steel to this stone, then I will always have the beauty of what it could be, and that, the Order can never take away from me."

Under the direction of the brothers, the collective of the Order, like any autocratic ruler, ultimately ruled only by the acquiesce of the people, who were controlled either by moral intimidation, or by physical threat, or by both. Tyranny required constant tending, lest the illusion of righteous authority evaporate in the light of its grim toll, and the brutes be overpowered by the people who greatly outnumbered them.

Self-sacrifice for a value held dear, for a life held dear, for freedom and the freedom of those you respect – self-sacrifice such as mine for Kahlan's life – is the only rationally valid sacrifice. To be selfless means you are a slave who must surrender your most priceless possession – your life – to any smirking thief who demands it.

The suicide of self-sacrifice is but a requirement imposed by masters on slaves. Since there is a knife to my throat, it is not to my good that I am stripped of what I earn by my own hand and mind. It is only to the good of the one with the knife, and those who by weight of numbers but not reason dictate what is the good of all those cheering him on so they might lap up any drop of blood their masters miss.

Life is precious. That's why sacrifice for freedom is rational: it is for life itself and your ability to live it that you act, since life without freedom is the slow, sure death of self-sacrifice to the ‘good’ of mankind – who is always someone else. Mankind is just a collection of individuals. Why should everyone's life be more important, more precious, more valuable than yours? Mindless mandatory self-sacrifice is insane.

I believe in this nobility of the human spirit. I would hope that within each of us, there exists a pure, noble grace and the potential to rise to greatness – however greatness may be defined for each of us individually. Basically, I believe (or want to believe) that man is good, and that left to our own devices, we will generally strive to do good things for ourselves and one another, to be inspirational to ourselves and one another, and in our connectedness and within ourselves strive to reach enlightenment.

Now, what exactly is enlightenment? In the book, the pure, noble core is unleashed in Richard as he prepares a sculpture that he has been commissioned to create by the tyrannical regime. In this sense, he is tapping into his own “inner nobility”, as well as illustrating to others – through the finished product of the sculpture – just exactly what life is all about and how it can indeed be a beautiful and noble thing. I believe art in its many forms – music, sculpture, literature, poetry, etc. – is a strong vehicle for bringing out this passion and nobility. Take, for example, Mozart, a man who was a pure musical genius, and who was practically driven to create, to translate the passion and art in his mind into music. The public responded – and does to this day. When one hears a Mozart composition, one can’t help but sense the mastery, the passion, the exaltation. In my view this is the epitome and essence of the nobility of the human spirit that is discussed in the book Faith of the Fallen. Therefore, back to my initial question – what is enlightenment? Let’s take a journey into the philosophy of Buddhism to help with that question. In my view, Buddhism has a fundamental tenet – impermanence. EVERYTHING is impermanent or transitory or temporary – everything. From this central truth comes a result – life is suffering. Strangely, this sounds like what the tyrannical rulers of the Order from Faith of the Fallen were saying – humanity is nothing but a bunch of wretched, miserable creatures who suffer for their entire existences. But no, this is not what Buddhism says. Buddhism teaches one to actually feel joy and contentment from each moment of life as it occurs. By accepting the inevitable impermanence of all existence, one learns to reach a certain level of moderation and detachment as the journey unfolds. This is a bit hard to grasp, in my view, but I do believe that this type of a philosophy doesn’t diminish the appreciation of life; in fact it celebrates it, as one becomes more “in tune” with each passing moment and each sensory input.

But here is the big debate (at least for me personally) – is the exaltation, passion, and nobility of the human spirit as represented in Mozart’s music and in the sculpture Richard creates in Faith of the Fallen at odds with the lessons of detachment and moderation in Buddhism? I honestly don’t know the answer. If I had access to a Buddhist temple and a Buddhist monk, perhaps I would try to ask this question. History seems to show that Mozart’s life was not exactly pleasant. As he was driven to create, he lived his days in a fevered-pitch, and I believe he is almost viewed to have been delirious or insane. Is this a sign of being truly in touch with the nobility of the human spirit and close to enlightenment? I believe Buddhism actually teaches us to truly “feel” the joy of living, and to believe in the exaltation and nobility of man. But if one is supposed to be detached, how does one produce incredible works of passionate art or music? If Mozart had lived his days detached, I doubt he could have tapped into the passion. Would he have been happier? As Richard neared the end of carving his sculpture, he too reached a state of frenetic insanity, and could not sleep or think of much else in the final days. Yet, what he produced was truly majestic and powerful, and helped others to see the meaning of life.

Perhaps some of these answers lie in another philosophy called “Objectivism.” This is a philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in the twentieth century, and I strongly suspect that Terry Goodkind, the author of Faith of the Fallen, is a follower of Ayn Rand. Objectivism seems to put forth support for the nobility of the human spirit and a strong capitalist society, both of which seem to be themes in Goodkind’s books. However, objectivism seems to suggest that our inherent potential to embrace the nobility of the human spirit is an exclusive trait of humans, and that our unique ability to reason, to create ethical, moral behavior, and to behave in a “selfish” manner is what leads to this nobility, passion, and exaltation. Perhaps I need to study this Objectivism philosophy more, but I would disagree that nobility, passion, and grace are only reserved for humanity. In my view, it is all of life – all of existence – together in its purity that contributes to the overall transcendence, the overall nobility.

In any event, the question remains…is Mozart at odds with the ideals of Buddhism? Does our inherent rise toward noble expression distract from true enlightenment? Questions to ponder.(less)

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Andy Lance, I just finished this book. I enjoy your thought on the novel, and the thread of inquiry on Mozart and Buddhism. I've been studying and practici...more Lance, I just finished this book. I enjoy your thought on the novel, and the thread of inquiry on Mozart and Buddhism. I've been studying and practicing Buddhism (mainly Zen and Tibetan traditions) for some time, and would like to share a thought or two. I also began reading Goodkind as a teenager, so my path with Buddhism has paralleled my reading of these books. I am also a musician, with classical training and backround in songwriting, etc, so I'm a Mozart fan too.

I think it is a common misnomer to be snagged on interpreting the word "detachment" in Buddhism. The practice of Buddhism does support an awareness that is neither attached and enmeshed, nor detached and distant, but aware of -as you said- the impermanence of what arises in our lives. What is cultivated though, in the meditation practices of Buddhist traditions, is not just awareness, but an openness, a clarity, and a natural warmth toward the living world. And, surprisingly, this springs naturally through a basic relationship with what is. Not too far from the friendly and generous essence in Richard's character.

But, with this wisdom, does this mean one can't ride on the back of passion, feel the burn of longing for a lover, or appreciate the surge of creative juice as it courses through them while writing a new song or performing it? No. One actually feels it fully, maybe even joyfully. But when it is gone- one can let go. That's one aspect of the training of Buddhism. I think the core tenets of Buddhism, when one encounters it directly, is an appreciation for the vivid appearance of each moment, and the preciousness of the particularities of who we are. we can also die without warning, at any time, and so it is encouraged to live with an open heart, and an awareness of impermanence as a reminder to live fully. And I think that is one of the messages in Mozart, is it not? LOOK AT LIFE! THIS IS AMAZING!

One thing I get from Goodkind's books is a re-kindling of a sense of awe. I love the struggles of negotiating individualism and collectivism, oppression vs. freedom, dictatorship vs. democracy, flawed nature vs. noble nature, narcissism vs. generosity. Each of these topics encourages discussion & introspection (ie: thinking).

I'm not sure about an "Objectivist" stance, but would point more toward a developmentalal approach such as what one finds in developmental and positive psychology (check out Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development and Robert Kegan's cognitive development). Actually, one might simply turn to Socrates or Plato or Aristotle for thoughts on reason and the ability to think for one's self.

Goodkind also has a knack for exposing the holes hidden within fundamentalism, which he lays bare with precision in The Blood of the Fold (witch trials) & Faith of the Fallen (a sort of autocratic communism with the Order). Soul of the Fire, along with FOTF, is another story of how rigid belief systems and idealistic propaganda can contribute to keeping a whole people locked in an oppressive system (Anders & Hakens). Goodkind, of course, uses all of these as tools to create dramatic tension, and to take his characters -therefore us- on their journeys.

Still more to discuss with all that you brought up. Thanks for the juicy post.(less)
Apr 05, 2010 01:27am

Lance Riley Thanks very much for your thoughts Andy! The great thing about Goodkind - he helps stir these juicy thoughts in the minds of others and really gives u...more
Oct 21, 2010 08:02pm

Apr 06, 2008 Andria rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Ayn Rand

Shelves: audiobooks

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

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Jul 19, 2007 Shanti rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Not So Much

Alrighty, then ... I just finished it. I will be on to something else in my library for a while. Tired of Goodkind rehashing who characters are and their past relationships for pages. If one's been reading in sequence, we arlready know who they are.

There is two points that crossed the line of tedium:

1. Goodkind dives in headfirst into exploration ofsocialism vs. capitalism and totalitarianism vs. deomocracy with two of the characters for what seems like an eterinty. While I embrace this explor...more

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Nov 27, 2007 Ryan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

In my opinion, this is Goodkind's greatest work. Richard is drug along on an adventure to the heart of the Order to help Nicci find the answer to the questions stuck in the back of her mind since she was taken away so long ago. The writing is beautiful and descriptive, the characters are compelling and the plot is amazing, driving the characters on to bring out their inner personalities. This book takes place near the middle/end of the series and sets up what is hopefully the downfall of the ord...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Other than the first book this might have been my favorite in the series. There was no downtime, no boring antidotes about a plot line that didn't matter. This author does tend to get preachy and go a bit on in the war scenes and independence for all rants, but by now I'm used to them and they were few in this book. Loved how we got equal doses of Kahlan and Richard.

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Nov 23, 2008 Shelley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I normally don't add sequels to books I've read, but I really like this series, and it's been a while since I put one on here. I liked the first one (Wizard's First Rule) and have been reading the series off and on for a while. Love the writing style - easy to get into and hard to put down.

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May 21, 2010 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, supermen, kings-of-badassia, 2000-2005, fantasy, political-fiction, kings-and-queens, unique-magic, favorite-ideas

3.0 stars. Probably my favorite book in the series apart from Wizard's First Rule. Some think Goodkind got too preachy in this book and I can see that, but I found myself enjoying his passion for the material. Richard's ordeal (physical, emotional and spiritual) at the hands of the Order and his ultimate triumph was handled well and I think this book contained the best writing (though still not great) of the entire series.

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Jan 05, 2011 Brian rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book 6:

very slow. Big plot holes - nicci pwoerful , brother narev has power and can redo palace, kahlan not getting healed. Nicci line boring and beliefs totally unreal. Trying to take new characters and weaving new detailed stories, but they are dumb. Main characters invincible and all knowing excpet for times that they are complete idiots and do things for stupid reason to make the plot move. War not realistic at all. Stupid anti-socialist political statements - way exaggerated! Ending picked...more

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Apr 28, 2013 Zinny rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Faith of the Fallen is, like its flap copy states, a novel of ideas. In it, Richard Rahl is captured by a sorceress, Nicci, and taken to the heart of the Imperial Order, its crown city in the Old World. There, he sees and confronts the Order's effect on the lives of its citizen firsthand. It wasn’t a very pretty sight by anyone imagination. But that points to the problem, as well. As other reviewers have noted, the outline for this plot is not much of a stretch from previous entries in the serie...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Philippe Lhoste rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, roman

Décidément, ce pauvre Richard n'a pas de chance !
Ici, il est encore malmené, devant vivre une existence pauvre, sans pouvoir utiliser son épée ou sa magie, sous peine de voir Kahlan souffrir ou mourir.

Il est emmené par une sorcière au cœur de l'empire de Jagang, son ennemi, pour y vivre la vie des pauvres gens de là-bas.
Terry Goodkind décrit cet empire comme si c'était un mélange de l'ancien bloc soviétique et du Londres victorien, avec en prime un fanatisme religieux faisant passer les ayatolla...more

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Nov 25, 2012 Kathy Davie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Sixth in the Sword of Truth fantasy series revolving around Richard Rahl, the Seeker of Truth.

My Take
I almost stopped reading this series shortly into this story. It was just so awful what was happening to Richard and Kahlan. But I persevered because I'm so stubborn and, obviously, into masochism for the brain!

Goodkind has got one helluv'an imagination.

If Nicci is supposed to be so smart, how can she possibly have lived this long and not realized how stupid her mother's and her friends' ideas w...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Kurtbg rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book had perhaps the least amount of fantasy to date. Perhaps this is when the author started to read Ayn Rand. The majority of the book borrows from a structure he's used twice before in which the principal character, Richard, has to make a decision which has ultimately leads him into a situation in which his very being must overcome his "jailers", while his wife falls back into the role of warrior queen. In this case, however, he overcomes by teaching a totalitarian ruled people the merit...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Gabriel C. rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2012

These are so tedious. More of the same. Goodkind is clearly a total hack, incapable of setting up a meaningful moral quandary for his characters and not really interested in doing so. What he wants is to set up a quandary for someone else, one that the main characters see through immediately. But he's incapable of doing that, too. The moralities he sets up are so ridiculously stretched that it's impossible to recognize any humanity in them. He sets up straw men to knock down.

Let's focus in on h...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Richard Claypool rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm even going to waste my time on this because of how much I hate this book, the bad writing, and Terry Himself.

Many years ago, I read Atlas Shrugged, and was reminded of Aynd's writing style in this book.

The first few books were ok, but even by the previous book, I noticed that the preachyness was getting a bit much.

Kahlan gets hurt, then, in FOTF, she mends with no use of magic. Richard is taken to the Emperial order to teach him the goodness of the order. We're shown; no, we're bashed over t...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Tina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Terry Goodkind brought me out of the world of series romance and into the world of fantasy with this book. Not the first in the series, and when I picked it up I was mistaken about its content-but I read it anyway, and frankly it blew me away. The story of Richard, an intrinsically good person whose trials conjure up periods of extreme moral difficulty, is one I could not put down. This book had obvious symbolism and religious undertones, and yet I found myself weeping when Richard eventually de...more

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Oct 13, 2011 Aruna rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is merit in paying homage to a classic story in a modern novel, but when the homage is so blatant that it leaves nothing to the imagination, the reader is left with a wontonly masturbatory book. This novel is such a blatant rework of atlas shrugged that its only purpose seems to be to amuse the author. I've read atlas shrugged. I thought it pedantic and cumbersome. This book is pedantic, cumbersome, and unoriginal.
Mr Goodkind should stick to writing books about magic, not John Galt. Even...more

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Mar 01, 2011 Scott rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Really mixed feelings about this one. The setup (the key scene in which one character captures another...I'm being vague in order to avoid spoilers) seemed contrived, not totally convincing, which was unfortunate given its importance to the rest of the book, and really the rest of the series. An even bigger problem, perhaps, was the constant, blatant lecturing about the evils of a society that places more value on community than on the individual. This is the preachiest of the Sword of Truth nov...more

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Feb 14, 2011 Jostalady rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, dystopia

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is one of the better in the series. The pace of this book is good and my horrible experience with book number four is almost forgiven by having two great books in a row. Richard and Kahlen start out together and even though it is because they are helpless while Jagang is taking over the world and Kahlen has to recover from her terrible experience, you are glad to see them together. I can't help but worry that they are not in a place where ruling the Daharan Empire and making good on their p...more This is one of the better in the series. The pace of this book is good and my horrible experience with book number four is almost forgiven by having two great books in a row. Richard and Kahlen start out together and even though it is because they are helpless while Jagang is taking over the world and Kahlen has to recover from her terrible experience, you are glad to see them together. I can't help but worry that they are not in a place where ruling the Daharan Empire and making good on their promise to join the Midlands would be easier, but they are getting and giving messages to direct the army.

Then Nicci kidnaps him and changes everything. She is oddly likable but so wrong in her ardent beliefs long carried from a fanatical upbringing. Terry has many disturbing characters and you might like them at first, but this one is unique in how you start to like her more as more is revealed about her. There is a lot of background, in flashbacks. She is seeking a truth she isn't sure what it is. Having myself broken free of the strong hold christian indoctrination had held over me for a lifetime, I can identify with her not really being able to pinpoint what it is she is missing, but that it was everything.

She takes him to her world, where Jagang has imposed her and Jagang's disturbing distortion of generosity on everyone, by force. Terry is very good at making each culture in the different lands distinct, and the audiobook reader uses different accents to represent the different regions. That alone is a joy to be carried through. Each book holds new and diverse characters to interact with, but themes carry over such as deep respect for horses and details about how characters treat horses tells us something about them.

I very much liked how Richard's captivation went. How even under these impossible odds, his spirit naturally thrives and burns off these impurities to get at a truth and it burns a hole through their whole society. He was there for a full year! Who is running the Empire?! The end is a little too neat, but very suspenseful and exciting.

We follow Kahlen into more battle strategy, and cannot help but be impressed with her over and over. There are some great tense moments there, such as when you are trapped in a tent, right along Kahlen and others, as it is on fire and being drug by an Imperial Order solder on horseback! Perhaps Terry's weakest character skill is writing for young girls and we get one more example. I feel we lose a character prematurely, but yes someone we loved had to die to make the connection back to Richard and keep the warzone feeling of danger, but what a tough choice Terry had in who to take.

So many story lines to follow...um, oh, we get to see an expansion of who Jagang is as a character, what his vision is for this take over and we learn of the true force behind him.

How can such awesome writing be bestowed on the same man who took me through hell in book four? I don't know what to say. I have already begun book #7.(less)

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Oct 26, 2010 Jamie (LadyJai) Dement rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Faith of the Fallen is a wonderful example of explaining Marxism in terms anyone can understand. It should be mandatory reading for all US History and English classes. It takes you on a progressive journey of one individual, Nicci, and how she became the way she was, believing what she believed, and eventually realizing the truth in all of what she had done. It also takes you on a journey into seeing exactly how something so small as doing something "for the good of all people" turns into the ma...more

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Sep 30, 2010 Eric Moreno rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites

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

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Apr 05, 2010 Andy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started reading this series as a teenager, and continue to pick them up, since I enjoy the story. In Goodkind's novels, I love the struggles of negotiating individualism and collectivism, oppression vs. freedom, dictatorship vs. democracy, flawed nature vs. noble nature, narcissism vs. generosity. Each of these topics encourages discussion & introspection (ie: thinking).

Some people complain about Goodkind's "Objectivist" stance, but I would point more toward a developmentalal approach such...more

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Oct 10, 2009 Ellise Loughlin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone looking for a good, enjoyable and developed story

Shelves: epic-series

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

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Oct 17, 2012 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, libertarian, novels

Reviewers of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series seem to fall into three camps. There are those who claim he's a rotten writer and right from the beginning. Why they're reading and reviewing this far into the series I'll never understand. There are pleasures in a trainwreck at times, I know. That's why I read the entire Twilight "Saga"- four miserably written books that are mercifully not all that long. But up to six books of doorstopper length? Did they really read all these? Then there are...more Reviewers of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series seem to fall into three camps. There are those who claim he's a rotten writer and right from the beginning. Why they're reading and reviewing this far into the series I'll never understand. There are pleasures in a trainwreck at times, I know. That's why I read the entire Twilight "Saga"- four miserably written books that are mercifully not all that long. But up to six books of doorstopper length? Did they really read all these? Then there are the ones that just lap these up to the end, convinced Goodkind is the greatest, most profound writer of the human condition EVUH. (Goodkind himself given his interviews seems to be one of that number.)

I'm in the third camp. The one that loved this series at one point, then thought it jumped the shark. Some cite the previous book, Soul of the Fire as where the series declined. Most of those readers who found themselves ultimately disappointed with the series cite this book. I'm actually not one of them. (No, for me Pillars of Creation, the next book, is where things became tedious.)

I do get why people are annoyed by this book though. Goodkind makes no bones about being an Ayn Rand devotee on his website. Unsurprising to me when I found that out, since I thought I could detect libertarian themes in the previous books. Something I found more attractive rather than repellant. But this is the book where it becomes overt--for many a reader it seems, far too overt. Yes, at times you can hear the anvils clanging in this parable about the EVILS of socialism.

Although if I were to point to the book's most annoying characteristic, it was the way in this book Richard becomes an overweening Marty-Stu. Yes, he's the hero. The hero of the series. I didn't blink an eye at him being a master tracker. Or a natural leader and general. Or even the greatest magician of his time. But when after all that he becomes a sculptor who makes Michelangelo seem a slacker? That's when I thought, head, meet desk.

So I can see what the detractors are sniping at in this high fantasy Atlas Shrugged. Truly. Yet I still found this book enormously entertaining. And I liked Nicci and her character arc. She's not up in awesomeness with Cara or Ann in my opinion, but she isn't a Jennsen either. For which, much thanks.(less)

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Jan 30, 2009 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 acts of evi...more

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May 30, 2012 Riley Rohloff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this book the main character, Richard Rahl, gets taken hostage by a very unlikely sorceress named Nicci. She puts Richard in a very tricky situation by holding his wife hostage and forcing him to go with her into the heart of the Imperial Order( the enemy of new world) Altur Rang. Her goal was to try and get Richard to see that their beliefs were the correct ways to life a life. Richard experienced pain suffering and has to live life under the harsh conditions of the Order. Richard eventually...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Breakdown rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Honestly, I wanted to give this book four stars. However, despite Terry's good writing, once the story began to mature in my mind it began to loose a bit of it's liking.

This book I felt was Terry's feelings toward communism and it's more or less a story I've heard before. On the whole I agree with it. The idea of people wanting to be able to get a fair wage for fair work, or however it was stated in the book, is a fantastic idea for freedom. That being said, there are some glaring problems with...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I had read the first five books of this series back to back last summer. I really did not think I was going to read them any more. However, Faith of the Fallen was a break in the monotonous politics of the Sisters of the Light/Dark. Although they were still present, this story line centered on taking your own life into control.

It was also an interesting read considering it is right before a major political election. There was so much abstract theory on how a government should control people and...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Barbi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ponderously-long, fantasy, just-for-fun

Of the ones I've read so far, I think Faith of the Fallen is my favorite of the Sword of Truth series. The story itself was interesting. What really stood out for me were the parts with Kahlan. I thought her development in the this novel was really fascinating. Because of her abilities, she's been a leader for most of her life, a role I don't think she's ever found very comfortable. However, with Richard gone, she's forced to take on the reins of leading the D'haran people in a hopeless war and...more

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About Terry Goodkind

Terry Goodkind is a contemporary American writer and author of the best-selling epic fantasy series, The Sword of Truth, creator of the television show The Legend of the Seeker, and writer of the self-published epic, The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus (a prequel and origin story of the first Mother Confessor). He has over 20 million copies in print and has been translated into more th...more

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Books by Terry Goodkind

Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth, #1)

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

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Quotes from Faith of the Fallen

“Your life is your own. Rise up and live it.” — 115 people liked it

“The first law of reason is that what exists, exists; what is, is, and that from this ineducible, bedrock principle, all knowledge is built...that is the foundation from which life is embraced... thinking is a choice...wishes and whims are not facts, nor are they a means to discover them... reason is our only way of grasping reality--it's our basic tool of survival. We are free to evade the effort of thinking--to reject reason--but we are not free to avoid the penalty of the abyss we refuse to see... Reason is the very substance of truth itself. The glory that is life is wholly embraced through reason. In rejecting reason one embraces death.” — 87 people liked it

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Faith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth #6)

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