** spoiler alert ** This is by far my favorite book in the Sword of Truth series. After nursing Kahlan almsot back to health, Richard is forced to embark on a journey with Nikki, a Sister of the Dark. The two journey to the Old World to Jagang's realm so that Nikki can attempt to show Richard that he is wrong in his views of Jagang. However, it is Richard who eventually shows Nikki how wrong it is to think as Jagang does and the harm that his thinking causes. In the end, Richard creates a statue of beauty that is in stark contrast to all of the statues that the people are usually forced to endure. This statue threatens to reveal that it is not against human nature to be strong and beautiful. As such, Richard is arrested and forced to destroy his creation in front of all the people of the town who seem to come to a realization about what they have been missing. This book is one of the most striking of the series and I loved it!