Faith of the Fallen (The Sword of Truth) [マスマーケット]

One of the things I enjoyed least about the book was the fighting aspect of it, mainly the battles, and the constant reference to how huge the enemy was. I'm not a huge fan of war, though some reference to it isn't bad, but it seems as if that's the only aspect Kahlan is allowed to participate in anymore. The main blocks of the story that she has appeared in in several of the novels were in battles, leading the people against the enemy, again and again. I sympathize with and like her character, but wish there was more for her to do, but constantly have to keep coming up with another last ditch effort to turn a major disaster into a temporary victory for the army.

On the other hand, I deeply enjoyed Richard's journey into the heart of the enemy territory, as he is led to Jagang's home city by the Sister of the Dark, Nicci. Having arrived at his own revelation of prophecy, that the war was hopeless, and that he couldn't lead until the people were able to prove themselves to him, it was interesting to see how this was developed, without him even realizing that Nicci was unintentionally leading to the proof of his prophecy. Instead, we are given more of an insight into the character of Richard as he views the horrors of the Old World, from the hideous stone carvings to the despair and hopelessness of the people. Into this despair Nicci takes him, wanting to show him that the Order is the only hope for the common people, not knowing how Richard will change the people. With the pride that he takes in doing the most common things, Richard gives the people an ideal to live up to, and sets an example for others to follow without ever pandering to them or lecturing them. To discover with Nicci the special quality that Richard possesses, we are led with her to find that Life truly is worth living and that we all have to stand up for our own basic right to live as free people.

I wish I hadn't discovered this series when I did, there were already four books out by the time I started the series. I wish I hadn't found it until it was done, whenever that will be, because now I have to wait impatiently for another year or more until the next book. And during that time I have to wonder what is next to happen, and what the book will contain, with questions buzzing through my head. Have all the dragons died during the time magic was gone? What has happened to the Gars and will they come back into the series? Will Richard ever come across the night wisps, not mentioned since the first book, and get any aid from them? I sit and ponder and now eagerly anticipate the next book. I hope time really does fly.

Each book expounds upon one of several rules of magic -- beginning with the "Wizard's First Rule," that people are stupid -- and we have had fun trying to figure out what each rule was before one of the characters, usually Zed, got around to announcing it.

"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 citizens firsthand.

The Old World in sway of the Imperial Order bears more than a superficial resemblance to the failed regime of Communism in the former USSR, although its lessons can also be applied when contemplating our own society's ongoing efforts towards greater equality and the continuing welfare debate. Goodkind is not the first writer to tackle the issue of socially engineered "equality" -- Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" is another fine example of this genre -- but he does so in a way that is compelling and thought-provoking.

It goes without saying that Richard will save the day, but this time we see a new side to the War Wizard, that of creator. Put simply, the Sword of Truth is not the only blade that Richard can wield with almost supernatural skill.

Goodkind is very adept at description, and his passages about carving seem very realistic and vivid. He is also very good at characterization, and his most vividly drawn creations include several women -- Kahlan, Cara and Verna among them.

The number of women in Goodkind's volumes is a refreshing change from what seems their mere token appearance in the work of some other male fantasy authors. For some reason, though, several of these women want to go to bed with, or marry, Richard, and Nicci is no exception. A fully realized character, full of conflict, who Nicci is and what she does in "Faith of the Fallen" are a direct result of her past experiences.

Altogether, "Faith of the Fallen" is an excellent novel, enjoyable on many levels as rousing fantasy adventure and as the "novel of ideas" it is purported to be. I highly recommend "Faith of the Fallen" and the other volumes in the "Sword of Truth" series.

Goodkind reintroduces us to Nicci, a Sister of Dark (who I remember last reading about in Stone of Tears) who sets out to capture Richard and drag him to the New World. Nicci's reasons for capturing Richard are not revealed until the very end and I can't say I'm entirely satisfied by the reasons given (I won't reveal them except to say that they didn't seem all that compelling). Richard, meanwhile, is fed up with leading a battle when he feels that the Midlands are not willing to stand up to Jajang. Nicci tracks down Richard and kidnaps Richard by threatening Kahlen's life by way of a special "Corsican brothers-type bond" with Kahlen: so, any injury done to Nicci will also be inflicted on Kahlen. When I first got to this part, I admit it seemed that Richard's capture was a cheap and simple plot device to get Richard to (a) go to the New World; b) be subservient to Nicci; and (c) created sexual tension between Nicci and Richard (will she or won't she force Richard to have sex with her).

While Richard is on his months-long journey to the New World with Nicci, we are treated to some great battle scenes between a Kahlen-led Midlands army and the great horde of the Order. The battle scenes are well described and there is good drama in this section of the book (which is the middle of the book).

When we return to Richard, he's in the New World with Nicci. Here, Goodkind gets his Ayn Rand hat on and depicts Richard as a self-made capitalist in the fantasy version of Stalin's Russia. As I was reading the way this society "operates," I could see obvious references to Soviet-type systems and a few digs at a "welfare state." Yeah, it gets a bit extreme and preachy, but Goodkind has a point here and he starts to make it with about 200 pages to the end. And yeah, the ending is telegraphed and does seem a bit hokey. So why four stars?

For several reasons: First, Goodkind almost completely pulls it off. Through strong characters, he tells a tightly written story (no rambling chapters here a la Jordan's Wheel of Time). Second, Goodkind's writing is really very elegant and poetic. For the kind of story he told in FOF, he needed a more subtle way of describing events and emotions. Goodkind really uses some of his best language and imagery in this book. And third, Goodkind is able to tell a cohesive and complete story in one book. Unlike the "sort-of" ending in Soul of the Fire, Goodkind wraps up this story and there is a sense of completion.