Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 3, Sword of Truth, Book 11

I have been looking forward to the end of this series ever since I began reading The Sword of Truth series. After reading subsequent reviews which were quite negative I still chose to purchase this title. I am glad I finally got through the last book, I just wanted to know what happened in the end! But, it was very, very painful listening. I do not think I can handle much more of Terry Goodkind's brand of writing. The first few books were fabulous but when he started fixating on freedom and choice I got a little wary. As the series progresses it just gets worse with each book. There is less and less story and more and more about politics or rhetoric or whatever you want to call it. Really I am extremely fed up with long speeches that repeat the same ideologies over and over again! I am not ignorant, I got the message the first time and the second time and the third time and you get the idea. I am relieved to be done with it all. I will go back and read the first 3 or 4 books because they are the best, but I will NEVER read this one again! Download it, listen to it, and then be content that the series has finally come to a tortured end.

I became interested in this series for two reasons: The first is that I thoroughly enjoyed Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series, and wanted a replacement while I waited for the final book to be published. The second reason is that I watched the Legend of The Seeker television series and wanted to see what happened once the show was cancelled. I was disappointed because in my opinion, the show was better than the books. This series was also a poor replacement for the wheel of time series.

I like the general premise of the books like most of you who made it this far in into the series, but at times I wanted to pull out my hair in frustration. The tediousness of certain parts of Richard and Kahlans lives was astounding. Goodkind spent a good portion of each book repeating long drawn-out speeches discussing the sanctity of life. I get it life is good. He also repeated the same points several different ways and times within each speech, within each book.

In addition to this, Goodkind would repeat facts, and remind the audience of events that had happened within the same book several times. I found this to be extremely irritating. I understand that the audience needs some reminders from book to book, but come on. We don’t need those reminders several times within the book we are currently reading. Goodkind appears to have the same respect for the intelligence of his readers and listeners as he does for the masses in his books. He acts as if the masses are morons, and that the solutions that Richard come up with are invaluable. However, most of us were able to predict the solutions that were so painstakingly discovered by Richard and Kahlan. If this were not annoying enough, Goodkind then generates random phenomenal solutions that just appear from the sky. One minute Richard and his followers will be screwed and then all of a sudden Richard did some fantastical thing that saves them all. The audience is then left wondering what the hell just happened. The concept of magic in this series is also badly portrayed. Goodkind seems to just string a lot of long scientific and impressive sounding words into a sentence, hoping that the confusion will just make the audience assume that they make sense. They don’t.

The concept of kahlan was also irritating for me. Goodkind makes endless devotions to kahlan’s intelligent green eyes, but she never appears to do anything that would warrant that intelligence. She just seems to get credit for the things that Richard does. The other annoying component of her character was her love for Richard. I know that love was an important part of this series, but come on we understand that she has a special smile just for Richard, we understand that she gives it to no one, but him. I have to admit that the Chainfire Trilogy did not dwell on the endless professions of love that the rest of the series did, but still listening to Richard and Kahlan repeatedly asking the question of one another: Have I ever told you that I love you was painful. Nicky and Cara were by far my favorite characters within this series, but I think that the only reason for this was that Goodkind did not ruin them with his repetitive and endless character development that he employed with Richard and Kahlan. For all of you like me that are at this point in the series, finish it and be glad you’re done, if you are just starting the series, don’t. This series had great potential and could have been well done, but Goodkind ruined his own creation.

I always get unabridged versions of my books, however, if ever there was a time for an abridged version the Chainfire Trilogy is it!!! OMG....some sections just go on and on! Don't get me wrong I love these books but why 3 books were needed for the Chainfire piece, I have no idea!! Whew...I'm glad I'm finally done with them!!!

Best thing I can say about the book: the series is FINALLY over. Not sure why I kept going with this series -- perhaps like people who throw good money after bad in the stock market, I just kept hoping it would get better. It didn't. The entire Chainfire trilogy paints Richard and the "goodguys" into a corner that they can't possible get out of, only to give a solution in the last few minutes that seems incongruous to the events leading up to it, and made the struggles of the characters meaningless. Very unsatisfying ending to a series that started exceptionally, but quickly went down hill. If you made it this far and feel the need for resolution, go ahead and finish it, but it you're thinking of starting this series, consider looking elsewhere. I agree with the comments of the previous reviewer, in that this was the first audio book I have fond my self screaming at to "get on with it" during the long, repetitive and tedious diatribes of the importance of life and individuality.

I don't know if I could take another 30 minute diatribe about the sanctity of life and the abhorrence of despotism. I mean holy crap this book was just painful. I desperately wanted it to be good, as an end to the series i started loving when "Wizards first rule" came out, however i was severely disappointed. Imagine John Galt's speech in atlas shrugged, if you listened to the audio book, the speech alone is almost 3 hours. Imagine that speech about the evils of socialism/communism but about the sanctity of freedom of choice and life as a whole. But imagine it happening over and over over and over and over. Imagine every single chance any character has to talk to another character being a tired tirade about these themes. Every. Single. Time. I cant stress enough how often this book goes away from telling a story, and CONCLUDING a story, to this method or proselytizing from the author. It hurts, its painful, it almost makes me wish i had never ever ever read any of the other books in the series. But "Wizards first rule" was great. Read it as its own story, then forget any other books in this series exist. I wish audible had a return program, i would gladly return this product and drink some magic potion that made me forget i has listened to it. Go read some Brandon Sanderson books. They're Grrrrrreat!

I must say that I was very let down by this and the installments after Faith of the Fallen. I enjoy the occasional main character summing up the philosophical idea of the book rant, but I lost track of the number of times that it was force fed to me in Confessor. That and when I am forced to restrain myself from yelling at the radio for the characters to hurry up and come up with what should be the simplest of connections in logic I tend to lose the enjoyment of discovery I got from the earlier books. If not for the name on the cover I would almost believe that a different author took over after FotF.

Thank god this story is over. The long hours of redundant plot lines and wool gathering as one person walks up to say "Hi", nearly drove me crazier than I am.
Sam Tsoutsouvas helped bring all the varied charaters to life for me. He is also, for my ear, a bit hypnotic and that helped when Mr. Goodkind started to ramble.
The only reason I stuck with these books to the bitter end was to see if Mr. Goodkind would make the mistake I thought he would and he did not disappoint. After hammering away that freedom and choice is the meaning of life Richard acts out of charter and removes one mode of thought for ALL.
The only reason for the second star is because I do care about Richard, Kahlan and all the rest.
I have not written any other reviews for the other books mostly because I do not want to give Mr. Goodking any more of my energy and time.

I have been waiting it seems forever for the conclusion of this saga. Goodkind does not disappoint. Although very, very "talky" this conclusion to the adventures of Richard and Kahlen ties up almost all of the loose threads and hands it to the listener/reader. The dramatist who reads the book does quite well.

and was hooked on the story line. I purchased book 2 of this trilogy at a gas stop on a trip from AZ and so thoughly enjoyed it that I purchased book 3. I am always amazed by the imagination of the writers for this type of genre and I bless them for writing and sharing their stories. I thoughly enjoy the voice of Sam T, as the narrator makes or breaks the presentation of the book.

It seemed like forever to get to this part of the story, but it was worth it. I almost gave up on the series a couple times when the narrators detracted from the story and at times the story itself got a little lengthy. I was disheartened so many times when victory was yanked out of our heroes hands but in the end, "truth" prevails. Nice epic. I will probably relisten to the entire series at least 2 more times :)