By Terry Goodkind
TOR / Tom Doherty Associates Books 2000

Reviewed By Robert Thompson 2/20/01

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The Sword of Truth series is a sword and sorcery type group, somewhat different from the norm of that genre, and while often mentioned in the same breath as Jordan's Wheel Of Time Series and Martin's Song of Ice & Fire series, it does have a somewhat different tone & style.

I haven't reviewed the previous five books in this series, although I have read and enjoyed them all.

Richard Cypher grew up to be a simple woods-guide. He was raised in obscurity by his grandfather Zedd. As it turns out however, Richard is actually the son of the evil leader of the D'Haran Empire, Darken Rahl. His Grandfather Zedd is actually "The First Wizard", the head of the order of magick workers.

Richard is "appointed" The Seeker of Truth, and sets out on a journey to "do justice" across the lands. He meets and falls in love with Kahlan, The "Mother Confessor" of the Midlands. Together (and separately) they have many adventures, including an epic battle between Richard and his evil father, which Richard wins and becomes The Lord Rahl himself. He liberates the people ruled by the old Lord Rahl and becomes a loved and benevolent leader rather than a feared despot that the D'Haran's have had for generations.

Just as it appears that all will be well, the barriers between the Old World and the New World fall, and Emperor Jagang of "The Order" (another evil despot) invades with an army of millions. Richard attempts to rally all of the nations in the new world to stop Jagang's hordes, but many of the independent nations refuse to join, hoping for neutrality or actually joining Jagang.

In Book 6, Richard decides that he will no longer lead the peoples of the New World against Jagang because so many of his potential allies chose what they thought would be a "safe slavery" to the "dangers of liberty". Nicci, an agent of Jagang and a "Dark Sister" kidnaps Richard for her own purposes.

FAITH OF THE FALLEN was big surprise to me- I found it to be the best of the series, and had I known what it contained, I would have read and reviewed it sooner.

It has achieved something that I have wanted to do myself (but lack the talent) for a couple of years; It has put the philosophy of Ayn Rand into a story that will be more palatable to many "less serious" readers than Rand's own novels will attract. Although set in a swords & sorcery world, the author has distilled the thesis of Rand's ATLAS SHRUGGED and to a lesser extent The Fountainhead and made it an important part of his story. And this has made The Faith Of the Fallen more than just a battle between good and evil, it has made it a timeless lesson for life.

If you read & understand THE FAITH OF THE FALLEN or ATLAS SHRUGGED and THE FOUNTAINHEAD you will grasp why society needs freedom much more than security.

FAITH OF THE FALLEN is highly recommended. You may enjoy it more if you have read the previous five books: WIZARDS FIRST RULE, STONE OF TEARS, BLOOD OF THE FOLD, TEMPLE OF THE WINDS, SOUL OF THE FIRE; But if you you can only read one of them read this one: FAITH OF THE FALLEN. You may be a little lost when it comes to knowing about the characters, but the story CAN stand on it's own.

Thank You very much Terry Goodkind! You have done very well with this tale.