Faith of the FallenSword of Truth book #6By Terry GoodkindA Retroview by Eric AllenDue to my scathing reviews of Terry Goodkind's more recent work, I have recieved quite a few people saying that "if you claim to be so much of a Goodkind fan, then why don't you review one of his good books." So here, for all of you who asked for it, is my review of my most favorite Goodkind book of them all.There's one thing that many complainers have in common when speaking of Goodkind's works. They don't like how much he likes to preach. Yes, his soapbox does get an inordinate amount of use, I am aware of this fact, but the only volume in the original eleven Sword of Truth books that I found it to be overly objectionable was Naked Empire, which was a thinly veiled excuse to rant about morality for 700 pages in my opinion. It seems that the book that gets the absolute most hatred for the preaching is Faith of the Fallen, and I simply do not understand this at all. I'll explain a bit more later in the review, but first, allow me to tell you why this book is so near and dear to my heart.When Faith of the Fallen came out, I was in a very dark place in my life. I had lost everything I had. I was virtually crippled, not just by physical injury, but by the depression that resulted from it. For those of you who have never experienced depression before, it is very hard to explain how it feels. It's like you're so deep in a pit of blackness that you can't see how you will ever see the light again. Everything and anything seems hopeless, and simply continuing to live feels like a pointless exercise in futility. These are only mere words that don't really give you the full impact of what this debilitating illness does to a person, but you get the idea, right?I was in my second year of college, riding my motorcycle home from work one night when I was hit by a drunk driver. My right leg was pinned between my bike and a tree and broken in seventeen places. At the time, it was doubtful that I would ever walk again without the aid of a leg brace and a crutch. The driver was uninsured and so my medical expenses fell to my own insurance. When I could not return to work, I lost my job, and my insurance. As my job was paying the majority of my college tuition for me through a reimbursement program, I found myself unable to pay for school as my medical bills began to pile up. I went through three separate surgeries to put the bones in my leg back together, and the pain was really unbelievable. I've felt nothing like it before or since. The girl I planned to marry left me, I lost my house, and had to move back in with my parents after selling off every single thing I owned of value to pay the bills. I could not walk. I could not work. I had no health insurance. I could not continue with college. The woman I loved was marrying another man. I was in an obscene amount of physical pain. And I was stuck in my parents' basement once more, after having been out on my own, and lost everything I had, while my medical debt steadily grew larger and larger. As I lay, trying to recover, and having no idea what I was going to do, or how I was even going to live my life now, I was given a copy of this book.It was the exact thing that I needed to reach out a hand and pull me from the depths of oblivion. "Your life is yours alone, rise up and live it." It seemed as though Goodkind wrote those words with me and my situation in mind. The message that this book brings is so beautiful and powerful, and delivered in such an uplifting way, that it managed to pierce the darkness that was suffocating the life out of me and help pull me back into the world of the living. I recovered. I found a way to pay for my physical therapy. I got a new job, with better insurance, and finished college. Now I have a wonderful career, a side job that is basically getting paid for doing my hobby, and I walk with barely a limp. Although I do set off just about every metal detector that I walk through due to all of the screws, pins and metal plates holding the bones in my leg together. I love this book. When I was close to killing myself because there seemed no point in even going on, it brought me hope for a better tomorrow when nothing else could. In essence, it saved my life. It made me WANT to get out of bed. It made me WANT to get on with my life. It made me WANT to find a way to pay for everything, recover, finish college, and get back out there and live.Now on with the review.Kahlan has been brutally beaten within an inch of her life, and Richard and Cara, after escaping the Imperial Order as they swarmed over Anderith, have taken her to Westland, where Richard grew up to hide while she recovers. Meanwhile, Nicci, Sister of the Dark, has come to a realization. She needs to find some point and purpose in life, and the only man she thinks can show her the way is Richard Rahl. Through an ancient magic spell, Nicci bonds herself to Kahlan in such a way that any harm that befalls her also befalls Kahlan. She takes Richard hostage and brings him to the heart of the Old World where she hopes that his reaction to the hardships of the people there will bring her the answers that she has sought for her entire life.While Richard works to improve his life and show the people of the Old World how to live theirs by example, Emperor Jagang and his massive army is moving into the Midlands. Kahlan takes command of the D'Haran armies in a desperate year long battle to delay him while the Midlands can be evacuated.In the end, Richard has come to believe that he cannot lead a people who do not truly know the value of freedom. In the heart of the Imperial Order, he makes a final, desperate attempt to teach them the true meaning of life, that they will see and know the Order for the evil that it is, and rise up to take their lives back, and in so doing, save Richard's own home from destruction.The good? As I said before, Goodkind gets a lot of hate for his preaching. He is rarely ever subtle, and frequently beats you over the head with his message until you're bloody. However, amongst his books, I feel that Faith of the Fallen is one of the more subtle ones. Yes, Richard does a lot of ranting about the worth of life, and what it's all for, but he never goes too far with it as he does in other books. He never steps over the line from passionate exclamations into boring lectures. I know that Goodkind and subtle rarely find themselves in the same sentence with one another, however, as far as Goodkind books go, I feel that this one struck the perfect balance in presenting its message.When I tell people that this is my favorite book in the series, I often get replies of "oh yeah, there's some really awesome battles in that one." But that's not what I like about this book. In fact, I rarely even think of that part. It's all about Richard and Nicci, and the mutual redemption that they both find in each other, for me. Nicci is redeemed through Richard's example, but Richard is also in need of redemption here. Most people tend to ignore that part of it, or not even notice at all in the first place. He has lost his faith in humanity. He truly believed that, given the chance, people would choose the right path. But when they didn't, it shook him to the core. He lost his confidence as a leader, and in the people he was supposed to lead. They had shown him that they just didn't understand what it was all about, and so he ran away from it all, stunned, hurt, and confused. Richard, as the hero of the story, was also seeking redemption, and found it in an oppressed people that, when given the right push, were finally able to see what he was fighting for, and join him of their own accord, rather than because he happens to be their leader. The way it all builds up to its final rebellious climax is so perfect and well crafted that I simply cannot understand where all of this talent, fire and passion has gone when reading Goodkind's more recent work. Richard's character arc here is really well written, going deeply into his thoughts and feelings on life, liberty, and what is worth fighting and dying for. This book is not simply another Richard is the good guy who hand waves away all the conflict brought by the bad guy of the week through his magical powers. Instead of resorting to Deus Ex Machina as he tends to do, Goodkind built up his triumph over the ideals of the Imperial order throughout the entire book to the point where Richard didn't have to hand wave it away. This is one of the few books by Goodkind where Deus Ex Machina is not used to resolve any and all problems, but rather through Richard's own sweat, blood and tears, and a year of his life showing the people of the Old World, and Nicci, how to live their lives, whilst rarely ever outright telling them. And it ties in so well with Nicci's own redemption.This book is really well written, and extremely well constructed. I consider it to be Goodkind's masterpiece. It is, by far, his best book, in terms of writing, in terms of character development, in terms of the message it delivers, and in the way that it is delivered, in terms of its climax, and in terms of its story. It takes you, step by step through the redemption of those who were previously thought to be unredeemable in such a perfect and well constructed way. It's one of those books that I can read over, and over, and over again, and still be filled with as much joy and wonder as my first time through it.I have been told that this book is highly derivative of the work of Ayn Rand, as if that would, somehow, make me like it less. I simply do not care if a book I love was influenced by another author's ideals. I have never read the work of Ayn Rand, I do not plan to, and I do not need to in order to know that I enjoyed THIS book. I am not familiar with her ideals and beliefs, and I frankly don't really care. You can point to any book on any shelf in any bookstore throughout the world and say that it was influenced by several others, so I don't really see what the complaint is. This is one aspect of the book that I am ignorant of, and frankly, care little to educate myself on. I don't need to read other books to know if I like or dislike this one. That I like it is enough for me. If you dislike it because of its similarities to the ideals or writings of another author, that's your right. I can understand disliking something that someone else loves *cough*Patrick Rothfuss*cough* but please don't try to argue with me over whether or not my enjoyment of the book is valid or not because of it. I respect your differing opinion, but I do not agree with it. One thing I would like to point out, however, is that a work of fiction being influenced by another work is far different than a work of fiction shamelessly stealing entire scenes and whole sections of dialog from another work. I'm looking at YOU Paolini!!!I honestly have nothing bad to say about this book. The entire series is worth reading just for this one book, in my opinion. It has some very high sentimental value to me, but it is also a very well put together book that is highly entertaining, and with several extremely good messages. When I was at my lowest, this book gave me hope and strength to pull myself out of it, and get on with my life. I will always be grateful for that. There may be those that criticize the message it brings, or the way that it is delivered, but I found it to be given in a well thought out and constructed manner, in perfect balance with everything else in the book and in the series as a whole. This is Goodkind at his very best, and I hope that you will find as much meaning and enjoyment in it as I have. The Sword of Truth series and Goodkind himself do get a lot of hate, but this one book is my argument against the haters. So there, all you people who keep telling me that I'm no true Goodkind fan because I happen to think that his last few books were written by his mentally deficient clone. A 5 star review of what was, until the release of The Law of Nines, considered by many to be Goodkind's worst book. Suck on THAT! Seriously though, I don't get why this book gets all of the hate, while Naked Empire is virtually ignored. Any and all criticisms I've seen about Faith of the Fallen are a thousand times more valid when applied to Naked Empire. That book just did not know when to stop. Richard spent the entire thing ranting and raving like a lunatic, and then, in the most LAZY way imaginable, hand-waved away all of the book's conflict as if all of the tension and drama built up around it never even existed. And yet, the book where there is no Deus Ex Machina hand-waved resolution, with a message that never really steps over the line into oppressive is the far more hated of the two. People are funny sometimes. Cest la vie.Check out my other reviews.
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, it was just over. We started asking around and it seemed to be the same for everyone: they liked the series, then this book, and they were done.We knew other Goodkind books had been written and published since this one, but for years, we couldn't find anyone who had made it past the sixth book. Eventually, we all moved on, read better books, and looked back at our love of Goodkind, Jordan, Martin, and all the rest as a sign of our naive youth.But it's still one of those things, like Ninja Turtles or late nights playing Dungeons & Dragons, that can be fun to think back on. Then, one day, it happened: that fencing kid, who grew up to be my college roommate and dearest friend, found someone at his law school who claimed this was their favorite Goodkind.He asked them why, but to no avail: they had no critical theory to describe what they liked. We wrote it off as a fluke--then it happened again. There seems to be a small, devoted group who actually really liked this book, but so far, none of them have been able to give us any clue as to why.At this point, it's less concerning, since Goodkind is just another long-winded, cliche fantasy writer who writes okay adventures, and has a weirdly high opinion of himself:"The books I write are first of all novels, not fantasy, and that is deliberate; I'm really writing books about human beings."(1)"To define me as a fantasy writer is to misunderstand the context of my books by misidentifying their fundamentals."(2)"The stories I'm telling are not fantasy-driven, they're character-driven, and the characters I want to write about could be set in any world. I'd like to address a broader audience."(3)Plus the fact that all of his interviews inevitably devolve into a discussion of Ayn Rand and 'the meaning of art', just in case you missed the pretension of declaring fantasy books 'not fantasy!'The guy certainly has a chip on his shoulder, but it's pretty clear that this guy has never actually read any fantasy. He doesn't seem to realize that the things he says 'separate him from fantasy' are fundamental parts of how modern fantasy works. A novel that's fundamentally about character interactions with a magical setting? How original!This is why it's often important to be familiar with the genre you intend to write in: if you don't know what others have done, you will probably end up reinventing the wheel, and accidentally creating something that sounds just like everyone else.Michael Moorcock critiqued Tolkien as a false romantic, which is rather apt considering that his love story takes place almost entirely in absentia (prompting Peter Jackson to infuse some extra loving with a hot, elven, psychic dream sequence). Most fantasy authors rectify this by having the girl come along for the journey. Goodkind likes to keep the separation for much of the story as our hero tries to seek her out across a continent (though she is often just in the next room! Oh! What a tragic coincidence!) Actually, after the first time it's just an annoying and painfully artificial way to try to hold off the conclusion for another hundred pages. It's a good thing Terry doesn't have to rely on magical or artificial means to keep his stories fresh.The rest of the time, the hero finds the girl and lovingly transfixes her on his mighty sword. No, really. I'm not sure why these authors always end up feeling as if they have to dump their sex fetish issues at this particular juncture: "Huh, I dig BDSM. Maybe I should confide my fantasies in a book for mass publication". I cannot think of a single female character in the entire series who isn't either raped or threatened with rape. If you want to give me an example of one, remember: I'm counting magical psychic blowjob rape as rape. I wish I never had the opportunity to qualify a statement with 'don't forget the psychic blowjob rape'.I don't mind actual BDSM literature, but I'd rather have my own reaction to it than be told "isn't it totally dirty and wrong!? (but still super sexy, right?)" Porn for porn's sake is fine, but remember, Goodkind isn't some escapist fantasy author, these are 'real stories about real people' so he has to act like his magic porn is somehow a reflection of real life.Goodkind's series is cookie-cutter genre fantasy, but it's not that badly done, and if you like people narrowly missing one another, bondage, masochism, rape, and dragons, it's pretty good. But by this point, the characters have thinned out into shadows of themselves and Goodkind's self-absorbed obsessions are all over the place; because the one thing you want from a fluff fantasy series is a long, incoherent attempt to argue politics.If you are enjoying the series, you should probably avoid reading any of his interviews, as he rarely misses an opportunity to claim that he is superior to all other fantasy authors, and never compare him to Robert Jordan, because"If you notice a similarity, then you probably aren't old enough to read my books."(4)Goodkind truly lives in his own fantasy world if he thinks his mediocre genre re-hash is 'original' or 'deep'.Then again, I've never met an adherent of Ayn Rand who didn't consider themselves a brilliant and unique snowflake trapped in a world of people who 'just don't understand'. The Randian philosophies are also laid on pretty thickly in his books, but at least he found a substitute grandmother figure to help him justify his Gorean sex-romp as 'high art'.All in all, he's just another guy who likes to hear himself talk, and you can tell from his writing. Just like most modern fantasy authors, his greatest failing is the complete lack of self-awareness that overwhelms his themes, plots, and characters. And if anyone thinks this is the best Sword of Truth book and wants to take a shot at explaining why, my teenage self would appreciate it.My Fantasy Book Suggestions
What do You think about Faith Of The Fallen (2001)?
Originally posted at coffeeandwizards.wordpress.comFaith of the Fallen is the sixth book in the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. It would probably be considered part of the High Fantasy genre, which was my favourite genre until about high school. I enjoyed the first book of this series very much, largely because it contained an entire story, which I wasn’t used to in High Fantasy. The second book was slightly disappointing in comparison and by book three I was struggling to continue on.
—Meghan
And Terry Goodkind is back! this book is one of my favorites in the series. It finally opens up into the Imperial Order so you the reader get a good idea of what is up in the Old World. Speaking of which, I really enjoyed the change of scenery as well as the introduction of a new major character... well done, well done. I also enjoyed the return of Kahlan the Warrior. Big spoiler coming up so BEWARE!!!!I realized just how close I have become to these characters (and no, im not a recluse), becaus
—Ellise Loughlin
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.
—Lance
