by Terry Goodkind
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Product Description
Descending into darkness, about to be overwhelmed by evil, those people still free are powerless to stop the coming dawn of a savage new world, while Richard faces the guilt of knowing that he must let it happen. Alone, he must bear the weight of a sin he dare not confess to the one person he loves…and has lost.
Join Richard and Kahlan in the concluding novel of one of the most remarkable and memorable journeys ever written. It started with one rule, and will end with the rule of all rules, the rule unwritten, the rule unspoken since the dawn of history.
When next the sun rises, the world will be forever changed.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Conclusion to a LONG saga, 2009-01-05
Confessor by Terry Goodkind is the eleventh, and final, novel in the Sword of Truth series. The series started back in 1994 with the book Wizard's First Rule. To conclude the series, Mr. Goodkind finished it off with a trilogy of novels collectively titled The Chainfire Trilogy. The final three books in this lengthy series are titled; Chainfire: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 1 (Sword of Truth, Book 9), Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 2 (Sword of Truth, Book 10), and finishing up with this current novel. This has no doubt been a long series. It has consisted of a mixed bag of novels, some very good, and others not so much. Here are my thoughts on this novel.
The plot of this book picks up right where Phantom leaves off. There are several plot points that are discussed, at length, with in this novel and most, if not all of the previous books loose ends are tired up and dealt with. Some of the plot points you can expect to see involve Kahlan and the Chainfire spell, Richard trying to regain his powers, and the boxes of Orden being put in play. Those three plot points are the main ones that encompass the entire book. There are also a couple sub plots added in as well, such as; Rachel's mysterious power and being pursued by creatures, Jagang's plot to take over the entire world and force his beliefs on them, and the game Ja' La dh Jin and the importance a game can play. There are parts of the plot that I enjoyed. The scenes of the Ja' La dh Jin games were well done and interesting. However, the majority of the book felt as though it was simply rehashing things that had already been covered in previous books. There are sections of the plot that move well and are paced seamlessly. However, there are then sections where it seems as though it is more important for the author to express his personal views at the loss to the story. There are several philosophical discussions during the book that take up many many pages, but then when the ending comes it is sudden and jolting. For the degree of darkness spread over this series, this book (and series) ends much too neatly. The last fifty pages or so didn't feel like it was the same book to me.
The characters in this book are the characters that long time readers of this series are familiar with. Characters such as; Richard, Kahlan, Jagang, Cara, Nicci, Rachel, Zedd and several more. For the most part, the characters held true to how they were in the past novels, however, that is not necessarily always a good thing. In this book, more so than any of the others, the characters felt very two dimensional. They never seem to grow or develop in any significant manner in this novel. Also, the adage of show don't tell does not apply to this book. There are countless instances where instead of developing a point through showing, Mr. Goodkind simply relies on a character conversation that somehow has all the answers to every problem being faced. There are also several instances of `aha' moments where a character is struggling with a problem for a hundred pages (or more) only to suddenly figure out the solution just at the right time. These scenes came across more as the author telling the reader "this is how it's been the whole time and you didn't figure it out." Types of statements. Those types of things really detract from the enjoyment of the book as they don't feel natural and it upsets the flow of the novel, particularly because often times these scenes involve long diatribes of conversation.
A couple criticisms about this novel:
1 - As I mentioned above, the "Show don't Tell" adage that doesn't seem to apply to this book. It was disappointing that several key plot points were dealt with through mere conversations and characters saying "I got it, I know what X is."
2 - I understand that authors will invariably write their beliefs and tenets into their work. However, when a book is a fantasy novel for entertainment, the reader should not be subjected to this type of preachy-ness time and time again. This is a 750+ page novel, that if those things were removed probably could have came in around 550 pages or so.
3 - Long conversations. A great book has a good mix between conversations and scenes. However, there are several times in this book where conversations dominate 10-15 pages, for one conversation. That's entirely too long. I found myself losing track of the conversation, the point of the conversation, and at times even who was talking, simply because they were so long.
Some positives about this novel:
1 - I appreciated how things were all tied into this book and things from the first few books were referenced, such as the Chimes. It was nice to see things like that come full circle after this long of a series.
2 - The complexity of the plot, and overall story. (Aside from being spoon fed scenes by the author) the actual story is well laid out. There are many intricate pieces to this story that add to the feel of the overall world and plot.
3 - When Mr. Goodkind doesn't feel the need to add his political/religious views into the story his prose is quite good. There are some scenes that showcase his true talent. It flows effortlessly and is a joy to read. Unfortunately, these scenes seem to be few and far between in this novel.
When all is said and done, fans of the series who have stuck around for the past ten books will no doubt be picking this novel up, if for no better reason than to put closure to the story and see how things end. Fans looking at starting Mr. Goodkind's work should just be forewarned about the amount of preaching that is inherent in the later novels and how plot points tend to be repeated at time. I will readily admit that there are some aspects of this story that I loved. On the other side though, there are some things I could have done without. Wizards First Rule was a fantastic novel, but I don't believe any other book in the series returned to that form. I have been asked about this series time and time again and I always wind up on the fence as to recommend it or not. Unfortunately, this novel does not sway me in one way or another. I think the best advise is to try the first novel and see what you think and go from there. I don't think this particular novel is some of Mr. Goodkind's best work.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 The Journey is Done and I'll Miss It, 2008-12-04
I've enjoyed the Sword of Truth books. Sure, some have been better than others, but the overall experience has been fun. This book wraps the two story arcs (the overall series & the Confessor trilogy) up nicely. Richard has come pretty far over 11 books and I wish it could just keep going.
I'd like to see Terry Goodkind try his hand with fantasy again, but it looks like his next book will be a mainstream novel.
If you've read the other books, of course you will read this one. It's been a journey of 14 years to get to this point. If you haven't read the other books, start with the first one. Characters that seem like old friends to long-time readers won't make any sense to new readers.
Whatever you do, be sure to read it, though.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 No Loose Ends, 2008-11-25
For the record, I could never be a professional reviewer because I don't break the parts down and analyze each one. That said, I really enjoyed this final book in Goodkind's Sword of Truth series.
I first got hooked on the series after several of the books had already been written. Whenever I got to the next book, I "noticed" how he repeated facts and histories of prominent characters. I had wondered how people could forget those important details. This time, however, it had been almost 2 years since I finished Phantom, book #11. The reminders turned out to be pleasantly welcomed.
It was amazing to me how he pulled in characters and storylines from thoughout the series (some of which I'd almost forgotten) and tied them all off nicely. There was the same drama and adventure that this reader had come to expect in the story and, though they weren't there, the last two words could easily have been, "The End."
Thank you Mr. Goodkind for taking me on a great acventure.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Preaching, smugness, and panic abound, 2008-11-18
You probably already know that Goodkind is preachy. I knew it going in and I can deal with that, even though it kills the feeling of the book. It does bother me that an author will go to great lengths to try and tell a story and wrap the reader into a different world, and then just totally bash the reader in the skull with childish monologues that go for pages where I guess we are supposed to believe that all other characters just patiently wait for the speaker to finish and reach their point. It doesn't matter how many people are present for these tirades, or what the circumstances are (like maybe a tense moment with tempers flaring). We are just supposed to stay wrapped up in this story as if it's plausible. Sorry Mr Goodkind but it isn't. You might as well have said Richard pulls out a gun and starts firing at people because THAT is how plausible your character tirades are. How can you create this rich world and not get something basic like how people interact?
So anyway, I can skip those and keep going. I don't mind that much as long as I can keep the story going. And it worked for much of this book like his other recent books. But what really killed it for me was the ending. It has to be the dumbest ending ever. I can only think that panic sent in with a due date looming so Goodkind just whipped up something to get it done. In a manner of two or three pages Goodkind explains the entire secret to all the magic being used as "one thing was wrong because it was after a key date" but "the correct thing was correct even though it was after the key date".
Why you ask? Well the first thing was wrong because it was illogical because how could it be part of the solution if the timeline was wrong. So how could the second thing be correct if the timeline was also wrong? Ahhh dear reader the answer is .... it was a trick. Yes folks, logic prevails until the author gets tired head and decides that logic won't work so we fall back on "it's a trick".
You know, that might work if there were some space between these revelations, like maybe a book or two or even a few 100 pages. But no, it all comes in a one or two page span.
Let that sink in a bit. It's the last 5 pages of the book dear readers. XZY was false because of a date, simple logic. But ABC is true even though it falls under the same date, because it's a trick.
A trick. Really Terry? Really?
So yes, I enjoyed the book even with the smug speeches and preaching. But I feel so ripped off because of the ending. I'm ashamed I read the book and gave Terry money.
0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
It's over..... It's finally over!!!!, 2008-11-13
I'll keep this short and sweet. Goodkind knows how to weave an intriguing tale, no question. Even if he is very repetative and formulaeic, it is still a great story with characters whom you genuinely care about. This last book was not a story, though. It's a manifesto! I have never read such a preachy book in all my years. 10 pages of monologue and 2 pages of action or conversation is not my idea of a good time. Goodkind took something that I thought of as an annual treat, and turned it into a poorly structured lecture. I graduated college and grad school. If I want to be lectured, I'll go for my doctorate. I read these books to have fun, and he ruined the previous 10 books for me. Unfortunately I don't think that he'll refund my $.
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