Well, after a disappointing Naked Empire I was not anticipating this really rewarding story. So, Terry, whatever your thoughts were they have come back to this complicated but very good story of Richard's life. I have read disparaging reviews on this book but I have to say that I completely understood what Terry was doing in this book.

I have experienced times when I knew that something was 'right' or 'true' only to have others disagree with me so strongly that after a time I began to doubt myself. I can tell you what that feels like. Then when you are vindicated and proven to be 'truthful' or 'right', the relief that you aren't losing your mind is almost overwhelming.

Again we find Richard being treated like a willful child and everyone else thinks that they know what is best and what he is required to do. This has been the main thread of this series. Pre-destiny or Prophesy vs Free Will. Richard has once again had to stand against overwhelming odds with constant meddling from the former Prelate of the Sisters of the Light "Ann" who is almost 1000 yrs old and still hasn't learned that she is only a woman and not God or in this case, the Creator. She spends her life enslaving young boys and holding them literal prisoners in that Palace of the Prophets where aging is slowed so much that these young people outlive all their family and are taught only what the Sisters are able to teach them. She is ruthless when it comes to getting what she believes she must have to ensure that prophecy is fulfilled. Richard has proven time and again that what she and even Nathan Rahl (the prophet) believe about prophecy is not what it seems, but they will go so far as to attempt to alter Richards mind through subtractive magic to make him do what they want.

While it takes longer than the readers would like for Richard to get from A to Z in this story, it is necessary to the story line. Yes, critics, there are some repetitive parts from earlier parts of the series but not everyone who picks up this book will have read the others first and so it must be there to give some groundwork for the story for new readers. Another note to the critics who have reviewed this book and even some of his fans. Richard did not refuse to help Jillian look for her grandfather, her grandfather was not lost. What he did was to send Nicci and Cara to deal with the soldiers while he searched for Chainfire. This was not unreasonable or selfish since he had given up his Sword of Truth to get this cryptic information in the first place. Nicci, after all, is a deadly weapon in skirts. It also gave her the opportunity to attempt the alteration of memory on an enemy soldier instead of Richard and there-by prevented her from giving in to the pressure of performing it on Richard which would have killed him.

The other criticism is that Richard refuses to lead his men in battle. NOT TRUE. Remember Richard Rahl, Master of D'Hara is supposed to be the 'Magic against Magic'. This was presented early on and many times his people have tried to get him to stay out of the actual fighting so that they could be what they were supposed to be; 'Steel against Steel'. He did refuse to stay and fight with the 'Old World' rebellion, but that was as it should be. He is not omnipotent and there were other places that he needed to be. It is another example of 'people' thinking that one man is responsible for keeping them free. Freedom is earned and sometimes requires us to fight to keep it. One person cannot bear that responsibility. Richard had already showed them what they needed to do but he couldn't fight with them and take care of dealing with what he and he alone knew was happening in the world.

In this book, Richard is still not sure how to use his gift; but like always it seems to be there in his time of need. The poor guy has no other War Wizard to look to for help. Even Nathan Rahl has no subtractive magic so Richard had to trust in his judgment and his instincts even when others think he is wrong. He is exquisitely human and in that way he can make some serious mistakes, but this book shows just how much damage can be done by others who have much more experience in life and have come to believe that this young man who has been so tested by fire time and again still doesn't know his 'duty'.

Richard went to D'Hara and was able to discover with the help of a still unbelieving and 'jealous of his love for someone else' Nicci, the truth of the serious and deadly magic that has been loosed and he realized that the approaching army of Jagang was NOT the final battle referred to in Prophesy.

He stood before his D'Haran army and in the short time he had told them he had two choices. He gave them the opportunity to stand with him and accept his wisdom as Master Rahl in what he should do or to dictate to him what they thought he should do. The soldiers dropped to their knees and gave the devotion to show him that they trusted and believed in him, that they as D'Haran soldiers should be the 'Steel against Steel' so that he could be the "Magic against Magic". It was a rewarding story and I am once again enjoying this series to its fullest.

I am a big fan of this series, having fallen in love with these characters from watching the TV show, "The Legend of the Seeker" before ever reading any of the books. I discovered the first book, "Wizard's First Rule," almost by accident...a friend loaned a stack of random books he thought I might enjoy, and it was the one on top, that he recommended reading first as one of his favorites. He didn't tell me anything else about it, but of course I only got one page in before I realized what I was holding: the chance to hang with these characters that I loved so much in a much deeper format. Needless to say, the books were ever so much more than the short-lived TV show. And as I got my hands on each successive sequel, each book was better than the last. Prior to purchasing "Chainfire," it being the first of the series I read entirely on my kindle, I had the misfortune of reading several reviews on the kindle store. This long-winded review is my counter to the poor ratings I had seen before purchasing the book. If you have read the others, and agree that each book is better than the last, you will NOT be disappointed in this one, as in my opinion he continues the trend. This book is so well written that you will have a hard time believing all the rest weren't written just so he could write this one. Terry Goodkind is a master storyteller, and I can't wait to start the next book in order to find out what happens after that cliffhanger I mentioned in the title of my review.

After Pillars of Creation, I got the impression that the series had run its course. Goodkind had gone from inventing dozens of fantastic wonders/magics/spells/evils per book to really only coming up with one or two. While Naked Empire began to reverse the trend, I really felt that Goodkind was back to his old self in Chainfire. There are many new twists in this novel that make it as fresh as the first, and he steers clear of such obvious pitfalls as mercilessly killing off a side character on which he spends 200+ pages (Finch, Oba, etc.)

Understand that the mainstays of the series, though developed to new ends, are still themselves. If you aren't expecting long lofty speeches out of Richard, why are you still reading these books? Goodkind's philosophy is similarly woven into the plot, but not so much that it interferes with his story. And that is what makes this book worth reading; Goodkind has, after a vacation of several books, reinvested in his strongest point as an author: his storytelling.

This book's one downfall is also hopefully its biggest virtue. For the first time, Goodkind makes no effort to bring the plot to a logical conclusion. While it is exceedingly frustrating for the reader, it is easy to see why he did so. The series is obviously (and publically I guess) being brought to an end. Chainfire does a superb job of setting up what promises to be an unbelievable finale. If he continues where he left off, then I will be 100% satisfied; if he fails in the last two books, then this book was a pretty huge disappointment. The story is great, but Goodkind perhaps put a little too much work into "setting the stage." As a result, you finish this book asking if it was worth it, and praying that it was. 650+ pages, but not a heck of a lot of action.

This is a must read for not only the still-loyal readers, but also those disgruntled fans who became too frustrated after the previous works. This one has got the series back on track, and heading for what promises to be an unforgettable conclusion.

If you feel stuck in life, as if everything and everyone seemed to working against you, I highly recommend reading the first 12 books in The Sword of Truth series. Through the characters and their lives that Terry created you can find the proper values and life lessons to overcome any challenges you and your loved ones might encounter.

I grew up in a broken home with hate, torture, and addiction. My reading these books I was able to escape the harsh lessons that I was brainwashed with. I’ve been able to escape childhood traumas and addictions that were destroying my quality of life. I highly recommend you read these wonderful books and take notes of all the wonderful lessons and examples of how to be a better person, friend, and lover! Life is yours to live, rise up and live it!

The Sword of Truth series is a no-fail go-to as I've gotten back into pleasure reading. Chainfire had me so engaged, I didn't feel guilty for the hours of housework I was missing. Yes, Terry's writing sometimes recaps on things past. I see this as Terry being considerate because it's been years since I've read the previous books in the series, and I would hate to miss any thing of relevance as the story propels forward. Reading Chainfire was not about racing to the end by skipping and jumping ahead. I really enjoyed the unorthodox depiction of Richard and Kahlan's love, and the nail-biting suspense that Terry builds from every angle involving them and their world. He does throw subtle references to past novels that only an avid SOT reader can appreciate. Besides, anyone who chooses to can skim over lengthy explanations. I was tempted to do this in areas where Terry elaborates on the Righteousness of the Order (which is detailed thoroughly in each book--maybe a bit too much) and the thorough analyses of Spells (I'm not that into formulas). It's also great that Chainfire and Phantom move outside the standard book format of "Intro, Body, Conclusion", since it means we don't get to guess what the final outcome will be as we near the last few pages...

Chainfire is different from the previous eight books in the series. In the other books there is a definite conclusion to the story line. With Chainfire you are lead to the next book to continue the ongoing story line. Actually, I didn’t mind it and am looking forward to the next book in the series. As I understand it these last three books are actually a trilogy.

This is another of Mr. Goodkind's imaginative stories that take the reader to a different world of magic and mayhem. I would gladly give it 5 stars, except for the drawn-out ramblings about the travel through the keep that do nothing but add pages to the book. The point could have been made without near as many details of that labyrinth.

I have always found it frustrating that digital books that can be copied in an instant are as expensive as they are. I don't begrudge this or any other author their living, but someone is making more than they should of each copy, when they could make the same off quantity if they were less expensive. I quit reading for the last several years because of this, when otherwise I would have bought and read hundreds of books in that time. I'm currently incapacitated or would not be reading now. That said, I do love these great books and many other authors' fantasies.

Other than the complaints brought up didn't bother me as much as it did others. He is preachy but for some reason his preachiness dosn't bother me nearly as much as Jordan's constant male bashing,or three page descriptions of rooms never to be seen again and ponytail tugging. The plot is sluggish but again, did you read any of Jordan's middle and later books or George Martin's last two? This plot flies by in comparison. What really annoyed me no end is him spending pages hammering an idea or concept into your head over and over again until you had no choice but to skip past it. You don't have to tell me 7 different ways that Richard dosn't eat meat in the space of 2 pages. And as someone else mentioned, he really dosn't need to recap earlier books so thoroughly as he does.

Not a whole lot of action but I did enjoy the character interactions and he has a way of making me really feel good about certain actions characters occasionally have. I must admit that Richard seems to not listen to his own preachiness when he abandons all to find his lady. And he clearly stole from Thomas Covenant the way Richard can't master his powers. I think it would have been nice if he was more God like than he is by book 9. And maybe an author needs to be bold and stop the Lord of the Rings formula of breaking up the main characters and sending them on separate quests so much.

Oh and the main plot. I am of two minds of it. It's sort of annoying after awhile hearing how everyone thinks he's crazy. It seems EVERY chapter another thing comes up that is sure to prove Richard right. Only to make him look even more insane when it dosn't. I like the way that is building but in turn, enough already, we get it. Everyone thinks he's nuts. No one remembers but him. Stop banging it over our heads already.

All in all it's not a bad book. Just more of the same and cut out some of the unneeded words.

This is a really good author.

Wieder hat Goodkind sich eine formidable, neue Bedrohung einfallen lassen, der Richard sich gegenüber sieht. Wer die ersten 10 Bände dieser Serie gern gelesen hat, wird auch hier nicht enttäuscht werden. Was den treuen Fan unter Umständen stört, ist dass Goodkind wieder zahlreiche Erklärungen / Rückblicke eingebaut hat, die auch diejenigen Leser an Bord holen, die nicht die ersten 10 Bände gelesen haben. Auch die Rahmenhandlung ist natürlich die Gleiche wie in den Vorgängerbüchern, Jagang bleibt der große Widersacher. So, genug relativiert, ansonsten ist das Buch absolut fesselnd und eine würdige Fortsetzung einer der besten Fantasy-Serien auf dem Markt - ich habe dieses Buch verschlungen! Natürlich ist es mir 5 Sterne wert!

Terry Goodkind is back to form, with storyline and breathtaking reading in this instalment he captures the reader like he did in the first 3 or 4 books of The Sword of Truth. I'm already logging in to Amazon to purchase the next instalment.

Enfin nous retrouvons l’auteur avec son imagination débordante dans ce tome après un tome 6 vraiment pas la hauteur de son talent; ici , tout y est , mystère, intrigue et suspense . On ne connaît pas encore le dénouement ce qui nous incite à continuer la série. Je le recommande…

とにかく前半はカーランがこの世界から消え、リチャード以下が誰もその存在を信じない。

延々とニッキとカラとのやり取りが続くため、リチャード同様フラストレーションがたまることたまること。

一度は途中で挫折。2/3ほど進んだところで一気に急展開。こういうところはうまいよなぁ。

これまでも何度もいいところで登場した人物から、”Chainfire" "The Deep Nothing" "Beast”のヒントをもらい一気に加速。

最後の最後でPHANTOMへ続く展開。やめられません。

現在ニッキがメインの物語進行中ですが、ニッキがほぼメインに躍り出てきてます。