Chainfire

Terry Goodkind ha vuelto. Tras la decepción del libro anterior de la serie (típica novela intrascendente para aprovechar el tirón de los seguidores y sacarnos los cuartos), es un gusto volver a reencontrarse con el Goodkind más ameno, aquél que sabe contar una historia con esa chispa que le dio a su serie 'La Espada de la Verdad' en los primeros volúmenes.

En 'Cadena de Fuego' (Nota: en España dividido en dos libros, 'La desaparición de Kahlan' y 'Cadena de Fuego'), el autor da una vuelta de tuerca al argumento y nos presenta a un Richard Rahl que tras ser gravemente herido, parece que es el único que recuerda a Kahlan. Cuando pregunta por ella, nadie más sabe de quien se trata, y todos piensan que Richard sufre delirios. Para show more Richard resulta una pesadilla al no saber qué ha sido de su amada Kahlan, pesadilla que no ha hecho más que empezar, porque también debe preocuparse de una extraña bestia creada por Jagang con el fin de darle caza.

Los libros de 'La Espada de la Verdad' tal vez no sean los más ricos en cuanto a lenguaje y creación de mundos, pero Goodkind es capaz de dotar a sus personajes de un fondo y verosimilitud que te permiten seguir leyendo sobre ellos. Este sí es el Goodkind que me gusta. show less

(**A few spoilers, but they're right at the beginning of the book anyway**) The first of the three absolute BEST books in this series. The book begins with mayhem and confusion as Richard, Cara, and Nicci were attacked in their camp and Richard was grievously injured. It is immediately clear to the reader that there is something very 'not right' about the entire situation. Nicci and Cara are convinced that Khalan is a figment created by Richard's mind in the moments while he was on the brink of death. Throughout the rest of the book it becomes Richard's quest, and obsession to prove she's real - both to the Midlands and to himself. The insecurity and possible madness written into the story is so excellent that it even becomes really show more hard for the reader to tell if Khalan did actually exist or not.

One of the most emotionally involving storylines I have ever read. I was thrilled that the last three books were dedicated to this particular story arc. I will absolutely always return and reread the entire series in order to build myself up for the last 3 books. The rest of the series, of course, is awesome (one of my absolute favourites) but the entire time I'm reading the 6th or 7th novel, in the back of my mind I'm just racing to get to Chainfire!

Truly Amazing and engaging! show less

This review refers to the SOT series through book 9.

Terry Goodkind’s first book Wizard’s First Rule was great! Except for the actual First Rule ("People are Stupid"), which was...stupid. The story had so many unique and fascinating characters (especially the secondary ones). I was in love with Richard; I wanted to be a Mord-Sith. The next couple of books of The Sword of Truth were pretty good, too.

Then...I don’t know what happened...it just TOTALLY lost it. The writing style became incredibly annoying and Richard was getting WAY too preachy (constant Ayn Rand-ish humanistic ranting). But, I kept going because I was really invested by this time. And each time I bought one of his $25 hardback books, I found myself rolling my eyes at show more every passive sentence and starting to fall asleep during the sermons (when did Richard hire a speech writer??).

And the plot really got ssslllllloooowwww (just look at the book covers for Chainfire and Phantom — you can tell we're not going anywhere). But the weirdest thing is that I kept buying these 1 star books! I can’t explain my behavior, except to say that Terry Goodkind is (was) a master at plot and characterization (truly, his secondary characters are so well done). So I kept thinking that things would get better, but they did not. How did he pull off that excellent first booK?? I've learned from this experience that I can put down a book if it's not good. There's too much good literature to read.

According to Mr Goodkind, those of us who have bailed out are ignorant and uneducated. Wow. That is something I have never been called before. I should have realized right from the start ("Wizard's First Rule: People are stupid") what kind of fellow Terry Goodkind is. Here is a quote from a chat session conducted with Mr Goodkind (this used to be on his website, but has now been removed. It is well-documented on the internet, however.):

"Why would they continue to read books they claim are bad? Because they hate that my novels exists. Values arouse hatred in these people. Their goal is not to enjoy life, but to destroy that which is good — much like a school child who does not wish to study for a test and instead beats up a classmate who does well. These people hate what is good because it is good. Their lives are limited to loathing and indifference. It isn't that they want to read a good book, what they want is to make sure that you do not. Ignore them." —Terry Goodkind

I say Terry Goodkind is the one acting like a school child having a tantrum. I regret that he got so much of my money. I hope you won't give him any of yours. If you really want to try a Goodkind book, I would recommend that you go to the library and check out the first few, and then trust me that you don't need to read any further. I will not read the last book. I'm not even tempted. What an ass.
Read more Terry Goodkind book reviews at Fantasy Literature . show less

Better than the last two but not by much. The good thing is that Nicci is finally reintroduced back into the series. It was very frustrating for Richard to acquire one of the most powerful beings on Earth to his cause and then completely ignore her for 2 books. She is without a doubt the most interesting character in the book.

Speaking of Nicci, one of the biggest problems I have with the book is she is one of the very few people in possession of both Additive and Subtractive magic. Even though she isn't a war wizard, there is still a lot she could teach Richard, yet the book never touches on this a single time. Richard just keeps blindly looking for any clue to prove Kahlan's existence to everyone.

That's another thing. Richard show more suspected very early on that whatever was going on with Kahlan had to involve magic. That being the case, why in the world did he first choose to visit Shota, an extremely dangerous woman to any wizard, instead of his own sister Jensen, someone who is completely immune to magic so chainfire wouldn't have affected her? It makes no sense at all.

Lastly, I am sick and tired of Goodkind repeat himself over and over again. We are 9 books into the series. There is absolutely no reason to explain things that happened earlier in the series. I don't need to hear about how the Imperial Order acts and what their beliefs are or about the value of life, and I certainly DO NOT need to hear even one more word of that damn devotion! I know what it is and can recite the thing myself after the first 23 times he printed it throughout the series. I don't need to read it 9 more times in this book, especially in a row!

By now, I'm just reading to finish the series. I have absolutely no expectation for the remaining 2 books. show less

7/10
While I would prefer even less sermonizing, preaching, or whatever you want to call it, author [a:Terry Goodkind|3441|Terry Goodkind|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1339807358p2/3441.jpg] kept it to a manageable amount and concentrated on the story. And this story, with the Imperial Army both intent on crushing the revolt against its tyranny in the Old World and just plain crushing the New World, finds Richard Rahl caught between championing the cause of self-determination, life, and free will and finding his missing wife, whom the rest of the world has forgotten ever existed. As is often the case in the Sword of Truth books, parts of the story drag on and on and then an amazing number of critical events are crammed into a few show more pages. It makes for a rather uneven reading experience. show less

Leggere la catena di fuoco vuol dire essere pronti a provare la sensazione che l'autore stia prendendo in giro i suoi lettori. L'idea di fondo è intrigante per concludere la saga, ma gli eventi narrati possono essere condensati tranquillamente in metà dello spazio. Il resto sono interminabili sermoni di stampo randiano con cui Richard ottura le orecchie di personaggi e lettori. E' proprio la scelta di Goodkind di rendere Richard l'eroe randiano per antonomasia che sta rovinando sul finale una serie che seppur non capolavoro era comunque godibile.
La sensazione è che la trilogia finale potesse tranquillamente ridursi a un singolo volume.

This book breathed new life into the "Sword of Truth" series for me. It took everything that had happened thus far and twisted it in a way that left me on the edge of my seat, wondering what on earth was going on, and how the situation could possibly be resolved.