Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 2 (Sword of Truth, Book 10) by Terry Goodkind Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
(Click here)
Book Reviews of Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 2 (Sword of Truth, Book 10)
Book Review: Not quite up to the usual standard
Summary: 3 Stars
I have read all nine of the books that preceded this one in the series and have eagerly awaited the release of each one. There are certain characteristics which make a fantasy novel outstanding. The primary one of course is that the author creates a world which captures the imagination of readers. In order to be effective, a fantasy world, no matter how many of the rules of our own world it breaks, must abide by the laws of nature that exist within that world. Very few authors since Tolkien have ever achieved this. Most cheat at some stage to resolve the plot complications they have introduced. The beauty of this series was that Terry Goodkind had created a world that was perfect within itself. On top of this his characters were fascinating and the intricate plot he wove was totally gripping. This is the first of the novels that did not live up to the expectations created by the other nine. The magic worked by the `gifted' at times becomes a little too complex and suspiciously close to not conforming to the inner rules of the fantasy world. The intricacies of plot become a little repetitious and we have the notion we have been in the same place before. Fantasy novels almost always portray the fight between `good' and `evil' and at times in previous novels in the series the association of `evil' with a force that seems to represent communism has descended into sermonizing. This is the first novel where that sermonizing seriously detracts from the plot, however. The plot still swept me along and I am still eager to read the final novel in the series, but I hope that it returns to the standards of the first nine.Book Review: Phantom - Another Winner in the Series
Summary: 5 Stars
Terry Goodkind has set himself a very ambitious task in this 12-book series: To create characters who exist and function in a world of magic that is intelligent, cohesive, logical and also fascinating enough to make you want more. Goodkind has succeeded admirably, in my opinion.
This is an epic tale, and is told in epic terms. Occasionally, just as it seems things are not quite believable and the story does not quite support fully the story-line; it is then that the author lays a choice haunch of new information on you which totally resolves the tensions and thrusts the story far forward. The intellectual pace at times is as rigorous as the story-line. It is very stimulating.
In my opinion, this is a masterful series. I discovered the series when 10 books were already in paperback and raced through them right along with the characters. Each book is substantial, draws on prior books and advances the action excellently. I choose to wait painfully for "Phantom" to reach paperback distribution, (since I read while traveling and didn't want to lug a hardbound copy), and I was not disappointed. I may have to purchase the final book, "Confessor," in hardbound.
The only small caveat I would offer is to women readers: There is a decidedly dark, evil element running through this series that gives rise to a lot of murder and mayhem in the books. It totally makes sense within the overall context of the series, however, so is acceptable in my view. You will know by the end of Book I whether it is acceptable to you.
I recommend these books highly.
Book Review: trailing off to nothing
Summary: 2 Stars
Goodkind's first Wizard's books were great, but then he lost his dynamo in 2 major ways: 1) he started pounding the pulpit over his philosophy, a put-me-to-sleep act, and 2) he started padding his books with recaps of prior books. This last book "Phantom" had about 200 pages of new stuff and 500 pages of review; in fact, the last 5 books could have made 2 books if all the redundancy had been removed. Like others have said, I skimmed over page after page off recaps and pulpit pounding. Mr. Goodkind started off his series good, but he has really trailed off to nothing. For the last book, "Confessor", I'll wait to find the paperback in a used book store someday.Book Review: Phantom- A Book of Enjoyment and Enlightenment
Summary: 4 Stars
Phantom- A Book of Enjoyment and Enlightenment
Didn't Read the first 9 books, don't worry, you'll still enjoy it!
"Evil knocked slowly on the door...[Kahlan] hoped no one would answer that knock...she didn't want harm coming to innocent people" (pg. 1) From the very first page Terry Goodkind attracts his audience with the conflict between good and evil through his use of foreshadowing and diction. Phantom is mainly about how Richard, the leader of the people, helps to defend his people from the evil Jagang's army. The inner conflict that rages within Richard is whether he should continue "chasing phantoms" (pg. 108) or protect the innocent people of his land. Filled with spells, wizards, heroes, villains, and phantoms, Phantom is a thoroughly enjoyable book with many universal themes. In Phantom, Terry Goodkind uses symbolism, characterization of the realistic hero, Richard, and an appeal to pathos to effectively convince his science fictional audience of the universal conflict between good and evil in a way they can enjoy and relate to. I strongly recommend this book to any science fiction or fantasy lovers because it has a captivating storyline and is a reminder of some universal truths.
One of the techniques that Goodkind uses is the symbolism of phantoms to empathize the conflict between good and evil and what's real and imaginary to his science fictional audience by showing how far people must go to defend their freedom. A phantom can be defined as something that can be felt but not seen or whose existence is hard to prove. But the connotation of the word phantom is more than that, because an angel has the same denotation but does not invoke the same feeling of terror and fear. In this story Goodkind uses the symbol of the phantom in two cases. First, Kahlan, Richard's wife who was taken by the Sister of the Dark is referred to as a phantom because she has been erased from everyone's memories except Richard's by a spell called Chainfire. "Kahlan had seen that blank look thousands of times. No one could have remember seeing Kahlan for long enough to say so. She was as good as invisible...she wanted to stand in the light and be seen" (pg. 6). This theme of phantoms is the first conflict in the book. Why is it that can no one remember her and more importantly why are the few that do remember her killed? The use of the symbol phantom helps to create a feeling of suspense and anticipation as the Sisters of the Dark murder all that recognize Kahlan. Richard, her husband, desperately tries to find his wife Kahlan. He becomes so obsessed with the finding of Kahlan that she becomes the "phantom he chases" (pg. 108). Kahlan's role as the "phantom he chases" becomes the force that keeps Richard from his main duties as Lord Rahl. A phantom is something impossible to touch and so by describing Kahlan as a phantom, the search is implied to be a fruitless cause. Richard must decide between chasing his phantom and helping the actual victims of Jagang's attacks. The other meaning of the word phantom is applied to Richard's decision to convince the army to disperse into smaller units and become the "phantom D'Haran legions" (pg. 296) to defeat the superior Jagang's army. Richard realizes that his men will never defeat the enemy in hand to hand combat and so he persuades them to rage an invisible attack. This plan of attack is described through the symbol of the phantom. "No one will know where you are. No one will know when you strike...I want them to fear the phantom D'Haran army as if it were fear itself" (pg. 296). The connotation of the word phantom in this case is an unseen spirit that creates fear in its enemy. The use of the word phantom in their plan of attack makes it seem that even though the D'Haran army is smaller, if they begin phantom raids they would have a chance to defeat the enemy. Goodkind's goal in using the title and symbol of a phantom is to suggest that the line between good and evil is thin and sometimes the good people have to use evil tactics to defend their existence and liberty. The conflict between good and evil and what's real and imaginary is described through the inclusion of the symbol of a phantom, which Goodkind's audience can understand.
Another technique that Goodkind uses to empathize the battle between good and evil and help the science fictional audience relate to this story is through his creation and characterization of a realistic hero. In order for an audience to relate to a hero the hero must be courageous and possess all the good qualities of a hero and at the same time have a few human flaws and weaknesses. In Phantom, Richard Rahl is the hero who tries to defend his people from the brutal attacks of the evil Jagang's army. Richard is portrayed as courageous, wise, compassionate, and honest through descriptive details. Richard is shown to be wise when he realizes the deathly flaw in the verification web even before the wizard notices it (pg. 47). A true hero and leader cannot be scatterbrained or na?ve and it is apparent here through Goodkind's use of details that Richard does not display either quality. Richard is also loving and compassionate. Richard desperately searches for his beloved wife who was taking by the Sisters of the Dark. Kahlan was "his life" (pg. 26). The fact that he loves someone other than he shows that he is human. Jillian, the girl Kahlan saves, said that Richard helped save her and her grandfather (pg. 461). Richard didn't have to save these people, because they are not of any real importance but he takes time out of his search for Kahlan to save them. The author's use of description to convey Richard's compassion and kindness helps to create a hero that can be respected and revered. When Shota the witch comes to him and tells him that he is the only one that can save these innocent people from their brutal deaths, he listens to her and takes her advice (pg. 125). The fact that he cares enough about his people to set aside his search for the beloved Kahlan shows that he is a true leader. Yes, he did not agree with Shota's words at the beginning and refused to believe that he could help, but eventually he took her advice. The fact that he wavered and was not completely convinced that he was "the one" is important because it is something the audience can relate to because one usually question things and then stew over them before one agree. Humans naturally try to resist advice and so it was important for Richard to have this realistic quality to help the audience relate. Another important detail that helps to develop Richard's character is the scene where he visits his army. He promises to speak to the officers with honesty (pg. 281). He states the plain facts of their eventual defeat without euphemisms. By creating a leader that is honest at all times through details, Goodkind conveys to his audience that Richard is trustworthy and is concerned about their welfare. After commanding them to not go head to head with Jagang's army he institutes a new plan to become "phantoms." This shows that he was not willing to give up but just needed a new plan of attack. The details of Richard's character are important because they demonstrate qualities of a hero and a good leader. As the audience reads about Richard, the most important thing for them to grasp is that one doesn't have to be perfect to be "the one", just be doing one's best to defend good against evil.
The most important technique that Goodkind uses to relate to his audience about the importance of defending the truth is his appeal to pathos. There are multiple instances in the book where he appeals to his audience's pathos but the strongest and most influential time is when he is describing the brutal torturing of innocent people by a monstrous army. An audience's heart will always be pricked with sympathy towards the wounded innocent and with disgust towards their enemy. "For the crime of trying to protect their homes, they were butchered" (pg. 76). Defending one's home will never be a crime and so to hear it described as one makes the audience understand that these people were innocent and did not deserve the harsh suffering that was to befall them. It appeals to their subconscious desire for justice for the wicked. The details of these innocent peoples' deaths are perhaps the largest pull towards an audience's emotion. The "gagging stench of death" and the "bloodcurdling sounds of howls, women's screams, and men's raucous laughter" (pg. 78) are used by Goodkind to show that this was no small feeble attack but permeated into every age group and city. The use of the word "bloodcurdling" to describe the howls is important because it creates a feeling of intense pain and dread creating an appeal to pathos in its audience. The vivid descriptions of the raping of the women from a first hand source is difficult to read without feeling a sense of rage towards these monsters who committed these acts. It is very interesting that the author notes that these men were not initially monsters, but humans at one point. By including this point, the audience is forced to realize that wickedness is not something one is born with, which makes this situation even more heart throbbing. These innocent people had no one to rescue or help them and by the end only sought the "mercy of a quick death" (pg. 143). Usually one does not think of death as merciful but cruel. This basic part of human nature is important because it shows that the torture and suffering was so malicious that anything, even death, would be better. Even the most stoic science fiction reader can feel sympathy towards these innocent people and their cruel treatment because the appeal to pathos is so great. As the conflict wages between good and evil, the audience becomes emotionally drawn into the conflict through the brutal treatment of the innocent by these monsters.
In conclusion, I strongly recommend Phantom to a science fictional audience because it contains all the elements of a good fantasy, it has a good plot, it reinforces universal truths, and gives the reader not simply a feeling of satisfaction but enlightenment. Even though it has a fictional setting and characters, the audience is able to relate to the characters because of their realistic traits. Goodkind creates a feeling of understanding and compassion in his readers through his use of symbolism, characterization, and an appeal to pathos. Shota, the witch's, comment to Richard is "what I expect is for you to understand" that "we are losing who we are, what we are. We are losing not just our world but ourselves" (pg. 102) is the author's underlying purpose for writing this novel. Yes, it has fast-pace action, interesting characters, and is a good story if simply taken at face value. But the story is more than that, it is a chance for his audience to understand that good will always battle evil and we need to decide today which side we are on. If we let evil continue to prevail without resistance that ultimately we will lose not only our world but also ourselves.
Book Review: Excellent book
Summary: 4 Stars
This book does a great job of moving the story line forward and introducing new information and bring back old characters. I can't wait to read the concluding book.