This book veers from previous books in that Richard and Kahlan are not the main characters. Instead, we are introduced to Jennsen and Oba, two pristinely ungifted people. As bastard children of Darken Rahl that do not possess the gift, they are "pristinely ungifted" and thus impervious to magic. Jennsen spends the first half of the book running from the new Rahl that has ascended to power, Richard, and then decides that she must murder him. Oba, arrogant and vicious, determines to do the same. It is great when Richard and Kahlan finally show up in the latter pages.
Having overcome at the Pillars of Creation, Richard and Kahlan, along with Richard's sister, the pristinely ungifted Jennsen, begin the long journey North. Along the way, Richard notices that other boundaries that separated parts of the Old World are gone. Eventually he discovers the Banished Ones - the pristinely ungifted ones that were banished ages ago. The Banished Ones purport to being an enlightened group that rejects violence. When the Imperial Order begins to occupy and ravage their land, they are helpless. They seek the aid of Richard, an unenlightened savage in their eyes, to deliver them from the Imperial Order. To persuade him they poison him. Poisoned in body and losing grip on his magical powers, Richard must face Nicholas, the Slider, who possesses the power to capture and remove people's souls and use them for his dark arts. In order to win, Richard must convince the non-violent banished ones to take up arms and fight evil. He must also come to grips with his own doubts concerning himself and the use of violence to defeat evil.
Note: Spoiler Alert. Don't read further if you want to discover key plot points on your own. I've summarized them for myself in order to keep track of things. Richard would have died from a mortal wound if Nicci had not taken the chance to use Negative Magic to heal him. Richard awakens to realize that no one remembers his beloved Kahlan. They have all forgotten her. She has been erased from their minds. Through the book Richard wrestles to prove his belief that Kahlan is alive. His friends believe that he has lost his mind, and he comes close to believing this as well. He seeks out Shota for answers. Though she cannot remember Kahlan either, she offers him a few words of guidance in exchange for the Sword of Truth. One of the words is Chainfire. In the end, Richard's convictions prove true. Kahlan is alive, but she must be found. Which leads to the next book. Thankfully, this book did not include Richard's extended sermons on the virtues of objectivism. However, it does offer the best brief summary of Richard's beliefs: Rational self-interest is the substance of life. There is no greater good than the individual and his or her own self-interests. Self-interest trumps the "common good," unless of course, the common good is in an individual's own best self-interests. "Those who wish to impose an idea of a greater good are simply haters of the good" (170). Of course, Richard does not see the contradiction in his own definition of the "greater good" and his willingness to impose it on others, even by violent force. His rationalism leads him to argue that "faith is a device of self-delusion... the refuge of fools, the ignorant, and the deluded, not of thinking, rational men" (489). Easy to say when one is a war-wizard! I really enjoy these books, but find the simplistic and (in my opinion) contradictory philosophy offered to diminish my enjoyment a bit. If it weren't so heavy-handed I'd be less critical. But still, I press on. Two more books to go!
Note: Spoiler Alert. Don't read further if you want to discover key plot points on your own. I've summarized them for myself in order to keep track of things. The Sisters of the Dark have Kahlan and the Boxes of Orden. Because of the Chainfire spell, Kahlan does not know her identity, but assumes she is nothing but a servant. She slowly comes to recognize her importance, even though she does not remember her past. The Sisters think that since they have pledged loyalty to Lord Rahl on their own terms that they are safe from Jagang's mind-control. They ultimately discover that Jagang has been using them all along. And thus, Kahlan finds herself in Jagang's possession. Meanwhile, Richard learns more about his unique gift and unique role in prophecy. Zedd, Nicci, Nathan, Ann and friends realize that there are a number of copies of "The Book of Counted Shadows" and some are corrupt. It turns out that the copy Richard memorized as a child is corrupt, and for that reason, when he used it against Darken Rahl, the boxes were not destroyed. The book ends with Nicci putting the Boxes of Orden in play - the player: Richard Rahl. Now, Richard must open one box before a year ends. Everyone's fate rests on which box Richard will open. Now, to Book 11, the final book!
Note: Spoiler Alert. Don't read further if you want to discover key plot points on your own. Well, after three months I've finally arrived at the final book. By posing as a Ja'La player, Richard is able to rescue Kahlan. Jagang enters the Garden of Life in order to open the Boxes of Orden, but Richard is able to divide the two worlds, giving everyone what they desire. Those who want a world without magic are given their desire. The rest, reside in peace in a New World ruled by Richard's objectivist philosophy. After reading all the books, I find that Goodkind's views on faith and philosophy are simplistic in the extreme. His tortured and simplistic view of faith is silly and his prizing of Objectivism is extreme. I should have followed people's advice and stopped at Book Five. But I had to know how it ended.
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