Confessor (Sword of Truth, #11) in Sword Of Truth

Sep 14, 2010 Christine rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The journey has ended. The quest is over. The last page has been turned. Yes, that's right, 161 days and 8,432 pages later, I have completed Richard and Kahlan's legacy. Back in January, I wrote a book review for Wizard's First Rule and, now that the series is over, I thought it only fitting to write a review for the final installment: Confessor.

Sword of Truth Series: Confessor

Confessor is the end of a three-part finale (Chainfire, Phantom, Confessor), which is a mini story amid the gigantic ser The journey has ended. The quest is over. The last page has been turned. Yes, that's right, 161 days and 8,432 pages later, I have completed Richard and Kahlan's legacy. Back in January, I wrote a book review for Wizard's First Rule and, now that the series is over, I thought it only fitting to write a review for the final installment: Confessor.

Sword of Truth Series: Confessor

Confessor is the end of a three-part finale (Chainfire, Phantom, Confessor), which is a mini story amid the gigantic series. In Chainfire, Richard wakes up from an injury with Kahlan gone and her existence erased from everyone's memory. Since then, Richard has been racing to get Kahlan back, reverse the spell, AND save the world. As the finale unfolds, Kahlan (without her memory), Richard (without his magic), and Nicci are all captured by Jagang in different parts of the enemy camp and Jagang with the Sisters of the Dark have the Boxes of Orden. Here, the characters' individual strength and nobility shine even amidst unimaginable defeat. The plot line provided the author a unique opportunity to show Richard and Kahlan falling in love all over again, without ever having the luxury of a proper conversation. It explored what it means for Kahlan to be an individual apart from her upbringing, memories, duties, or past. The reader reaffirms that her intelligence, reason, convictions and abilities are her own and that our faith in her and in her love for Richard is justified. Exploring this side of Kahlan was the perfect move. While it was always easy to love Kahlan, because we see her through Richard's eyes, these final installments gave us a glimpse of how truly remarkable she is. When getting to know her in Wizard's First Rule, Kahlan was constantly bound by duty, prophesy, and her responsibility as a Confessor. It becomes very difficult to separate what she is doing because of her own convictions and what she is doing for the sake of the quest (think of the moment she was giving Richard away to marry another at the Mud People's village). Also, she always had her title and authority to back her up. Now, she is stripped of everything, not responsible for anyone but herself, and yet she manages to successfully fight for the innocent (Jillian) and triumph over evil (even in just small ways). Most remarkably, the series came back to Kahlan as the central figure (I have said this from day one but feel free to argue this point, my sister adamantly disagrees). It seems fitting that, while is was she that came searching for Richard in Book 1, Richard needs to find her in the end in order to save the world.

The eleven book series comes full circle in Confessor, paralleling the story from Wizard's First Rule and resolving all the conflicts we have encountered until now. It is truly a remarkable accomplishment considering that Richard was able to solve all the problems--the Imperial Order, the prestinely ungifted, the taint of the chimes, the sisters of the dark, and Kahlan's lost memory--all in one swoop. That is not to say that this resolution was too quick or underdeveloped. On the contrary, Goodkind has been setting us up for this finale since day one. Reflecting most on the first book of the series, the reader learns that the plot for Wizard's First Rule was a miniature mock up of the events concluding the series. The plot came down to the Boxes of Orden and the Sword of Truth, but now that Richard and the readers have matured, the plot is revealed anew.

Ultimately, it is the growth that Richard and the readers have developed along the way that makes this finale epic and appropriate. Since Wizard's First Rule, the series has evolved exponentially, and what was once a simple struggle against a tyrant became a battle between worldviews and a complex lesson in magic. The final moments reveal that the story was always about the Boxes of Orden, a struggle that was introduced in Book 1 but was never fully resolved. In fact, it was this struggle that was falsely resolved but ended up spawning the rift in the veil, awakening Richard's powers, and eventually unraveling the entire world. It is appropriate that the battle come back to this moment because over the course of 11 books, Richard has taught us the value of life. The lessons learned created a rock-solid philosophy valuing life and the Boxes --the magic of life-- are the key to preserving that life and resolving the conflict. The final cherry on top was Sword of Truth being the key to the Boxes of Orden. Until Nicci discovers that Richard memorized a false copy of the Book of Counted Shadows in Phantom, the reader went 9 books thinking this was the key to opening the Boxes. But giving even more meaning to the series title, the Sword was the true key to the Boxes. A weapon of death was the key to the magic of life, emphasizing that life and death are always in balance. ...more

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Feb 16, 2010 Katie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is it. It's over. I have been reading this series for 10 years. The first book of the series, WIZARD'S FIRST RULE, made me want to work with books. To find them, produce them, sell them - I wanted people to feel the same thrill I did when I read this book. Although I'd always enjoyed books, this book was the book that made me realize that I'd truly fallen in love. And I will never forget the feelings that Goodkind has drawn from me during the course of 11 books. He's also brought me friends ...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Emily Diehl rated it really liked it

Wow
The amount of suffering Goodkind put me through In Phantom was worth reading the final book for.
Goodkind came back to the idea that love drives a person in every aspect of their life.
The transformation of Richard is amazing, as if I didn’t already think he wasn’t spectacular before,

His love for Kahlan creates a few more wars among the Order and his own side. No matter what throughout the book it has been and will always be about Kahlan.

Life as Richard believes is what you make of it, your ...more

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Feb 29, 2008 Jessie rated it it was amazing

This is my first review on here :)

I want to start by saying that I was captivated from moment one of this series and NEVER lost that captivation. I have been reading through some of the reviews, and I knwo some of the complaints are that he was repetative in many explainations. I agree to a point. I also know that I forgot a lot of things along the way and was happy to have been reminded. There were some predictiable moments, but I was not upset that I could guess. I was happy to have my assump ...more

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May 15, 2008 Russell rated it it was amazing

This book was absolutely amazing. it's one of the few books that i've read that actually goes full circle and brings about a complete feeling of absolute closure. there is no stone left unturned, no question left unanswered. a completely magical ending to a completely magical series. ...more

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