A fitting end to the Sword of Truth series

About 100 pages from the end of "Confessor," the final book in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, I was a bit worried. There seemed to be an inordinate number of loose ends that needed to be addressed within a finite number of pages. Amazingly, Goodkind manages to wrap up the series in grand fashion -- about the only thing missing was a sweeping musical score from John Williams.

The last three books of the series, "Chainfire," "Phantom," and Confessor," read almost like a trilogy within the series. "Confessor" picks up right where "Phantom" left off, with Richard Rahl held prisoner in Jagang's massive army, forced to bide his time as leader of a Ja'La team while trying to find a way to rescue Kahlan, his wife and Mother Confessor, who still has no memory of who she is. To add to the tension, the boxes of Orden have been put into play in Richard's name by Nicci, so the clock is ticking on life as we know it.

While the book is never a chore to read, Goodkind comes dangerously close to grinding the pace to a halt early on when two important supporting characters, Nicci and Zedd, debate the wisdom of her choice. It's a personal pet peeve of mine that fantasy writers fall into the trap of creating a system of magic for their universe, then spend page after page explaining it, rationalizing it, and showing the depths of the logic of its existence.

Goodkind also has a rather preachy side to his writing, and he just can't seem to stop himself in this final Sword of Truth story. It seems barely five pages go by before another character feels the need to express (either internally or for all to hear) the importance of living free or their displeasure of the Imperial Order way of thinking. Really, after 10 full-length novels and a short story, we understand. While the second half of the book flies by, you can't help but think that some clever editing could have chopped out several dozens pages for an even better read. (Also, a few blatant typos in the second half of the book are an annoying distraction.)

One of the most pleasing elements of the Sword of Truth series has been Goodkind's ability to integrate elements from earlier novels into later installments. After reading "Confessor," you truly get the feeling that Goodkind has followed a road map throughout the entire series, unlike the late Robert Jordan, whose Wheel of Time series, while generally a decent read, became mired in far too many subplots that go nowhere. (Good luck to the author who will be tasked with wrapping up that series -- but that's a rant for another time). As someone who has invested a great deal of time reading the series, it's nice to be rewarded with a complete tale with a cohesive beginning, middle, and end. Plus, the fact that so many of the supporting characters are still relevant to the storyline is a good thing.

My guess, however, is that some readers will not be completely pleased with the final resolution -- it's a tidy way to bring the conflict with the Imperial Order to a close, but it does test your suspension of disbelief (and in a world with dragons and magical swords, that's saying something).

Still, Goodkind knows how to write action, and his characters continue to not only stay in character but often grow as characters. I can't say "Confessor" is the best book in the series, but it's a more than adequate way to bid farewell to Richard Rahl and company.