I found this book quite a slog. By this time, when I found out Kahlan had been erased from the memory of all, my reaction was a sigh, because I felt been there, done that. Not that Goodkind had used this particular device before, but how many times in this series had she and Richard been parted. Again.
And for me this series has long lost its sense of humor--and fun. And yes, it did once have that. I found Zedd especially quite lovable. A lot of people object to Goodkind's philosophy--he makes no bones on this website that he's a devotee of Ayn Rand. That doesn't bother me the way it does some. It didn't surprise me--I thought I saw a libertarian theme in the early books--which is something I personally found attractive. But I do hate preachiness--even when I'm singing with the choir. And somewhere in the series Goodkind did get unbearably preachy to a tune I've heard before--and sung much better mind you.
This is the ninth book overall in the series. This book is also known as the "Chainfire Trilogy" because the last three books concluding the series are essentially one book--not at all self-contained. I think the series is at its worst in the middle part, Phantom, and don't think Goodkind really redeems himself in the conclusion, Confessor. So I'd say Chainfire is for completists only. Or those who really, really still love this series unequivocally. I can't say I count myself among them.
