(no subject)
Book Title:Phantom
Author:Terry Goodkind
Genre:Fantasy
My rating of the book, F- [worst] to A+ [best]: B
On the day she awoke remembering nothing but her name, Kahlan Amnel became the most dangerous woman alive. For everyone else, that was the day that the world began to end. As her husband, Richard, desperately searches for his beloved, whom only he remembers, he knows that if she doesn't soon discover who she really is, she will unwittingly become the instrument that will unleash annihilation. But Kahlan learns that if she ever were to unlock the truth of her lost identity, then evil itself would finally possess her, body, and soul. If she is to survive in a murky world of deception and betrayal, where life is not only cheap but fleeting, Kahlan must find out why she is such a central figure in the war-torn world swirling around her. What she uncovers are secrets darker than she could ever have imagined.
I love these characters and will always be a fan. I'm sucked in by the first few pages, and soon can't stand to put it down. That said though, by this many in the series, so much time is devoted to rehashing things that happened in earlier novels I get a little bored. The author also spends an excessive amount of time reiterating the moral foundation of the story. I love objectivism as much as any Ayn Rand follower, but different characters spouted the same diatribes over and over. We got to see some character development with Kahlan as she struggles without her memory. The only other character who has truly gone through personal development is Nicci. Everyone else just faces new obstacles in old ways. The ending was exactly what I had wanted--a sense of closure, but laced with anticipation for the next and last book of the series. I would recommend this series for anyone into fantasy novels.