Can I finish Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series? A rant.

[m_mcgregor]

The final book in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series was recently released, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to read it. I've borrowed a copy and it's sitting here with me now, but after reading just a few sentences I find it difficult to continue, because I know that the ending that I want is not going to be the ending that I get. The

Comments

[selene2]

I haven't read ANY of this series but I have read Ender's Game and I really liked that story. Please don't tell me that Orson Scott Card is all sucko now too!

[m_mcgregor]

Ender's Game is great. I even enjoy the first three sequels, although by Children of the Mind you start to see Card's personal beliefs and politics begin to color the story. There's a strange kind of stereotyping and racism involved in it.

But then Ender's Shadow and that whole series came out, where we learn that there's no greater accomplishment for a fourteen year old girl woman than to have babies, and that fertilized embryos are YOUR CHILDREN! and you must protect them from evil super-geniuses who don't appear to have much sense. Then there's a whole bunch of really simplistic war scenarios he comes up with, although all I can remember right now is that the key to the world is occupying Thailand and India or something to that effect. It was all just very naive and childish

[artistshipper]

Having actually read Empire, I'd point out that it's a criticism on political polarization, and he's not much less critical of the conservatives than he is of the liberals.

The commandos aren't really "Conservative Republican". They're basically just in favor of keeping the country united. Simple soldiers who don't really get the politics behind the orders.

The "Liberal Army" is pretty riddiculous though. Combat Mechs are complete crap. Tanks are designed for LOW target profile for a reason.

Anyway, at the end, it's revealed that

SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!
SPOILER ALERT!

(The whole thing was engineered. By a guy ostensibly on the "conservative" side.)

[selene2]

Sorry to but in, but I just wanted to comment. I have only read the first two Ender books and though I enjoyed them, I saw the sexism in the first book (though the story was enoughto keep me involved for book two). As a young-teen girl in the pre-buffy era, I was pretty used to it- but it did turn me off of his books. The decline dosen't surprise me all that much. Make me sad for the waste of a talented writer, but doesn't surprise me. I'm glad now I didn't waste my time in reading them.

Card and Goodkind

[csharpie]

I actually found all the Ender series quite good, but every other work of Card's I couldn't get into. The first Bean book was good, but the rest simply falls apart. I think you cannot call the later Ender books as racist as the message is anti-genocidal and about the love a character develops as he delves into a new culture. This is not racism but is more likely a reflection on the experience of most Mormon missionaries. They whether tossed into a new language or simply teaching their same language in an area not too far removed from their home (say AZ versus TX) end up loving the people they serve even if at the end of it they may have more questions about their faith than when they began. (Honesty requires believers to admit they do not "know it is true." I did serve and believe and experienced uplifting experiences that buoyed my faith, but I had none that would count as "knowing