Things that make you go hmmm...

The week it was relased, Terry Goodkind's latest installment of the Sword of Truth series, Chainfire, debuted at number 3 on the New York Times Bestseller List. The following week, it managed to remain in the Top 5 by dropping to number 5. And now, somehow Chainfire is still holding on at number 6. . .

No author has been more criticized in the last few years than Terry Goodkind, and that for multiple reasons. His capital offense has been to milk his popularity, squeezing as much juice as he can from his legions of fans, by putting out books that have little or nothing to do with the main storyline of the series. Stone of Tears, the series' second volume demonstrated that Goodkind appeared to possess an immense potential. It's a pity that he has never again lived up to what a lot of people saw in him. Every book he's released since has been a lackluster affair.

His tendency to preach, to impose his philosophical and political views throughout his novels, again and again and again, has put off a lot of people and antagonized hordes of others. Fans grew discontented with the Sword of Truth series, not without good reasons. The quality of his work has diminished in dramatic fashion, and it's shocking to see that although his popularity has been waning of late, his latest book scored so high on the NYT list. Of course, the schedule does help a lot, with no other big name releasing a fantasy novel at the same period of time. . .

After reading Faith of the Fallen, I simply chose to abandon Mr. Goodkind. I could not believe that someone could take advantage of his fans in such a manner. I bought the hardcover version of The Pillars of Creation for a mere 7$ during a liquidation sale. And from what I've heard from readers, I probably paid too much. But I wanted to keep the hardcover collection intact. . . I have not bought Naked Empire and have absolutely no intention to purchase Chainfire any time soon. Someone who so blatantly shows such disregard toward his fans doesn't deserve a single penny out of my pocket. As you can see from his latest book's position on the NYT list, my lack of contribution doesn't appear to hinder Mr. Goodkind's commercial success. If some people still wish to support him, regardless of the fact that he's taken advantage of them, so be it.

I've heard it said that Goodkind promised that the two next installments would complete The Sword of Truth series, which will weigh in at 11 books in total. In my opinion, that's about 6 books too much. . .

Let's see how he ends this thing. Perhaps, if we are lucky, he will again show just how much potential he does possess. I have never seen a series with so much promise fall so short. . . Let us hope that Goodkind can redeem himself by writing something that will live up to expectations. . .