There's more cheese in this book than Wisconsin. Now, there's two ways you can really look at it. As something to be constantly annoyed by, or as part of the book's charm. I prefer the latter. I know I'm reading an extremely cheesy story, and I enjoy it for what it is, rather than complaining about it. Of course, if your tolerance for cheese is low, you're probably going to want to skip this one. When I first started listening I thought something was wrong with my speakers. I am unable to listen more than 20 minutes before I MUST go to the hard copy. Anyway, in conclusion, the beginning of this book is pretty clunky and terribly put together, the book is unrepentantly cheesy, the love story has some really stupidly artificial tension tossed into it and it's resolved in such a cliche way, and the violence against women is pretty over the top. However, despite it's flaws I still enjoy it quite a bit. It's still my second favorite book in the series, though having reread it, I'm starting to see where some of the bad writing and terrible storytelling decisions Goodkind made in future volumes came from. If you liked the first one, and can stomach a ridiculous amount of sexual violence (or better yet just skip it entirely because it adds exactly nothing to the story), this is a pretty good followup. But, again, this series is not for everyone. It carries a pretty strong "R" rating,if not an "NC-17", for extreme violence, much of which is against women, sexual content, and detailed, graphic descriptions of gore, rape, other sexual violence, and so on. But Stone of Tears is a solid one. Classic, epic, adventurous, and not to be read by cynics over 25 years of age.

Rachel clutched her doll tighter to her chest and stared at the dark thing watching her from the bushes. At least she thought it was watching her. It was hard to tell because the eyes were as dark as the rest of it, except when the light caught them just right; then they gleamed a golden color. What I have done with my work has irrevocably changed the face of fantasy. In so doing I've raised the standards. I have not only injected thought into a tired empty genre, but, more importantly, I've transcended it showing what more it can be . . ." A sighting from 1646 asserts "A diamond laid under the pillow, will betray the incontinency of a wife." How the stone is said to perform that duty is not stated, though. The Sister's then collectively swore loyalty to Richard and joined with the D'Haran Army. The Sisters also reinstated Verna as their Prelate. Verna was also able to free Warren, who had been a captive of Sister Leoma's, and they openly declared their love for each other. Verna was always able to wield her Han more assuredly than any of the other novices and became close friends with novices Janet, Phoebe, Amelia, and especially Christabel. The five friends all eventually became Sisters.Verna reacted coldly towards Nathan, at the death of Clarissa, and he broke her jaw with a blow to the face in response. Warren healed Verna and she immediately realised that strangely enough, Nathan actually had cared for Clarissa and apologised to him. Verna and Warren then returned to her Sisters, who remained with the D'Haran army. The wizard frowned and looked at the boxes while he was thinking. After more than a minute of quiet, Rachel tugged on Chase's sleeve. He looked down at her.

Kahlan has at last gained the one goal she had always thought was beyond her grasp...love. Against all odds, the ancient bonds of secret oaths, and the dark talents of men long dead, Richard has won her heart. A particularly noteworthy item held in the Great Holding is a tall, twisted redstone doorframe, once owned by Mayene, leading to the land of the Aelfinn. Rand al'Thor, Mat Cauthon, Moiraine Damodred and Moridin have all passed through this doorway seeking answers to three questions, or for other goals. This is a series for those who truly enjoy world building. Terry Goodkind goes into detail about many different peoples of his world, he tells us their customs, their traditions, he wants us to understand the differences they have with each other as well as their histories. I will be curious as to how many of the new characters will be playing roles in the upcoming book Blood of the Fold. This book did manage to get be excited to read on into the next so when it comes to that aspect of this sequel, it succeeded. The world of magic has been opened up and is playing a bigger role now. Magic does not solve everything in this book like its predecessor. In fact, magic at points causes more problems for the characters than good. With the quantity of magic users now in the picture it would be a crime to now allow for character growth on at least some of them after this book. When it comes to Kahlan I have to correct myself from my review of the first book because she is not “ one of the most hard core” she is the most hard core female character.Even though the book was even bigger than the first, again I never felt for one second that a single sentence was not needed. Then the interview usually devolves into a discussion of Ayn Rand and 'the meaning of art', just in case you missed the pretension of declaring fantasy books 'not fantasy!' He made some very interesting friends that I’m very excited about. Also Nathan. Holly shit, I don’t know if I want him out or in or alive or dead, this is so deliciously mysterious! Richard: we've gone from children being brutalized to the very depths of psychosexual sadism and perversion, including copropilia and yes, a little bit of pedo/necrophilia too