History YMMV / SwordOfTruth

* TheyCopiedItNowItSucks: Many people who have read both ''Sword of Truth'' and ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' have noted that the former bears a lot of similarities to the latter (''The Wheel of Time'' began publication in 1990, ''Sword of Truth'' in 1994) to the point they find it stretches credibility of being coincidental. It's particularly one of the reasons ''Wheel of Time'' fans don't tend to have the highest opinion of ''Sword of Truth'', dismissing ''Truth'' as just being a rip-off with more sexual content and Objectivism. It doesn't help that Terry Goodkind responded to people pointing out the similarties by making comments about ''Wheel of Time'' and its author Creator/RobertJordan that many found insulting, such as insinuating that ''Wheel of Time'' fans are too immature to understand his books. When Jordan was questioned about the matter, his response was simply "I am aware of Mr Goodkind."

* QualityByPopularVote: In any online discussion of these books, its supporters will cling to this trope like it's the last lifeline on the Titanic. It's true that the books sell well, and thus, in the eyes of its most die-hard fans, that alone means that critics of its flaws are automatically wrong, [[TrueArtIsIncomprehensible failed to understand it]] or are [[YoureJustJealous just jealous]].

%%* {{Anvilicious}}: Goodkind does ''not'' believe in ambiguity. The heroes are ([[DesignatedHero written as]]) Right, almost every villain is completely evil, and, in later books the series' [[AuthorTract Objectivist themes]] become far more prominent.

* {{Anvilicious}}: Goodkind does ''not'' believe in ambiguity. The heroes are ([[DesignatedHero written as]]) Right, almost every villain is completely evil, and, in later books the series' [[AuthorTract Objectivist themes]] become far more prominent.

* DontShootTheMessage: Fans, and often Goodkind himself, have suggested that people who don't like these books are only hating on them because they "take a clear moral stance." Goodkind has said a few times that the main reason he is attacked is for "my beliefs" as opposed to what many feel is bad writing and a tendency to say insulting things about other authors in his genre.

* RootingForTheEmpire: Terry Goodkind tries to avert this by making villains as repulsively evil as possible so that the {{designated hero}}es' tendency to PayEvilUntoEvil doesn't make the audience turn on them. On the one hand, it means that the villains have all the odious habits that the heroes do, including the [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans self-righteousness]], and with [[GratuitousRape extra rape]] (the only crime the heroes are ''not'' at some point guilty of) piled on top, but on the other hand, the heroes are the ones whose KickTheDog moments we always get to see up close, while the villains' are usually just reported from afar.

%%** Any scene involving Rachel. Especially if written from her point of view.

** Kahlan is, if anything, even ''more'' bloodthirsty and willing to ShootTheDog than Richard, and that's saying something, but she's also treated as pure and heroic. By extension, many readers find the idea that something like the Confessors could be in any way heroic, ever, given their powers involve completely removing someone's free will and leaving them enslaved to the Confessor's will. If the MindControl wasn't permanent it would be one thing, but it's clearly established that anyone they Confess loses their individuality for life, and they're willing to do this to ''anyone'' they deem necessary to achieve their goals. It's hard to blame people for fearing Confessors.
** Zedd drifts in this direction in the [[SeasonalRot later books]] by a mixture of [[AuthorFilibuster lectures]] and [[AMillionIsAStatistic an extremely high kill count]]. That said, Zedd's backstory involves being personally responsible for a genocide (when creating the barriers prior to the first book), so he's never had clean hands. His shift is more one of attitude, and how it's approached. In early books he's... not precisely TheAtoner, but it's heavily implied that his relatively minor role in things is a conscious choice, because he doesn't like what he becomes when in power. In the later books... well, he is in power, and becomes that person again, but it's treated as [[ForgottenAesop morally justified]], and even laudable.

** Richard can certainly come across this way, given his eagerness to slaughter all those who "choose death" rather than "life" in the later books. The only thing keeping him from being an UnscrupulousHero or even an outright SociopathicHero is the narrative and the other characters referring to him as [[IncorruptiblePurePureness incorruptibly pure]] and TheHero to them. Kahlan is, if anything, even ''more'' bloodthirsty and willing to ShootTheDog, and that's saying something. Zedd also drifts in this direction in the [[SeasonalRot later books]] by a mixture of [[AuthorFilibuster lectures]] and [[AMillionIsAStatistic an extremely high kill count]]. That said, Zedd's backstory involves being personally responsible for a genocide (when creating the barriers prior to the first book), so he's never had clean hands. His shift is more one of attitude, and how it's approached. In early books he's... not precisely TheAtoner, but it's heavily implied that his relatively minor role in things is a conscious choice, because he doesn't like what he becomes when in power. In the later books... well, he is in power, and becomes that person again, but it's treated as [[ForgottenAesop morally justified]], and even laudable.
** The idea that something like the Confessors could be in any way heroic, ever. If their MindControl wasn't permanent it would be one thing.

** Any scene involving Rachel. Especially if written from her point of view.

-->''The bird let out a slow chicken cackle. It sounded like a chicken, but in her heart she knew it wasn’t. In that instant, she completely understood the concept of a chicken that was not a chicken. This looked like a chicken, like most of the Mud People’s chickens. But this was no chicken. This was evil manifest.''

* DesignatedHero: Richard can certainly come across this way, given his eagerness to slaughter all those who "choose death" rather than "life" in the later books. The only thing keeping him from being an UnscrupulousHero or even an outright SociopathicHero is the narrative and the other characters referring to him as [[IncorruptiblePurePureness incorruptibly pure]] and TheHero to them. Kahlan is, if anything, even ''more'' bloodthirsty and willing to ShootTheDog, and that's saying something. Zedd also drifts in this direction in the [[SeasonalRot later books]] by a mixture of [[AuthorFilibuster lectures]] and [[AMillionIsAStatistic an extremely high kill count]]. That said, Zedd's backstory involves being personally responsible for a genocide (when creating the barriers prior to the first book), so he's never had clean hands. His shift is more one of attitude, and how it's approached. In early books he's... not precisely TheAtoner, but it's heavily implied that his relatively minor role in things is a conscious choice, because he doesn't like what he becomes when in power. In the later books... well, he is in power, and becomes that person again, but it's treated as [[ForgottenAesop morally justified]], and even laudable.

** The infamous [[NightmareRetardant chicken of doom.]]

* RootingForTheEmpire: Terry Goodkind tries to avert this by making villains as repulsively evil as possible so that the {{designated hero}}es' tendency to PayEvilUntoEvil doesn't make the audience turn on him. On the one hand, it means that the villains have all the odious habits that the heroes do, including the [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans self-righteousness,]] and with [[GratuitousRape extra rape]] (the only crime the heroes are ''not'' at some point guilty of) piled on top, but on the other hand, the heroes are the ones whose KickTheDog moments we always get to see up close, while the villains' are usually just reported from afar.

* SeasonalRot: The books see a general decrease in quality as the series goes on, although there remain a few good books later in the series.

** With Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire. The ASOIAF fandom has made it an almost-game to take the piss out of Goodkind and his works.
** ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' as well. Many WOT fans will outright accuse Goodkind of plagiarism, which Goodkind once casually deflected by suggesting that if you notice any similarities between the two, [[{{Jerkass}} you probably aren't old enough to read his books.]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The last three books seem to be a deliberate effort on Goodkind's part to recapture the first few books' feel, while toning down the heavy handed {{Author Tract}}s.

** Darken Rahl is such an over the top CompleteMonster CardCarryingVillain that some readers find him to be the most entertaining/likable character.

* NamesTheSame:
** For the last time, it's [[Franchise/PowerRangers not that Zedd]].
** Or this {{Music/Zedd}}.
** Or indeed ''that'' [[Film/PulpFiction Zedd]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Of a sort. The last three books seem to be a deliberate effort on Goodkind's part to recapture the first few books' feel, while toning down the heavy handed {{Author Tract}}s.

* MarySuetopia: {{Inverted}} when Richard is basically kidnapped by the dark sister Nicci, who delivers [[CharacterFilibuster speech after speech]] about the "enlightened" administration of the Imperial Order, all of which are caricatures of Communist and/or Socialist practices. When we see it, it's of course a crumbling basket case, with everyone having to gain approval by their various committees before doing the smallest thing in the economy. In no way does the book explain how such a system can work for even one city, let alone an entire massive empire. The economy is not even centrally run-that would at least make it ''slightly'' better. Rather, this is borrowed wholesale from ''Literature/AtlasShrugged'', but there it falling apart is the ''point''. In the books though, the Imperial Order was supposed to be waging wars at the same time. How they manage this is a mystery.
* MemeticMutation: "This looked like a chicken, like the rest of the Mud People's chickens. But this was no chicken. This was evil manifest."
** To a lesser extent, Goodkind's insistence that he writes "stories with important human themes" seen by detractors as the apex of his [[BoomerangBigot contempt for fantasy]].
* MoralEventHorizon:
** At least three or four acts in Demmin's resume, any one of which could be taken as the final crossing for any other character.
** [[spoiler: Sebastian arranging the death of Jennsen's mother, along with four of his own soldiers, in order to ingratiate himself to Jennsen and fool her into trusting him.]]
** Creation of Mord-Sith. It involves choosing the nicest girls, and breaking them. How? It's done THREE times. First, she [[ColdBloodedTorture has to get used to pain]]. Second, she must watch them do the same to your mother until she dies. Third, the girl has to make her father her slave and torture him to death.

** In a case where Goodkind ''really'' should have [[CriticalResearchFailure done the research first]], anyone who's at all familiar with anime or manga will not be able to stop laughing at every mention of an evil, sinister villain (a ''female'' villain no less) called "[[LoliconAndShotacon Shota]]".

** Richard taking a full novel to realize [[spoiler:Kahlan is still in love with him and was just trying to protect him]], despite it being plainly obvious, even if readers weren't privy to her thoughts.

** The most obvious is probably Shota, the witch woman. Towards the end of the series, Richard comes to her demanding her help. She explains to him that, by his own principles, she has no obligation to help him and really just wants to be left alone. How does Richard react to [[WhatTheHellHero being called out]] on [[MoralDissonance his hypocrisy?]] He ends up [[IResembleThatRemark steamrolling her and accusing her of "posturing".]] Eventually, [[LaserGuidedKarma he has to trade his sword for the information he wants.]]

* AudienceAlienatingPremise:
** In the later novels, the aesops start to draw strongly on Objectivist themes. The anti-communist themes are pulled straight from Ayn Rand. People who try to give charity to others and "spread the wealth" ultimately turn poor people into lazy, greedy assholes and destroy the economy.
** Similarly, the villain in "The Law of Nines" is said to have garnered support by offering what was essentially medieval welfare to the "lazy" (as did a minor villain in "Stone of Tears").
** "Soul of the Fire" describes a minority group that keeps itself in power by controlling the schools and teaching everyone in their society that they were the victim of a horrible injustice in the past and are therefore owed a great debt by the "evil" majority (and the horrible injustice may not have actually happened in the first place). They used this (along with being moneylenders who control the economy) to take control of the entire country during a crisis. Parallels to real-world groups are [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment left as an exercise to the reader.]]

** Michael's usually remembered for his speech against fire -- even though Kahlan accuses him of advocating banning fire, what he actually says amounts to "A lot of people are killed in fires, we should do something about it." I mean, yes, he ultimately does [[spoiler:turn out to be a traitor working with Rahl, and that speech was in fact meant to foreshadow this]], but if Goodkind actually wanted us to believe Michael was ready to ban fire, he didn't sell this well outside of Kahlan's declaration that "your brother seems close to banning fire."

** Even people who don't like the books tend to have a soft spot for Nathan. See CrazyAwesome, above, for why. It also helps that he's one of the few characters who gets to disagree with Richard without being portrayed as a bad guy for it.