Phantom by Terry Goodkind is book ten in the Sword of Truth epic fantasy series. Phantom is novel 10 out of 15, but Goodkind’s original ending was book 11 for the Sword of Truth series. So this book is the lead up to the epic final battle and as a reader, you feel the finality of it and everything the book is setting up. This book is brutal and has lots of graphic gore. A big trigger warning for the rape and sexual assault scenes that have always been a part of the series but felt it was more visceral in this story, and it deals with characters we love and have grown with. Despite the trigger warning this book has some of the most powerful women figures on both the good and bad side that are just as brutal as the men that want to control them. The darkness of the book still has that underlying layer of hope that carries you through the darkness. This story has the best opening scene in the series so far, which has a dark tone with some great action. Phantom also has the best pacing in the series as it bounces from character to character in different locations. My biggest complaint in the series is it stays too long on one character and doesn’t bounce around enough, but this book and the last book Chainfire have improved a lot. Phantom sticks with 4 characters’ perspectives, for the most part, some characters separate and we get their story away from the main character. This book was easily my favorite in the series until the halfway point which was not bad but I had some issues with a couple of characters’ story arcs. The setup for the next book left me wanting to read the next one right away. There are a lot of rewards for people like me who have read every book in the series. The novel is coming full circle with a lot of things that have happened in the series. Phantom by Terry Goodkind was published January 1, 2006, by Tor Books.

Summaries for the series so far

The Plot Summary of Wizard’s First Rule (book 1): Richard Cypher is a wood guide that has recently lost his father to a brutal murder with no suspects. His father and he had a code where one would leave an item in a jar by the door, the item is a rare vine that should not grow in his land. Richard is on a mission to find the vine and it takes him on the outskirts of the boundary of Westland. While investigating he finds a beautiful woman, Kahlan being chased by four big men. Richard knows the trials can get to the woman first. He gets to the woman first and ends up defending her and defeating the men. They become fast friends as the woman is mystified by Richard and the way he treats her, it is revealed she is from the other side of the boundary, the Midlands, the boundary is protected by miles of border wall of the underworld, and not used to the kindness from men. Richard takes her to an old healer/ cloud reader friend, Zedd. Quickly Richard finds out that his old friend is not what he seems but a powerful wizard, one of the last of his kind. Kahlan is very important to the cause and Richard is special and anointed the Seeker of Truth, which comes with a powerful weapon the Sword of Truth which is a powerful magical item that focuses emotion into the blade. Richard finds out the true nature of the world that there is a Threat in Darken Rahl that involves tearing down the boundaries and ruling the world. It is up to Kahlan, Zedd, and Richard to stop him.

The Plot Summary of Stone of Tears (book 2): The Plot: Two days after Richard defeated Darken Rahl. A creature from the underworld has escaped and it wants to mark Richard so he can open the underworld for the Keeper. Zedd deals with these creatures first and must find Richard and seek his side in closing the veil to the underworld. Richard and Kahlan are returning a boy to the mud people when a creature from the underworld comes for them. They defeat the creature but Richard gets migraines that make it feel like his head will explode they keep getting worse and worse. He meets 3 Sisters of Light that day they can help him but they must collar him and own him to teach him to control his new magic. He refuses and a sister kills herself by suicide right then and there, saying that was chance one you will have two more chances to get help if you do not, you will die.

The Plot Summary for Blood of the Fold (book 3): A funeral is held at the Palace of the Prophets for the Prelate and the Prophet. They were burned by the Sisters of the Dark who have infiltrated the Sisters of the Light. Sister Verna who is a good Sister of the Light and a friend to Richard Rahl the Seeker of Truth, is set up to be the new Prelate she doesn’t know if this is for real or a trick of the Sisters of the Dark, the prophesies foretold that the false Prelate will destroy the Palace of the Prophets. She believes this to be free when she unravels a conspiracy that makes the prophecy come to pass. Richard has just come from seeing Kahlan and confirming she is alive when the world thinks she is dead. Richard waits at the Mother Confesser’s temple and fights the Mriswith a deadly snake-like creature that he saw and killed in the old world but has never seen one in this world. The Mriswith have now started to plague the land, they are being led by something Richard must find out. Richard has started to embrace the Rahl part of his name he believes that the only way to unite the Midlands is to be the supreme ruler, with all of Midland under his rule. He tries for peace by strong-arming The Blood the Fold leader, the very same man who thinks he murdered Kahlan, but the Mriswith help him as their ruler wants him to live, and has a purpose for him. The ruler is known as the Dreamwalker and quickly takes over the Sister of the Dark and the Blood of the Fold, he wants Richard defeated and the Palace of the Prophets to be his especially the slow-aging spell attached to it. Richard and Verna must fight the Dreamwalker on two different fronts.

The Plot Summary for Temple of the Winds (book 4): Richard and Kahlan are finally reunited and talking about their wedding. They get three very special visitors One is a man claiming to be Richard’s brother an illegitimate son of Richard’s father Darken Rahl. The second visitor is Nadine a girl from Richard’s village who was sent by the witch woman Shota to marry Richard. The final visitor is an assassin whose job it is to kill Richard. Through interrogation of the assassin, they find that he was not alone, and with a sister of the dark that works for the Dreamwalker. The Sister has started a plague which starts a prophecy for Richard if he does nothing millions will die, if he wants to fight Kahlan will betray him . and Ricard will be no more. When the first victim of the plague dies his spirit takes over his body and talks about the winds This leads them to find out of a spiritual place called the Temple of the Winds that could hold the key to the cure and stop the plague. The price to enter the Temple of the Winds might be too high.

The Plot Summary for Soul of the Fire (book 5): Richard and Kahlan are finally married by the Mud People and have reunited with Zedd. The wedding bliss does not last long as Richard feels something is not right…with a chicken. This isn’t the only thing two of the Mud People children have died by mysterious circumstances, and everyone with magic has started to lose it. Zedd asks Richard and Kahlan about the Chimes, the beings from the underworld that saved the world from the dark magical plague, the Chimes manifest in water, air, and fire. Zedd freaked out that Kahlan said them out loud, but in his research, the Chimes can only stay in this world if called by the third wife, Kahlan is Richard’s second since he was married to Nadine in the last book and did not last. Zedd with prelate Ann knows that somehow the Chimes are here but he knows Ricard will be safe in the Wizards Keep, so he makes up a creature the Lurk, and fakes an illness so Richard and Kahlan will race off to the Keep while Zedd can defeat it. On Richard’s way to the keep he runs into Du Chaillu a slave girl he was chained to and saved, she comes to Richard pregnant and calls him her husband, with her rules they are married. The Chimes are in this world.

The Plot Summary of Faith of the Fallen (book 6): After the aftermath of the last book with Kahlan getting brutally injured and can not use magic to heal her, Richard takes her to his old town when he was Richard Cypher a woods guide and not the Seeker of Truth. When he arrives the town doesn’t want him, the lies of The Order have spread and he is ruining their better life. Richard who just came from a town that rejected him for The Order has put him in an odd place where he doesn’t want to fight anymore or yet, because people don’t know what freedom is. Nicci a Sister of the Dark and one of Dreamwalker’s, the leader of The Order, disciples, is on the fringe since for some reason the Dreamwalker can’t always enter her mind. She defies him killing a leader in his army as an example. Nicci is called on by the Dreamwalker while she investigates how Ann a Sister of the Light and her old Prelate have escaped and the Dreamwalker can’t enter their minds. She finds out it is Richard who is the key, and when the dream walker can’t enter her mind she was thinking of Richard. She finds Richard and places a spell on Kahlan that if any harm comes to her it comes to Kahlan as well. She convinces Richard to come with her to live in the heart of The Order to convince him of its gifts she goes back to where she grew up. Kahlan and Cara take their anger out on the army of the Order who’s invading the Midlands.

Plot Summary of The Pillars of Creation (book 7): Jennsen has been sheltered her whole life, kept away from the secrets of her mother. Jennsen is a Rahl half Sister to Richard Rahl. But Jensen is so sheltered she did not know that Richard is good and killed their father Darken Rahl to save people and the land. She meets the chief strategist of Richard’s new enemyy the Dreamwalker, and he tells all about The brutal Richard Rahl as he saves her from soldiers that were hunting Rahl family members. Since they pose a threat and have an immunity to magic. Jennsen is convinced she must kill Richard to free from her threat. She and Richard find out that Jennsen is not the only sibling and their are dire consequences if Richard is killed that will effect all lands.

Plot Summary of Naked Empire (book 8): Richard having come to terms with his sister half Sister Jennsen who is resistant to all magic, comes to know a family secret that Jennsen is not the only one that his ancestors would banish the non magic off spring to it own land. The land was protected from the boundary but Kahlan brought all boundaries to save Richard almost 2 years ago. The Dream Walker knows the power of the non magic and can use them to populate an army of non magic and the non magic can enter restricted area that old deadly magical artifacts. Richard runs into one of the banished that escaped. he tries to persuade Richard to help but fails. Richard moves on feeling the effects of the gift and something else, The man shows back up and alerts him he poisoned him so that he can help liberate his people the complex poison needs three vials of the antidote who are now under enemy control he must fight an army to live.

Plot Summary of Chainfire (book 9) Richard is badly injured by an arrow very close to the heart. Nikki uses unproven subtractive magic to remove his blood and the arrow. This magic has created a blood beast, that is a creature from the underworld that wants Ricard’s magic blood. The beast can come in multiple forms and their is no known way to stop it. The beast is not the only thing that happened because of the accident. When he wakes up from the healing his wife Kahlan is gone and no one but Richard can remember her. All traces of her are missing not just physical but any references to her in book of prophecy are now blank. Richard goes to extreme links to prove to others he is not crazy and that his wife is real and alive. Richard so desperate for answers goes to Shota, the which, who said if she ever saw him again she would kill him on site. In these desperate times will require desperate measures. while Richard is chasing ghosts. Jagang is setting up for the final battle with all the prophecies saying all hope is lost with out Richard as the leader.

Plot Summary of Phantom (book 10) Richard Rahl has convinced his friend that a spell was put on his wife Kahlan even though they can not remember her. Kahlan has been captured by 4 Sisters of the Dark who have her steal the Boxes of Orden a powerful device that grant the user either God-like powers, instant death, or letting the Keeper of Death free in this world. But one of the boxes is stolen and a powerful new threat arises. The Dreamwalker prepares for the final battle with Richard as he takes his army to the source of the Rahl’s power. Richard has a vision that he can not win the final battle and must dangerously change tactics. Kahlan who with the spell has lost her memory and can only be seen by the sister’s until random people start noticing her, the spell is slowly breaking a part as it is corrupted, but the corruption can only mean that the Chimes are loose again and all magic could be dying.

What I Liked: The awesome beginning that was action packed and setting the dark tone. The stakes for characters and their fate is really high. I liked all of the layers to the story and layers of magic. I was not a big fan of the Boxes of Orden in the first Book Wizard’s First Rule, but the way the weapons were described in this book had me intrigued. The strength of Kahlan’s character even without her magical powers was displayed so well. She is a threat even under capture. The way the Dreamwalker tortures people is brilliant, inflicting pain on others until your psyche and own guilt take over. Rachael has been my favorite supporting character for a while it was great to see her and Chase back in the story. I love them together. The end and the lead in to the final books made me want to continue the series right away.

What I Disliked: There’s at least three moments where a character says I need to get to this location, and talk to so and so person, but the character that is there with them ask them what’s going on, and they are too busy too talk. I feel that is lazy writing and Goodkind is too good a writer to be so lazy. I did not like Richard’s third act I thought it was not plausible for the enemy army whose main job is to kill him would not notice that he’s becoming a popular prisoner sports player. I felt the which Six did not need to placate the queen, Six gave her tongue again and could take it away at anytime. I know the queen was necessary for Six’s plotting but can’t believe she let her have that much power.

Recommendation, Rating, And Ranking: Phantom is one of the best books in the series so far. The story is pretty dark as the book heads into the end of the original ending for the series Confessor book 11. I have been reading this series with my Mother and Father-In-Law which has been fun and the reason I’m finishing the series quicker than usual. I rated Phantom by Terry Goodkind 4 out of 5 stars. If this book ended at the half way point the book would have been rated 5 out of 5 stars. I felt the story took a turn in some arcs in the wrong direction and down graded it a star.Here’s my ranking of the books in the Sword of Truth series so far… after reading 10 books. 1) Stone of Tears, 2) Temple of the Winds, 3) Phantom, 4) Naked Empire, 5) Faith of the Fallen, 6) Wizards First Rule, 7) Chainfire, 8)Blood of the Fold, 9) Pillars of Creation, and 10) Soul of Fire.