This is the eith book of the series and I have doubts about the author's ability to finish the story. In this volume, Richard and Kahlan have to deal with two major problems besides Jagang and the Imperial Order:

1. Richard's magic is failing.
2. A man has posioned Richard in order to enlist his help.

The story part was some what interesting, but I had a problem with the writing. When a few characters were introduced after absences of multiple books, there was not even a sentence to remind the reader of the character's background. However, other things were repeated so many times that you thought the writer was using cut and paste as his main writing tool. Every time Kahlan smiled at Richard, the book stated it was her special smile the one she had only for him. I had the urge to keep track of how often it was said.

The bright point in the book for me was Zedd. You learned a great deal about his past and his motivations. The parts about Zedd make the rest of the book worth it.

I'll read the next book I'm sure, but I won't be as excited about it coming out as I have been in the past.