The Pillars of Creation
The Pillars of Creation is the seventh book in the Sword of Truth series of books. It was written by Terry Goodkind and was released in 2001 in hardcover.
The Story
Jennsen Rahl, Richard Rahl's half sister has spent the first twenty years of her life running from their father, Darken Rahl. Born without any aspect of the gift of magic, Jennsen fears that Darken Rahl will kill her.
Upon learning that Darken Rahl is dead, and upon the death of her mother, she sets out to take vengeance upon Richard, blaming him for the brutish actions of the Imperial Order.
Meanwhile, another sibling of Richard's, Oba, has broken free of his upbringing - a mother who never loved him, and forced him into menial and pointless labour. Taking his destructive vengeance out on his mother, he also sets out on a quest to destroy Richard, and those he blames for his way of life...
The Book
The Pillars of Creation was the first, and to date remains the only Terry Goodkind novel not to feature Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell as the protagonists of the tale. However, Goodkind had previously published a text based upon secondary character Zedd, originally as a short story, and then as a stand alone novella.
Unlike previous Goodkind novels, The Pillars of Creation allows the reader to examine the world that the author has created well apart from the usual adventurers' surroundings. However, it has been criticised for this, as many fans had expected a tale featuring their beloved heroes.
It has also been criticised for some of its secondary characters, most notably the pet goat of Jennsen's. But like all Terry Goodkind novels, morality is at the centre of this fable, and Betty the goat plays an intrinsic part in it. There is also an emphasis on the ability to choose our own course in our lives - this is most evident through the parallel tales of Oba and Jennsen.
Wizards Seventh Rule
In this volume we discover the Wizard's Seventh Rule:
"Life is the future, not the past."