Sometimes you need to come at things from a different angle; The Pillars of Creation continues Goodkind's heroic fantasy sequence "The Sword of Truth", but for once his usual hero and heroine are off stage and a new central character takes their place. Jennsen has grown up in exile and constant flight, haunted by a voice that calls on her to surrender; her mother has clearly not told her the whole story of her birth and ancestry. Suddenly, in a few chapters of tension and action, she finds herself orphaned, the companion of a warrior and on the run from a man who rules the known world. And much of what she knows or thinks she knows is a lie to anyone who has read Goodkind's earlier books; Jennsen's sense of right and wrong is skewed by inadequate information but we go on liking her and caring for her even as she makes alliances with some of the worst things in the world. Meanwhile, the unpleasant murderous Oba makes his own pacts with the darkness and dogs her every step. This is one of Goodkind's more powerful books simply because it forces us to see his standard situations and characters through new eyes. --Roz Kaveney