The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind

With the latest entry in the Sword of Truth series, I hoped that Goodkind might return to the strengths of his old books. This book is better than the last few, mainly because it's shorter, and the preaching (while still annoyingly present) doesn't appear in lengthy monologues anymore. The book is frustrating because it's repetitive and it refuses to see the world in any terms other than the strict guidelines Goodkind has set out for it: Richard and Kahlan and their friends (all of whom are completely and totally devoted to them) are good. Anyone who opposes or disagrees with them is either knowingly or unwittingly working with their evil enemies who are trying to seize power in D'Hara for themselves. Fortunately (at least for Richard and Kahlan) most of those who disagree with them meet their just desserts without Richard's intervention. Unfortunately the book leaves at least two big questions unanswered, so there will likely be a sequel.