After 100 pages or so the preaching drops off and the plot picks up speed. The finish line is in sight!

I've read the entire series up to and including Phantom at this point, and I've got to say that Chainfire and Phantom were the two books I was least impressed with. My big complaint about these two books is that it seems like they should be (and maybe once were) one book. I get the distinct feeling that there is enough plot here to make one really good novel, but to make a few extra bucks they added a lot of useless filler. To make matters worse, the useless filler is the same in both books. If you cut out the parts of these two books that are essentially the same, you'd end up with a great novel.

I personally believe that Phantom was the book that started to bring everything together. It is in this book that Goodkind starts tying in everything from the first book, making the entire series seem goal-oriented and truly brilliant in the story compilation. So many unanswered questions begin to unravel in this book (i.e., the true story of Baraccus and the Temple of the Winds, the link between the chimes, orden, and the Sword of Truth).

Despite what others have said, this was a pivotal book for the whole series by directing itself towards the ultimate showdown.