Naked Empire pg. 1-59

Mysterious races are following Richard, Kahlan, Cara, and their friends returning from events at the center of the Pillars of Creation in the previous book. They are making their way out of the desert to investigate an unknown object which not much information has been given about. They do not want to talk about the object because it has properties that they see, but they do not want to influence Jennsen's interpretation of the object. Richard believes what Jennsen see may help shed some light on the true nature of the object. Some of the events in the previous books are briefly told to Jennsen because he just joined Richard, Kahlan, and Cara after being one of the main perspectives of the previous book.
When they stop for the night, conversation leads to three of the themes found in the series: the need for balance in many different things, qualities or object not being evil themselves but how you use them defining their externalities, and reason being a powerful tool which can be helpful when wielded correctly, but devastating which not used or misused.
When Richard wakes he finds some irregular activity happening. The races went away before the night and then returned by morning, and he is finding an association between the headaches he is having and the races not being present. There is also a shape in the distance blurred with sand that seem to be communicating with the birds in some manner. The races attack and Richard kills them, and his headaches return. This chapter is finished with foreshadowing saying "There were bigger worries." The same quote was also seen earlier, and emphasize it through the repetition.
I thought it was a good chapter. It kind of threw out some of the themes hit and previous events in other books to help remind people were we are at in the story. It also helped set up the current problem with this unknown object and large birds chasing them with an unseen overseer.