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The Kingkiller Chronicle #1
The Name of the Wind
Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.
The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.
A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.
The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.
A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.
662 pages, Hardcover
First published March 27, 2007
About the author
Patrick Rothfuss
69 books236k followersIt all began when Pat Rothfuss was born to a marvelous set of parents. Throughout his formative years they encouraged him to do his best, gave him good advice, and were no doubt appropriately dismayed when he failed to live up to his full potential.
In high-school Pat was something of a class clown. His hobbies included reading a novel or two a day and giving relationship advice to all his friends despite the fact that he had never so much as kissed a girl. He also role-played and wrote terrible stories about elves. He was pretty much a geek.
Most of Pat's adult life has been spent in the University Wisconsin Stevens Point. In 1991 he started college in order to pursue a career in chemical engineering, then he considered clinical psychology. In 1993 he quit pretending he knew what he wanted to do with his life, changed his major to "undecided," and proceeded to study whatever amused him. He also began writing a book....
For the next seven years Pat studied anthropology, philosophy, eastern religions, history, alchemy, parapsychology, literature, and writing. He studied six different martial arts, practiced improv comedy, learned how to pick locks, and became a skilled lover of women. He also began writing a satirical advice column which he continues to this day: The College Survivial Guide. Through all of this he continued to work on his novel.
In 2000 Pat went to grad school for English literature. Grad school sucked and Pat hated it. However, Pat learned that he loved to teach. He left in 2002 with his masters degree, shaking the dust from his feet and vowing never to return. During this period of time his novel was rejected by roughly every agent in the known universe.
Now Pat teaches half-time at his old school as an assistant-sub-lecturer. He is underpaid but generally left alone to do as he sees fit with his classes. He is advisor for the college feminists, the fencing club, and, oddly enough, a sorority. He still roll-plays occasionally, but now he does it in an extremely sophisticated, debonair way.
Through a series of lucky breaks, he has wound up with the best agent and editor imaginable, and the first book of his trilogy has been published under the title "The Name of the Wind."
Though it has only been out since April 2007, it has already been sold in 26 foreign countries and won several awards.
Pat has been described as "a rough, earthy iconoclast with a pipeline to the divine in everyone's subconscious." But honestly, that person was pretty drunk at the time, so you might want to take it with a grain of salt.
In high-school Pat was something of a class clown. His hobbies included reading a novel or two a day and giving relationship advice to all his friends despite the fact that he had never so much as kissed a girl. He also role-played and wrote terrible stories about elves. He was pretty much a geek.
Most of Pat's adult life has been spent in the University Wisconsin Stevens Point. In 1991 he started college in order to pursue a career in chemical engineering, then he considered clinical psychology. In 1993 he quit pretending he knew what he wanted to do with his life, changed his major to "undecided," and proceeded to study whatever amused him. He also began writing a book....
For the next seven years Pat studied anthropology, philosophy, eastern religions, history, alchemy, parapsychology, literature, and writing. He studied six different martial arts, practiced improv comedy, learned how to pick locks, and became a skilled lover of women. He also began writing a satirical advice column which he continues to this day: The College Survivial Guide. Through all of this he continued to work on his novel.
In 2000 Pat went to grad school for English literature. Grad school sucked and Pat hated it. However, Pat learned that he loved to teach. He left in 2002 with his masters degree, shaking the dust from his feet and vowing never to return. During this period of time his novel was rejected by roughly every agent in the known universe.
Now Pat teaches half-time at his old school as an assistant-sub-lecturer. He is underpaid but generally left alone to do as he sees fit with his classes. He is advisor for the college feminists, the fencing club, and, oddly enough, a sorority. He still roll-plays occasionally, but now he does it in an extremely sophisticated, debonair way.
Through a series of lucky breaks, he has wound up with the best agent and editor imaginable, and the first book of his trilogy has been published under the title "The Name of the Wind."
Though it has only been out since April 2007, it has already been sold in 26 foreign countries and won several awards.
Pat has been described as "a rough, earthy iconoclast with a pipeline to the divine in everyone's subconscious." But honestly, that person was pretty drunk at the time, so you might want to take it with a grain of salt.
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February 20, 2011
I'm sorry, Mr. Rothfuss. For realz, actual sorry. Honestly. I tried giving your book two stars out of pity, since I so wanted to like it and I'd feel bad about giving it one star and dragging down your average rating. Though you don't appear to need my pity. Your book has the highest average GR rating (4.49) of any of the book I've read. I finally dropped my rating down to one star because it's just a steaming pile of crap and I couldn't take the embarrassment of having posted a two-star rating on something so awful.
Mr. Rothfuss, you probably don't give a shit about my rating since, judging from your GR biography, you appear to be very comfortable in your own academic, geeky skin. And that is totally cool. I'm an academic, geeky type myself. Not as geeky as you. You are really geeky. Like I said: that's cool. Anywayz, for a long time I gave you two stars since a couple of my most favorite people (my brother and his fiancé) both love your book. One star for each of them. But, like I hinted, the book is pretty bad. So are you and me good? No hard feelings? Awesome. I don't take shit too personally, either. So now I'll get down to ripping your book, knowing we can still be friends.
In the interest of full disclosure, I faithfully admit that this book goes in my DNF shelf. I made it 162 pages in (I was reading it on the Kindle app on my iPhone and made it to § 3154, but with little arithmetic I determined that was the equivalent of page 162 in the mass market paperback). I just couldn't finish it. I gave it a good honest try and eventually found myself reading only so I wouldn't have to admit to my brother that I didn't like it enough to finish. But that isn't a good reason to spend my time—something we have precious little of in our short lives—reading something I dislike and not getting paid for it. So I'm sorry, bro. I tried. (Yes, my brother is one of my GR friends and will likely see this review.) Now on to the reasons I couldn't finish the book.
Most of The Name of the Wind is written in the first person; it's the autobiography of Kvothe, who has a number of things in common with "The Most Interesting Man in the World." Kvothe is reciting his life story to a scribe while his male companion, Bast, looks on.
FOOTNOTE
There are several interesting facts pertaining to Kvothe and Bast. First, Bast is described as "sharp and delicate, almost beautiful, with striking blue eyes." Second, Kvothe and Bast run a bed-and-breakfast. Third, Bast follows Kvothe around like a puppy dog. Fourth, Bast likes to tuck Kvothe into bed and watch him sleep. Fifth, Bast cries like a little girl when he hears something sad. Finally, Bast apparently can manifest himself as some sort of goat-man creature. Do you see where I'm going with this? Kvothe runs a bed-and-breakfast, in which a very sensitive and beautiful man follows him around and occasionally turns into a goat. Bed-and-breakfast and goat-men: what could be sexier? Not that there's anything wrong with that. I believe everyone should have the freedom be who they were born to be and I have several close friends who happen to be gay; I'm the last person who would have a problem with Kvothe and his beautiful male companion getting frisky (goat-style, of course). I only mention the implied homoerotic connection because Kvothe (a.k.a. The Most Interesting Man in the World) is supposed to be a lady-killer. No, not a psycho rapist murderer, you freaks. A lady-killa. A Lover of Women. I suppose that's not necessarily inconsistent; perhaps Kvothe swings both ways. Let's all say it together, now: not that there's anything wrong with that.
END FOOTNOTE
Not all of the book, however, is written in the first-person. First-person narrative is reserved for Kvothe's recitation of his life story. The remainder of the book, particularly the scenes of Kvothe manhandling his lover in front of the scribe (Bast said Kvothe leaves bruises), are written in the third-person. I'll address my displeasure with the third-person sections first.
Let me clarify at the outset that I have no problem with the writer switching between first-person and third-person narrative. I recognize it can be a powerful tool and it serves the structure of this story quite well. The book begins in the third-person, then as Kvothe tells his life story it switches to first-person, then back to third-person for occasional interludes. My problem is with the author switching his narrative voice within the third-person sections. The academic geek is all over the place in that regard. Sometimes he writes a scene in third-person subjective, other times third-person objective. Some passages read like third-person limited, others third-person omniscient. At points the author seemed to switch voice page to page, or even paragraph to paragraph. In one especially irritating scene he even threw in a hint of first-person for a paragraph or so. Maybe if I'd kept reading I would have found a scene or two in second-person, just for good measure. The switching of narrative voices was confusing and frustrating.
Perhaps the author saw his story as being so epic and/or complex that a third-person omniscient narrator was called for throughout. I certainly understand the advantages of an omniscient narrator that can relate some scenes from one character's point of view and others from a second character's point of view, and so on. But that theory doesn't fit The Name of the Wind. With most of the book, indeed the real meat of the story, being written in the first-person, the third-person sections are a minority and seem almost incidental, merely setting the stage and creating some dynamic/juxtaposition. And the theory doesn't explain why some scenes are told from the points of view of everyone present (a voice that strikes me as pompous and unreal) while other scenes are described objectively, from nobody's point of view. Still other scenes alternate points of view paragraph by paragraph, or even sentence by sentence, and at a couple of points I wasn't entirely sure who's thoughts I was reading. Such constant switching without an obvious purpose or pattern made the omniscient narrator (if that's what was intended) seem unreliable.
Now on to the bulk of the book: Kvothe's first-person account of his life story. Kvothe's account actually read much smoother than the third-person interludes. Without the worry of mixing up his voices, the author did a much better job on the first-person narrative. Indeed, Kvothe's story incorporates some fair (not horrible, not great) drama, suspense, and sentiment. Portions are even quite quotable. The Author was thoughtful and observant in his telling of Kvothe's story, relating events and thoughts with which I could identify and pointing out a few things I wouldn’t have thought of. Unfortunately, for the reasons set forth below, those good qualities were not sufficient to demand my continued attention.
Many passages in Kvothe's story felt lazy, unnecessary, unintended, or unoriginal. A few things were just plain weird. For example:
--> Kvothe asks his father a question and the father makes a big deal about wanting to answer with a poem, but after five lines he forgets the rest. Setting aside that the five remembered lines were some shitty poetry, why is the rest forgotten? If the poem was important, then the author should have taken the time (or sought the help) to craft something decent for the father to recite. If the poem was not important, why have the father recite a poem at all? A pointless poem only serves to clutter the prose.
--> As a boy Kvothe watched his parents make out so he could learn kissing technique. That's weird.
--> Speaking of Kvothe watching his parents, he has some sort of Oedipal affection for his mother. It shows in a few places but never more so than when he describes his mother as "slender, fresh, and bright, pale and smooth-skinned in the firelight." I have trouble reconciling the Oedipus Complex with "The Most Interesting Man in the World." Unless I just misunderstand one or the other?
2ND FOOTNOTE
What I find especially interesting is my suspicion that the author was not consciously creating the Oedipal attraction. Similarly I suspect the author was not consciously creating the romantic connection between Kvothe and Bast. Maybe if I'd finished the book I would have found out that Kvothe was a gay man who masturbated to the memory of his mother. But I doubt it.
END 2ND FOOTNOTE
--> Kvothe declares that he will "sum up" a certain magical principle and begins with his "first" point. He then expounds upon that first point, but never reaches a second point, nor a third or fourth. The explanation merely peters out.
--> Kvothe's father sets up a dichotomy between poetry and music that I don't believe exists. (I admit that's only a disagreement rather than a problem with the writing.)
--> In several places there was a lack of creativity with turn of phrase. One passage uses the phrase "there are times" too many times.
--> The author uses the definite article in a number of places were the indefinite article would have been more appropriate. In the passage I marked as an example, Kvothe talks about going "deeper into the city" without any prior mention of having entered any city, much less being on the verge of going deeper into it.
--> In another place, a beautiful metaphor was ruined when the author spelled out his meaning explicitly. Some metaphors are more powerful if left implied, resting behind the words for the observant reader to find on his own. In this instance, it went from beautiful metaphor to so-so analogy.
I also have a much more fundamental, underlying problem with the entire storyline. That is the quality of Kvothe as a character. He's portrayed as a superhuman hero with a towering intellect and dazzling physical prowess. Kvothe can do nothing wrong; no puzzle is too difficult and no problem too big to handle. He can thrive under any circumstance and no lady can resist his advances (neither can beautiful goat-men, for that matter). He wins over the most cynical skeptics and his knowledge of the arts and sciences is without equal. Kvothe advises kings and kills demons. He can even run a clean and comfortable bed-and-breakfast. Kvothe, himself, is his own story's deus ex machina. And that, to me, it is the ultimate expression of unimaginative writing. Supposedly Mr. Rothfuss wrote The Name of the Wind over the course of a decade or more. You'd think, with all that time to contemplate and mull over his book, he could come up with something more interesting than (ironically) "The Most Interesting Man in the World."
Mr. Rothfuss, you probably don't give a shit about my rating since, judging from your GR biography, you appear to be very comfortable in your own academic, geeky skin. And that is totally cool. I'm an academic, geeky type myself. Not as geeky as you. You are really geeky. Like I said: that's cool. Anywayz, for a long time I gave you two stars since a couple of my most favorite people (my brother and his fiancé) both love your book. One star for each of them. But, like I hinted, the book is pretty bad. So are you and me good? No hard feelings? Awesome. I don't take shit too personally, either. So now I'll get down to ripping your book, knowing we can still be friends.
In the interest of full disclosure, I faithfully admit that this book goes in my DNF shelf. I made it 162 pages in (I was reading it on the Kindle app on my iPhone and made it to § 3154, but with little arithmetic I determined that was the equivalent of page 162 in the mass market paperback). I just couldn't finish it. I gave it a good honest try and eventually found myself reading only so I wouldn't have to admit to my brother that I didn't like it enough to finish. But that isn't a good reason to spend my time—something we have precious little of in our short lives—reading something I dislike and not getting paid for it. So I'm sorry, bro. I tried. (Yes, my brother is one of my GR friends and will likely see this review.) Now on to the reasons I couldn't finish the book.
Most of The Name of the Wind is written in the first person; it's the autobiography of Kvothe, who has a number of things in common with "The Most Interesting Man in the World." Kvothe is reciting his life story to a scribe while his male companion, Bast, looks on.
FOOTNOTE
There are several interesting facts pertaining to Kvothe and Bast. First, Bast is described as "sharp and delicate, almost beautiful, with striking blue eyes." Second, Kvothe and Bast run a bed-and-breakfast. Third, Bast follows Kvothe around like a puppy dog. Fourth, Bast likes to tuck Kvothe into bed and watch him sleep. Fifth, Bast cries like a little girl when he hears something sad. Finally, Bast apparently can manifest himself as some sort of goat-man creature. Do you see where I'm going with this? Kvothe runs a bed-and-breakfast, in which a very sensitive and beautiful man follows him around and occasionally turns into a goat. Bed-and-breakfast and goat-men: what could be sexier? Not that there's anything wrong with that. I believe everyone should have the freedom be who they were born to be and I have several close friends who happen to be gay; I'm the last person who would have a problem with Kvothe and his beautiful male companion getting frisky (goat-style, of course). I only mention the implied homoerotic connection because Kvothe (a.k.a. The Most Interesting Man in the World) is supposed to be a lady-killer. No, not a psycho rapist murderer, you freaks. A lady-killa. A Lover of Women. I suppose that's not necessarily inconsistent; perhaps Kvothe swings both ways. Let's all say it together, now: not that there's anything wrong with that.
END FOOTNOTE
Not all of the book, however, is written in the first-person. First-person narrative is reserved for Kvothe's recitation of his life story. The remainder of the book, particularly the scenes of Kvothe manhandling his lover in front of the scribe (Bast said Kvothe leaves bruises), are written in the third-person. I'll address my displeasure with the third-person sections first.
Let me clarify at the outset that I have no problem with the writer switching between first-person and third-person narrative. I recognize it can be a powerful tool and it serves the structure of this story quite well. The book begins in the third-person, then as Kvothe tells his life story it switches to first-person, then back to third-person for occasional interludes. My problem is with the author switching his narrative voice within the third-person sections. The academic geek is all over the place in that regard. Sometimes he writes a scene in third-person subjective, other times third-person objective. Some passages read like third-person limited, others third-person omniscient. At points the author seemed to switch voice page to page, or even paragraph to paragraph. In one especially irritating scene he even threw in a hint of first-person for a paragraph or so. Maybe if I'd kept reading I would have found a scene or two in second-person, just for good measure. The switching of narrative voices was confusing and frustrating.
Perhaps the author saw his story as being so epic and/or complex that a third-person omniscient narrator was called for throughout. I certainly understand the advantages of an omniscient narrator that can relate some scenes from one character's point of view and others from a second character's point of view, and so on. But that theory doesn't fit The Name of the Wind. With most of the book, indeed the real meat of the story, being written in the first-person, the third-person sections are a minority and seem almost incidental, merely setting the stage and creating some dynamic/juxtaposition. And the theory doesn't explain why some scenes are told from the points of view of everyone present (a voice that strikes me as pompous and unreal) while other scenes are described objectively, from nobody's point of view. Still other scenes alternate points of view paragraph by paragraph, or even sentence by sentence, and at a couple of points I wasn't entirely sure who's thoughts I was reading. Such constant switching without an obvious purpose or pattern made the omniscient narrator (if that's what was intended) seem unreliable.
Now on to the bulk of the book: Kvothe's first-person account of his life story. Kvothe's account actually read much smoother than the third-person interludes. Without the worry of mixing up his voices, the author did a much better job on the first-person narrative. Indeed, Kvothe's story incorporates some fair (not horrible, not great) drama, suspense, and sentiment. Portions are even quite quotable. The Author was thoughtful and observant in his telling of Kvothe's story, relating events and thoughts with which I could identify and pointing out a few things I wouldn’t have thought of. Unfortunately, for the reasons set forth below, those good qualities were not sufficient to demand my continued attention.
Many passages in Kvothe's story felt lazy, unnecessary, unintended, or unoriginal. A few things were just plain weird. For example:
--> Kvothe asks his father a question and the father makes a big deal about wanting to answer with a poem, but after five lines he forgets the rest. Setting aside that the five remembered lines were some shitty poetry, why is the rest forgotten? If the poem was important, then the author should have taken the time (or sought the help) to craft something decent for the father to recite. If the poem was not important, why have the father recite a poem at all? A pointless poem only serves to clutter the prose.
--> As a boy Kvothe watched his parents make out so he could learn kissing technique. That's weird.
--> Speaking of Kvothe watching his parents, he has some sort of Oedipal affection for his mother. It shows in a few places but never more so than when he describes his mother as "slender, fresh, and bright, pale and smooth-skinned in the firelight." I have trouble reconciling the Oedipus Complex with "The Most Interesting Man in the World." Unless I just misunderstand one or the other?
2ND FOOTNOTE
What I find especially interesting is my suspicion that the author was not consciously creating the Oedipal attraction. Similarly I suspect the author was not consciously creating the romantic connection between Kvothe and Bast. Maybe if I'd finished the book I would have found out that Kvothe was a gay man who masturbated to the memory of his mother. But I doubt it.
END 2ND FOOTNOTE
--> Kvothe declares that he will "sum up" a certain magical principle and begins with his "first" point. He then expounds upon that first point, but never reaches a second point, nor a third or fourth. The explanation merely peters out.
--> Kvothe's father sets up a dichotomy between poetry and music that I don't believe exists. (I admit that's only a disagreement rather than a problem with the writing.)
--> In several places there was a lack of creativity with turn of phrase. One passage uses the phrase "there are times" too many times.
--> The author uses the definite article in a number of places were the indefinite article would have been more appropriate. In the passage I marked as an example, Kvothe talks about going "deeper into the city" without any prior mention of having entered any city, much less being on the verge of going deeper into it.
--> In another place, a beautiful metaphor was ruined when the author spelled out his meaning explicitly. Some metaphors are more powerful if left implied, resting behind the words for the observant reader to find on his own. In this instance, it went from beautiful metaphor to so-so analogy.
I also have a much more fundamental, underlying problem with the entire storyline. That is the quality of Kvothe as a character. He's portrayed as a superhuman hero with a towering intellect and dazzling physical prowess. Kvothe can do nothing wrong; no puzzle is too difficult and no problem too big to handle. He can thrive under any circumstance and no lady can resist his advances (neither can beautiful goat-men, for that matter). He wins over the most cynical skeptics and his knowledge of the arts and sciences is without equal. Kvothe advises kings and kills demons. He can even run a clean and comfortable bed-and-breakfast. Kvothe, himself, is his own story's deus ex machina. And that, to me, it is the ultimate expression of unimaginative writing. Supposedly Mr. Rothfuss wrote The Name of the Wind over the course of a decade or more. You'd think, with all that time to contemplate and mull over his book, he could come up with something more interesting than (ironically) "The Most Interesting Man in the World."
February 11, 2024
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As an avid adult fantasy reader, out of all the books that I’ve been recommended, The Name of the Wind has always been recommended to me the most. Google, Goodreads, book reviewing sites, 9gag, even some people who don't read a lot of fantasy books, they have all praised the series highly and now that I’ve read it, it’s in my opinion that the fame is totally well deserved; there’s no doubt that this is truly a fantastic high fantasy book.
In terms of plot overview, the book is simplistic enough. Kvothe Kingkiller, Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, the man of many names tells the story of his life to the Chronicler, who will write Kvothe’s entire chronicle starting from his childhood up to his present life as an innkeeper in Waystone Inn. Kvothe will tell the entire chronicle of his life within three days and The Name of the Wind encompassed Day One of his storytelling. That’s it, that’s really the basic premise of the story; you can even call this novel a high fantasy memoir if you want.
Picture: Tarbean by Dan dos Santos
If you haven’t read this book yet, you’re probably wondering why this book became one of the most highly acclaimed fantasy books of our time. Honestly, I have to agree that it’s seriously one of the best out there; it’s simply amazing and there are a lot of factors in the book that worked so well harmoniously towards producing that result. However, there’s one single element in the book that excels above all the others.
Is it the characters?
Could be, The Name of the Wind is thoroughly a character-driven book and if the characters weren’t well-written the book would pretty much be screwed. The whole book is told solely from Kvothe’s perspective; it’s written in third person POV for the present timeframe, shifting to first-person POV during the flashback sequences which means you’ll be seeing the first person POV more often than the other. Trust me, they are extremely well-written. Kvothe is a memorable character and his narrative is wonderfully compelling to read. The Name of the Wind is his coming of age tale, covering his life from the time he was eight years old up to his fifteenth year.
We will read about Kvothe’s struggle during this period of time and how his life was an ever-changing cycle fortune and disaster. Plus, the addition of empathizing side characters such as Bast, Simmone, Elodin, and Auri made the book even more intriguing. However, I have to say no, it's not the incredibly well-written characters that dazzled the most to me.
Is it the world-building?
Well, it’s true that the world-building of Temerant is tremendous and intricately crafted. The currency, mythology, legends, songs, and a unique magic system called Sympathy felt so real and believable to me; they enhanced the immersive and vivid nature of the narrative. And yet, no, it’s not the world-building.
What is it then, the action?
No, don’t come into this book expecting a lot of battle or war scenes because you’ll most likely be disappointed. The narration is extremely engaging and also intense in some places, but there are—approximately—only twenty pages of battle scenes in total. The Name of the Wind will not pull you into the usual grand tale of 'Good vs Evil' where the main story revolves around the protagonists’ struggle against the villains to save the world. So no, it’s not the action.
It's music: the part that captivated me more than anything else in the book was its depiction of music.
There’s a huge emphasis on music right from the beginning of the story all the way to the end. No matter what the genre we read, we are all obsessed with music. Music is vastly integral to the overall quality of the book; it’s insane how beautifully written the depiction of music and sounds are. I could see the way the fingers and strings dance to form the music; I could hear the audience in the tavern cheering when Kvothe played the lute vigorously; I could hear the silence of the crowd when Kvothe stopped playing and most of all, I could feel the emotions oozing out of the audience through the music, music that was created specifically through words and letters. One of my favorite scenes in The Name of the Wind is when "The Lay of Sir Savien Traliard," a legendary tragic ballad composed by the most famous Edema Ruh, was performed. It’s so masterfully written and right now, in my head, I have my own perception of how this song should sound; I can’t wait to see how that perception compares to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rendition of this song in the upcoming TV series adaptation of this novel.
Picture: Playing For His Pipes by Dan dos Santos
It’s a tricky business to find the right formula to unify all these magnificent elements in a book, especially with music being one of them. But Rothfuss managed to do it.
How did he achieve the superb balance for all those factors?
Superlative prose. Seriously, I can’t stress this highly enough, Rothfuss’s writing style is unquestionably phenomenal; there’s a glimpse of grace in almost every word you’ll read in the book. Without Rothfuss’s prose, The Name of the Wind would probably receive a 2 or 3 stars rating at most from me. Patrick Rothfuss is a master craftsman with words and his prose deserves only the highest of praise from me. There is a myriad of quotable (or should I say Kvothable) statements and phrases throughout the story that made me feel like writing them all down in my notebook, and yes I did.
It’s meticulous, brilliantly unputdownable, elegant, lyrical, and poetic. It’s evident how the fourteen years of revision and editing brought fruition to this absolutely marvelous result.
By the end of this book, I realized The Name of the Wind has immersed me in an intricate role-play situation. Through reading this book, I became more than myself. I am not just the reader who read a masterpiece called The Name of the Wind, I am not the Chronicler who wrote Kvothe’s journey, and I am not Kvothe’s loyal apprentice. I am the one they call Reshi, Bloodless, Six-String, and I am the “I” in the chronicle. My name is Kvothe, you may have heard of me. Now, I encourage you to read my story.
Picture: The Name of the Wind by Marc Simonetti
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
As an avid adult fantasy reader, out of all the books that I’ve been recommended, The Name of the Wind has always been recommended to me the most. Google, Goodreads, book reviewing sites, 9gag, even some people who don't read a lot of fantasy books, they have all praised the series highly and now that I’ve read it, it’s in my opinion that the fame is totally well deserved; there’s no doubt that this is truly a fantastic high fantasy book.
In terms of plot overview, the book is simplistic enough. Kvothe Kingkiller, Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, the man of many names tells the story of his life to the Chronicler, who will write Kvothe’s entire chronicle starting from his childhood up to his present life as an innkeeper in Waystone Inn. Kvothe will tell the entire chronicle of his life within three days and The Name of the Wind encompassed Day One of his storytelling. That’s it, that’s really the basic premise of the story; you can even call this novel a high fantasy memoir if you want.
“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.”
Picture: Tarbean by Dan dos Santos
If you haven’t read this book yet, you’re probably wondering why this book became one of the most highly acclaimed fantasy books of our time. Honestly, I have to agree that it’s seriously one of the best out there; it’s simply amazing and there are a lot of factors in the book that worked so well harmoniously towards producing that result. However, there’s one single element in the book that excels above all the others.
Is it the characters?
Could be, The Name of the Wind is thoroughly a character-driven book and if the characters weren’t well-written the book would pretty much be screwed. The whole book is told solely from Kvothe’s perspective; it’s written in third person POV for the present timeframe, shifting to first-person POV during the flashback sequences which means you’ll be seeing the first person POV more often than the other. Trust me, they are extremely well-written. Kvothe is a memorable character and his narrative is wonderfully compelling to read. The Name of the Wind is his coming of age tale, covering his life from the time he was eight years old up to his fifteenth year.
“When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.”
We will read about Kvothe’s struggle during this period of time and how his life was an ever-changing cycle fortune and disaster. Plus, the addition of empathizing side characters such as Bast, Simmone, Elodin, and Auri made the book even more intriguing. However, I have to say no, it's not the incredibly well-written characters that dazzled the most to me.
Is it the world-building?
Well, it’s true that the world-building of Temerant is tremendous and intricately crafted. The currency, mythology, legends, songs, and a unique magic system called Sympathy felt so real and believable to me; they enhanced the immersive and vivid nature of the narrative. And yet, no, it’s not the world-building.
What is it then, the action?
No, don’t come into this book expecting a lot of battle or war scenes because you’ll most likely be disappointed. The narration is extremely engaging and also intense in some places, but there are—approximately—only twenty pages of battle scenes in total. The Name of the Wind will not pull you into the usual grand tale of 'Good vs Evil' where the main story revolves around the protagonists’ struggle against the villains to save the world. So no, it’s not the action.
It's music: the part that captivated me more than anything else in the book was its depiction of music.
“Music is a proud, temperamental mistress. Give her the time and attention she deserves, and she is yours. Slight her and there will come a day when you call and she will not answer. So I began sleeping less to give her the time she needed.”
There’s a huge emphasis on music right from the beginning of the story all the way to the end. No matter what the genre we read, we are all obsessed with music. Music is vastly integral to the overall quality of the book; it’s insane how beautifully written the depiction of music and sounds are. I could see the way the fingers and strings dance to form the music; I could hear the audience in the tavern cheering when Kvothe played the lute vigorously; I could hear the silence of the crowd when Kvothe stopped playing and most of all, I could feel the emotions oozing out of the audience through the music, music that was created specifically through words and letters. One of my favorite scenes in The Name of the Wind is when "The Lay of Sir Savien Traliard," a legendary tragic ballad composed by the most famous Edema Ruh, was performed. It’s so masterfully written and right now, in my head, I have my own perception of how this song should sound; I can’t wait to see how that perception compares to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s rendition of this song in the upcoming TV series adaptation of this novel.
Picture: Playing For His Pipes by Dan dos Santos
It’s a tricky business to find the right formula to unify all these magnificent elements in a book, especially with music being one of them. But Rothfuss managed to do it.
How did he achieve the superb balance for all those factors?
Superlative prose. Seriously, I can’t stress this highly enough, Rothfuss’s writing style is unquestionably phenomenal; there’s a glimpse of grace in almost every word you’ll read in the book. Without Rothfuss’s prose, The Name of the Wind would probably receive a 2 or 3 stars rating at most from me. Patrick Rothfuss is a master craftsman with words and his prose deserves only the highest of praise from me. There is a myriad of quotable (or should I say Kvothable) statements and phrases throughout the story that made me feel like writing them all down in my notebook, and yes I did.
“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”
It’s meticulous, brilliantly unputdownable, elegant, lyrical, and poetic. It’s evident how the fourteen years of revision and editing brought fruition to this absolutely marvelous result.
By the end of this book, I realized The Name of the Wind has immersed me in an intricate role-play situation. Through reading this book, I became more than myself. I am not just the reader who read a masterpiece called The Name of the Wind, I am not the Chronicler who wrote Kvothe’s journey, and I am not Kvothe’s loyal apprentice. I am the one they call Reshi, Bloodless, Six-String, and I am the “I” in the chronicle. My name is Kvothe, you may have heard of me. Now, I encourage you to read my story.
Picture: The Name of the Wind by Marc Simonetti
You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free shipping)
You can find the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions
July 25, 2008
This is why I love fantasy so much. After a recent string of okay fantasy novels, a couple of good ones but nothing to get really excited about, I've rediscovered my passion thanks to this book. I'm so impressed, and so in love, I can't begin to describe it. But I can try to give you a feel for the book, if I can figure out where to start and how to do justice to this masterpiece.
Kvothe (pronounced like "Quothe") is a world-renowned figure of mystery with a disreputable reputation - a hero or a demon depending on which stories you hear. The real man has hidden himself away at an inn in the middle of nowhere with his apprentice Bast - we know not why - and it's not until the Chronicler discovers him there that he shows any interest in reliving his past life. Insisting that his story will take three days to tell, and that the famous chronicler must write it down exactly as he tells it, he begins to share his story: a child genius growing up with his parents' troupe, performing plays and tricks across the land while being taught "sympathy" (magic), history, chemistry etc. by a tinker, Abenthy, who had been to the University; to ending up homeless and penniless on the streets of Treban, a big port city. It's not until he's fifteen that he makes it to the University, and is accepted, though he's three years younger than is usual. Abenthy has taught him well, and combined with his impressive memory, natural talent, quick intelligence and training, he moves quickly up the ranks of the university.
There are many adventures and mishaps along the way, and while some plotlines come to a tidy end at the close of this novel, over-arching plotlines and themes have been given a solid foundation to continue on into the next books. It took a surprisingly long time for me to realise the connection between the number of days he will take to tell his story, and that this is "Day One" in the trilogy - it's told over the course of the first day. The only thing is, he's young yet (Chronicler judges him to be about 25, though at times he looks infintely older), and there are things happening in "real time" that intrude upon the story, that will need to be resolved I think - so while I have every confidence Rothfuss has excellent control over his creation, I would love more than three books :)
I can't think of the last time I was this impressed by any story, let alone a fantasy novel. I won't compare it to bloody George R.R. Martin like everyone else is doing because I don't see that they have anything in common, really - one is a work of pure genius and the other is utter crap. Comparing them only heightens my dislike of A Game of Thrones. In truth, it's simply a marketing strategy to compare new books to ones that are already really popular, in order to draw in a well-established audience.
This is an epic fantasy - epic in scope - but it's also a bildungsroman, a story of a person's life, a life journey (including the quiet moments), which I love. The character development is ludicrously good. The world-building is solid, believable and original - there're enough new elements to keep your interest, but not so many that you get confused and overwhelmed: a perfect balance. The design of "sympathy" is original and unique, and makes so much sense that I'm half-surprised it doesn't really work. It's complicated enough to not be trite, but one basic premise is the connection between things, the sympathy they have with each other - if you broke a branch in two, the two halves would still have a connection, like sharing the exact same DNA, and so if you control one half you affect the other half. Same with two pennies of the same metal, so that, if you were holding one and someone holding the other and they worked a "binding" on their half, and, say, lifted it in the air, then your penny would also lift. It's fabulous! It's an intellectual kind of magic, not a "wave the wand" type. It takes knowledge, concentration and effort, so in effect, anyone could learn.
As for the characters and their growth, I am so impressed and so in love I will no doubt do a bad job of expressing it. While Kvothe's story is told in his voice, first person, the present day interludes are told in third person omniscient, but usually from certain characters' points of view. You get a mix of other people's impressions of characters, and a gentle showing that tells us even more. The genius is in how Kvothe is portrayed: while telling the story, himself as a young boy, already having experienced tragedy and sorrow and despair, and already feeling the weight of worldly concerns, but still with a lot to learn, comes across strongly. This is counter-balanced with Kvothe as a man, having been through all that and more and had it shape him into something subtly different, yet still very much the same person. If it had been written poorly, there would have been discord between the two Kvothes, but there isn't. He has so much charisma, and is such a complex sort, that I really felt for him. I may even have a bit of crush, actually. He's not good or evil, but he's suffering from a conscience: he's very human, and lonely, despite the friendship of Bast. At the same time, he's a god-like figure, an amazing musician, a skilled fighter, and a powerful magician. One moment he's commanding and chillingly masterful, the next he's doing Bast's bidding and fetching food and cutting wood for others. I expect it's his contradictions and complexities that draw me to him.
The writing style is smooth, the pacing just right (though the first few chapters take a while to get you into the story, you still need to read them closely because there're a lot of details in them), and the prose isn't cluttered with boring, irrelevant descriptions or pointless details. It's a fat book and a long story, but it flies by. While it needed better proofreading - there were a lot of problems with dialogue punctuation; there were a few lazy typos; he never once used a semicolon when he should have; and he always used "lay" instead of "laid" (but hey, at least he was consistent) - the prose itself is engaging, often humorous, detailed but not overly so, and never boring. I also loved the little songs and ditties that are included, and the stories within Kvothe's story.
Likewise, the way he doles out the various plots, revealing and hinting at the right moments, building up tension and anticipation, giving clues that start to coalesce into a stunning picture, is, frankly, impressive. The supporting cast, while not as fully explored as Kvothe (it is his story, after all), are in their own ways vividly portrayed and gradually explored. There's no chunky exposition or a description of a character shoved at you all at once. It's more a show-not-tell kind of book, appreciating the intellect of its audience and our ability to figure things out for ourselves. Nicely done. There was a while there, when I was reading, that the prose gave me the same kind of thrill as reading a sex scene in a romance novel might - but it could have just been the excitment of the story.
One last thing (though I could go on forever): I loved what he did with dragons. I won't spoil it by saying more, just that it's original and delightful - this coming from someone who's been known to get a mite bored by dragons in fantasy.
I would easily recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy, but also to people who enjoy great stories told wonderfully well. As many non-fantasy readers loved Harry Potter, they would also love this book.
Kvothe (pronounced like "Quothe") is a world-renowned figure of mystery with a disreputable reputation - a hero or a demon depending on which stories you hear. The real man has hidden himself away at an inn in the middle of nowhere with his apprentice Bast - we know not why - and it's not until the Chronicler discovers him there that he shows any interest in reliving his past life. Insisting that his story will take three days to tell, and that the famous chronicler must write it down exactly as he tells it, he begins to share his story: a child genius growing up with his parents' troupe, performing plays and tricks across the land while being taught "sympathy" (magic), history, chemistry etc. by a tinker, Abenthy, who had been to the University; to ending up homeless and penniless on the streets of Treban, a big port city. It's not until he's fifteen that he makes it to the University, and is accepted, though he's three years younger than is usual. Abenthy has taught him well, and combined with his impressive memory, natural talent, quick intelligence and training, he moves quickly up the ranks of the university.
There are many adventures and mishaps along the way, and while some plotlines come to a tidy end at the close of this novel, over-arching plotlines and themes have been given a solid foundation to continue on into the next books. It took a surprisingly long time for me to realise the connection between the number of days he will take to tell his story, and that this is "Day One" in the trilogy - it's told over the course of the first day. The only thing is, he's young yet (Chronicler judges him to be about 25, though at times he looks infintely older), and there are things happening in "real time" that intrude upon the story, that will need to be resolved I think - so while I have every confidence Rothfuss has excellent control over his creation, I would love more than three books :)
I can't think of the last time I was this impressed by any story, let alone a fantasy novel. I won't compare it to bloody George R.R. Martin like everyone else is doing because I don't see that they have anything in common, really - one is a work of pure genius and the other is utter crap. Comparing them only heightens my dislike of A Game of Thrones. In truth, it's simply a marketing strategy to compare new books to ones that are already really popular, in order to draw in a well-established audience.
This is an epic fantasy - epic in scope - but it's also a bildungsroman, a story of a person's life, a life journey (including the quiet moments), which I love. The character development is ludicrously good. The world-building is solid, believable and original - there're enough new elements to keep your interest, but not so many that you get confused and overwhelmed: a perfect balance. The design of "sympathy" is original and unique, and makes so much sense that I'm half-surprised it doesn't really work. It's complicated enough to not be trite, but one basic premise is the connection between things, the sympathy they have with each other - if you broke a branch in two, the two halves would still have a connection, like sharing the exact same DNA, and so if you control one half you affect the other half. Same with two pennies of the same metal, so that, if you were holding one and someone holding the other and they worked a "binding" on their half, and, say, lifted it in the air, then your penny would also lift. It's fabulous! It's an intellectual kind of magic, not a "wave the wand" type. It takes knowledge, concentration and effort, so in effect, anyone could learn.
As for the characters and their growth, I am so impressed and so in love I will no doubt do a bad job of expressing it. While Kvothe's story is told in his voice, first person, the present day interludes are told in third person omniscient, but usually from certain characters' points of view. You get a mix of other people's impressions of characters, and a gentle showing that tells us even more. The genius is in how Kvothe is portrayed: while telling the story, himself as a young boy, already having experienced tragedy and sorrow and despair, and already feeling the weight of worldly concerns, but still with a lot to learn, comes across strongly. This is counter-balanced with Kvothe as a man, having been through all that and more and had it shape him into something subtly different, yet still very much the same person. If it had been written poorly, there would have been discord between the two Kvothes, but there isn't. He has so much charisma, and is such a complex sort, that I really felt for him. I may even have a bit of crush, actually. He's not good or evil, but he's suffering from a conscience: he's very human, and lonely, despite the friendship of Bast. At the same time, he's a god-like figure, an amazing musician, a skilled fighter, and a powerful magician. One moment he's commanding and chillingly masterful, the next he's doing Bast's bidding and fetching food and cutting wood for others. I expect it's his contradictions and complexities that draw me to him.
The writing style is smooth, the pacing just right (though the first few chapters take a while to get you into the story, you still need to read them closely because there're a lot of details in them), and the prose isn't cluttered with boring, irrelevant descriptions or pointless details. It's a fat book and a long story, but it flies by. While it needed better proofreading - there were a lot of problems with dialogue punctuation; there were a few lazy typos; he never once used a semicolon when he should have; and he always used "lay" instead of "laid" (but hey, at least he was consistent) - the prose itself is engaging, often humorous, detailed but not overly so, and never boring. I also loved the little songs and ditties that are included, and the stories within Kvothe's story.
Likewise, the way he doles out the various plots, revealing and hinting at the right moments, building up tension and anticipation, giving clues that start to coalesce into a stunning picture, is, frankly, impressive. The supporting cast, while not as fully explored as Kvothe (it is his story, after all), are in their own ways vividly portrayed and gradually explored. There's no chunky exposition or a description of a character shoved at you all at once. It's more a show-not-tell kind of book, appreciating the intellect of its audience and our ability to figure things out for ourselves. Nicely done. There was a while there, when I was reading, that the prose gave me the same kind of thrill as reading a sex scene in a romance novel might - but it could have just been the excitment of the story.
One last thing (though I could go on forever): I loved what he did with dragons. I won't spoil it by saying more, just that it's original and delightful - this coming from someone who's been known to get a mite bored by dragons in fantasy.
I would easily recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy, but also to people who enjoy great stories told wonderfully well. As many non-fantasy readers loved Harry Potter, they would also love this book.
October 6, 2010
Okay. Wow. Let's back the hell up here. How is this so highly rated? Are those genre-establishment reviewers who're thrashing about in paroxysms of fawning five-star NEXT BIG THING OMG joy wearing blinders or just so used to mediocre fantasy that this book actually comes across looking good in comparison? Why do these high fantasy disappointments keep on keeping on? Whose brilliant idea was it to throw around the GRRM and Harry Potter comparisons, thereby actually getting me to waste my pennies on this book when the money could've been better spent, I dunno, on some new dish sponges or perhaps bundled together into a lump sum donation to the Feminist Fantasy Writer Foundation? And for God's sake, why do male fantasy writers always write about do-everything, know-it-all male heroes who vanquish dragons, defeat their conniving rivals, strangle angels, and literally walk through fires /carrying weeping females over their shoulders like sacks of potatoes/???? HE WALKS THROUGH A FIRE GUYS. WITH A GIRL SLUNG OVER HIS SHOULDERS. LIKE JESUS CHRIST OR SOMETHING. AKJGALGJLSJLAG W.T.F.
For one, the protagonist is an insufferable little shit. He's the best musician, the best dueler, the best test-taker, the fastest learner, the snarkiest snarker, and the best actor. Plus he's got the greenest eyes too. And an encyclopedic knowledge of everything there is to know, ever. And a tragic past. His one handicap is that he's dirt poor, but hey! That's okay, because he's so awesome it hardly matters. (Well, to be hair, it is a fairly severe handicap. But that doesn't make up for his infuriating lack of weakness in basically every other area of his life.) To echo an earlier review, I really was waiting for someone to hip-check this guy into a mud bog. Or a moat full of voracious alligators. Yay, the end!
To be sure, Rothfuss is very self-conscious about his story-making. I lost count of the number of times he wrote, "If this were a story, Kvothe would be serenading Denna on his magical lute with a red rose clenched between his teeth. But it's not, which is why he's blushing and stammering (but still, amazingly, Getting the Girl)".
And the language. Okay. What. I understand this is fantasy, so it's gotta have the ponderous, stentorian, "And Twas it Was that Haldorian Son of Keoth-Arbalith Returned to the Great Stone Tower of Gothalas to embrace his weeping elven bride" Tolkien vibe, and that Rothfuss was a substitute high school teacher all his life and didn't graduate from the much-touted Iowa workshop with an awesome literary degree of MFA awesomeness, but jesus, put a cap on it, please? Like, the cheapass cliff-hangers that end one chapter only to resolve in the very next paragraph? And this following paragraph, which I especially earmarked out of boggle-eyed feelings of what-the-fuckery?
"Deoch, my heart is made of stronger stuff than glass. When she strikes she'll find it strong as iron-bound brass, or gold and adamant together mixed. Don't think I am unaware, some startled deer to stand transfixed by hunter's horns. It's she who should take care, for when she strikes, my heart will make a sound to beautiful and bright that it can't help but bring her back to me in winged flight."
A moment of wondering silence for how this drivel actually managed to avoid excision via enraged editor.
Not to go on an embittered, long-winded rant or anything (.. too late for that), but this book represents pretty much everything I hate about high fantasy. There's the utter paucity of strong female characters. The cardboard villainy of the baddies. The lack of real dimension besides character 'typeness'. The never-ending leveling up of powers. The protagonist who can do no wrong. The frankly boring, and sometimes hair-raisingly clichéd, use of language. Also, the lack of females. You know what this book makes me want to do? Smash the patriarchy. Oh my god. I think this guy needs to sit at the feet of Joss Whedon or George R.R. Martin and learn something worthwhile.
For one, the protagonist is an insufferable little shit. He's the best musician, the best dueler, the best test-taker, the fastest learner, the snarkiest snarker, and the best actor. Plus he's got the greenest eyes too. And an encyclopedic knowledge of everything there is to know, ever. And a tragic past. His one handicap is that he's dirt poor, but hey! That's okay, because he's so awesome it hardly matters. (Well, to be hair, it is a fairly severe handicap. But that doesn't make up for his infuriating lack of weakness in basically every other area of his life.) To echo an earlier review, I really was waiting for someone to hip-check this guy into a mud bog. Or a moat full of voracious alligators. Yay, the end!
To be sure, Rothfuss is very self-conscious about his story-making. I lost count of the number of times he wrote, "If this were a story, Kvothe would be serenading Denna on his magical lute with a red rose clenched between his teeth. But it's not, which is why he's blushing and stammering (but still, amazingly, Getting the Girl)".
And the language. Okay. What. I understand this is fantasy, so it's gotta have the ponderous, stentorian, "And Twas it Was that Haldorian Son of Keoth-Arbalith Returned to the Great Stone Tower of Gothalas to embrace his weeping elven bride" Tolkien vibe, and that Rothfuss was a substitute high school teacher all his life and didn't graduate from the much-touted Iowa workshop with an awesome literary degree of MFA awesomeness, but jesus, put a cap on it, please? Like, the cheapass cliff-hangers that end one chapter only to resolve in the very next paragraph? And this following paragraph, which I especially earmarked out of boggle-eyed feelings of what-the-fuckery?
"Deoch, my heart is made of stronger stuff than glass. When she strikes she'll find it strong as iron-bound brass, or gold and adamant together mixed. Don't think I am unaware, some startled deer to stand transfixed by hunter's horns. It's she who should take care, for when she strikes, my heart will make a sound to beautiful and bright that it can't help but bring her back to me in winged flight."
A moment of wondering silence for how this drivel actually managed to avoid excision via enraged editor.
Not to go on an embittered, long-winded rant or anything (.. too late for that), but this book represents pretty much everything I hate about high fantasy. There's the utter paucity of strong female characters. The cardboard villainy of the baddies. The lack of real dimension besides character 'typeness'. The never-ending leveling up of powers. The protagonist who can do no wrong. The frankly boring, and sometimes hair-raisingly clichéd, use of language. Also, the lack of females. You know what this book makes me want to do? Smash the patriarchy. Oh my god. I think this guy needs to sit at the feet of Joss Whedon or George R.R. Martin and learn something worthwhile.
June 18, 2023
I'll give this 5* with no begrudging. I'm pretty easy with my 5*, they're not reserved for the best book I've ever read, just very good books. I thought The Name of the Wind was "very good". I read it in what for me was a very short span of time - it had that 'more-ish' quality that best sellers need.
Can I see what makes this the single best selling epic fantasy for a generation (apart from George Martin's series)? No. Excepting that perhaps the lesson is that to be head and shoulders above your competition in sales "all" you need is to be better by a nose - after that the non-linear dynamics of the market take over and elevate you to godhood.
I loved the writing, and that's very important to me. Rothfuss often treads the thin line between prose and poetry, and fortunately it's excellent poetry that he brushes up against. The quality of the writing breathes magic into even fairly ordinary scenes, and makes some of the important ones extraordinary.
The story itself is mostly compelling. It uses the reverse of the device I saw recently in Blood Song of a framing story that's not in the first person, delivering up a first person narrative. Our hero, Kvothe has bags of attitude and is a total genius at everything. To balance out his 'all power' we have his poverty, bad luck, tendency to dig himself into a hole, and his powerful enemies.
Kvothe's real powerful enemy sits in the background as a motivator (& presumably story for books 2 & 3) while his 'school-boy' adversary at the university fills in for bad guy for most of the book.
Like Blood Song, and many other really successful books, TNOTW is at its core a school story. Harry Potter, Wizard of Earthsea etc all feature magic schools, for Blood Song and Enders' Game it was a battle school, but the point is that the schools + lessons + masters combo sells bucket loads if you write it really well and plumb it into a compelling larger picture.
With magic the school system also provides a painless way of educating your readers in the magic-system you have (by virtue of it being delivered through formal education) elected to use.
Was there anything wrong with it? For me the whole 'and then I broke another string' and 'I was very hungry and dirty in Tarbean' sections were rather slow and lengthy - I understand their role in the story but they felt overplayed. And at the end the whole business with the draccus felt tangential and diluted the endgame for me. But no, nothing of great significance.
A final observation: throughout the book we (like Kvothe) are constantly aware of money. Kvothe's poverty is a driver and source of tension. He is constantly coming into money, losing it, incurring costs. We know the contents of his purse at almost any time and the price of all his needs. To me this was very reminiscent of Dostoyevsky's work (and to a lesser extent, Dickens) where a similar focus on the number of coins in our character's pocket is maintained and the need to cover their expenses drives much of the story.
In short though, given the impossible level of expectation built up by years of hearing how incredible this book is ... the text made a very good attempt to live up to its reputation.
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..
Can I see what makes this the single best selling epic fantasy for a generation (apart from George Martin's series)? No. Excepting that perhaps the lesson is that to be head and shoulders above your competition in sales "all" you need is to be better by a nose - after that the non-linear dynamics of the market take over and elevate you to godhood.
I loved the writing, and that's very important to me. Rothfuss often treads the thin line between prose and poetry, and fortunately it's excellent poetry that he brushes up against. The quality of the writing breathes magic into even fairly ordinary scenes, and makes some of the important ones extraordinary.
The story itself is mostly compelling. It uses the reverse of the device I saw recently in Blood Song of a framing story that's not in the first person, delivering up a first person narrative. Our hero, Kvothe has bags of attitude and is a total genius at everything. To balance out his 'all power' we have his poverty, bad luck, tendency to dig himself into a hole, and his powerful enemies.
Kvothe's real powerful enemy sits in the background as a motivator (& presumably story for books 2 & 3) while his 'school-boy' adversary at the university fills in for bad guy for most of the book.
Like Blood Song, and many other really successful books, TNOTW is at its core a school story. Harry Potter, Wizard of Earthsea etc all feature magic schools, for Blood Song and Enders' Game it was a battle school, but the point is that the schools + lessons + masters combo sells bucket loads if you write it really well and plumb it into a compelling larger picture.
With magic the school system also provides a painless way of educating your readers in the magic-system you have (by virtue of it being delivered through formal education) elected to use.
Was there anything wrong with it? For me the whole 'and then I broke another string' and 'I was very hungry and dirty in Tarbean' sections were rather slow and lengthy - I understand their role in the story but they felt overplayed. And at the end the whole business with the draccus felt tangential and diluted the endgame for me. But no, nothing of great significance.
A final observation: throughout the book we (like Kvothe) are constantly aware of money. Kvothe's poverty is a driver and source of tension. He is constantly coming into money, losing it, incurring costs. We know the contents of his purse at almost any time and the price of all his needs. To me this was very reminiscent of Dostoyevsky's work (and to a lesser extent, Dickens) where a similar focus on the number of coins in our character's pocket is maintained and the need to cover their expenses drives much of the story.
In short though, given the impossible level of expectation built up by years of hearing how incredible this book is ... the text made a very good attempt to live up to its reputation.
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
..
December 9, 2011
I have no interest in imagining I'm someone who is stronger, deadlier, smarter, sexier, etc. than myself - a famed hero in a milqtoast world little different from modern North America.
I read fantasy to immerse myself in strange worlds ripe with danger and conflict. To uncork primal wonders. And there is none of that in Rothfuss' book.
His world is about as strange and dangerous as a mashed potato sandwich. His protagonist is comically overblown wish fullfillment for people who weren't popular in college. I'm absolutely mystified that this novel is so highly regarded by so many.
I welcome fans of the book to explain its appeal. Specifically:
* Writing quality. I found the quality of the prose very poor. Cliches abound, the author tells rather than shows, and the language is neither poetic nor elegant. So for those who find the writing quality high, I'd like to hear some examples of writing they feel is poor quality.
* Content. I have no interest in wish fullfilment in fiction. So what other content does this novel offer me as a reader? Is there something in the plot or setting that makes this novel stand out to you as exceptional?
I read fantasy to immerse myself in strange worlds ripe with danger and conflict. To uncork primal wonders. And there is none of that in Rothfuss' book.
His world is about as strange and dangerous as a mashed potato sandwich. His protagonist is comically overblown wish fullfillment for people who weren't popular in college. I'm absolutely mystified that this novel is so highly regarded by so many.
I welcome fans of the book to explain its appeal. Specifically:
* Writing quality. I found the quality of the prose very poor. Cliches abound, the author tells rather than shows, and the language is neither poetic nor elegant. So for those who find the writing quality high, I'd like to hear some examples of writing they feel is poor quality.
* Content. I have no interest in wish fullfilment in fiction. So what other content does this novel offer me as a reader? Is there something in the plot or setting that makes this novel stand out to you as exceptional?
September 2, 2020
It's a well known fact that I will read pretty much any book with a magical school but so is the fact that I don't like waiting for the next book in a series.
With that said, 2020 has been such a shit year, I decided to tackle a bunch of the books I expected to give 5 star to including this one even though book 3... well it might never come.
The book had a lot of potential and I did mostly enjoy it. Interesting magic system, overall intriguing characters and a mystery to figure out.
The reviews I had heard had mentioned that the main character was insufferable and, although my mind might change after reading book 2, so far I'm seeing it more as his older self thinking he used to be that way.
I didn't care for the "love interest" one bit but what else is new. Also didn't care too much for the adventure towards the end but I will be continuing the series ASAP.
With that said, 2020 has been such a shit year, I decided to tackle a bunch of the books I expected to give 5 star to including this one even though book 3... well it might never come.
The book had a lot of potential and I did mostly enjoy it. Interesting magic system, overall intriguing characters and a mystery to figure out.
The reviews I had heard had mentioned that the main character was insufferable and, although my mind might change after reading book 2, so far I'm seeing it more as his older self thinking he used to be that way.
I didn't care for the "love interest" one bit but what else is new. Also didn't care too much for the adventure towards the end but I will be continuing the series ASAP.
December 5, 2013
I kinda liked this book. But my opinion on the matter probably shouldn't be trusted....
January 15, 2015
ETA #2: Spare me Rothfuss fanboys who just want to pick fights over negative reviews. I thought the book sucked. My thinking the book sucked in no way impacts how much others enjoyed the book. And if you are uncomfortable that I point out the lack of strong female characters, the main character as essentially a male Mary Sue, or the fact that the entire book was pure male fantasy wish fulfillment, then perhaps you should consider some personal reflection on why those points upset you.
ETA: I had to downgrade this from 2 stars to 1. I have a very visceral negative reaction whenever I am reminded of this book. I have blocked this book's existence from my mind and whenever someone mentions it, I want to foam at the mouth.
I slogged through the first 200 pages and kept wondering when the plot was going to show up. The early bits were interesting but had a tendency to drag (espcially after Kvothe was by himself). After he joined the University, the story picked up a bit and became more engaging -- but there was still no real point to the book... and after finishing it, there still wasn't. Rothfuss probably planned the story arc over the span of (presumably) three books, and broke up the story at what seemed like appropriate points. But my complaint is that they weren't - by focusing on the overall story arc, there were no arcs in the individual book, and no thread that connected everything together other than Kvothe was telling the story of his life.
Another irritant was Kvothe, the paragon of perfectness. He was beyond perfect. He had no flaws and after a while, it got annoying. Would it have killed the author to give his main character a zit or something? On a whim, I started filling out the Mary Sue litmust test for Kvothe but got tired of checking all the boxes. He was OSSIM at everything he tried, and not only awesome but better than people who were masters. Everyone LURVED him. If a character didn't love him, they were horrible, bad, not very good people. Women fawned over him and fell at his feet and had no other role in the story. This was an epic fail on the Bechdel test. Gag.
There were enough hints of a larger plot to intrigue. I just wish that Rothfuss compressed everything more. After finishing the 700+ pages, I didn't actually get much story. I did end up liking it enough to contemplate continuing on with the second book...until learning that The Wise Man's Fear was even more of a badly plotted mess of male wish-fulfillment than The Name of the Wind.
ETA: I had to downgrade this from 2 stars to 1. I have a very visceral negative reaction whenever I am reminded of this book. I have blocked this book's existence from my mind and whenever someone mentions it, I want to foam at the mouth.
I slogged through the first 200 pages and kept wondering when the plot was going to show up. The early bits were interesting but had a tendency to drag (espcially after Kvothe was by himself). After he joined the University, the story picked up a bit and became more engaging -- but there was still no real point to the book... and after finishing it, there still wasn't. Rothfuss probably planned the story arc over the span of (presumably) three books, and broke up the story at what seemed like appropriate points. But my complaint is that they weren't - by focusing on the overall story arc, there were no arcs in the individual book, and no thread that connected everything together other than Kvothe was telling the story of his life.
Another irritant was Kvothe, the paragon of perfectness. He was beyond perfect. He had no flaws and after a while, it got annoying. Would it have killed the author to give his main character a zit or something? On a whim, I started filling out the Mary Sue litmust test for Kvothe but got tired of checking all the boxes. He was OSSIM at everything he tried, and not only awesome but better than people who were masters. Everyone LURVED him. If a character didn't love him, they were horrible, bad, not very good people. Women fawned over him and fell at his feet and had no other role in the story. This was an epic fail on the Bechdel test. Gag.
There were enough hints of a larger plot to intrigue. I just wish that Rothfuss compressed everything more. After finishing the 700+ pages, I didn't actually get much story. I did end up liking it enough to contemplate continuing on with the second book...until learning that The Wise Man's Fear was even more of a badly plotted mess of male wish-fulfillment than The Name of the Wind.
January 10, 2024
One of the best fantasy books of all time!
In a small town is an innkeeper named Kote, living a quiet life, when one day a man enters his establishment looking for Kvothe, the man of myths and legends. Kvothe decides that it is finally time to share his great adventures to set the record straight. He recalls life as a boy and his time at the University.
Firstly, I would like to set my record straight. I am extremely particular about fantasy reads because I am not a very visual person. When an author describes a bunch of fictional places, characters, and languages, I have an extremely difficult time visualizing what the author is describing (truth be told, I have a hard time visualizing things that exist in this world). This translates into a love-hate relationship with fantasy. For example, although I respect Tolkien, I simply dreaded reading LOTR because there were too many new things that I could not visualize properly. However, some of my favorite books are Girl One, Dune, and His Dark Materials. The Name of the Wind aligns more closely with Girl One, Dune, and His Dark Materials than LOTR; therefore, I enjoyed it very much.
The Name of the Wind had some really great quotes which I will share. It also was not predictable, and it was thoroughly entertaining. It reminded me of a bedtime story for adults. Although this book was just shy of 700 pages, as I was nearing the last 200 pages, I was getting a little pang of sadness because I wanted it to keep going!
One of the tools that I use to help me visualize fantasy is to see if there are any movies or TV series based on the book and watch the trailers. Unfortunately, The Name of The Wind does not yet have such a movie. This book is so enjoyable that I was considering writing to the various movie studios to consider production. However, rumor is that the author, Patrick Rothfuss, has not yet completed the final installment of the series.
Overall, an exceptional fantasy book especially if you enjoy Dune, His Dark Materials, or Girl One.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
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In a small town is an innkeeper named Kote, living a quiet life, when one day a man enters his establishment looking for Kvothe, the man of myths and legends. Kvothe decides that it is finally time to share his great adventures to set the record straight. He recalls life as a boy and his time at the University.
Firstly, I would like to set my record straight. I am extremely particular about fantasy reads because I am not a very visual person. When an author describes a bunch of fictional places, characters, and languages, I have an extremely difficult time visualizing what the author is describing (truth be told, I have a hard time visualizing things that exist in this world). This translates into a love-hate relationship with fantasy. For example, although I respect Tolkien, I simply dreaded reading LOTR because there were too many new things that I could not visualize properly. However, some of my favorite books are Girl One, Dune, and His Dark Materials. The Name of the Wind aligns more closely with Girl One, Dune, and His Dark Materials than LOTR; therefore, I enjoyed it very much.
The Name of the Wind had some really great quotes which I will share. It also was not predictable, and it was thoroughly entertaining. It reminded me of a bedtime story for adults. Although this book was just shy of 700 pages, as I was nearing the last 200 pages, I was getting a little pang of sadness because I wanted it to keep going!
One of the tools that I use to help me visualize fantasy is to see if there are any movies or TV series based on the book and watch the trailers. Unfortunately, The Name of The Wind does not yet have such a movie. This book is so enjoyable that I was considering writing to the various movie studios to consider production. However, rumor is that the author, Patrick Rothfuss, has not yet completed the final installment of the series.
Overall, an exceptional fantasy book especially if you enjoy Dune, His Dark Materials, or Girl One.
2024 Reading Schedule
Jan Middlemarch
Feb The Grapes of Wrath
Mar Oliver Twist
Apr Madame Bovary
May A Clockwork Orange
Jun Possession
Jul The Folk of the Faraway Tree Collection
Aug Crime and Punishment
Sep Heart of Darkness
Oct Moby-Dick
Nov Far From the Madding Crowd
Dec A Tale of Two Cities
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta
December 13, 2022
1.) The Name of the Wind ★★★★★
2.) The Wise Man's Fear ★★★★★
2.4) The Lightning Tree ★★★★★
2.5) The Slow Regard of Silent Things ★★★★★
3.) Doors of Stone n/a
[2022]
this really just is my comfort read book. the atmospheres are perfect, the quotes are beautiful, and i always find new things i missed within the stories. <3
[2020]
This was everything that I needed this month. There was so much that I had forgotten, and so much foreshadowing that I'm so excited for! This truly just made me feel so whole and reminded me why I'm in love with books and reading and stories that make you feel every emotion known to humans. Such a masterpiece, even after all this time and all these years.
[2015]
I always feel like when I write a review for a five star book I'm not doing the book justice. It's easy for me to write what worked or what didn't work, but it's hard for me to describe magic. The book even touches on this and how it's impossible to describe some things. It would be easier for me just to call this bookblue fantastic and move on.
But where is the fun in that? So I'll try and probably do a mediocre attempt of explaining why the biggest regret I've made in my literary life is not reading this book sooner.
“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”
The Name of the Wind has been on my "to-read" list forever, but what made me push it to the top was that I've been watching Pat stream Fallout 4 for a charity he runs, Worldbuilders (which I cannot stress enough how wonderful this cause is and how you should check it out). I always have some stream running in the background when I'm home and I figured I'd give him a chance, but I didn't expect to completely fall in love with his personality. Seriously, the man has more charisma than any of the Twitch streamers out there. He's very entertaining, passionate (about this charity, books, and his post-apocalyptic city), and a natural born storyteller (much like Kvothe). I liked Mr. Rothfuss so much that I knew I had to read his book immediately and, to know surprise, it completely enthralled me. In fact, it's the best fantasy book I've ever read.
The story starts in The Waystone Inn, in Neware. The owner, Kvothe/Kote, is going to tell his life's story to a scribe named Chronicler after the town has had a couple run-ins with "demons". I know the sound of an innkeeper telling a story of his past in his inn sounds a little cliché, but the story itself is so unique and good you will soon forget this is a tale being told from an inn at all.
Kvothe is a very gifted child and picks up everything he does with ease. His family's troupe (traveling performance artists) is one of the best in the world. Therefore, Kvothe has dipped in many different pools to excel at. His family accepts an arcanist named Abenthy (Ben) into their troupe and Kvothe soon finds a new best friend in him. He teaches Kvothe many different abilities, most including tricks with his mind. He also teaches him more about the world and a place called The University, which could help shape Kvothe's very gifted mind. unfortunately, Ben leaves the troupe to settle down and Kvothe, his wonderful parents, and all the other performers move on with their travels.
Disaster strikes and poor Kvothe soon learns the meaning of really being alone. His talented father is obsessed with writing a song about The Chandrian, who are a group of seven known in myth and folklore as bad or evil. Many people in this world fear different things, but everyone throughout Termerant fears The Chandrian. Soon, Kvothe understands why.
“My parents danced together, her head on his chest. Both had their eyes closed. They seemed so perfectly content. If you can find someone like that, someone who you can hold and close your eyes to the world with, then you're lucky. Even if it only lasts for a minute or a day.”
The rest is Kvothe's journey and what has made him become the man he is today, in The Waystone Inn, telling his story. I really don't want to say much more, I just hope I've swayed you into giving this series a shot if you were like me and haven't done so yet.
The story is fantastic, the writing is amazing, and if you have a heart the main character will capture it. Oh, and the goose bumps I got when reading the epilogue and blissfully being connected to the very beginning for a full circle. I don't really have words, just a whole lot of feelings that I'm not sure what to do with. I cannot wait to start The Wise Man's Fear after reading this first masterpiece.
“Go out in the early days of winter, after the first cold snap of the season. Find a pool of water with a sheet of ice across the top, still fresh and new and clear as glass. Near the shore the ice will hold you. Slide out farther. Farther. Eventually you'll find the place where the surface just barely bears your weight. There you will feel what I felt. The ice splinters under your feet. Look down and you can see the white cracks darting through the ice like mad, elaborate spiderwebs. It is perfectly silent, but you can feel the sudden sharp vibrations through the bottoms of your feet. That is what happened when Denna smiled at me.”
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2.) The Wise Man's Fear ★★★★★
2.4) The Lightning Tree ★★★★★
2.5) The Slow Regard of Silent Things ★★★★★
3.) Doors of Stone n/a
[2022]
this really just is my comfort read book. the atmospheres are perfect, the quotes are beautiful, and i always find new things i missed within the stories. <3
[2020]
This was everything that I needed this month. There was so much that I had forgotten, and so much foreshadowing that I'm so excited for! This truly just made me feel so whole and reminded me why I'm in love with books and reading and stories that make you feel every emotion known to humans. Such a masterpiece, even after all this time and all these years.
[2015]
I always feel like when I write a review for a five star book I'm not doing the book justice. It's easy for me to write what worked or what didn't work, but it's hard for me to describe magic. The book even touches on this and how it's impossible to describe some things. It would be easier for me just to call this book
But where is the fun in that? So I'll try and probably do a mediocre attempt of explaining why the biggest regret I've made in my literary life is not reading this book sooner.
“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”
The Name of the Wind has been on my "to-read" list forever, but what made me push it to the top was that I've been watching Pat stream Fallout 4 for a charity he runs, Worldbuilders (which I cannot stress enough how wonderful this cause is and how you should check it out). I always have some stream running in the background when I'm home and I figured I'd give him a chance, but I didn't expect to completely fall in love with his personality. Seriously, the man has more charisma than any of the Twitch streamers out there. He's very entertaining, passionate (about this charity, books, and his post-apocalyptic city), and a natural born storyteller (much like Kvothe). I liked Mr. Rothfuss so much that I knew I had to read his book immediately and, to know surprise, it completely enthralled me. In fact, it's the best fantasy book I've ever read.
The story starts in The Waystone Inn, in Neware. The owner, Kvothe/Kote, is going to tell his life's story to a scribe named Chronicler after the town has had a couple run-ins with "demons". I know the sound of an innkeeper telling a story of his past in his inn sounds a little cliché, but the story itself is so unique and good you will soon forget this is a tale being told from an inn at all.
Kvothe is a very gifted child and picks up everything he does with ease. His family's troupe (traveling performance artists) is one of the best in the world. Therefore, Kvothe has dipped in many different pools to excel at. His family accepts an arcanist named Abenthy (Ben) into their troupe and Kvothe soon finds a new best friend in him. He teaches Kvothe many different abilities, most including tricks with his mind. He also teaches him more about the world and a place called The University, which could help shape Kvothe's very gifted mind. unfortunately, Ben leaves the troupe to settle down and Kvothe, his wonderful parents, and all the other performers move on with their travels.
Disaster strikes and poor Kvothe soon learns the meaning of really being alone. His talented father is obsessed with writing a song about The Chandrian, who are a group of seven known in myth and folklore as bad or evil. Many people in this world fear different things, but everyone throughout Termerant fears The Chandrian. Soon, Kvothe understands why.
“My parents danced together, her head on his chest. Both had their eyes closed. They seemed so perfectly content. If you can find someone like that, someone who you can hold and close your eyes to the world with, then you're lucky. Even if it only lasts for a minute or a day.”
The rest is Kvothe's journey and what has made him become the man he is today, in The Waystone Inn, telling his story. I really don't want to say much more, I just hope I've swayed you into giving this series a shot if you were like me and haven't done so yet.
The story is fantastic, the writing is amazing, and if you have a heart the main character will capture it. Oh, and the goose bumps I got when reading the epilogue and blissfully being connected to the very beginning for a full circle. I don't really have words, just a whole lot of feelings that I'm not sure what to do with. I cannot wait to start The Wise Man's Fear after reading this first masterpiece.
“Go out in the early days of winter, after the first cold snap of the season. Find a pool of water with a sheet of ice across the top, still fresh and new and clear as glass. Near the shore the ice will hold you. Slide out farther. Farther. Eventually you'll find the place where the surface just barely bears your weight. There you will feel what I felt. The ice splinters under your feet. Look down and you can see the white cracks darting through the ice like mad, elaborate spiderwebs. It is perfectly silent, but you can feel the sudden sharp vibrations through the bottoms of your feet. That is what happened when Denna smiled at me.”
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November 15, 2019
a review of three parts
it was night again. the keys of a laptop lay in wait to create a review, and it was a review of three parts.
the most obvious part was a full, echoing story, made by the letters that were written on a page. if the words came to life it would have done so in the form of a young man name kvothe, eager to know the answers to lifes greatest questions, thirsty for any knowledge he could get his hands on. if the story was written in music, it would have been composed to the sweet melody of a lute, strings plucked by gentle, but sure, fingers. if the book had the power to transport, you would find yourself in a world of magic, university lessons, travelling troupes, and dragons. in fact, the book contained all of these, and so the review grew.
on goodreads, hundreds of people shared their own opinions. they posted with quiet determination, avoiding serious spoilers of troubling plots. in doing this they added a small, quiet part to the larger, fuller one. it made an alloy of sorts, a counterpoint.
the third part was not an easy thing to notice. if you waited for an hour, you might begin to feel it the smoothness of the cover beneath your hands and the rough, crisp turn of each page. it was the weight of knowing that the person you were before reading this book became someone new and improved at the end of it. it was the slow back and forth of trying to remember any semblance of life you had before this story became intwined into the very fabric of your being. and it was in the hands of the girl who sat on her bed, tapping away at the black keys under her fingers that gleamed in the soft glow of the laptop screen.
the girl had true brown hair, brown as a mouse. her eyes were alight and focused, and she typed with the subtle certainty that comes from reviewing many books.
the laptop was hers, just as the third part was hers. this was appropriate, as it was the greatest part of the three, wrapping the others inside itself. it was deep and wide as autumns ending. it was heavy as a great river-smooth stone. it was the patient, cut-flower sound of a girl in love with a story.
↠ 5 stars
November 1, 2020
UPDATE: $1.99 Kindle US 11/1/20
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
IT WAS NIGHT AGAIN. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.
The most obvious part was a hollow, echoing quiet, made by things that were lacking. If there had been a wind it would have sighed through the trees, set the inn's sign creaking on its hooks, and brushed the silence down the road like trailing autumn leaves.
This is only part of the prologue to THE NAME OF THE WIND that drew me right in, the whole prologue was so beautifully written it pulled me right into the book.
I would never had found this amazing book if I wasn't watching a youtube video about books and then looking it up on goodreads to see that so many of my friends loved it. I immediately bought it and I'm just blown away. I CAN. NOT. BELIEVE this was Patrick Rothfuss debut novel! Who writes like this? Why can't I write like this? Ye gods, this book is beyond amazing, Rothfuss writing style is amazing. It flows... like water, I have only thought this once before reading a novel.
This is a big tome of a book with 700 + pages and there is not one moment of boredom or dragging. NOT. ONE. MOMENT.
I am totally in love with Kvothe The Bloodless! He is telling his story from his Inn to a chronicler. We get to learn about Kvothe's story from when he was a child. There is a tragedy in young Kvothe's life and he lives on the streets for a few years, he finds some friends and they help each other. Kvothe does have to resort to stealing and begging but what would you do when you have nothing, but he is a smart boy and he is kind. He finds a way to help himself out and decides he's going to University :-) But it's the little kindnesses of people and Kvothe himself that touch my heart.
He turned his back on me and started to tidy his workbench rather aimlessly, humming to himself. It took me a second to recognize the tune: "Leave the Town, Tinker."
I knew that he was trying to do me a favor, and a few days ago I would have jumped at the opportunity for free shoes. But for some reason I didn't feel right about it. I quietly gathered up my things and left a pair of copper jots on his stool before I left.
Why? Because pride is a strange thing, and because generosity deserves generosity in return. But mostly because it felt like the right thing to do, and that is reason enough.
Brings a damn tear to my eye. Well, a lot of the book brings a tear to my eye and of course I wanted to kill a certain person named Ambrose but we won't go there!
Kvothe plays the lute :-) He's very good at it and it helps him out on many occasions when he is strapped for money when he gets into University. And get in he does, through being smart... he's so smart to do the things that he does to get into the University and to stay there. I mean a poor boy who walked around part of his life without shoes and just trying to make it through the nights outside in the freezing cold with little to eat. He made it and he struggles and he's fierce and he's a hero!!!!! Every time someone brought him down he came back up! He never gave up! He is the best kind of hero, a kind person but he does get the best of some evil people when he has to and I love it, oh how I love it.
I'm really glad Kvothe found a couple of really good friends at the school because he had so much against him. So many bad things would happen, but like I said, he would find a way to rise back up. He even found a love interest but it didn't really get to go anywhere but that is another story.
Let me just throw in two more EXCERPTS -->I can't help myself, the book has so many good stuff it's hard to pick just a few.
I paused. "However, at this moment I have two jots in my purse and nowhere in the world to get more than that. I have nothing worth selling that I haven't already sold.
"Admit me for more than two jots and I will not be able to attend. Admit me for less and I will be here every day, while every night I will do what it takes to stay alive while I study here. I will sleep in alleys and stables, wash dishes for kitchen scraps, beg pennies to buy pens. I will do whatever it takes." I said the last words fiercely, almost snarling them.
"But admit me free, and give me three talents so I can live and buy what I need to learn properly, and I will be a student the likes of which you have never seen before."
There was a half-breath of silence, followed by a thunderous clap of a laugh from Kilvin. "HA!" he roared. "If one student in ten had half his fire I'd teach with a whip and a chair instead of chalk and slate." He brought his hand down hard on the table in front of him.
You can't help but be proud of Kvothe and his determination to get what he wants and doing anything to get it.
Another part showing how nice and good he is, he gives a simple girl a charm to make her feel better.
"Now it's tuned to you," I said. "No matter what, no matter where it is, it will protect you and keep you safe. You could even break it and melt it down and the charm would still hold."
She threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek. Then stood suddenly, blushing. No longer pale and stricken, her eyes were bright. I hadn't noticed before, but she was beautiful.
She left soon after that and I sat for a while on my bed thinking.
Over the last month I had pulled a woman from a blazing inferno. I had called fire and lightening down on assassins and escaped to safety. I had even killed something that could have either been a dragon or demon, depending on your point of view.
But there in that room was the first time I actually felt like any sort of hero. If you are looking for a reason for the man I would eventually become, if you are looking for a beginning, look here.
For the love of God, if you haven't read this book and love these kinds of high fantasy novels, READ IT! If you have had it on your shelf debating on reading it, READ IT! If you have never heard of it up until now, buy it and READ IT! It's one of the best and it's on my favorites list now... just look on Goodreads, there it is, under favorites!
There are soooo many wonderful characters in this book, even the ones we only meet for awhile. And yes there are evil ones, but that's the way of a great book. Simply amazing!
I think we should stop in at the Waystone Inn and have a pint and talk for a bit.
I also bought the second book on the same day because I could at the time and I knew I would love these books. I just knew it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
IT WAS NIGHT AGAIN. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts.
The most obvious part was a hollow, echoing quiet, made by things that were lacking. If there had been a wind it would have sighed through the trees, set the inn's sign creaking on its hooks, and brushed the silence down the road like trailing autumn leaves.
This is only part of the prologue to THE NAME OF THE WIND that drew me right in, the whole prologue was so beautifully written it pulled me right into the book.
I would never had found this amazing book if I wasn't watching a youtube video about books and then looking it up on goodreads to see that so many of my friends loved it. I immediately bought it and I'm just blown away. I CAN. NOT. BELIEVE this was Patrick Rothfuss debut novel! Who writes like this? Why can't I write like this? Ye gods, this book is beyond amazing, Rothfuss writing style is amazing. It flows... like water, I have only thought this once before reading a novel.
This is a big tome of a book with 700 + pages and there is not one moment of boredom or dragging. NOT. ONE. MOMENT.
I am totally in love with Kvothe The Bloodless! He is telling his story from his Inn to a chronicler. We get to learn about Kvothe's story from when he was a child. There is a tragedy in young Kvothe's life and he lives on the streets for a few years, he finds some friends and they help each other. Kvothe does have to resort to stealing and begging but what would you do when you have nothing, but he is a smart boy and he is kind. He finds a way to help himself out and decides he's going to University :-) But it's the little kindnesses of people and Kvothe himself that touch my heart.
He turned his back on me and started to tidy his workbench rather aimlessly, humming to himself. It took me a second to recognize the tune: "Leave the Town, Tinker."
I knew that he was trying to do me a favor, and a few days ago I would have jumped at the opportunity for free shoes. But for some reason I didn't feel right about it. I quietly gathered up my things and left a pair of copper jots on his stool before I left.
Why? Because pride is a strange thing, and because generosity deserves generosity in return. But mostly because it felt like the right thing to do, and that is reason enough.
Brings a damn tear to my eye. Well, a lot of the book brings a tear to my eye and of course I wanted to kill a certain person named Ambrose but we won't go there!
Kvothe plays the lute :-) He's very good at it and it helps him out on many occasions when he is strapped for money when he gets into University. And get in he does, through being smart... he's so smart to do the things that he does to get into the University and to stay there. I mean a poor boy who walked around part of his life without shoes and just trying to make it through the nights outside in the freezing cold with little to eat. He made it and he struggles and he's fierce and he's a hero!!!!! Every time someone brought him down he came back up! He never gave up! He is the best kind of hero, a kind person but he does get the best of some evil people when he has to and I love it, oh how I love it.
I'm really glad Kvothe found a couple of really good friends at the school because he had so much against him. So many bad things would happen, but like I said, he would find a way to rise back up. He even found a love interest but it didn't really get to go anywhere but that is another story.
Let me just throw in two more EXCERPTS -->I can't help myself, the book has so many good stuff it's hard to pick just a few.
I paused. "However, at this moment I have two jots in my purse and nowhere in the world to get more than that. I have nothing worth selling that I haven't already sold.
"Admit me for more than two jots and I will not be able to attend. Admit me for less and I will be here every day, while every night I will do what it takes to stay alive while I study here. I will sleep in alleys and stables, wash dishes for kitchen scraps, beg pennies to buy pens. I will do whatever it takes." I said the last words fiercely, almost snarling them.
"But admit me free, and give me three talents so I can live and buy what I need to learn properly, and I will be a student the likes of which you have never seen before."
There was a half-breath of silence, followed by a thunderous clap of a laugh from Kilvin. "HA!" he roared. "If one student in ten had half his fire I'd teach with a whip and a chair instead of chalk and slate." He brought his hand down hard on the table in front of him.
You can't help but be proud of Kvothe and his determination to get what he wants and doing anything to get it.
Another part showing how nice and good he is, he gives a simple girl a charm to make her feel better.
"Now it's tuned to you," I said. "No matter what, no matter where it is, it will protect you and keep you safe. You could even break it and melt it down and the charm would still hold."
She threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek. Then stood suddenly, blushing. No longer pale and stricken, her eyes were bright. I hadn't noticed before, but she was beautiful.
She left soon after that and I sat for a while on my bed thinking.
Over the last month I had pulled a woman from a blazing inferno. I had called fire and lightening down on assassins and escaped to safety. I had even killed something that could have either been a dragon or demon, depending on your point of view.
But there in that room was the first time I actually felt like any sort of hero. If you are looking for a reason for the man I would eventually become, if you are looking for a beginning, look here.
For the love of God, if you haven't read this book and love these kinds of high fantasy novels, READ IT! If you have had it on your shelf debating on reading it, READ IT! If you have never heard of it up until now, buy it and READ IT! It's one of the best and it's on my favorites list now... just look on Goodreads, there it is, under favorites!
There are soooo many wonderful characters in this book, even the ones we only meet for awhile. And yes there are evil ones, but that's the way of a great book. Simply amazing!
I think we should stop in at the Waystone Inn and have a pint and talk for a bit.
I also bought the second book on the same day because I could at the time and I knew I would love these books. I just knew it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 26, 2008
I really, really wish I could give this negative stars.
September 8, 2009
"I must confess myself... disappointed."
(For those who don't get the reference, it's a line that Voldemort uses in Goblet of Fire - the movie version at least. I am using a Harry Potter reference in retaliation to all those people who are somehow comparing this to that series, for the sole reason that there's a freaking magical university. Really, there's very little comparison aside from that. I mean, not even to get into how the whole tone and whatnot is different, but, really, the fact that there's a "Hogwarts like school" seems to be the only unifying focus.
I don't agree that there's a "Snape and Draco clone" in this series because, quite frankly, it's not like the sneering, unfair teacher and the mortal enemy were exactly unique tropes when Rowling used them, either.
And this book has none of the wonder of Harry Potter, and certainly none of the whimsy.
Furthermore, one of the achievements of Rowlings world is that the characters are real and relatable - even secondary characters are given some semblance of depth and personality. Few of the characters in this book really stood out to me as real, living, breathing characters.
Perhaps it is because the vast chunk of this book is written in first person narration - first person, total recall no less - but as we see everything through Kvothe's eyes, we aren't given the glimpses into their minds that we are given in Harry Potter.
In short, I dislike the comparison. For one I liked the Harry Potter series much better. For another, I find the comparisons flimsy and nothing more than a cheap marketing ploy. That so many people do seem to see the comparisons just makes me shake my head in wonder - because either they're seeing things that aren't there, or I'm very myopic when it comes to my beloved Harry Potter. I admit, either could be a possibility.)
Anyway...
As I said, I'm not a huge fan of first person narration, but sometimes it works. I think it works best when I like the person whose head/life I am living in. I found Kvothe generally tedious and annoying and an unbelievable Gary Stu. I also found Denna/Dianne/Deannah/whatever to be far too high maintenance, and not really worth the time and/or energy that seems to go along with her. But, then, we can't really control who we fall for - but, aside from the fact she's beautiful, I can't really see why men fall over themselves for her.
But, then, I prefer a Hermione or a Luna to a Lavendar or even a Cho...
(Ok, I'll stop with the HP references now. Maybe... )
A lot of people seem to feel that the story starts off slow and then picks up when he gets to University. Oddly enough, I'm rather the opposite. I liked the start of the story.
Actually, even before we start his story, I liked the part at the bar and with the demon spiders. I imagine we're going to get back to that in the third book, since I figure the second book is going to be Kvothe's autobiography. Yay...
So, I liked the start of the story.
I even liked the start of the story within the story. I liked Kvothe's early years, his time with his parents and the troupe. I liked Ben, and following the things he was learning. I was interested in sympathy - and how it corresponds to the actual rules of sympathetic magic (well, sort of. You know, it takes the basic magical premise and then applies it to how it would work in a fantasy world, which would be much cooler than how it works in our world.)
Quite opposed to most others, I felt things started dragging horribly once he got to University. I got tired of his effing "brilliance" and just how wonderful he is. I got tired of all the teachers being practically interchangable. And Hemme is no Snape. My gods, Snape is horrible and fascinating - and Hemme is just a silly little plot device to manufacture some arbitrary obstacles to impede our wonderful, fabulous, and did I mention BRILLIANT fucking protagonist. (My gods, at least Harry Potter has some actual flaws, aside from being crap with girls.)
(And yes, apparently I lied about the comparison thing...)
Ditto with the whole thing with being denied access to the Archives. Something so blatantly and *brilliantly* stupid, that it just seems totally unbelievable - just another manufactured obstacle.
I mean, I know every story needs plot devices, and not even my favorite stories are without them. And sometimes they irritate me, too, especially when something is either overly convenient or clearly manufactured. But such things are always better when they seem to happen organically, or through some actual fault of the character, and not as some silly accident that he's not even responsible for because he was drugged at the time (which comes with it's own dose of silliness and arbitrariness.)
So, yeah... where was I?
Oh, so I felt things slowed down for awhile, and then started picking back up again with the music competition. That was pretty cool. And the fire.
And then there's the sheer preposterousness of the ride to catch the Chandrians, which I just thought was silly, and the whole part with the draccus just went on forever.
Now, let's see - what do I like? I liked Kilvin, as much as you can like a bare sketch of a character. I liked Elodin - but, then, I like the archetype of the mad professor. I wished we would've seen more of him and he was more fleshed out, as opposed to just being vague and abstract. And I like Bast, or I think I will like Bast, and hope to see more of him as the story progresses.
I didn't hate the story, but I did find it overly long and thought it dragged in a lot of places, especially towards the last 150 or so pages where I just wanted it to be over...
Oh - and Rothfuss repeats himself and his descriptions too much. Overall it's rather disappointing... And I am never listening to you people again. Ever. So there. :p
(For those who don't get the reference, it's a line that Voldemort uses in Goblet of Fire - the movie version at least. I am using a Harry Potter reference in retaliation to all those people who are somehow comparing this to that series, for the sole reason that there's a freaking magical university. Really, there's very little comparison aside from that. I mean, not even to get into how the whole tone and whatnot is different, but, really, the fact that there's a "Hogwarts like school" seems to be the only unifying focus.
I don't agree that there's a "Snape and Draco clone" in this series because, quite frankly, it's not like the sneering, unfair teacher and the mortal enemy were exactly unique tropes when Rowling used them, either.
And this book has none of the wonder of Harry Potter, and certainly none of the whimsy.
Furthermore, one of the achievements of Rowlings world is that the characters are real and relatable - even secondary characters are given some semblance of depth and personality. Few of the characters in this book really stood out to me as real, living, breathing characters.
Perhaps it is because the vast chunk of this book is written in first person narration - first person, total recall no less - but as we see everything through Kvothe's eyes, we aren't given the glimpses into their minds that we are given in Harry Potter.
In short, I dislike the comparison. For one I liked the Harry Potter series much better. For another, I find the comparisons flimsy and nothing more than a cheap marketing ploy. That so many people do seem to see the comparisons just makes me shake my head in wonder - because either they're seeing things that aren't there, or I'm very myopic when it comes to my beloved Harry Potter. I admit, either could be a possibility.)
Anyway...
As I said, I'm not a huge fan of first person narration, but sometimes it works. I think it works best when I like the person whose head/life I am living in. I found Kvothe generally tedious and annoying and an unbelievable Gary Stu. I also found Denna/Dianne/Deannah/whatever to be far too high maintenance, and not really worth the time and/or energy that seems to go along with her. But, then, we can't really control who we fall for - but, aside from the fact she's beautiful, I can't really see why men fall over themselves for her.
But, then, I prefer a Hermione or a Luna to a Lavendar or even a Cho...
(Ok, I'll stop with the HP references now. Maybe... )
A lot of people seem to feel that the story starts off slow and then picks up when he gets to University. Oddly enough, I'm rather the opposite. I liked the start of the story.
Actually, even before we start his story, I liked the part at the bar and with the demon spiders. I imagine we're going to get back to that in the third book, since I figure the second book is going to be Kvothe's autobiography. Yay...
So, I liked the start of the story.
I even liked the start of the story within the story. I liked Kvothe's early years, his time with his parents and the troupe. I liked Ben, and following the things he was learning. I was interested in sympathy - and how it corresponds to the actual rules of sympathetic magic (well, sort of. You know, it takes the basic magical premise and then applies it to how it would work in a fantasy world, which would be much cooler than how it works in our world.)
Quite opposed to most others, I felt things started dragging horribly once he got to University. I got tired of his effing "brilliance" and just how wonderful he is. I got tired of all the teachers being practically interchangable. And Hemme is no Snape. My gods, Snape is horrible and fascinating - and Hemme is just a silly little plot device to manufacture some arbitrary obstacles to impede our wonderful, fabulous, and did I mention BRILLIANT fucking protagonist. (My gods, at least Harry Potter has some actual flaws, aside from being crap with girls.)
(And yes, apparently I lied about the comparison thing...)
Ditto with the whole thing with being denied access to the Archives. Something so blatantly and *brilliantly* stupid, that it just seems totally unbelievable - just another manufactured obstacle.
I mean, I know every story needs plot devices, and not even my favorite stories are without them. And sometimes they irritate me, too, especially when something is either overly convenient or clearly manufactured. But such things are always better when they seem to happen organically, or through some actual fault of the character, and not as some silly accident that he's not even responsible for because he was drugged at the time (which comes with it's own dose of silliness and arbitrariness.)
So, yeah... where was I?
Oh, so I felt things slowed down for awhile, and then started picking back up again with the music competition. That was pretty cool. And the fire.
And then there's the sheer preposterousness of the ride to catch the Chandrians, which I just thought was silly, and the whole part with the draccus just went on forever.
Now, let's see - what do I like? I liked Kilvin, as much as you can like a bare sketch of a character. I liked Elodin - but, then, I like the archetype of the mad professor. I wished we would've seen more of him and he was more fleshed out, as opposed to just being vague and abstract. And I like Bast, or I think I will like Bast, and hope to see more of him as the story progresses.
I didn't hate the story, but I did find it overly long and thought it dragged in a lot of places, especially towards the last 150 or so pages where I just wanted it to be over...
Oh - and Rothfuss repeats himself and his descriptions too much. Overall it's rather disappointing... And I am never listening to you people again. Ever. So there. :p
October 26, 2022
”Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man's will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself.”
Okay, there are books
and
then there are BOOKS!!!
I guess this said it actually doesn’t take a lot to figure that “The Name of the Wind” definitely was one of those books that falls into the latter category. ;-)
This was such a wonderful and perfect read!!! So compelling and lovely!!!
It captivated me from the very first page and with each and every single line it grew even more on me. I fell in love with this masterpiece and I swear I love it so much now that I didn’t even want to return it to the library.
Every fibre of my being ached at the mere thought of giving it back and the reluctance I felt when I handed it back to the librarian was almost overwhelming. >_<
Needless to say, I had to give it back though. =((
Also needless to say, I immediately went to amazon and bought myself my own copy! *LOL*
So yeah, I finally broke my book buying ban but seriously, I need to possess this book! I guess I’ll just pass it off as a birthday present to myself! ;-P Really, I had no other choice than to buy it, my life definitely wouldn’t be complete without this book in my shelf. XD
Yes, it’s that dramatic!!!
If you ever read it you’ll hopefully understand what I mean! *lol*
I’m sure by now you all wonder what made this book so special for me and I decided to break my usual review routine to give you the answers you’re searching for. Yes, you read right. Plural! Answers! Because there are so many damn good reasons to read this book I just can’t name only one. XD
So here we go! Let’s find out how many reasons I’m able to come up with! *lol* I’m pretty curious myself. ;-)
1.) The marvellous and brilliant execution of the narration! We have two different time and story lines and the way they are interwoven with each other is just amazing!!! One plotline deals with Kvothe’s youth and his time at the University while the other one describes his current life. Patrick you get kudos for pulling this off so nicely!!! ;-P
2.) The endless wisdom of this book. Everyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for quotes and oh boy did this book deliver!!! <333 I. AM. COMPLETELY. AND. UTTERLY. IN. LOVE. with Patrick’s wisdom and his unique way with words!!! I’m so besotted with it, it’s almost scary!
”Etiquette is a set of rules people use so they can be rude to each other in public."
”Nothing but the truth could break me. What is harder than the truth?”
”You’re clever. We both know that. But you can be thoughtless. A clever, thoughtless person is one of the most terrifying things there is.”
”We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be.”
3.) The magic system! I loved the idea and how it was described. You need a lot of basic and deeper knowledge to be able to do “magic” in this book and I think it’s fascinating how everything is connected somehow. Alone the use of Sympathy was already so complex it was almost a whole science of its own and I really have no idea how they were even able to do something like that. I might have gotten accepted into Hogwarts, but I’m fairly certain I’d have never made it into the University! *LOL*
4.) The way music and stories are such an integral part of “The Name of the Wind”. Is Patrick a musician himself? I can’t help but wonder, because he sooo nailed our representation!!! I swear I never felt so understood! It’s like he knows what moves us and what makes us tick! Just wonderful!!! <333
”You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way. Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere."
”Asking to hold a musician's instrument is roughly similar to asking to kiss a man's wife. Nonmusicians don't understand. An instrument is like a companion and a lover."
”I headed back to the University with money in my purse and the comforting weight of the lute strap hanging from my shoulder. It was secondhand, ugly, and had cost me dearly in money, blood, and peace of mind.
I loved it like a child, like breathing, like my own right hand.”
5.) I’m all about interesting side characters and to say there were plenty of them would most definitely be an understatement! From Trapis to Auri and Sim & Wilem to the staff of the Eolian or Devi! They were all so damn intriguing!!! I want to see more of them and I want to know their backstories and how they ended up doing what they do!!! XD
6.) Kvothe’s unwavering dedication to knowledge and books! And his so very very relatable curiosity!! *lol* I swear there was more than one moment I was like: DAMN THIS IS SO ME!! XD PLUS the ARCANUM!!! Who wouldn’t be in love with such a place?!! *sighs dreamily*
"It probably shows a perverse element of my personality that even though I was finally inside the Archives, surrounded by endless secrets, that I was drawn to the one locked door I had found. Perhaps it is human nature to seek out hidden things. Perhaps it is simply my nature."
7.) The captivating world building and engrossing depiction. Everything felt so realistic and plausible and even though the book had no epic fight scenes and no heavy drama it was still so very suspenseful and moving. Patrick Rothfuss is such a talented storyteller and there was never a dull moment throughout the entire book! It was such a delight to read his words and I respect the hell out of this man!!! <3
8.) Last but not least: The main characters!
This is the moment I warn you about the spoilers in my review! There will be plenty of them and if you don’t want to read them you better leave this page without scrolling down. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! XD
To make a point I’m even giving you the chance to leave…
NOW!!!! ;-P
Kvothe:
“I am a myth,” Kote said easily, making an extravagant gesture. “A very special kind of myth that creates itself. The best lies about me are the ones I told.”
Kvothe, Kvothe, oh Kvothe!!! Why did no one warn me about this wonderful and broken boy? There are so many things that make him my kryptonite; it’s not even funny anymore. *lol* He has red hair and green eyes! Oh my, I’m such a sucker for red-heads! Haha! And the sass!!! Oh boy, I love his sass and his mouth and everything he says and does!!! If he’d been a real man I’d be swooning whenever I see him. I swear! XD He’s the right mixture of everything! Funny, sassy af!!! (scratch that he’s the King of Sass!), intelligent, not black nor white if anything he’s completely grey!, calculating, stubborn, arrogant and so very very broken on the inside. In short: I was a goner the moment he was mentioned! *lol* I can’t help but love this boy, I mean he learned a language in a day and a half, he held a lecture in front of his class because Master Hemme dared him to!!! and he succeeded which unfortunately only gained him a whipping! (Damn Master Hemme, I hate him!!) Jeez! Kvothe always acted so strong but deep down within him he was such a broken thing. It broke my heart when his parents died and the years he lived at the streets of Tarbean only shattered it even more. I hate it that everyone only seems to want to hurt him and whenever something good happened, something bad immediately followed on its feet. URGH!!! My poor Kvothe, his struggle with his poverty was so heart-breaking and I hate Ambrose for everything he did! I hate him with a fierce passion; I genuinely hope he goes to hell!!! I really don’t know if I’m ready to see Kvothe suffer even more but considering his current condition, it’s clear that something bad must have happened to cause him to lead an inn. *sigh* I’m almost afraid to read the next book. *lol* Pat can you please not hurt him?! No? Okay, I’ll read your book anyway. Haha!
"I jerked away from her, almost falling. "No!" I meant to shout but it came out as a weak croak, "Don't touch me." My voice was shaking, though I couldn't tell if I was angry or afraid. I staggered away against the wall. My voice was blurry in my ears. “I’ll be fine.”
I gave him a hard look. “If I pass out you may do whatever you wish.” I said firmly. “Until then, I will not be tied.”
“People probably are distracted by your hair. It’s so bright. It’s pretty. … Pretty distracting. And your face is really expressive. You’re always in control of it, even the way your eyes behave. But not the color.” She gave a faint smile. “They’re pale now. Like green frost. You must be terribly afraid.”
"I needed to let them know they couldn't hurt me. I've learned that the best way to stay safe is to make your enemies think you can't be hurt." It sounded ugly to say it so starkly, but it was the truth. I looked at him defiantly.
”Kote looked up, and for a second Chronicler saw past the anger that lay glittering on the surface of his eyes. For a moment he saw the pain underneath, raw and bloody, like a wound too deep for healing.”
Denna:
”No matter where she stood, she was in the center of the room.” Kvothe frowned. “Do not misunderstand. She was not loud, or vain. We stare at a fire because it flickers, because it glows. The light is what catches our eyes, but what makes a man lean close to a fire has nothing to do with its bright shape. What draws you to a fire is the warmth you feel when you come near. The same was true of Denna.”
To be entirely honest, I still don’t know how I feel about her. At first I was afraid she might only play with Kvothe and I guess to some extent she did, but the more I got to know her, the more I realised that she can’t really help it. She obviously likes him a lot but there are so many things that make it impossible to have a relationship with him and she constantly seems to be drawn to other men. Men that have more money than him, men that can provide for her. It would be too easy to say that she could stop it to be with him, because let’s be realistic and face it, they both would end up living on the streets. My initial distrust for Denna definitely turned into pity the longer the story continued and I really hope she’ll find a rich sponsor soon. Her life seems to be tough and I really want to know what happened to hurt her so much. I hope the next book will answer this question.
”There were tears once or twice. But they were not for the men she had lost or the men she had left. They were quiet tears for herself, because there was something inside her that was badly hurt. I couldn’t tell what it was and didn’t dare to ask. Instead I simply said what I could to take the pain away and helped her shut her eyes against the world.
Bast:
”And I swear by the night sky and the ever-moving moon: if you lead my master to despair, I will slit you open and splash around like a child in a muddy puddle. I’ll string a fiddle with your guts and make you play it while I dance.”
Haha! Yeah, Bast definitely is Kvothe’s student. *lol* I love that guy! He’s not an all too huge part of the book and only appears in the time line when Kvothe tells Chronicler about his past but it’s obvious that he cares about his master deeply. There seems to be a dark side to Bast but everyone who knows me, also knows that this only makes him even more appealing to me. ;-P I want to find out how they both got to know each other and how it is possible that Kvothe who’s so much younger than Bast ended up being his master. *lol* Bast has a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to find out more about what truly “moves him”. ;-P
”You are not wise enough to fear me as I should be feared. You do not know the first note of the music that moves me.”
The question seemed to catch Bast unprepared. He stood still and awkward for a moment, all his fluid grace gone. For a moment it looked as if he might burst into tears. “What do I want? I just want my Reshi back.” His voice was quiet and lost. “I want him back the way he was.”
Soo that were eight reasons.
Are you already convinced or do you still need another one?!
9.) There aren’t many books I’d take and throw at a person with the words “READ IT!! READ IT NOW!!!!” but “The Name of the Wind” definitely is one of those rare books! It’s one of those BOOKS!!! So read it!! Read it now!! *lol*
My conclusion:
“The Name of the Wind” is a masterpiece and Patrick Rothfuss is a freaking genius! Don’t let the 722 pages keep you from reading this awesome book because if you like amazing tales with a lot of details and intriguing characters this definitely will give you everything you’ve been craving for! XD
I highly recommend you to read this book and once you’ve actually managed to open it, the pages turn so fast someone might even consider it to be…. Well, dare I say it?
Magic! ;-P
Artist credit: MORGANA0ANAGROM @ Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/morgana0an...
Okay, there are books
and
then there are BOOKS!!!
I guess this said it actually doesn’t take a lot to figure that “The Name of the Wind” definitely was one of those books that falls into the latter category. ;-)
This was such a wonderful and perfect read!!! So compelling and lovely!!!
It captivated me from the very first page and with each and every single line it grew even more on me. I fell in love with this masterpiece and I swear I love it so much now that I didn’t even want to return it to the library.
Every fibre of my being ached at the mere thought of giving it back and the reluctance I felt when I handed it back to the librarian was almost overwhelming. >_<
Needless to say, I had to give it back though. =((
Also needless to say, I immediately went to amazon and bought myself my own copy! *LOL*
So yeah, I finally broke my book buying ban but seriously, I need to possess this book! I guess I’ll just pass it off as a birthday present to myself! ;-P Really, I had no other choice than to buy it, my life definitely wouldn’t be complete without this book in my shelf. XD
Yes, it’s that dramatic!!!
If you ever read it you’ll hopefully understand what I mean! *lol*
I’m sure by now you all wonder what made this book so special for me and I decided to break my usual review routine to give you the answers you’re searching for. Yes, you read right. Plural! Answers! Because there are so many damn good reasons to read this book I just can’t name only one. XD
So here we go! Let’s find out how many reasons I’m able to come up with! *lol* I’m pretty curious myself. ;-)
1.) The marvellous and brilliant execution of the narration! We have two different time and story lines and the way they are interwoven with each other is just amazing!!! One plotline deals with Kvothe’s youth and his time at the University while the other one describes his current life. Patrick you get kudos for pulling this off so nicely!!! ;-P
2.) The endless wisdom of this book. Everyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for quotes and oh boy did this book deliver!!! <333 I. AM. COMPLETELY. AND. UTTERLY. IN. LOVE. with Patrick’s wisdom and his unique way with words!!! I’m so besotted with it, it’s almost scary!
”Etiquette is a set of rules people use so they can be rude to each other in public."
”Nothing but the truth could break me. What is harder than the truth?”
”You’re clever. We both know that. But you can be thoughtless. A clever, thoughtless person is one of the most terrifying things there is.”
”We understand how dangerous a mask can be. We all become what we pretend to be.”
3.) The magic system! I loved the idea and how it was described. You need a lot of basic and deeper knowledge to be able to do “magic” in this book and I think it’s fascinating how everything is connected somehow. Alone the use of Sympathy was already so complex it was almost a whole science of its own and I really have no idea how they were even able to do something like that. I might have gotten accepted into Hogwarts, but I’m fairly certain I’d have never made it into the University! *LOL*
4.) The way music and stories are such an integral part of “The Name of the Wind”. Is Patrick a musician himself? I can’t help but wonder, because he sooo nailed our representation!!! I swear I never felt so understood! It’s like he knows what moves us and what makes us tick! Just wonderful!!! <333
”You have to be a bit of a liar to tell a story the right way. Too much truth confuses the facts. Too much honesty makes you sound insincere."
”Asking to hold a musician's instrument is roughly similar to asking to kiss a man's wife. Nonmusicians don't understand. An instrument is like a companion and a lover."
”I headed back to the University with money in my purse and the comforting weight of the lute strap hanging from my shoulder. It was secondhand, ugly, and had cost me dearly in money, blood, and peace of mind.
I loved it like a child, like breathing, like my own right hand.”
5.) I’m all about interesting side characters and to say there were plenty of them would most definitely be an understatement! From Trapis to Auri and Sim & Wilem to the staff of the Eolian or Devi! They were all so damn intriguing!!! I want to see more of them and I want to know their backstories and how they ended up doing what they do!!! XD
6.) Kvothe’s unwavering dedication to knowledge and books! And his so very very relatable curiosity!! *lol* I swear there was more than one moment I was like: DAMN THIS IS SO ME!! XD PLUS the ARCANUM!!! Who wouldn’t be in love with such a place?!! *sighs dreamily*
"It probably shows a perverse element of my personality that even though I was finally inside the Archives, surrounded by endless secrets, that I was drawn to the one locked door I had found. Perhaps it is human nature to seek out hidden things. Perhaps it is simply my nature."
7.) The captivating world building and engrossing depiction. Everything felt so realistic and plausible and even though the book had no epic fight scenes and no heavy drama it was still so very suspenseful and moving. Patrick Rothfuss is such a talented storyteller and there was never a dull moment throughout the entire book! It was such a delight to read his words and I respect the hell out of this man!!! <3
8.) Last but not least: The main characters!
This is the moment I warn you about the spoilers in my review! There will be plenty of them and if you don’t want to read them you better leave this page without scrolling down. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! XD
To make a point I’m even giving you the chance to leave…
NOW!!!! ;-P
Kvothe:
“I am a myth,” Kote said easily, making an extravagant gesture. “A very special kind of myth that creates itself. The best lies about me are the ones I told.”
Kvothe, Kvothe, oh Kvothe!!! Why did no one warn me about this wonderful and broken boy? There are so many things that make him my kryptonite; it’s not even funny anymore. *lol* He has red hair and green eyes! Oh my, I’m such a sucker for red-heads! Haha! And the sass!!! Oh boy, I love his sass and his mouth and everything he says and does!!! If he’d been a real man I’d be swooning whenever I see him. I swear! XD He’s the right mixture of everything! Funny, sassy af!!! (scratch that he’s the King of Sass!), intelligent, not black nor white if anything he’s completely grey!, calculating, stubborn, arrogant and so very very broken on the inside. In short: I was a goner the moment he was mentioned! *lol* I can’t help but love this boy, I mean he learned a language in a day and a half, he held a lecture in front of his class because Master Hemme dared him to!!! and he succeeded which unfortunately only gained him a whipping! (Damn Master Hemme, I hate him!!) Jeez! Kvothe always acted so strong but deep down within him he was such a broken thing. It broke my heart when his parents died and the years he lived at the streets of Tarbean only shattered it even more. I hate it that everyone only seems to want to hurt him and whenever something good happened, something bad immediately followed on its feet. URGH!!! My poor Kvothe, his struggle with his poverty was so heart-breaking and I hate Ambrose for everything he did! I hate him with a fierce passion; I genuinely hope he goes to hell!!! I really don’t know if I’m ready to see Kvothe suffer even more but considering his current condition, it’s clear that something bad must have happened to cause him to lead an inn. *sigh* I’m almost afraid to read the next book. *lol* Pat can you please not hurt him?! No? Okay, I’ll read your book anyway. Haha!
"I jerked away from her, almost falling. "No!" I meant to shout but it came out as a weak croak, "Don't touch me." My voice was shaking, though I couldn't tell if I was angry or afraid. I staggered away against the wall. My voice was blurry in my ears. “I’ll be fine.”
I gave him a hard look. “If I pass out you may do whatever you wish.” I said firmly. “Until then, I will not be tied.”
“People probably are distracted by your hair. It’s so bright. It’s pretty. … Pretty distracting. And your face is really expressive. You’re always in control of it, even the way your eyes behave. But not the color.” She gave a faint smile. “They’re pale now. Like green frost. You must be terribly afraid.”
"I needed to let them know they couldn't hurt me. I've learned that the best way to stay safe is to make your enemies think you can't be hurt." It sounded ugly to say it so starkly, but it was the truth. I looked at him defiantly.
”Kote looked up, and for a second Chronicler saw past the anger that lay glittering on the surface of his eyes. For a moment he saw the pain underneath, raw and bloody, like a wound too deep for healing.”
Denna:
”No matter where she stood, she was in the center of the room.” Kvothe frowned. “Do not misunderstand. She was not loud, or vain. We stare at a fire because it flickers, because it glows. The light is what catches our eyes, but what makes a man lean close to a fire has nothing to do with its bright shape. What draws you to a fire is the warmth you feel when you come near. The same was true of Denna.”
To be entirely honest, I still don’t know how I feel about her. At first I was afraid she might only play with Kvothe and I guess to some extent she did, but the more I got to know her, the more I realised that she can’t really help it. She obviously likes him a lot but there are so many things that make it impossible to have a relationship with him and she constantly seems to be drawn to other men. Men that have more money than him, men that can provide for her. It would be too easy to say that she could stop it to be with him, because let’s be realistic and face it, they both would end up living on the streets. My initial distrust for Denna definitely turned into pity the longer the story continued and I really hope she’ll find a rich sponsor soon. Her life seems to be tough and I really want to know what happened to hurt her so much. I hope the next book will answer this question.
”There were tears once or twice. But they were not for the men she had lost or the men she had left. They were quiet tears for herself, because there was something inside her that was badly hurt. I couldn’t tell what it was and didn’t dare to ask. Instead I simply said what I could to take the pain away and helped her shut her eyes against the world.
Bast:
”And I swear by the night sky and the ever-moving moon: if you lead my master to despair, I will slit you open and splash around like a child in a muddy puddle. I’ll string a fiddle with your guts and make you play it while I dance.”
Haha! Yeah, Bast definitely is Kvothe’s student. *lol* I love that guy! He’s not an all too huge part of the book and only appears in the time line when Kvothe tells Chronicler about his past but it’s obvious that he cares about his master deeply. There seems to be a dark side to Bast but everyone who knows me, also knows that this only makes him even more appealing to me. ;-P I want to find out how they both got to know each other and how it is possible that Kvothe who’s so much younger than Bast ended up being his master. *lol* Bast has a special place in my heart and I can’t wait to find out more about what truly “moves him”. ;-P
”You are not wise enough to fear me as I should be feared. You do not know the first note of the music that moves me.”
The question seemed to catch Bast unprepared. He stood still and awkward for a moment, all his fluid grace gone. For a moment it looked as if he might burst into tears. “What do I want? I just want my Reshi back.” His voice was quiet and lost. “I want him back the way he was.”
Soo that were eight reasons.
Are you already convinced or do you still need another one?!
9.) There aren’t many books I’d take and throw at a person with the words “READ IT!! READ IT NOW!!!!” but “The Name of the Wind” definitely is one of those rare books! It’s one of those BOOKS!!! So read it!! Read it now!! *lol*
My conclusion:
“The Name of the Wind” is a masterpiece and Patrick Rothfuss is a freaking genius! Don’t let the 722 pages keep you from reading this awesome book because if you like amazing tales with a lot of details and intriguing characters this definitely will give you everything you’ve been craving for! XD
I highly recommend you to read this book and once you’ve actually managed to open it, the pages turn so fast someone might even consider it to be…. Well, dare I say it?
Magic! ;-P
Artist credit: MORGANA0ANAGROM @ Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/morgana0an...
November 17, 2020
When I began reading this, I did so with a yawn. It initially appeared quite basic and completely uninspiring. I almost stopped reading after twenty five pages, shocking I know. If I did that it would have been a massive mistake because this is one of the best fantasy novels published in the last twenty years. Those first few pages did nothing to encourage me, but as soon as I realised that this is, essentially, a story about a story, I was hooked of Rothfuss’ magic.
This series has such a huge scope. Kvothe’s story isn’t something that is told lightly; it is told carefully and with precision. Rothfuss has spent a lot of time setting this up, and in the process has created a lot of apprehension. Let me explain myself, Kvothe is telling his story to a chronicler who is writing down every last word. He is telling his story in the manner of a master bard who knows how superior his own tale is; he knows that his life was somewhat eventful to say the least. The reader, like the listeners, cannot prize themselves away from it. This was such an extraordinary clever technique.
"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me."
A man of many talents and woes
Kvothe certainly hasn’t had it easy. At the beginning of the book we hear about this man who has become a living legend; we hear about this man who is hero worshiped and revered. Kvothe’s nature suggests that his feats were achieved with ease, but his story tells the truth of it: here is the tale of an aracanist who had to struggle and fight his for everything he ever earnt. This may seem a little contradictory when considering his superb natural talents, but when he was a boy he lost everything; he had no family; he had no friends; he had no books, and most importantly, in this world, he had absolutely no money.
He is naturally proficient at magic and all things academic; he is clearly someone who belongs at the university. However, tuitions fees cost, and he is a lowly beggar living on the streets of Trebon. Thus, a tale of hardship, magic and the struggle to survive unfolds. Rothfuss has Kvothe narrate it is such a way that you are listening in earnest for every word; he makes you feel like you are sitting in the Wayward Inn with the chronicler and Bast; he makes you feel like you are there as he tells his life story: he makes you feel like you are hearing the legendary Kvothe reveal his secrets for the first time.
Of magic, music and women
Try as hard as he might Kvothe could never fully repress the horrors of his past. He was separated in a most brutal manner from his parents, one that made him almost forget who he was. However, a likeminded storyteller brought him back to himself, which sent him on the path to the university. He slowly starts to remember the magic he learnt as a boy; he starts to realise, again, what he is capable of. He digs up his past and uses it to make him stronger. Indeed, through re-learning the music of his youth he finds solace and a way to pay his tuition fees. He begins to grow up and, in addition to this, he finds an unexpected friend through the power of his lute.
"When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind."
I really do love the way this story is told. Throughout there is the constant feeling of impending disaster, but I think Rothfuss has saved much of Kvothe’s story for the next books. He has paced this series in such a clever way. The way in which he reveals the truth behind the legends, which have been made of Kvothe’s deeds, can only be summed up as brilliantly humorous. He did “sleigh” a dragon and he did “burn” down Trebon. However, these acts were not in the conventional sense, though he did technically do both; it made me laugh. For me, this series has everything. It is an interesting magic system that is both complicated and difficult to master; it has a protagonist who is very well written and is deep in sensibility. And to top it off, he has three mistresses: magic, music and women. He tries to balance the three, but often fails extraordinarily. That doesn’t matter though because this has one of the best romances I’ve read in fantasy, and I do wonder if it will be fulfilled or forgotten.
Can I please come and study at the university?
The world in which this is set is developed and wonderfully written. At the end of this book, I simply wanted to join the university and explore its archives. This place has more books that can be read in a life time; it is packed full of tomes of every variety. I have a soft spot for novels that take the time to describe books and libraries, and, in the process, share a love of reading. For me, this made the university a rather desirable location, even if several staff members are confrontational and directly seek rivalries with students.
This story was, simply put, excellent. There are perhaps a mere handful of fantasy novels that I’ve enjoyed reading as much as this. To my mind, Rothfuss has more than earnt his reputation. I’m so glad this book lived up to the hype, and I hope the rest of the series is as every bit as grand as its opener.
The Kingkiller Chronicle
1. The Name of the Wind- A jaw dropping five stars.
2. The Wise Man's Fear - A messy four stars
2.5. A Slow Regard for Silent Things - A terrible one star
__________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________
This series has such a huge scope. Kvothe’s story isn’t something that is told lightly; it is told carefully and with precision. Rothfuss has spent a lot of time setting this up, and in the process has created a lot of apprehension. Let me explain myself, Kvothe is telling his story to a chronicler who is writing down every last word. He is telling his story in the manner of a master bard who knows how superior his own tale is; he knows that his life was somewhat eventful to say the least. The reader, like the listeners, cannot prize themselves away from it. This was such an extraordinary clever technique.
"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me."
A man of many talents and woes
Kvothe certainly hasn’t had it easy. At the beginning of the book we hear about this man who has become a living legend; we hear about this man who is hero worshiped and revered. Kvothe’s nature suggests that his feats were achieved with ease, but his story tells the truth of it: here is the tale of an aracanist who had to struggle and fight his for everything he ever earnt. This may seem a little contradictory when considering his superb natural talents, but when he was a boy he lost everything; he had no family; he had no friends; he had no books, and most importantly, in this world, he had absolutely no money.
He is naturally proficient at magic and all things academic; he is clearly someone who belongs at the university. However, tuitions fees cost, and he is a lowly beggar living on the streets of Trebon. Thus, a tale of hardship, magic and the struggle to survive unfolds. Rothfuss has Kvothe narrate it is such a way that you are listening in earnest for every word; he makes you feel like you are sitting in the Wayward Inn with the chronicler and Bast; he makes you feel like you are there as he tells his life story: he makes you feel like you are hearing the legendary Kvothe reveal his secrets for the first time.
Of magic, music and women
Try as hard as he might Kvothe could never fully repress the horrors of his past. He was separated in a most brutal manner from his parents, one that made him almost forget who he was. However, a likeminded storyteller brought him back to himself, which sent him on the path to the university. He slowly starts to remember the magic he learnt as a boy; he starts to realise, again, what he is capable of. He digs up his past and uses it to make him stronger. Indeed, through re-learning the music of his youth he finds solace and a way to pay his tuition fees. He begins to grow up and, in addition to this, he finds an unexpected friend through the power of his lute.
"When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind."
I really do love the way this story is told. Throughout there is the constant feeling of impending disaster, but I think Rothfuss has saved much of Kvothe’s story for the next books. He has paced this series in such a clever way. The way in which he reveals the truth behind the legends, which have been made of Kvothe’s deeds, can only be summed up as brilliantly humorous. He did “sleigh” a dragon and he did “burn” down Trebon. However, these acts were not in the conventional sense, though he did technically do both; it made me laugh. For me, this series has everything. It is an interesting magic system that is both complicated and difficult to master; it has a protagonist who is very well written and is deep in sensibility. And to top it off, he has three mistresses: magic, music and women. He tries to balance the three, but often fails extraordinarily. That doesn’t matter though because this has one of the best romances I’ve read in fantasy, and I do wonder if it will be fulfilled or forgotten.
Can I please come and study at the university?
The world in which this is set is developed and wonderfully written. At the end of this book, I simply wanted to join the university and explore its archives. This place has more books that can be read in a life time; it is packed full of tomes of every variety. I have a soft spot for novels that take the time to describe books and libraries, and, in the process, share a love of reading. For me, this made the university a rather desirable location, even if several staff members are confrontational and directly seek rivalries with students.
This story was, simply put, excellent. There are perhaps a mere handful of fantasy novels that I’ve enjoyed reading as much as this. To my mind, Rothfuss has more than earnt his reputation. I’m so glad this book lived up to the hype, and I hope the rest of the series is as every bit as grand as its opener.
The Kingkiller Chronicle
1. The Name of the Wind- A jaw dropping five stars.
2. The Wise Man's Fear - A messy four stars
2.5. A Slow Regard for Silent Things - A terrible one star
__________________________________
You can connect with me on social media via My Linktree.
__________________________________
April 20, 2017
I have so many unanswered questions and I'm not even mad about it.
May 23, 2023
don't be mad.
i know how you feel. i know you see that three star rating and feel a blinding rage. i know you are in a state of utter disbelief that i could have such an unbelievably unpopular and overall UNACCEPTABLE opinion on this modern classic.
and yet. here we are.
you do not have to read this review.
but if it helps, i'm disappointed too.
here comes the kicker:
this is a spectacular world-building novel but a terrible characterization one.
if a 2010s young adult dystopian novel featured a teenage girl with the personality traits and miscellaneous skills suddenly held by our protagonist here, it would spawn so many Chosen One Mary Sue takedown blog posts the internet would collapse in on itself like a dying star.
instead, it's just my interest.
our protagonist is good at everything!!!
music. fighting. learning. magic. socializing. making girls fall in love with him. finding mentor/mentee relationships. making friends. horseback riding. crafting. soothing crying children. running. investigating dragons? bartending.
the list goes on.
it's snooze city!
logically, we're supposed to accept that this guy - kvothe, which i had to look up because again, i did not care for the fella and my mind purged him - has overcome hardship, because and he's young for the magic school he wants to go to.
but everything comes naturally to him, so. how am i supposed to be invested???
our background and supporting characters lack depth or interest, also. mainly the Soulmate Girl Character who was so snooze central it made me want to shake the book and see if anything would come out of the pages. something useful, like a cookie. or a dragon that could set it on fire.
other than that, the ending was cool and maybe the next book is better and maybe i'll read it but honestly...
bottom line: i don't see what's so great about this book!
---------------
currently-reading updates
20 pages down, a million more to go
update: i think i like this. however at the same time i find it impossible to read more than like 15 pages a day
---------------
tbr review
was asked if i wanted to borrow a copy of this and i said yeah sure and the copy in question is the $40 deluxe hardcover anniversary edition.
going to be reading this like it's an active grenade.
i know how you feel. i know you see that three star rating and feel a blinding rage. i know you are in a state of utter disbelief that i could have such an unbelievably unpopular and overall UNACCEPTABLE opinion on this modern classic.
and yet. here we are.
you do not have to read this review.
but if it helps, i'm disappointed too.
here comes the kicker:
this is a spectacular world-building novel but a terrible characterization one.
if a 2010s young adult dystopian novel featured a teenage girl with the personality traits and miscellaneous skills suddenly held by our protagonist here, it would spawn so many Chosen One Mary Sue takedown blog posts the internet would collapse in on itself like a dying star.
instead, it's just my interest.
our protagonist is good at everything!!!
music. fighting. learning. magic. socializing. making girls fall in love with him. finding mentor/mentee relationships. making friends. horseback riding. crafting. soothing crying children. running. investigating dragons? bartending.
the list goes on.
it's snooze city!
logically, we're supposed to accept that this guy - kvothe, which i had to look up because again, i did not care for the fella and my mind purged him - has overcome hardship, because and he's young for the magic school he wants to go to.
but everything comes naturally to him, so. how am i supposed to be invested???
our background and supporting characters lack depth or interest, also. mainly the Soulmate Girl Character who was so snooze central it made me want to shake the book and see if anything would come out of the pages. something useful, like a cookie. or a dragon that could set it on fire.
other than that, the ending was cool and maybe the next book is better and maybe i'll read it but honestly...
bottom line: i don't see what's so great about this book!
---------------
currently-reading updates
20 pages down, a million more to go
update: i think i like this. however at the same time i find it impossible to read more than like 15 pages a day
---------------
tbr review
was asked if i wanted to borrow a copy of this and i said yeah sure and the copy in question is the $40 deluxe hardcover anniversary edition.
going to be reading this like it's an active grenade.
April 12, 2011
I must preface this review by stating that my experience with fantasy is somewhat limited: the Harry Potter books, George R.R. Martin, a dozen scattered other novels and series. The more of it I read, the more I realize traditional "epic" fantasy of the multi-book series tack is not quite for me.
Or maybe I am bad at choosing, since I really like some of it (Martin, Bujold). Some of it, not so much. Take, for instance, The Name of the Wind, one of the most celebrated fantasy debuts in years, with glowing praise from... just about everyone. In some ways, I can see why. It's very well written. The characters are engaging. There's good dialogue. Drama. Adventure.
But it's also very long. I'm not against a long book if I feel like I got something back for the time invested. But TNOTW doesn't tell an epic story to match its epic length. To be fair, it's the start of what promises to be an epic story, but that means I'll have to read the next two books in the series to be satisfied. This book is not a satisfying installment on its own. The episodic structure means large parts of the book are largely inconsequential when you get right down to it, so if they aren't interesting, well... they feel like a waste of pages. Which means while I really enjoyed the scene of Kvothe earning his silver pipes, I *really* could have done without the extended horse bartering/fevered riding/detective work/battling dragons section (which was about 150 pages I think), as it didn't advance the story... at all, really. Not even when you throw in the romance angle.
What I liked: The structure of the book is interesting. I like the idea of the narrator telling his story. In fact, because of this I can somewhat excuse the episodic feel (and the appallingly thin, idealized female characters, who have no substance and next to nothing to do), even if I don't always like it. It also does a great job of slowly revealing the mechanics of its world without too much exposition or too little explanation, and some elements, like the explanations for sympathy and "real magic," are very satisfying. The prose and dialogue are better than the narrative; I would read other books by this author (just, er, no more books like this one).
What I didn't like: Rothfuss is a little too satisfied with the ways he's working to break fantasy conventions even as he seemingly reinforces them (i.e. a unassuming boy is secretly a genius and a chosen one, goes off to a magic school, excels at everything he tries, etc. etc.). I can't even count the number of cute comments like, "If this were a story, X, Y, and Z would have happened. But this is not a story." This might be a revolutionary concept in fantasy writing, but considering much of post-modern literature is built on metafiction, it struck me as one one interesting element; certainly not enough to excuse 600 pages of narrative inaction.
Or maybe I am bad at choosing, since I really like some of it (Martin, Bujold). Some of it, not so much. Take, for instance, The Name of the Wind, one of the most celebrated fantasy debuts in years, with glowing praise from... just about everyone. In some ways, I can see why. It's very well written. The characters are engaging. There's good dialogue. Drama. Adventure.
But it's also very long. I'm not against a long book if I feel like I got something back for the time invested. But TNOTW doesn't tell an epic story to match its epic length. To be fair, it's the start of what promises to be an epic story, but that means I'll have to read the next two books in the series to be satisfied. This book is not a satisfying installment on its own. The episodic structure means large parts of the book are largely inconsequential when you get right down to it, so if they aren't interesting, well... they feel like a waste of pages. Which means while I really enjoyed the scene of Kvothe earning his silver pipes, I *really* could have done without the extended horse bartering/fevered riding/detective work/battling dragons section (which was about 150 pages I think), as it didn't advance the story... at all, really. Not even when you throw in the romance angle.
What I liked: The structure of the book is interesting. I like the idea of the narrator telling his story. In fact, because of this I can somewhat excuse the episodic feel (and the appallingly thin, idealized female characters, who have no substance and next to nothing to do), even if I don't always like it. It also does a great job of slowly revealing the mechanics of its world without too much exposition or too little explanation, and some elements, like the explanations for sympathy and "real magic," are very satisfying. The prose and dialogue are better than the narrative; I would read other books by this author (just, er, no more books like this one).
What I didn't like: Rothfuss is a little too satisfied with the ways he's working to break fantasy conventions even as he seemingly reinforces them (i.e. a unassuming boy is secretly a genius and a chosen one, goes off to a magic school, excels at everything he tries, etc. etc.). I can't even count the number of cute comments like, "If this were a story, X, Y, and Z would have happened. But this is not a story." This might be a revolutionary concept in fantasy writing, but considering much of post-modern literature is built on metafiction, it struck me as one one interesting element; certainly not enough to excuse 600 pages of narrative inaction.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2021
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle#1)
This book is really great. Very impressive world-building and charming writing.
Rupert Degas did an excellent job. His narration made this story greater.
This book is really great. Very impressive world-building and charming writing.
Rupert Degas did an excellent job. His narration made this story greater.
September 6, 2022
Hay libros que son decentes, otros que son buenos, unos cuantos son increíbles. De vez en cuando te topas con uno espectacular y cada mucho tiempo aparece uno que te deja alucinando de lo excelente que es. Sería fatal decir que El Nombre del Viento es excelente o que se merece cinco estrellas... porque nos quedaríamos cortísimos. Para mí, El Nombre del Viento está en un nivel inalcanzable, incalificable en estrellas y más allá de todo. Está en mi Olimpo literario personal.
Ahora, si hay algo más difícil que calificar El Nombre del Viento es reseñarlo. ¿Cómo resumes en unas pocas líneas la historia de fantasía épica mejor escrita que has leído jamás? ¿Cómo convences a quienes te lean de que no es sólo la historia de un hombre que ha pasado por mucho? Y la verdad es que no lo sé. Tendrían que leerlo para entenderme. Tendrían que leerlo para que la historia de Kvothe se les meta debajo de la piel para siempre. Tendrían que leerlo para ver por qué no me puedo sacar a esos personajes de mi cabeza y mi corazón.
Cuando lees, relees o escuchas El Nombre del Viento, las palabras de Patrick Rothfuss te envuelven y te llevan directo a la Mancomunidad en donde conoces a los Edena Ruh, a Kvothe, sus padres, los Chandrian, a Kote, Bast, Cronista, Will, Simmon, Fela, Mola, Elodin, Denna... ¡incluso a Ambrose y al draccus! Porque cuando lees a Rothfuss todo se vuelve real: no estás en tu casa, estás en Imre; no estás en un parque, estás corriendo por las calles de Tarbean; no estás escuchando música en tu sofá, estás en el Eolio. Porque vives sus palabras, vives sus historias y escuchas la belleza, la música, el sufrimiento y los misterios que se esconden detrás de cada sílaba, de cada nombre. Porque, en El Nombre del Viento, cada palabra, cada nombre y cada significado es importante.
"Las palabras son pálidas sombras de nombre olvidados. Los nombres tienen poder, y las palabras también. Las palabras pueden hacer prender el fuego en la mente de los hombres. Las palabras pueden arrancarle lágrimas a los corazones más duros. Existen siete palabras que harán que una persona te ame. Existen diez palabras que minarán la más poderosa voluntad de un hombre. Pero una palabra no es más que la representación de un fuego. Un nombre es el fuego en sí".
Lee El Nombre del Viento cuando quieras una historia que vaya más allá de todo lo que conoces, de todo lo que hayas leído. Léelo cuando necesites un cambio en tu vida, pues una vez leas el epílogo no serás la misma persona que eras cuando leíste el prólogo de los tres silencios. Sumérgete en esta historia cuando quieras conocer mundos nuevos a través de la voz de un narrador magnífico. Lee El Nombre del Viento si tienes un espíritu aventurero y ansías el conocimiento; léelo cuando quieras sentir.
Para mí, este libro representa todos los viajes que hice en el mejor año de mi vida, pues siempre lo llevaba en mi mochila la primera vez que lo leí. El Nombre del Viento es ese libro que, una vez lo termines, vas a querer releerlo inmediatamente... Vas a querer entender cada pequeño detalle porque vas a ser consciente de que no basta leerlo una vez. Kvothe encierra muchísimos más secretos de los que nos está contando en su primer día. Hay historias que quizá nunca sabremos, pero que tal vez estén escondidas entre los nombres y las palabras.
Haber releído El Nombre del Viento, esta vez escuchando su audiolibro en inglés narrado por Rupert Degas fue una experiencia soberbia. Así que, bien, sólo espero que tras esto y tras haberme escuchado hablar sin parar ya sea en persona o en mis vídeos sobre El Nombre del Viento, lo leas y te enamores, no de Kvothe, sino de las palabras de Patrick Rothfuss.
"He robado princesa a reyes agónicos. Incendié la ciudad de Trebon. He pasado la noche con Felurian y he despertado vivo y cuerdo. Me expulsaron de la Universidad a una edad a la que a la mayoría todavía no los dejan entrar. He recorrido de noche caminos de los que otros no se atreven a hablar ni siquiera de día. He hablado con dioses, he amado mujeres y he escrito canciones que hacen llorar a los bardos. Quizá hayas oído hablar de mí".
ooOOoo Lo que van a leer abajo fue mi "reseña" de este libro en el 2014. Pueden ignorarla ooOOoo
Tenía 30 páginas pendientes desde hacía unos 3 o 4 días y hoy en el Metro terminé el libro. Qué depresión tan horrible T_T Quiero más historias de Kvothe, Denna, Sim, Wil, Elodin, los Chandrian e incluso de Ambrose. Pero sobre todo de Kvothe y Denna <3 <3 <3
El final me ha dejado un poco ¿confusa? Ya no sé muy bien qué pensar de Bast (?)
Ahora mi dilema es: empezar el segundo y caer en los más profundos abismos de la depresión cuando lo termine y no poder seguir con el tercero o esperar un tiempo. Se aceptan sugerencias, jajaja.
Ahora, si hay algo más difícil que calificar El Nombre del Viento es reseñarlo. ¿Cómo resumes en unas pocas líneas la historia de fantasía épica mejor escrita que has leído jamás? ¿Cómo convences a quienes te lean de que no es sólo la historia de un hombre que ha pasado por mucho? Y la verdad es que no lo sé. Tendrían que leerlo para entenderme. Tendrían que leerlo para que la historia de Kvothe se les meta debajo de la piel para siempre. Tendrían que leerlo para ver por qué no me puedo sacar a esos personajes de mi cabeza y mi corazón.
Cuando lees, relees o escuchas El Nombre del Viento, las palabras de Patrick Rothfuss te envuelven y te llevan directo a la Mancomunidad en donde conoces a los Edena Ruh, a Kvothe, sus padres, los Chandrian, a Kote, Bast, Cronista, Will, Simmon, Fela, Mola, Elodin, Denna... ¡incluso a Ambrose y al draccus! Porque cuando lees a Rothfuss todo se vuelve real: no estás en tu casa, estás en Imre; no estás en un parque, estás corriendo por las calles de Tarbean; no estás escuchando música en tu sofá, estás en el Eolio. Porque vives sus palabras, vives sus historias y escuchas la belleza, la música, el sufrimiento y los misterios que se esconden detrás de cada sílaba, de cada nombre. Porque, en El Nombre del Viento, cada palabra, cada nombre y cada significado es importante.
"Las palabras son pálidas sombras de nombre olvidados. Los nombres tienen poder, y las palabras también. Las palabras pueden hacer prender el fuego en la mente de los hombres. Las palabras pueden arrancarle lágrimas a los corazones más duros. Existen siete palabras que harán que una persona te ame. Existen diez palabras que minarán la más poderosa voluntad de un hombre. Pero una palabra no es más que la representación de un fuego. Un nombre es el fuego en sí".
Lee El Nombre del Viento cuando quieras una historia que vaya más allá de todo lo que conoces, de todo lo que hayas leído. Léelo cuando necesites un cambio en tu vida, pues una vez leas el epílogo no serás la misma persona que eras cuando leíste el prólogo de los tres silencios. Sumérgete en esta historia cuando quieras conocer mundos nuevos a través de la voz de un narrador magnífico. Lee El Nombre del Viento si tienes un espíritu aventurero y ansías el conocimiento; léelo cuando quieras sentir.
Para mí, este libro representa todos los viajes que hice en el mejor año de mi vida, pues siempre lo llevaba en mi mochila la primera vez que lo leí. El Nombre del Viento es ese libro que, una vez lo termines, vas a querer releerlo inmediatamente... Vas a querer entender cada pequeño detalle porque vas a ser consciente de que no basta leerlo una vez. Kvothe encierra muchísimos más secretos de los que nos está contando en su primer día. Hay historias que quizá nunca sabremos, pero que tal vez estén escondidas entre los nombres y las palabras.
Haber releído El Nombre del Viento, esta vez escuchando su audiolibro en inglés narrado por Rupert Degas fue una experiencia soberbia. Así que, bien, sólo espero que tras esto y tras haberme escuchado hablar sin parar ya sea en persona o en mis vídeos sobre El Nombre del Viento, lo leas y te enamores, no de Kvothe, sino de las palabras de Patrick Rothfuss.
"He robado princesa a reyes agónicos. Incendié la ciudad de Trebon. He pasado la noche con Felurian y he despertado vivo y cuerdo. Me expulsaron de la Universidad a una edad a la que a la mayoría todavía no los dejan entrar. He recorrido de noche caminos de los que otros no se atreven a hablar ni siquiera de día. He hablado con dioses, he amado mujeres y he escrito canciones que hacen llorar a los bardos. Quizá hayas oído hablar de mí".
ooOOoo Lo que van a leer abajo fue mi "reseña" de este libro en el 2014. Pueden ignorarla ooOOoo
Tenía 30 páginas pendientes desde hacía unos 3 o 4 días y hoy en el Metro terminé el libro. Qué depresión tan horrible T_T Quiero más historias de Kvothe, Denna, Sim, Wil, Elodin, los Chandrian e incluso de Ambrose. Pero sobre todo de Kvothe y Denna <3 <3 <3
El final me ha dejado un poco ¿confusa? Ya no sé muy bien qué pensar de Bast (?)
Ahora mi dilema es: empezar el segundo y caer en los más profundos abismos de la depresión cuando lo termine y no poder seguir con el tercero o esperar un tiempo. Se aceptan sugerencias, jajaja.
August 30, 2007
I really disliked the main character, to the extent that I couldn't get more than 1/3rd through it. The other problem I had was the language: Kvothe's eyes are described as shards of ice just a sentence before his voice is likened to a sharp steel blade. Ah well--there's lots of other high fantasy in the world.
November 17, 2022
anyone wanna tell me why this was 40 goddamn dollars????
u better be worth it
______________
note to 2018 self: yeah it was kinda worth it ngl
u better be worth it
______________
note to 2018 self: yeah it was kinda worth it ngl
August 6, 2020
A bit of an aside: Inexplicably, my 20 yr old son rates this amongst his top ten reads, eclipsed only by books from Sanderson and Robert Jordan.
I mean, where did I go wrong?
But I digress. On to the review
This must have been Rothfuss' wish fulfilment bc the main character is infused with much beauty and inexhaustive intellect to the point he is no more than a caricature. How does this book have even an average of 3 stars much less 4.6? How?
If you need a book with high fantasy or action and adventure or even one that has a compelling plot and creative magic system? Well, you better keep on needing because TNOTW is not it.
You know what this is? A patriarchal pile of *@%°^ that's in love with its own voice.
December 3, 2018
Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind (The KingKiller Chronicle #1) is a work I should have read a long time ago. This is a magnificent and wonderfully-written epic fantasy novel! I actually started it a little over a year ago, but didn’t get very far. At the time, I had been plowing through books, and I’ve since discovered that this is not the way to get to know or appreciate The Name of the Wind. This first book in The KingKiller Chronicle emphasizes the early years of a wizard named Kvothe, framed against what we know (or can surmise) about the present-day fugitive Kvothe who is telling the story.
In his years on the street, I heard a faint echo of Orson Scott Card’s precocious Bean (from my favorite of the Ender books, Ender’s Shadow). I also heard echoes of Colonel Aureliano Buendía from Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude as well as tons of mythology. You quickly forget comparisons to other stories or mythology because Rothfuss’s storytelling makes everything uniquely his own. I’m looking forward to reading The Wise Man’s Fear (but will know better than to rush through its 994 pages)!
In his years on the street, I heard a faint echo of Orson Scott Card’s precocious Bean (from my favorite of the Ender books, Ender’s Shadow). I also heard echoes of Colonel Aureliano Buendía from Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude as well as tons of mythology. You quickly forget comparisons to other stories or mythology because Rothfuss’s storytelling makes everything uniquely his own. I’m looking forward to reading The Wise Man’s Fear (but will know better than to rush through its 994 pages)!
July 28, 2011
Originally posted here.
This is definitely one of my new favorite books, so if you're a friend of mine, prepare to have me brutally push it on you until you give in and give it a go.
One of the reviews I read compared it to The Song of Ice and Fire and Lord of the Rings, saying that the book was equal to the best of fantasy written thus far. Well let me tell you, this doesn't stand alongside the fantasy greats, it knocks them off the shelves.
It isn't just some fantastic epic that you read for fun and adventure (although you'll get plenty of that too). It is story of a real life. Kvothe has known pain, despair, the feeling of being completely abandoned and alone, and he has also experienced joy, love, happiness and knowledge. One chapter he is beaten half to death, the next he is being shown some of the truest acts of kindness I could ever imagine.
I can't think of an emotion I didn't experience while reading. I snorted with laughter, gasped in outrage, choked back tears, shook with disbelief and trembled with anticipation. Seriously, the book has it all.
What a magnificent achievement to tell this story in a completely believable way-I mean sure there are dragons and magic (sympathy)...but I mean the "real life" stuff. Here you have a 15 year old boy, who early on, had fantastic parents and a happy life as a traveling performer. When that was taken away, he lived on the streets of a large city and raised himself to be tough and cunning. He knew how smart he was, and he got himself a place in the University. Now-before you start thinking that he is portrayed as being perfect-the author never hesitates to remind you that he is still a kid! He is constantly showing off and doing outrageously idiotic things that get him into heaps of trouble. I wanted to wring his neck more than once myself!
Anyway, I'm not going to try to summarize the book. I wouldn't be doing it any favors. I will say that the beginning was slow. It probably took me over a hundred pages to actually get really involved with the story. But, even that was all so mysterious and sinister that I knew sticking with it would pay off. I can't wait to read it again someday when I will be able to understand more of what was going on in the beginning.
The ending. I have read a ton of reviews and comments of people saying it ruined the book and so on. I don't get that. I thought Kvothe ended his story in a perfect place to set up anticipation for the next book, and the little scene with Bast and the Chronicler that closed the story was brilliant, set up interest in the current setting. Anyway...just my opinion.
Even after over 700 pages, I still don't "know" Kvothe. Isn't that the point? He isn't predictable, and he hardly ever did what I expected him to do. For that reason alone, I know the next installment will probably be even better then this one.
So...quit listening to me and go meet Kvothe for yourself.
Oh yeah--one more thing though. If you're a fan of the book...or really, even if you aren't, I recommend checking out Patrick Rothfuss' blog (it is posted on his website). He is hilarious, and regularly keeps me entertained. He is just the type of guy I would love hanging out with. Not in a creepy-I'm-looking-at-him-through-his-window way, more of a "hey lets eat something really unhealthy and talk about books."
Anyway, he comes off as a really nice, interesting guy. Its a pleasure to read such a fantastic book by a guy that actually seems to deserve the privilege of having come up with it.
This is definitely one of my new favorite books, so if you're a friend of mine, prepare to have me brutally push it on you until you give in and give it a go.
One of the reviews I read compared it to The Song of Ice and Fire and Lord of the Rings, saying that the book was equal to the best of fantasy written thus far. Well let me tell you, this doesn't stand alongside the fantasy greats, it knocks them off the shelves.
It isn't just some fantastic epic that you read for fun and adventure (although you'll get plenty of that too). It is story of a real life. Kvothe has known pain, despair, the feeling of being completely abandoned and alone, and he has also experienced joy, love, happiness and knowledge. One chapter he is beaten half to death, the next he is being shown some of the truest acts of kindness I could ever imagine.
I can't think of an emotion I didn't experience while reading. I snorted with laughter, gasped in outrage, choked back tears, shook with disbelief and trembled with anticipation. Seriously, the book has it all.
What a magnificent achievement to tell this story in a completely believable way-I mean sure there are dragons and magic (sympathy)...but I mean the "real life" stuff. Here you have a 15 year old boy, who early on, had fantastic parents and a happy life as a traveling performer. When that was taken away, he lived on the streets of a large city and raised himself to be tough and cunning. He knew how smart he was, and he got himself a place in the University. Now-before you start thinking that he is portrayed as being perfect-the author never hesitates to remind you that he is still a kid! He is constantly showing off and doing outrageously idiotic things that get him into heaps of trouble. I wanted to wring his neck more than once myself!
Anyway, I'm not going to try to summarize the book. I wouldn't be doing it any favors. I will say that the beginning was slow. It probably took me over a hundred pages to actually get really involved with the story. But, even that was all so mysterious and sinister that I knew sticking with it would pay off. I can't wait to read it again someday when I will be able to understand more of what was going on in the beginning.
The ending. I have read a ton of reviews and comments of people saying it ruined the book and so on. I don't get that. I thought Kvothe ended his story in a perfect place to set up anticipation for the next book, and the little scene with Bast and the Chronicler that closed the story was brilliant, set up interest in the current setting. Anyway...just my opinion.
Even after over 700 pages, I still don't "know" Kvothe. Isn't that the point? He isn't predictable, and he hardly ever did what I expected him to do. For that reason alone, I know the next installment will probably be even better then this one.
So...quit listening to me and go meet Kvothe for yourself.
Oh yeah--one more thing though. If you're a fan of the book...or really, even if you aren't, I recommend checking out Patrick Rothfuss' blog (it is posted on his website). He is hilarious, and regularly keeps me entertained. He is just the type of guy I would love hanging out with. Not in a creepy-I'm-looking-at-him-through-his-window way, more of a "hey lets eat something really unhealthy and talk about books."
Anyway, he comes off as a really nice, interesting guy. Its a pleasure to read such a fantastic book by a guy that actually seems to deserve the privilege of having come up with it.
April 28, 2022
A legitimately wonderful story that is written beautifully
Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.
I really shouldn't love this book as much as I did, as it has so many elements that I typically hate in fantasy. I don't typically care for flowing prose in my books, and while it is nice, I much prefer a good story to beautiful prose. And this story admittedly has a slow plot with not a ton happening. I don't usually enjoy teenage romance stories in my books, and a central plotline of this book is exactly that. And I think magic schools are done poorly most the time, and that's what a large majority of this book is about.
But for all that, I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. The writing is amazing, the plot is somehow fascinatingly gripping, and the characters are wonderfully fleshed out and compelling.
This is one of the few books that I have read multiple times, and will likely read it multiple more times during my life. Not because I forgot what happened, but because I just want to go through the experience once again.
This should be one of the required reading books for any fan of fantasy.
Check out my new youtube channel where I show my instant reactions to reading fantasy books seconds after I finish the book.
I really shouldn't love this book as much as I did, as it has so many elements that I typically hate in fantasy. I don't typically care for flowing prose in my books, and while it is nice, I much prefer a good story to beautiful prose. And this story admittedly has a slow plot with not a ton happening. I don't usually enjoy teenage romance stories in my books, and a central plotline of this book is exactly that. And I think magic schools are done poorly most the time, and that's what a large majority of this book is about.
But for all that, I absolutely loved this book from start to finish. The writing is amazing, the plot is somehow fascinatingly gripping, and the characters are wonderfully fleshed out and compelling.
This is one of the few books that I have read multiple times, and will likely read it multiple more times during my life. Not because I forgot what happened, but because I just want to go through the experience once again.
This should be one of the required reading books for any fan of fantasy.
September 18, 2013
I tried very hard to like this book. I wanted to like it. Critics liked it. Authors I enjoy liked it. But, try as I might, I did not agree with them.
Before I get into what I didn't like, I will take a moment to acknowledge what I thought Rothfuss did well.
GOOD STUFF
1. The structure of the book was neat: a renowned hero recounting his life and demystifying the stories surrounding him. I like the idea of an adult criticizing the actions and beliefs of his younger self (Jacqueline Carey does this nicely in Kushiel's Dart). And I like the idea of the narrator's story being recorded as he tells it.
2. The University setting was fun, even if it did feel too 20th century. I was excited to see a character attend school and slowly gain rank. (Unfortunately, Kvothe was promoted to graduate studies after about three days. Sorry, I'll save that for later; this section is supposed to be for Good Stuff.)
3. Elodin was the one character I really liked, even if he was peripheral. He was one of the few that stood out as an individual. Then again, he got Kvothe to jump off a building, which is always a plus in my book.
4. While Kvothe was not believable as a child when on the road with his parents or at the University (see Bad Stuff), he was believably young while living in Tarbean. I enjoyed this section of the book the most because it displayed his intelligence and resourcefulness through believable actions.
And that's all I have for Good Stuff. Sorry.
BAD STUFF
1. The gaudy plastic star at the top of this fake Christmas tree of a list of grievances is Kvothe himself. It would be an understatement to say that I did not like his character. I found him unbelievable and derivative and written. I felt no emotional investment in him. At no point in the story did I worry he would make it out okay. At no point did he surprise me.
One of my biggest problems with Kvothe was his age. He did not sound or act like a believable child (with the exception of Tarbean, as mentioned.) Moreover, he had to be a genius.
Why?
I am genuinely asking this. If you have an answer, let me know. So far, I have found no reason for Kvothe to be a child genius. It did not add anything to the story. There was no reason for him to learn so much adult material at age ten other than that it was a convenient time for him to do so. There was no reason for him to enter University at age fifteen other than that it was impressive. He didn't even act like a child or young teen. Why not age him so his thoughts and actions would make sense?
Even his perceptions of the world as a child were remarkably adult. For example, his descriptions of his parents focus on what a great couple they were, snippets of their sexual banter, how attractive his mother was, and his hoping that they had a good sex life. These are not the thoughts of a ten-year-old child. Nor were these thoughts filtered in the narration as the reminiscences of Adult Kvothe. Child Kvothe seemed to regard his parents as a romantic couple, rather than mom and dad, who love him but also cramp his style from time to time.
Kvothe's dialogue was far too adult and "witty" for his age. Show of hands, guys. How many of you gave perfectly polished speeches and witty retorts and spoke in well-received metaphors at age fifteen? I know I didn't. I could have forgiven a lot of this if Kvothe was portrayed as having a quick mouth but an immature mind, but even his moments of pride or stupidity still felt like the actions of an adult.
And, of course, he had to be a genius. Advanced medical and magical knowledge at age ten? No problem! He can't afford to pay tuition at University? That's okay, because Kvothe is just so gosh-darned impressive that the school pays him to attend. A teacher attempts to humiliate him in class? Not only does Kvothe teach the teacher a lesson, but he is allowed to skip his entire undergrad education, because he is just that smart. Kvothe participates in the city's most difficult musical challenge that takes talented musicians years to pass? He's so amazing that he succeeds on the first try, and the audience is literally crying at the beauty of his music.
Need I go on?
Yes, I do, because in addition to Kvothe's never having to struggle with learning something or mastering a concept, there are all sorts of horrible retcons explaining his talents. For example, at one point Kvothe (age ten or eleven) needs to survive alone in the wild for a few months. Ideally, this could be a good learning experience of trial and error, but then we get a few paragraphs explaining that, by the way, one time this dude traveled with Kvothe's family and taught him all about trapping and skinning animals, how to build a shelter, how to start a fire, and what plants are good to eat. And we learn this just a few paragraphs before Kvothe's survival. How convenient. This challenge is no longer a challenge because Kvothe knows exactly what to do.
Another example: Kvothe skips town to travel somewhere for plot reasons. He chooses to do this by traveling 70 miles on horseback in one day. (Yes, 70 miles in one day and on one horse. But that's not even the bad part.) Again, at this point in the story, I thought this could be a good challenge: struggling to ride through the elements, learning how to work with the horse, and facing obstacles along the way. But again, we get a neat aside about how, by the way, Kvothe is a master horseman, because he grew up with horses, and so he knows how to ride and care for them, and how to pick out a good horse for this kind of journey. And again, we learn this about a paragraph before he mounts the horse and rides off.
My problem with the above two examples is that Kvothe's "learned" skills become tidy deus ex machinas for the situations he has to overcome. Instead of learning how to survive in the wild, we are told that he already knows how to do that, so what was the point of making this a challenge? Instead of struggling to travel 70 miles with or without the constant demands of a horse, we are told that he is good at that too and he succeeds with little difficulty, taking all suspense and interest out of the scene. It would be one thing if, earlier and throughout the story, we saw him snaring rabbits or caring for his parents' horses (a.k.a. demonstrating his skills before they became necessary for the plot). The way these skills were presented felt cheap.
(Never mind that, even if he was a master horseman, riding 70 miles in one day would be hell on his body. Particularly after not riding for five years. And Kvothe was "sore" the next day? He should not have been able to walk.)
Not only is Kvothe a genius and talented at everything, but nothing in his narrative voice suggests that we are listening to the brain of a genius. Nothing in his diction, rhythm, or tone indicates this. I could accept a genius character if his voice reflected an unusual mind, but Kvothe pretty much just sounded like an everyman.
I became so tired of Kvothe's perfection, of how impressive and smart he was, of how he breezed past obstacles that could have been character-building. He is one of the clearest examples of a Gary Stu I have ever read.
2. I was going to call this category "portrayal of women," but women are not really a part of this story. They exist to give birth (Kvothe's mom), be rescued (Fela), or fawn over Kvothe in wonder (pretty much every woman in the book). The only female character we spend much time with is Denna, so this category is for her.
I found Denna to be spectacularly dull. I did not understand what Kvothe saw in her other than that she was hot. Attempts to make her mysterious and intriguing did not work for me. She is a pretty face hopping from man to man for money. (And, supposedly, she's really smart, so why doesn't she go to University too? Or get a job?)
The passages devoted to Kvothe and Denna alone together were the most boring parts of the book. For being a couple of fifteen-year-olds, their dialogue was crammed with big metaphors and polished, "witty" one-liners.
I was going to make suggestions on improving her character, but at this point, I don't care. She could have a dark backstory and I wouldn't care. She could be one of the freaking Chandrian and I wouldn't care. I cannot stress enough how much I didn't care about this character, and that's probably one of the worst things I could say about a work of fiction.
3. While I did like the structure of the book (opening in third-person present day, switching to Kvothe's first-person narrative of his past), it did have its problems. Namely, the characters in the present day were poorly developed. I would have liked to know more about Bast and the Chronicler; hell, from their few interactions, I'd like to read a book just about them.
Throughout the book, the narrative returns to Bast and the Chronicler. At these points, Kvothe clears up misconceptions and foreshadows later events, which was fun, even if his dialogue was plagued with too many permutations of "If this was a story, XYZ would happen, but this is not a story." The narrative usually returned to Bast and the Chronicler after dramatic things were recounted from Kvothe's life, and we saw their reactions.
Did Kvothe just tell them something funny? Then Bast and the Chronicler are roaring with laughter. Did Kvothe relay how he did something amazing and clever? Then his listeners are wide-eyed in awe. Did Kvothe reveal something sad? Then they are crying huge tears of sorrow, and the Chronicler is wiping his eyes on the back of his hand, and Bast is croaking, "I never knew!" on repeat.
The lampshading in this book was pretty bad.
I do not like the author telling me how to feel, thanks. If an event in the book is truly sad and written well, then I will touch on my own sad experiences and bond with the characters. But being shown how Kvothe's audience laughed and cried at everything he shared with them felt a lot like watching a sitcom with a laugh track. This was made even worse when Bast would exclaim how sad an event in Kvothe's life was, and then Kvothe would say something along the lines of, "Yes, it was terrible, but I still did not know real sorrow because even worse was yet to come."
Stop. Readers engage with emotions eagerly. You do not need to tell us how we should be reacting.
4. This book felt largely plotless. Yes, it is the first installment of a trilogy and thus an incomplete fraction of Kvothe's life. But a good book can stand alone, even if it is part of a larger work. In a well written and well plotted series, one book will contribute to the overarching plot, but also resolve its own.
There was no definable plot here. "Kvothe grows up in a few different places and goes to school" is not a plot. "Kvothe wants to learn the truth about the Chandrian but learns pretty much nothing about them" is not a plot.
Arguably, since this trilogy is a recording of Kvothe's life, it doesn't need a plot. After all, my life doesn't have a definable plot. But I think that argument can only extend so far in fiction. A book is not real life. The story needs to have a shape.
Kvothe's accumulation of skills and knowledge did not equip him to handle a major threat at the end of the book. His time at the University did not culminate in a big struggle for him to come out on top of (only minor incidents). He didn't learn much about the Chandrian. We still know nothing about Denna and things between her and Kvothe haven't changed. Kvothe did come to terms with his grief, but that happened about halfway through the book.
Moreover, his struggles were mostly comprised of outside forces, such as being poor or bullies being mean to him. With a few exceptions, I did not feel that he grew as a character from overcoming these obstacles. Some of this is due to the aforementioned retcons (by the way, Kvothe is a master horseman, despite us never seeing evidence of this in the previous 500 pages.) And some of this is due to how he overcomes his external obstacles in external ways.
Crisis! Kvothe is so poor that he cannot afford room and board at University. Good thing he succeeds at that super difficult music competition on the first try, thus giving him bragging rights and the ability to play for money pretty much anywhere in the city.
Crisis! A giant, vegetarian dragon is chasing him down. Good thing Kvothe literally stumbled upon barrels and barrels of a lethal drug to knock the beast out.
Crisis! Kvothe is banned from the University Archives. Good thing he happens to meet this weird woman who lives in the underbelly of the school, and who can show him a secret entrance to he Archives.
And the like.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with these struggles--except that they happen over and over and over again. Very rarely does Kvothe face problems brought on by his own arrogance/stupidity/etc.; it's just the World hurling problems at him. And I, for one, appreciate characters who have agency--both to get themselves out of trouble, but into more plot. I am even more appreciative of characters who breathe, make mistakes, and change.
I did not get this from Kvothe. The Kvothe I met at the start of the book (for either timeline) was the same as the Kvothe I ran away from on the last page. When I stood Beginning Kvothe and Ending Kvothe side by side, I couldn't tell the difference.
The character did not have enough agency to shape a gripping plot, and the plot did not shape a gripping character.
This book did not have enough of a shape for me.
ULTIMATELY...
While I did not like this book, at the very least, I can credit it for demonstrating errors to avoid in my own writing.
I know a lot of people loved this book, and I would like to know why. Genuinely. Tell me what I'm missing.
Before I get into what I didn't like, I will take a moment to acknowledge what I thought Rothfuss did well.
GOOD STUFF
1. The structure of the book was neat: a renowned hero recounting his life and demystifying the stories surrounding him. I like the idea of an adult criticizing the actions and beliefs of his younger self (Jacqueline Carey does this nicely in Kushiel's Dart). And I like the idea of the narrator's story being recorded as he tells it.
2. The University setting was fun, even if it did feel too 20th century. I was excited to see a character attend school and slowly gain rank. (Unfortunately, Kvothe was promoted to graduate studies after about three days. Sorry, I'll save that for later; this section is supposed to be for Good Stuff.)
3. Elodin was the one character I really liked, even if he was peripheral. He was one of the few that stood out as an individual. Then again, he got Kvothe to jump off a building, which is always a plus in my book.
4. While Kvothe was not believable as a child when on the road with his parents or at the University (see Bad Stuff), he was believably young while living in Tarbean. I enjoyed this section of the book the most because it displayed his intelligence and resourcefulness through believable actions.
And that's all I have for Good Stuff. Sorry.
BAD STUFF
1. The gaudy plastic star at the top of this fake Christmas tree of a list of grievances is Kvothe himself. It would be an understatement to say that I did not like his character. I found him unbelievable and derivative and written. I felt no emotional investment in him. At no point in the story did I worry he would make it out okay. At no point did he surprise me.
One of my biggest problems with Kvothe was his age. He did not sound or act like a believable child (with the exception of Tarbean, as mentioned.) Moreover, he had to be a genius.
Why?
I am genuinely asking this. If you have an answer, let me know. So far, I have found no reason for Kvothe to be a child genius. It did not add anything to the story. There was no reason for him to learn so much adult material at age ten other than that it was a convenient time for him to do so. There was no reason for him to enter University at age fifteen other than that it was impressive. He didn't even act like a child or young teen. Why not age him so his thoughts and actions would make sense?
Even his perceptions of the world as a child were remarkably adult. For example, his descriptions of his parents focus on what a great couple they were, snippets of their sexual banter, how attractive his mother was, and his hoping that they had a good sex life. These are not the thoughts of a ten-year-old child. Nor were these thoughts filtered in the narration as the reminiscences of Adult Kvothe. Child Kvothe seemed to regard his parents as a romantic couple, rather than mom and dad, who love him but also cramp his style from time to time.
Kvothe's dialogue was far too adult and "witty" for his age. Show of hands, guys. How many of you gave perfectly polished speeches and witty retorts and spoke in well-received metaphors at age fifteen? I know I didn't. I could have forgiven a lot of this if Kvothe was portrayed as having a quick mouth but an immature mind, but even his moments of pride or stupidity still felt like the actions of an adult.
And, of course, he had to be a genius. Advanced medical and magical knowledge at age ten? No problem! He can't afford to pay tuition at University? That's okay, because Kvothe is just so gosh-darned impressive that the school pays him to attend. A teacher attempts to humiliate him in class? Not only does Kvothe teach the teacher a lesson, but he is allowed to skip his entire undergrad education, because he is just that smart. Kvothe participates in the city's most difficult musical challenge that takes talented musicians years to pass? He's so amazing that he succeeds on the first try, and the audience is literally crying at the beauty of his music.
Need I go on?
Yes, I do, because in addition to Kvothe's never having to struggle with learning something or mastering a concept, there are all sorts of horrible retcons explaining his talents. For example, at one point Kvothe (age ten or eleven) needs to survive alone in the wild for a few months. Ideally, this could be a good learning experience of trial and error, but then we get a few paragraphs explaining that, by the way, one time this dude traveled with Kvothe's family and taught him all about trapping and skinning animals, how to build a shelter, how to start a fire, and what plants are good to eat. And we learn this just a few paragraphs before Kvothe's survival. How convenient. This challenge is no longer a challenge because Kvothe knows exactly what to do.
Another example: Kvothe skips town to travel somewhere for plot reasons. He chooses to do this by traveling 70 miles on horseback in one day. (Yes, 70 miles in one day and on one horse. But that's not even the bad part.) Again, at this point in the story, I thought this could be a good challenge: struggling to ride through the elements, learning how to work with the horse, and facing obstacles along the way. But again, we get a neat aside about how, by the way, Kvothe is a master horseman, because he grew up with horses, and so he knows how to ride and care for them, and how to pick out a good horse for this kind of journey. And again, we learn this about a paragraph before he mounts the horse and rides off.
My problem with the above two examples is that Kvothe's "learned" skills become tidy deus ex machinas for the situations he has to overcome. Instead of learning how to survive in the wild, we are told that he already knows how to do that, so what was the point of making this a challenge? Instead of struggling to travel 70 miles with or without the constant demands of a horse, we are told that he is good at that too and he succeeds with little difficulty, taking all suspense and interest out of the scene. It would be one thing if, earlier and throughout the story, we saw him snaring rabbits or caring for his parents' horses (a.k.a. demonstrating his skills before they became necessary for the plot). The way these skills were presented felt cheap.
(Never mind that, even if he was a master horseman, riding 70 miles in one day would be hell on his body. Particularly after not riding for five years. And Kvothe was "sore" the next day? He should not have been able to walk.)
Not only is Kvothe a genius and talented at everything, but nothing in his narrative voice suggests that we are listening to the brain of a genius. Nothing in his diction, rhythm, or tone indicates this. I could accept a genius character if his voice reflected an unusual mind, but Kvothe pretty much just sounded like an everyman.
I became so tired of Kvothe's perfection, of how impressive and smart he was, of how he breezed past obstacles that could have been character-building. He is one of the clearest examples of a Gary Stu I have ever read.
2. I was going to call this category "portrayal of women," but women are not really a part of this story. They exist to give birth (Kvothe's mom), be rescued (Fela), or fawn over Kvothe in wonder (pretty much every woman in the book). The only female character we spend much time with is Denna, so this category is for her.
I found Denna to be spectacularly dull. I did not understand what Kvothe saw in her other than that she was hot. Attempts to make her mysterious and intriguing did not work for me. She is a pretty face hopping from man to man for money. (And, supposedly, she's really smart, so why doesn't she go to University too? Or get a job?)
The passages devoted to Kvothe and Denna alone together were the most boring parts of the book. For being a couple of fifteen-year-olds, their dialogue was crammed with big metaphors and polished, "witty" one-liners.
I was going to make suggestions on improving her character, but at this point, I don't care. She could have a dark backstory and I wouldn't care. She could be one of the freaking Chandrian and I wouldn't care. I cannot stress enough how much I didn't care about this character, and that's probably one of the worst things I could say about a work of fiction.
3. While I did like the structure of the book (opening in third-person present day, switching to Kvothe's first-person narrative of his past), it did have its problems. Namely, the characters in the present day were poorly developed. I would have liked to know more about Bast and the Chronicler; hell, from their few interactions, I'd like to read a book just about them.
Throughout the book, the narrative returns to Bast and the Chronicler. At these points, Kvothe clears up misconceptions and foreshadows later events, which was fun, even if his dialogue was plagued with too many permutations of "If this was a story, XYZ would happen, but this is not a story." The narrative usually returned to Bast and the Chronicler after dramatic things were recounted from Kvothe's life, and we saw their reactions.
Did Kvothe just tell them something funny? Then Bast and the Chronicler are roaring with laughter. Did Kvothe relay how he did something amazing and clever? Then his listeners are wide-eyed in awe. Did Kvothe reveal something sad? Then they are crying huge tears of sorrow, and the Chronicler is wiping his eyes on the back of his hand, and Bast is croaking, "I never knew!" on repeat.
The lampshading in this book was pretty bad.
I do not like the author telling me how to feel, thanks. If an event in the book is truly sad and written well, then I will touch on my own sad experiences and bond with the characters. But being shown how Kvothe's audience laughed and cried at everything he shared with them felt a lot like watching a sitcom with a laugh track. This was made even worse when Bast would exclaim how sad an event in Kvothe's life was, and then Kvothe would say something along the lines of, "Yes, it was terrible, but I still did not know real sorrow because even worse was yet to come."
Stop. Readers engage with emotions eagerly. You do not need to tell us how we should be reacting.
4. This book felt largely plotless. Yes, it is the first installment of a trilogy and thus an incomplete fraction of Kvothe's life. But a good book can stand alone, even if it is part of a larger work. In a well written and well plotted series, one book will contribute to the overarching plot, but also resolve its own.
There was no definable plot here. "Kvothe grows up in a few different places and goes to school" is not a plot. "Kvothe wants to learn the truth about the Chandrian but learns pretty much nothing about them" is not a plot.
Arguably, since this trilogy is a recording of Kvothe's life, it doesn't need a plot. After all, my life doesn't have a definable plot. But I think that argument can only extend so far in fiction. A book is not real life. The story needs to have a shape.
Kvothe's accumulation of skills and knowledge did not equip him to handle a major threat at the end of the book. His time at the University did not culminate in a big struggle for him to come out on top of (only minor incidents). He didn't learn much about the Chandrian. We still know nothing about Denna and things between her and Kvothe haven't changed. Kvothe did come to terms with his grief, but that happened about halfway through the book.
Moreover, his struggles were mostly comprised of outside forces, such as being poor or bullies being mean to him. With a few exceptions, I did not feel that he grew as a character from overcoming these obstacles. Some of this is due to the aforementioned retcons (by the way, Kvothe is a master horseman, despite us never seeing evidence of this in the previous 500 pages.) And some of this is due to how he overcomes his external obstacles in external ways.
Crisis! Kvothe is so poor that he cannot afford room and board at University. Good thing he succeeds at that super difficult music competition on the first try, thus giving him bragging rights and the ability to play for money pretty much anywhere in the city.
Crisis! A giant, vegetarian dragon is chasing him down. Good thing Kvothe literally stumbled upon barrels and barrels of a lethal drug to knock the beast out.
Crisis! Kvothe is banned from the University Archives. Good thing he happens to meet this weird woman who lives in the underbelly of the school, and who can show him a secret entrance to he Archives.
And the like.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with these struggles--except that they happen over and over and over again. Very rarely does Kvothe face problems brought on by his own arrogance/stupidity/etc.; it's just the World hurling problems at him. And I, for one, appreciate characters who have agency--both to get themselves out of trouble, but into more plot. I am even more appreciative of characters who breathe, make mistakes, and change.
I did not get this from Kvothe. The Kvothe I met at the start of the book (for either timeline) was the same as the Kvothe I ran away from on the last page. When I stood Beginning Kvothe and Ending Kvothe side by side, I couldn't tell the difference.
The character did not have enough agency to shape a gripping plot, and the plot did not shape a gripping character.
This book did not have enough of a shape for me.
ULTIMATELY...
While I did not like this book, at the very least, I can credit it for demonstrating errors to avoid in my own writing.
I know a lot of people loved this book, and I would like to know why. Genuinely. Tell me what I'm missing.
December 18, 2022
“It's like everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.”
‘The Name of the Wind’ is an odyssey of one man’s journey. An extraordinary man with a remarkable but unconventional life who learns the importance of ‘words’ and ‘names’, and the mysterious and supernatural elements that influence much of people’s choices.
I confess to not engaging with this story at my first attempt but with raving reviews I knew that I was missing something and needed some way to connect. So, I became the book’s ‘chronicler’ and this my friends is what Kvothe shared with me. His storytelling - well beautiful with the most soulful, melodic and musical tones as I listened to the symphony of his life.
The notorious magician, the accomplished thief, the masterful musician, the dragon-slayer, the legend-hunter, the lover, the thief and the infamous assassin.
My Story – by Kvothe
The early part of my years was spent travelling with the Edema Ruh a troupe of performing artists, but not before my father managed to teach me the importance of ‘words’ and ‘names’ and how to play the lute, sing and act. I recall his lessons and his advice
“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts”
It was my music and these ‘words’ that kept me safe in crime ridden Tarbean after the Chandrian killed my parents and the band members of my troupe. For three years I survived as a beggar and the master pickpocket, before negotiating a place at the university, where I could accumulate knowledge of the Chandrian.
Struggling to pay tuition fees, facing rivalry from fellow students and under the constant accusing finger of Master Hemme, I found myself at the receiving end of multiple lashings and near expulsion. However, doing well in other academic fields I buy myself a lute to earn money playing at a local tavern where I met Denna. Once again, I hear the words from my father…
“Remember this, son, if you forget everything else. A poet is a musician who can't sing. Words have to find a man's mind before they can touch his heart, and some men's minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens.”
Music is in my soul; words are in my mind and a cocktail of revenge and love is in my heart. I learn to call the wind, but to disguise my identity I am now Kove the name you must use. I have more to tell and then you will understand my music, and my song that people need to hear.
Review and Comments
‘The Name of the Wind’ is a unique and magical mystery tour and a journey through someone’s mind, life, learnings, and tragedies. It is a story that combines Myth, Chemistry, History, Music, Poetry and Religion with love, loss, rebellion, and betrayal to deliver a fascinating and unique story that is one to remember. It really is a masterpiece.
Fantasy or Magical Realism – who am I to argue against the great minds who have branded this Fantasy. However, for me personally I would say this was Magical Realism where I could separate the magical and surreal elements from some very important life themes where each was handled exceptionally well.
The writing is superb and elegantly simple. I found myself feeling the words and not just reading them which is down to the authors well chosen ‘words’, ‘names’, vivid descriptions and elegant prose. There is a thoughtful and mindfulness quality to the storytelling that led me to pause on many occasions to just reflect on the message and meaning, especially in the context of all that is wrong in the world today.
Characterisation - I often find myself disengaging from a book that does not offer great characterisation and an excellent plot. Not here though. The character development of the main character Kvothe is obviously – thee story, but all the other characters felt one-dimensional and introduced only to embellish Kvothe’s story, but then that is fine too because this was more like a memoir than a tale.
The Plot - To try and summarise the plot would be doing a disservice to this extraordinary book because on the face of it the plot is simple but the themes, topics, and the way the multiple layers and music engenders feelings and emotions is anything but ordinary.
Reading experience - This books requires more from the reader than your everyday book. It is often very profound, the quotes, text and expressions are deep and the book is long, sometimes deviating into unnecessary detail as the origins and background to something is explained. Which I felt didn’t always add to the story. At other times the author pulls your mind into a space where even for a time you are forced to reflect, consider and even debate with the authors logic and perspective. For example, here are some quotes
“Perhaps the greatest faculty our minds possess is the ability to cope with pain. Classic thinking teaches us of the four doors of the mind, which everyone moves through according to their need.
First is the door of sleep. Sleep offers us a retreat from the world and all its pain. Sleep marks passing time…. Second is the door of forgetting. Some wounds are too deep to heal, or too deep to heal quickly…. Third is the door of madness. There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. ….Last is the door of death. The final resort. Nothing can hurt us after we are dead, or so we have been told.”
“There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. There are times when reality is nothing but pain, and to escape that pain the mind must leave reality behind.”
So, my friends, if you are prepared to invest time and yourself, you will find this unique, incredibly thought provoking, soulful, emotional, and absurdly magical but real. The world building is superb, the writing is evocative, the music is soulful, and the main character is fascinating.
This is an unfinished symphony as we continue Kvothe’s story in other books. However, if music be the food of love – then play on, and I will listen.
‘The Name of the Wind’ is an odyssey of one man’s journey. An extraordinary man with a remarkable but unconventional life who learns the importance of ‘words’ and ‘names’, and the mysterious and supernatural elements that influence much of people’s choices.
I confess to not engaging with this story at my first attempt but with raving reviews I knew that I was missing something and needed some way to connect. So, I became the book’s ‘chronicler’ and this my friends is what Kvothe shared with me. His storytelling - well beautiful with the most soulful, melodic and musical tones as I listened to the symphony of his life.
The notorious magician, the accomplished thief, the masterful musician, the dragon-slayer, the legend-hunter, the lover, the thief and the infamous assassin.
My Story – by Kvothe
The early part of my years was spent travelling with the Edema Ruh a troupe of performing artists, but not before my father managed to teach me the importance of ‘words’ and ‘names’ and how to play the lute, sing and act. I recall his lessons and his advice
“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts”
It was my music and these ‘words’ that kept me safe in crime ridden Tarbean after the Chandrian killed my parents and the band members of my troupe. For three years I survived as a beggar and the master pickpocket, before negotiating a place at the university, where I could accumulate knowledge of the Chandrian.
Struggling to pay tuition fees, facing rivalry from fellow students and under the constant accusing finger of Master Hemme, I found myself at the receiving end of multiple lashings and near expulsion. However, doing well in other academic fields I buy myself a lute to earn money playing at a local tavern where I met Denna. Once again, I hear the words from my father…
“Remember this, son, if you forget everything else. A poet is a musician who can't sing. Words have to find a man's mind before they can touch his heart, and some men's minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens.”
Music is in my soul; words are in my mind and a cocktail of revenge and love is in my heart. I learn to call the wind, but to disguise my identity I am now Kove the name you must use. I have more to tell and then you will understand my music, and my song that people need to hear.
Review and Comments
‘The Name of the Wind’ is a unique and magical mystery tour and a journey through someone’s mind, life, learnings, and tragedies. It is a story that combines Myth, Chemistry, History, Music, Poetry and Religion with love, loss, rebellion, and betrayal to deliver a fascinating and unique story that is one to remember. It really is a masterpiece.
Fantasy or Magical Realism – who am I to argue against the great minds who have branded this Fantasy. However, for me personally I would say this was Magical Realism where I could separate the magical and surreal elements from some very important life themes where each was handled exceptionally well.
The writing is superb and elegantly simple. I found myself feeling the words and not just reading them which is down to the authors well chosen ‘words’, ‘names’, vivid descriptions and elegant prose. There is a thoughtful and mindfulness quality to the storytelling that led me to pause on many occasions to just reflect on the message and meaning, especially in the context of all that is wrong in the world today.
Characterisation - I often find myself disengaging from a book that does not offer great characterisation and an excellent plot. Not here though. The character development of the main character Kvothe is obviously – thee story, but all the other characters felt one-dimensional and introduced only to embellish Kvothe’s story, but then that is fine too because this was more like a memoir than a tale.
The Plot - To try and summarise the plot would be doing a disservice to this extraordinary book because on the face of it the plot is simple but the themes, topics, and the way the multiple layers and music engenders feelings and emotions is anything but ordinary.
Reading experience - This books requires more from the reader than your everyday book. It is often very profound, the quotes, text and expressions are deep and the book is long, sometimes deviating into unnecessary detail as the origins and background to something is explained. Which I felt didn’t always add to the story. At other times the author pulls your mind into a space where even for a time you are forced to reflect, consider and even debate with the authors logic and perspective. For example, here are some quotes
“Perhaps the greatest faculty our minds possess is the ability to cope with pain. Classic thinking teaches us of the four doors of the mind, which everyone moves through according to their need.
First is the door of sleep. Sleep offers us a retreat from the world and all its pain. Sleep marks passing time…. Second is the door of forgetting. Some wounds are too deep to heal, or too deep to heal quickly…. Third is the door of madness. There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. ….Last is the door of death. The final resort. Nothing can hurt us after we are dead, or so we have been told.”
“There are times when the mind is dealt such a blow it hides itself in insanity. While this may not seem beneficial, it is. There are times when reality is nothing but pain, and to escape that pain the mind must leave reality behind.”
So, my friends, if you are prepared to invest time and yourself, you will find this unique, incredibly thought provoking, soulful, emotional, and absurdly magical but real. The world building is superb, the writing is evocative, the music is soulful, and the main character is fascinating.
This is an unfinished symphony as we continue Kvothe’s story in other books. However, if music be the food of love – then play on, and I will listen.
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