Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Patrick Rothfuss's debut, The Name of the Wind, is the tale of Kvothe. At the start, he was living under the assumed name Kote, an innkeeper at a small village in the middle of nowhere. As the story goes on however, you discovered that Kvothe isn't just an innkeeper, but one of the most famous wizard of his world.
After being discovered by a scribe called Chronicler, Kvothe starts telling his life story. His happy childhood in a troupe of traveling players; his years spent as an orphan in a big city; his daringly and successful attempt to enter the University of magic; and the friends and enemies he made in his early life.
It doesn't seems like much on the surface, and after the first hundred pages, I seriously thought I've made a mistake in taking this book. However as I read on...Kvothe drew me in.
If this is really Rothfuss's debut, I can safely say that he is going to have a long career as a fantasy writer. The fantasy world he has put together is amazingly detailed. The port city of Tarbean, the University, even the small village Kvothe was hiding in were all beautifully written. Such details are seldom seem in fantasy books any more but that wasn't the end of it. The characters themselves were very believable. Kvothe's drive to learn magic and his need to find the Chandrian, the immortals who murdered his family, was superbly written.
Kvothe is a real character. He makes both good choices and bad decisions. He do clever things that were believable, and dumb things that you and I did when we were at that age. His story is riveting. He has huge talent but he is not without flaws. In fact, Kvothe's flaws match his gifts in size and the book hint that Kvothe's story is ultimately that of a tragedy. In Kvothe, Patrick Rothfuss created a character that could match the very best in the history of fantasy.
I am not usually a fan of books told in first person's view but I can see why Rothfuss did it here. Told in his own words, Kvothe's story became more powerful, more exciting, more rousing, and much more personal.
The book is not without its flaws. The writer literally beat it into your head that Kvothe is a Shakespearean tragic hero. If the various hints around the book still don't get you, the book is part of the "The Kingkiller Chronicle"; Kvothe is known as Kvothe Kingkiller; the cover name of Kote means disaster; and Kvothe is feared by the people of the world. A bit of an overkill, wouldn't you say? I also found the start to be boring, the book is a slow burn. However once the Chronicler came into the picture, you will not put it down!
That's how good 'The Name Of The Wind' is. My review cannot do it justice and I cannot describe how good it really is. I will tell you that Rothfuss will be a household name among fantasy fans if the other 2 books is half as good as this one, and you MUST pick this book up. It's great!
After being discovered by a scribe called Chronicler, Kvothe starts telling his life story. His happy childhood in a troupe of traveling players; his years spent as an orphan in a big city; his daringly and successful attempt to enter the University of magic; and the friends and enemies he made in his early life.
It doesn't seems like much on the surface, and after the first hundred pages, I seriously thought I've made a mistake in taking this book. However as I read on...Kvothe drew me in.
If this is really Rothfuss's debut, I can safely say that he is going to have a long career as a fantasy writer. The fantasy world he has put together is amazingly detailed. The port city of Tarbean, the University, even the small village Kvothe was hiding in were all beautifully written. Such details are seldom seem in fantasy books any more but that wasn't the end of it. The characters themselves were very believable. Kvothe's drive to learn magic and his need to find the Chandrian, the immortals who murdered his family, was superbly written.
Kvothe is a real character. He makes both good choices and bad decisions. He do clever things that were believable, and dumb things that you and I did when we were at that age. His story is riveting. He has huge talent but he is not without flaws. In fact, Kvothe's flaws match his gifts in size and the book hint that Kvothe's story is ultimately that of a tragedy. In Kvothe, Patrick Rothfuss created a character that could match the very best in the history of fantasy.
I am not usually a fan of books told in first person's view but I can see why Rothfuss did it here. Told in his own words, Kvothe's story became more powerful, more exciting, more rousing, and much more personal.
The book is not without its flaws. The writer literally beat it into your head that Kvothe is a Shakespearean tragic hero. If the various hints around the book still don't get you, the book is part of the "The Kingkiller Chronicle"; Kvothe is known as Kvothe Kingkiller; the cover name of Kote means disaster; and Kvothe is feared by the people of the world. A bit of an overkill, wouldn't you say? I also found the start to be boring, the book is a slow burn. However once the Chronicler came into the picture, you will not put it down!
That's how good 'The Name Of The Wind' is. My review cannot do it justice and I cannot describe how good it really is. I will tell you that Rothfuss will be a household name among fantasy fans if the other 2 books is half as good as this one, and you MUST pick this book up. It's great!
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