Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Series: The Kingkiller Chronicle #1
First Published: 2007
Publisher: DAW
736 pages (mass market paperback)
I can’t believe I left this on my bookshelf for so long. This book was amazing to read and just what I needed to pull me back into fantasy novels! I can’t wait to read the second book now, although I’m going to wait for it to come out in mass market paperback as well, so my books match on my bookshelf, heh.
This story begins in third person with Kote and his apprentice/student, Bast. They’re innkeepers. A man called the Chronicler enters their inn one day and the Chronicler discovers that Kote is actually a very famous hero/arcanist called Kvothe (pronounced “Quothe”). The Chronicler wants Kvothe to tell his life story and let him write it down, as he is a scribe and interested in dispelling or proving all the various myths and rumours about Kvothe that has accumulated over the years. So Kvothe and the Chronicler sit down, and Kvothe tells him it will take three days to tell his life story. This first book, The Name of the Wind, is basically the first day of their conversation, in which Kvothe tells the Chronicler about his childhood in his parents’ traveling troupe, the years spent as a homeless orphan in the streets of Tarbean and him entering the University as the youngest accepted student in years.
My little summary above really doesn’t do this book justice. It’s a really great story, even though you don’t actually find out why Kvothe is so famous. This book is very much a foundation book, it’s setting up the stage for lots of cool stuff to come, though that does not mean this book is boring or not essential to the story. I loved reading this, could read it for hours without stopping, simply great!
The Name Of The Wind is a little different from your typical fantasy book. I say this only because the vast majority of adult fantasy books I’ve read are very Lord of the Rings-esque (not that there’s a problem with that, mind you). This one is structured differently — a first person narrator, for the most part — and the fantasy-ness of the story is made to be as “realistic” as possible. What I mean is, any magical elements in this book had its “why” and “how” explained. For example, there is a beast called a draccus in this book, which is basically a dragon, and its fire-breathing mechanic is explained and theorized by the main character in a very scientific manner.
This book also is a bit reminiscent of Harry Potter, just because of the school setting. If you love Harry Potter but want something more ‘adult’, definitely give this book a go. I am by no means saying it is similar to Harry Potter since this one is more mature and has a science-y take on “magic”, but there are a few overlaps like the school setting and Kvothe’s parents being killed very early on in his life. I know a lot of non-fantasy lovers really enjoy Harry Potter, and I think the same can be said for this book. If you don’t normally read fantasy, perhaps this book will be a good one to start out with, since it doesn’t throw you to the wolves like some other fantasy novels tend to do.
As you can expect, in a story that’s kind of biographical in nature, characters are important — the people we meet and pass by in our life. In this case, in Kvothe’s life. I thought for the most part the characters were quite well written. Kvothe was generally likeable, although sometimes a bit too cocky for my tastes, and his University rival, Ambrose, was a little bit of a stereotypical bully to me, but other than that, I thought every character was pretty well done. They are each memorable and I got to see the major characters’ dreams, ambitions, and why they act the way they do.
Overall — I am in love with this book and am so looking forward to the second one. I hope book two comes out in mass market paperback soon since it’s already been a year since it was first released! Definitely recommend this to everyone.
My Rating: 5/5
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