Name of the Wind Review New York Times
I'm sad, Mr. Rothfuss. For realz, actual sad. Honestly. I tried giving your volume two stars out of compassion, since I then wanted to like it and I'd experience bad about giving it ane star and dragging downwardly your average rating. Though you don't appear to need my pity. Your book has the highest average GR rating (4.49) of whatsoever of the book I've read. I finally dropped my rating downwardly to one star considering it's just a steaming pile of crap and I couldn't have the embarrassment of having posted a two-star rating on something so awful. Mr. Rothfuss, y'all probably don't give a shit about my rating since, judging from your GR biography, you appear to be very comfy in your ain academic, geeky pare. And that is totally cool. I'one thousand an academic, geeky type myself. Non as geeky as yous. You are actually geeky. Like I said: that's cool. Anywayz, for a long fourth dimension I gave you two stars since a couple of my most favorite people (my brother and his fiancé) both love your book. I star for each of them. Only, like I hinted, the volume is pretty bad. So are you lot and me adept? No hard feelings? Awesome. I don't take shit likewise personally, either. And then at present I'll get down to ripping your book, knowing we tin still be friends. In the interest of full disclosure, I faithfully admit that this book goes in my DNF shelf. I fabricated information technology 162 pages in (I was reading it on the Kindle app on my iPhone and made it to § 3154, simply with footling 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 adept honest endeavour and eventually institute myself reading only so I wouldn't take to admit to my blood brother that I didn't similar it enough to finish. But that isn't a good reason to spend my fourth dimension—something nosotros accept precious little of in our short lives—reading something I dislike and not getting paid for it. So I'm deplorable, bro. I tried. (Yes, my brother is 1 of my GR friends and volition likely see this review.) At present on to the reasons I couldn't finish the book. Virtually of The Proper name of the Air current is written in the first person; it'southward the autobiography of Kvothe, who has a number of things in mutual with "The Most Interesting Man in the Earth." Kvothe is reciting his life story to a scribe while his male companion, Bast, looks on. There are several interesting facts pertaining to Kvothe and Bast. First, Bast is described equally "sharp and delicate, about cute, with striking blueish 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 daughter when he hears something sad. Finally, Bast obviously tin can manifest himself as some sort of goat-human being creature. Do you see where I'm going with this? Kvothe runs a bed-and-breakfast, in which a very sensitive and beautiful homo follows him around and occasionally turns into a goat. Bed-and-breakfast and goat-men: what could be sexier? Non that there'southward annihilation wrong with that. I believe anybody should take the liberty 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 trouble with Kvothe and his beautiful male person companion getting frisky (caprine animal-fashion, of class). I only mention the implied homoerotic connection because Kvothe (a.g.a. The Nigh Interesting Human being in the World) is supposed to be a lady-killer. No, not a psycho rapist murderer, you lot freaks. A lady-killa. A Lover of Women. I suppose that's not necessarily inconsistent; perchance Kvothe swings both ways. Permit's all say it together, now: Not all of the book, still, is written in the first-person. First-person narrative is reserved for Kvothe'southward recitation of his life story. The residual of the volume, 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 tertiary-person sections start. Let me clarify at the outset that I have no trouble with the writer switching between starting time-person and third-person narrative. I recognize information technology tin be a powerful tool and it serves the construction of this story quite well. The book begins in the tertiary-person, and then as Kvothe tells his life story information technology switches to first-person, then back to 3rd-person for occasional interludes. My problem is with the writer switching his narrative phonation within the third-person sections. The academic geek is all over the place in that regard. Sometimes he writes a scene in tertiary-person subjective, other times tertiary-person objective. Some passages read like third-person limited, others 3rd-person all-seeing. At points the author seemed to switch voice page to folio, or even paragraph to paragraph. In one particularly irritating scene he fifty-fifty threw in a hint of offset-person for a paragraph or so. Maybe if I'd kept reading I would have plant a scene or two in second-person, just for adept measure. The switching of narrative voices was disruptive 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 empathise the advantages of an omniscient narrator that can chronicle some scenes from ane graphic symbol's point of view and others from a second character's indicate of view, and so on. But that theory doesn't fit The Proper name of the Wind. With near of the book, indeed the existent meat of the story, being written in the start-person, the 3rd-person sections are a minority and seem almost incidental, merely setting the stage and creating some dynamic/juxtaposition. And the theory doesn't explicate 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 considerately, from nobody's betoken of view. Notwithstanding other scenes alternate points of view paragraph past paragraph, or fifty-fifty sentence past judgement, 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 volume: 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 chore on the first-person narrative. Indeed, Kvothe's story incorporates some fair (non horrible, non great) drama, suspense, and sentiment. Portions are even quite quotable. The Writer 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 accept thought of. Unfortunately, for the reasons set forth below, those good qualities were non sufficient to need my connected attention. Many passages in Kvothe'south story felt lazy, unnecessary, unintended, or unoriginal. A few things were but apparently weird. For case: --> Kvothe asks his begetter a question and the male parent makes a big deal nearly wanting to respond with a poem, only after five lines he forgets the rest. Setting aside that the 5 remembered lines were some shitty poetry, why is the rest forgotten? If the verse form was important, then the writer should have taken the fourth dimension (or sought the help) to craft something decent for the father to recite. If the verse form was not important, why accept the begetter recite a poem at all? A pointless poem but serves to clutter the prose. What I observe especially interesting is my suspicion that the author was non consciously creating the Oedipal attraction. Similarly I suspect the author was not consciously creating the romantic connection between Kvothe and Bast. Perhaps if I'd finished the book I would have plant out that Kvothe was a gay man who masturbated to the memory of his mother. But I doubt it. --> Kvothe declares that he will "sum upward" a certain magical principle and begins with his "first" point. He then expounds upon that first signal, only never reaches a 2nd point, nor a tertiary or fourth. The explanation simply peters out. I also have a much more fundamental, underlying problem with the entire storyline. That is the quality of Kvothe as a character. He'south portrayed as a superhuman hero with a towering intellect and dazzling physical prowess. Kvothe can practice nothing wrong; no puzzle is likewise difficult and no problem too big to handle. He tin thrive under whatever circumstance and no lady can resist his advances (neither tin 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 Current of air over the course of a decade or more. You'd think, with all that fourth dimension to contemplate and mull over his book, he could come up with something more than interesting than (ironically) "The Nigh Interesting Man in the Globe."
--> 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 than then than when he describes his female parent every bit "slender, fresh, and bright, pale and smoothen-skinned in the firelight." I have trouble reconciling the Oedipus Complex with "The Near Interesting Man in the World." Unless I just misunderstand one or the other?
--> Kvothe's father sets up a dichotomy between poesy and music that I don't believe exists. (I admit that's merely a disagreement rather than a problem with the writing.)
--> In several places there was a lack of inventiveness with turn of phrase. One passage uses the phrase "in that location are times" also many times.
--> The author uses the definite article in a number of places were the indefinite article would have been more advisable. In the passage I marked as an instance, Kvothe talks virtually going "deeper into the city" without whatsoever prior mention of having entered whatever city, much less being on the verge of going deeper into information technology.
--> In another place, a cute 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 discover on his own. In this instance, it went from beautiful metaphor to so-so illustration.
I accept a Booktube channel now! Subscribe hither: https://www.youtube.com/petrikleo As an avid adult fantasy reader, out of all the books that I've been recommended, The Proper name of the Wind has e'er been recommended to me the about. Google, Goodreads, book reviewing sites, 9gag, even some people who don't read a lot of fantasy books, they take all praised the series highly and at present that I've read information technology, it's in my opinion that the fame is totally well deserved; there's no doubt that this is truly a fantastic high fantasy volume. 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 upwardly to his nowadays life as an innkeeper in Waystone Inn. Kvothe will tell the entire chronicle of his life within 3 days and The Proper name of the Current of air encompassed Day I of his storytelling. That'south it, that's really the basic premise of the story; you can fifty-fifty call this novel a high fantasy memoir if you lot want. Picture: Tarbean by Dan dos Santos If yous oasis't read this book yet, yous're probably wondering why this volume became one of the most highly acclaimed fantasy books of our time. Honestly, I have to concord that information technology's seriously one of the best out there; it's simply amazing and there are a lot of factors in the book that worked and so well harmoniously towards producing that result. Withal, at that place's one single element in the volume that excels higher up all the others. Is information technology the characters? Could be, The Name of the Air current 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'southward perspective; information technology'southward 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 8 years former up to his fifteenth year. We will read about Kvothe'due south struggle during this period of time and how his life was an e'er-irresolute cycle fortune and disaster. Plus, the addition of empathizing side characters such as Bast, Simmone, Elodin, and Auri fabricated the book fifty-fifty more than intriguing. However, I have to say no, information technology'south not the incredibly well-written characters that dazzled the most to me. Is information technology the earth-edifice? Well, it'southward true that the globe-building of Temerant is tremendous and intricately crafted. The currency, mythology, legends, songs, and a unique magic system chosen Sympathy felt so real and conceivable to me; they enhanced the immersive and bright nature of the narrative. And however, no, it's non the globe-building. What is it and so, the action? No, don't come into this volume expecting a lot of battle or state of war scenes because you'll most likely exist disappointed. The narration is extremely engaging and too intense in some places, merely there are—approximately—only twenty pages of battle scenes in total. The Name of the Wind will not pull you into the usual yard tale of 'Good vs Evil' where the primary story revolves around the protagonists' struggle against the villains to save the world. So no, it's non the action. It's music: the role that absorbed 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 manner 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 volume; information technology'due south insane how beautifully written the depiction of music and sounds are. I could run into 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 oversupply when Kvothe stopped playing and almost of all, I could feel the emotions oozing out of the audition 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 carol equanimous by the most famous Edema Ruh, was performed. It's and so masterfully written and right at present, in my caput, I accept my ain perception of how this vocal should sound; I can't look to encounter how that perception compares to Lin-Manuel Miranda's rendition of this song in the upcoming TV serial adaptation of this novel. Picture: Playing For His Pipes by Dan dos Santos It's a catchy business to detect the correct formula to unify all these magnificent elements in a book, specially with music being 1 of them. Simply Rothfuss managed to do information technology. How did he achieve the superb residual for all those factors? Summit prose. Seriously, I can't stress this highly enough, Rothfuss's writing style is unquestionably phenomenal; in that location's a glimpse of grace in almost every word yous'll read in the book. Without Rothfuss'southward prose, The Name of the Wind would probably receive a 2 or three stars rating at almost from me. Patrick Rothfuss is a main craftsman with words and his prose deserves just 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'south axiomatic how the fourteen years of revision and editing brought fruition to this absolutely marvelous upshot. By the end of this book, I realized The Proper name of the Wind has immersed me in an intricate role-play situation. Through reading this book, I became more than than myself. I am not merely the reader who read a masterpiece called The Name of the Current of air, I am not the Chronicler who wrote Kvothe's journey, and I am not Kvothe'due south loyal amateur. I am the one they phone call Reshi, Anemic, Six-String, and I am the "I" in the relate. My proper name is Kvothe, yous may take heard of me. At present, I encourage you to read my story. Moving picture: The Proper noun of the Wind by Marc Simonetti You can order the book from: Book Depository (Free aircraft) You can find the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions "It's like anybody tells a story about themselves inside their own head. Always. All the fourth dimension. That story makes you what y'all are. We build ourselves out of that story."
"When we are children we seldom think of the hereafter. This innocence leaves usa free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The twenty-four hours nosotros fret about the future is the mean solar day we leave our babyhood behind."
"Music is a proud, temperamental mistress. Give her the time and attention she deserves, and she is yours. Slight her and at that place will come a day when you lot call and she will not answer. So I began sleeping less to give her the fourth dimension she needed."
"Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. Equally names accept power, words take power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words tin wring tears from the hardest hearts."
This is why I dearest fantasy then much. Later a recent string of okay fantasy novels, a couple of good ones just nothing to go actually excited well-nigh, I've rediscovered my passion thanks to this book. I'm so impressed, and so in honey, I can't begin to draw it. But I tin can try to give you a feel for the book, if I tin figure out where to start and how to practice justice to this masterpiece. Kvothe (pronounced similar "Quothe") is a earth-renowned effigy of mystery with a disreputable reputation - a hero or a demon depending on which stories you hear. The real homo 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 at that place that he shows any involvement 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 upwardly with his parents' troupe, performing plays and tricks across the land while beingness taught "sympathy" (magic), history, chemistry etc. past a tinker, Abenthy, who had been to the University; to catastrophe up homeless and penniless on the streets of Treban, a big port city. It'southward not until he's xv that he makes it to the Academy, and is accustomed, 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 upwardly the ranks of the university. There are many adventures and mishaps along the way, and while some plotlines come up to a tidy end at the close of this novel, over-arching plotlines and themes have been given a solid foundation to go on on into the next books. Information technology took a surprisingly long time for me to realise the connection between the number of days he volition take to tell his story, and that this is "Mean solar day 1" in the trilogy - it's told over the course of the first day. The simply thing is, he'due south young yet (Chronicler judges him to exist about 25, though at times he looks infintely older), and there are things happening in "existent fourth dimension" that intrude upon the story, that volition need to be resolved I think - so while I have every confidence Rothfuss has first-class control over his creation, I would love more three books :) I can't recollect of the last fourth dimension I was this impressed by any story, permit alone a fantasy novel. I won't compare it to bloody George R.R. Martin similar everyone else is doing considering I don't meet that they have anything in common, really - one is a work of pure genius and the other is utter crap. Comparison them simply heightens my dislike of A Game of Thrones. In truth, it's only a marketing strategy to compare new books to ones that are already actually popular, in society to draw in a well-established audience. This is an epic fantasy - epic in scope - but it'south as well a bildungsroman, a story of a person's life, a life journeying (including the tranquillity moments), which I honey. The character evolution is ludicrously practiced. The earth-building is solid, believable and original - in that location're enough new elements to keep your interest, but not so many that y'all get confused and overwhelmed: a perfect balance. The design of "sympathy" is original and unique, and makes so much sense that I'g half-surprised it doesn't really work. It's complicated enough to non exist trite, merely i basic premise is the connection betwixt things, the sympathy they have with each other - if you broke a branch in ii, the two halves would still have a connection, like sharing the verbal same DNA, and so if yous control i one-half yous affect the other half. Same with two pennies of the same metal, then that, if y'all were holding one and someone belongings 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'due south an intellectual kind of magic, non a "moving ridge the wand" type. It takes cognition, concentration and effort, and then in upshot, anyone could learn. As for the characters and their growth, I am so impressed and so in love I volition no doubt exercise a bad task of expressing information technology. While Kvothe's story is told in his voice, showtime person, the present twenty-four hours interludes are told in tertiary person omniscient, but usually from sure characters' points of view. You lot get a mix of other people's impressions of characters, and a gentle showing that tells u.s.a. even more. The genius is in how Kvothe is portrayed: while telling the story, himself equally a immature 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 equally a man, having been through all that and more and had information technology shape him into something subtly different, notwithstanding still very much the aforementioned 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 beat, actually. He's not good or evil, but he'due south suffering from a conscience: he's very human, and alone, 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'due south bidding and fetching nutrient and cutting forest for others. I expect it's his contradictions and complexities that draw me to him. The writing style is polish, the pacing just correct (though the beginning few chapters have a while to get you into the story, you still need to read them closely considering there're a lot of details in them), and the prose isn't cluttered with tedious, irrelevant descriptions or pointless details. Information technology'southward a fat book and a long story, but it flies by. While information technology needed better proofreading - at that place were a lot of problems with dialogue punctuation; at that place were a few lazy typos; he never once used a semicolon when he should have; and he e'er used "lay" instead of "laid" (simply hey, at least he was consistent) - the prose itself is engaging, oftentimes humorous, detailed only not overly so, and never boring. I as well loved the little songs and ditties that are included, and the stories within Kvothe'due south story. Likewise, the way he doles out the various plots, revealing and hinting at the right moments, building up tension and apprehension, giving clues that start to coagulate into a stunning pic, is, bluntly, impressive. The supporting bandage, while non as fully explored as Kvothe (it is his story, after all), are in their ain means vividly portrayed and gradually explored. In that location'southward no mesomorphic exposition or a description of a graphic symbol shoved at you all at one time. It'southward 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. In that location was a while at that place, when I was reading, that the prose gave me the aforementioned kind of thrill as reading a sex scene in a romance novel might - only 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 maxim more than, merely that it'south 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 besides to people who relish great stories told wonderfully well. As many non-fantasy readers loved Harry Potter, they would also dearest this volume.
Okay. Wow. Allow's back the hell up hither. How is this so highly rated? Are those genre-establishment reviewers who're thrashing almost in paroxysms of fawning 5-star NEXT BIG THING OMG joy wearing blinders or just and so used to mediocre fantasy that this book actually comes across looking practiced in comparison? Why do these high fantasy disappointments keep on keeping on? Whose brilliant idea was information technology 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 arranged together into a lump sum donation to the Feminist Fantasy Writer Foundation? And for God'southward sake, why do male fantasy writers ever write about do-everything, know-it-all male heroes who beat dragons, defeat their conniving rivals, strangle angels, and literally walk through fires /conveying weeping females over their shoulders similar sacks of potatoes/???? HE WALKS THROUGH A Burn down GUYS. WITH A GIRL SLUNG OVER HIS SHOULDERS. Similar JESUS CHRIST OR SOMETHING. AKJGALGJLSJLAG West.T.F. For one, the protagonist is an detestable little shit. He's the all-time musician, the all-time dueler, the all-time test-taker, the fastest learner, the snarkiest snarker, and the all-time actor. Plus he'south got the greenest optics too. And an encyclopedic noesis of everything at that place is to know, ever. And a tragic past. His ane handicap is that he's clay poor, but hey! That'south okay, because he'due south and then crawly information technology hardly matters. (Well, to be hair, it is a fairly severe handicap. But that doesn't brand up for his infuriating lack of weakness in basically every other area of his life.) To echo an before 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 cocky-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 scarlet rose clenched between his teeth. Just it's non, which is why he's blushing and stammering (but still, amazingly, Getting the Girl)". And the language. Okay. What. I understand this is fantasy, and so it's gotta accept the ponderous, stentorian, "And Twas information technology Was that Haldorian Son of Keoth-Arbalith Returned to the Neat Stone Belfry 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, simply jesus, put a cap on it, please? Like, the cheapass cliff-hangers that end one chapter just to resolve in the very next paragraph? And this following paragraph, which I specially earmarked out of bungle-eyed feelings of what-the-fuckery? "Deoch, my heart is made of stronger stuff than drinking glass. When she strikes she'll find it strong every bit fe-leap brass, or golden and determined together mixed. Don't retrieve I am unaware, some startled deer to stand transfixed by hunter'southward horns. Information technology's she who should accept care, for when she strikes, my centre will make a sound to beautiful and vivid that it can't help but bring her back to me in winged flying." A moment of wondering silence for how this drivel actually managed to avoid excision via enraged editor. Non to go on an embittered, long-winded rant or anything (.. too belatedly for that), just this volume represents pretty much everything I hate about loftier fantasy. There's the utter paucity of strong female person characters. The paper-thin villainy of the baddies. The lack of existent dimension besides character 'typeness'. The never-ending leveling up of powers. The protagonist who tin can practice no wrong. The bluntly boring, and sometimes hair-raisingly clichéd, apply of linguistic communication. Also, the lack of females. You know what this volume makes me desire to do? Nail the patriarchy. Oh my god. I call up this guy needs to sit down at the feet of Joss Whedon or George R.R. Martin and learn something worthwhile.
I'll give this 5* with no acrimonious. I'm pretty easy with my 5*, they're not reserved for the best volume I've ever read, but very good books. I thought The Proper name of the Air current was "very skilful". I read information technology in what for me was a very curt bridge of time - it had that 'more-ish' quality that best sellers need. Can I see what makes this the single best selling ballsy fantasy for a generation (apart from George Martin's series)? No. Excepting that perhaps the lesson is that to be head and shoulders in a higher place your competition in sales "all" you need is to be better by a nose - after that the non-linear dynamics of the market place take over and elevate you to godhood. I loved the writing, and that's very important to me. Rothfuss often treads the sparse line between prose and poetry, and fortunately information technology'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 generally compelling. It uses the opposite of the device I saw recently in Claret Song of a framing story that'south non 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' nosotros 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 almost of the volume. Like Blood Song, and many other really successful books, TNOTW is at its core a schoolhouse story. Harry Potter, Wizard of Earthsea etc all feature magic schools, for Blood Song and Enders' Game it was a battle schoolhouse, just the point is that the schools + lessons + masters combo sells saucepan loads if you write it really well and plumb information technology into a compelling larger moving-picture show. With magic the school organization also provides a painless manner of educating your readers in the magic-system you take (past virtue of information technology being delivered through formal education) elected to use. Was there annihilation incorrect with it? For me the whole 'and so I broke another cord' and 'I was very hungry and dirty in Tarbean' sections were rather ho-hum and lengthy - I understand their part in the story simply 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 terminal 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 information technology, incurring costs. We know the contents of his purse at most 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 comprehend their expenses drives much of the story. In short though, given the impossible level of expectation built upward by years of hearing how incredible this book is ... the text made a very good attempt to live upwards to its reputation. Join my Patreon ........
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I have no interest in imagining I'1000 someone who is stronger, deadlier, smarter, sexier, etc. than myself - a famed hero in a milqtoast earth little different from modern North America. I read fantasy to immerse myself in strange worlds ripe with danger and conflict. To uncork central wonders. And there is none of that in Rothfuss' volume. His world is nigh as strange and dangerous as a mashed spud sandwich. His protagonist is comically overblown wish fullfillment for people who weren't popular in college. I'm admittedly 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 institute the quality of the prose very poor. Cliches grow, the author tells rather than shows, and the language is neither poetic nor elegant. Then for those who discover the writing quality high, I'd like to hear some examples of writing they feel is poor quality. * Content. I accept 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 y'all as exceptional?
Information technology's a well known fact that I will read pretty much any book with a magical school just so is the fact that I don't like waiting for the adjacent book in a serial. With that said, 2020 has been such a shit yr, I decided to tackle a bunch of the books I expected to give 5 star to including this one even though book three... well it might never come. The volume had a lot of potential and I did more often than not bask it. Interesting magic arrangement, overall intriguing characters and a mystery to effigy out. The reviews I had heard had mentioned that the main grapheme was insufferable and, although my mind might change after reading book 2, so far I'm seeing information technology more as his older self thinking he used to be that way. I didn't care for the "love interest" 1 bit just what else is new. Also didn't intendance likewise much for the risk towards the end but I will exist continuing the series ASAP.
I kinda liked this volume. Merely my opinion on the affair probably shouldn't exist trusted....
ETA #ii: Spare me Rothfuss fanboys who merely desire to choice fights over negative reviews. I thought the book sucked. My thinking the book sucked in no style impacts how much others enjoyed the book. And if you are uncomfortable that I signal out the lack of stiff female person characters, the primary graphic symbol as substantially a male Mary Sue, or the fact that the unabridged book was pure male fantasy wish fulfillment, then maybe you should consider some personal reflection on why those points upset you lot. ETA: I had to downgrade this from two 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 cream at the mouth. I slogged through the first 200 pages and kept wondering when the plot was going to evidence up. The early bits were interesting but had a tendency to drag (espcially after Kvothe was by himself). Subsequently he joined the University, the story picked upward a bit and became more than engaging -- but there was still no real indicate to the volume... and later finishing information technology, at that place nevertheless wasn't. Rothfuss probably planned the story arc over the span of (presumably) three books, and bankrupt upward the story at what seemed similar appropriate points. But my complaint is that they weren't - by focusing on the overall story arc, there were no arcs in the individual volume, 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 later a while, it got annoying. Would information technology have killed the writer to give his master 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 merely awesome but better than people who were masters. Everyone LURVED him. If a character didn't love him, they were horrible, bad, non 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 examination. Gag. There were plenty 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 terminate up liking it plenty to contemplate continuing on with the second volume...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. 
UPDATE: $1.99 Kindle US 11/1/20 MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List Information technology WAS Dark Over again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a silence of three parts. This is simply part of the prologue to THE Proper noun OF THE WIND that drew me correct 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 and so looking it upwardly on goodreads to meet that then many of my friends loved it. I immediately bought it and I'chiliad just diddled 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 way is amazing. Information technology flows... like water, I have only thought this one time before reading a novel. This is a big tome of a book with 700 + pages and at that place is non one moment of colorlessness or dragging. NOT. ONE. MOMENT. I am totally in dearest with Kvothe The Anemic! 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 immature Kvothe'south 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 only what would y'all do when you lot take goose egg, but he is a smart boy and he is kind. He finds a mode to help himself out and decides he's going to Academy :-) But information technology'south the footling kindnesses of people and Kvothe himself that bear upon my heart. He turned his back on me and started to tidy his workbench rather aimlessly, humming to himself. It took me a 2nd to recognize the tune: "Leave the Town, Tinker." 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 only we won't go there! Kvothe plays the lute :-) He's very good at it and information technology helps him out on many occasions when he is strapped for money when he gets into University. And go in he does, through existence smart... he'southward 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 office of his life without shoes and just trying to go far through the nights outside in the freezing cold with fiddling to swallow. He made it and he struggles and he'southward tearing and he's a hero!!!!! Every time someone brought him down he came back up! He never gave upwardly! He is the best kind of hero, a kind person but he does become the all-time of some evil people when he has to and I love it, oh how I love it. I'm really glad Kvothe plant a couple of actually good friends at the school considering he had and so much against him. So many bad things would happen, merely like I said, he would find a style to rising support. He even plant a love interest simply it didn't really get to get anywhere but that is another story. Let me just throw in ii more EXCERPTS -->I tin can't help myself, the book has and so many good stuff information technology's hard to pick just a few. I paused. "However, at this moment I have 2 jots in my purse and nowhere in the globe to get more than that. I have zilch worth selling that I oasis't already sold. You can't help simply be proud of Kvothe and his determination to become what he wants and doing annihilation to get information technology. Some other part showing how nice and skilful he is, he gives a uncomplicated girl a charm to make her feel better. "Now information technology's tuned to you," I said. "No matter what, no affair where it is, information technology will protect you and go along you prophylactic. You could even break it and melt it down and the charm would yet hold." For the love of God, if you haven't read this book and love these kinds of loftier fantasy novels, READ IT! If you lot have had it on your shelf debating on reading information technology, READ It! If you lot have never heard of it up until at present, purchase it and READ IT! Information technology's i of the best and it'south on my favorites list now... just await on Goodreads, in that location it is, under favorites! At that place are soooo many wonderful characters in this volume, even the ones nosotros but come across for awhile. And yes there are evil ones, but that's the way of a not bad volume. Simply amazing! I think we should finish in at the Waystone Inn and accept a pint and talk for a bit. I also bought the second book on the same twenty-four hours because I could at the time and I knew I would love these books. I just knew it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
The near obvious part was a hollow, echoing placidity, made by things that were lacking. If in that location had been a air current it would have sighed through the copse, fix the inn'southward sign creaking on its hooks, and brushed the silence downwardly the road like trailing fall leaves. 
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 correct about it. I quietly gathered upwards my things and left a pair of copper jots on his stool before I left.
Why? Because pride is a strange thing, and considering generosity deserves generosity in return. Simply mostly because it felt like the right matter to do, and that is reason enough.
"Admit me for more than than two jots and I will non be able to attend. Admit me for less and I will be hither every twenty-four hour period, while every night I will do what it takes to stay alive while I study here. I will slumber in alleys and stables, wash dishes for kitchen scraps, beg pennies to purchase pens. I will do whatsoever it takes." I said the last words fiercely, almost snarling them.
"But admit me costless, and give me three talents so I tin alive and buy what I demand to learn properly, and I will be a student the likes of which you have never seen earlier."
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 one-half his fire I'd teach with a whip and a chair instead of chalk and slate." He brought his mitt down hard on the table in front of him.
She threw her arms around me and kissed my cheek. And then stood all of a sudden, blushing. No longer pale and stricken, her eyes were brilliant. I hadn't noticed earlier, only she was beautiful.
She left soon later that and I saturday for a while on my bed thinking.
Over the concluding month I had pulled a adult female from a blazing inferno. I had chosen fire and lightening down on assassins and escaped to safety. I had even killed something that could take either been a dragon or demon, depending on your point of view.
But in that location in that room was the first fourth dimension I actually felt similar whatever sort of hero. If you are looking for a reason for the homo I would eventually get, if you are looking for a beginning, look hither. 
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Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind