Customer Reviews

The Name of the Wind (KingKiller Chronicles)

5 star:		(817)
4 star:		(147)
3 star:		(87)
2 star:		(63)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

It seems to me that every year there are more books I want to read and less time for me to read them. Because my time is limited, I'm guilty of picking up the books by my favorite authors first, and fitting in new authors only when it's convenient.
Due to a stroke of luck, I've had an advance copy of The Name of the Wind by my bedside for over six months, just waiting for me to open it. Unfortunately, deadlines of my own kept getting in the way. But in a way, it's lucky that I didn't crack this book until just a few days ago. If I'd had this tale to distract me, I'd have been even later getting my work done.
I loathe spoilers, so I'm not going to discuss the plot of this book. I will say it has all the things that I demand of a book. The characters are real, the action is convincing and it has a compelling story to tell.
One of the things I like best about this book is that the magic is absolutely rooted in the book's world. Nothing seems contrived; the consistency is excellent.

The characters are very well realized. That means that when the protagonist does something clever, it's believable. And when he does something youthfully dumb, it rings just as authentically true. Because the characters are real and the magic is true to its own world, I closed this book feeling as if I'd been on a journey with an entertaining new friend, rather than sitting alone looking at words on a page.
This one is well worth some of your precious reading time. I'll wager that the books to follow it will also be.

Robin Hobb

I always read the negative reviews of books I liked. For one, I think people can be much more detailed about what they don't like than what they did. Second, I just want to know what made people dislike something I liked.

There seems to be an overall theme amongst the negative reviews that Kvothe is unlikable--but most of these reviews contradict themselves. They don't like him because he's arrogant, but then also complain that he's too perfect to be realistic and has no flaws. I think Rothfuss's intentions were to make Kvothe's arrogance one of his biggest flaws. Imagine you caught on to many subjects in school very fast, were number one in your class and had a relatively quick wit. You'd probably be arrogant, too, as I know the smart, popular people in my high school were. And it's Kvothe's arrogance that constantly gets him into trouble.

The theme of Rothfuss's book, to me, is the difference between the reality of a man's life and his actions, and the stories other men tell about him. That's why we begin with him in a quiet inn, then cut to local patrons telling wild tales. We are introduced to a character, The Chronicler, whose sole purpose in "life" is to find the truth about stories, to debunk myths and legends. But fantasy books *are* the stuff of myths and legends--dragons, fair maidens, faeries, wizards. So how do you tell the story of a renowned magical hero without the requisite exaggeration and outright lies? Without turning the hero into an unrealistic beacon of flawless unrelenting perfection? You tell both stories--the ones people want to believe, and the story that comes closest to the truth. And the truth is Kvothe is a rash, impulsive, sometimes selfish and very often stupidly arrogant man. These traits get him into endless trouble, which he sometimes weasels his way out of through his wit and talents.

You are given Kvothe's many legendary titles (like Bloodless) and then learn the slightly less-than-mystical reason why he was given that quasi-true moniker. What's masterful about Rothfuss's work here, however, is that even when you tear down the myths about Kvothe and get to the "real" story, Kvothe still emerges a hero. If that is too unbelievable for you, if it's not realistic for a character to be truly heroic and truly talented and truly great despite his flaws, then you won't like this story. It's just not cynical enough for you.

This is the kind of novel that fantasy readers dream of reading. It's the kind of novel would-be writers dream of writing. Excellent writing, deeply complex characters, careful revelations and wonderful plot twists. I haven't enjoyed a debut fantasy novel this much since Barry Hughart's "Bridge of Birds" or Rosemary Kirstein's "The Steerswoman."

The protagonist, Kvothe, is seemingly hiding as an innkeeper. But there are nasty creatures about, that may or may not be attracted to him. After Kvothe rescues a bard, he ends up telling the bard his life story. So you get the back story on a nearly-mythical wizard, mixed with increasingly dark events happening in the present. It is an extremely effective way to to tell a story. It certainly kept me up all night. And I can truthfully say I savored each of the 660 plus pages.

Maybe the best part is that Rothfuss, in his blog, says all three books in the trilogy are written, and will be released at one year intervals. I can't wait.

This is about as good as high fantasy gets. An imaginative, powerful and compelling story that is exceptionally well told. My compliments to Mr. Rothfuss. And my very highest recommendation to readers.

With hundreds of reviews and several customer discussions on its Amazon page, "The Name of the Wind" aroused my curiosity. Some negative comments appeared calculated to smear while some positive comments seemed equally overdone. I do not doubt there are both heart-felt one and five star reviews posted here, but isolated comments from both camps seemed disingenuous. I had to see what all the fuss was about. (Congratulations to anyone who thought such disagreement and vitriol would help market the book... you got me!)

Of 722 total pages, I estimate that there were less than 200 pages of compelling narrative taken altogether. Most were located in the latter half of the book. It was not necessarily poorly written, there was just a lot of pointless detail. Ignoring for a moment the overarching plot device of a legendary hero narrating his tale to a scribe, the narrative of the book can be reasonably broken down into the following sections: 1. Kvothe as a trouper with his family; 2. Kvothe as a street urchin in the large city of Tarbean; 3. Kvothe at the university. The first two sections take almost 250 pages. They could have been greatly abbreviated without any ill-effect to the story. The final section also suffers from dead weight resulting in very slow pacing.

The first-person narrative introduced some difficulties for me. Kvothe seems to dearly enjoy hearing himself talk. Maybe as a hero it is his right, but he seems just a tad too pleased with himself at times. Some quips were witty while others fell flat. Some thoughts were inspiring while others were corny or self-evident. He actually says, "Attend to me as I draw back the curtain to reveal a long-kept minstrel's secret..." (page 477). Groan! I wonder if Chronicler rolled his eyes. He took himself and his tale a little too seriously at times. In a few instances, Kvothe hints at a greater context or another anecdote but refuses to share it. It felt like a bit of a cop out (planting a seed in the reader's mind without actually working for it; i.e., fully developing the narrative).

Another bitter pill for me was that a lot of the drama seemed forced or contrived. Every time things were going well or smoothly, the rug would inevitably be pulled out from under Kvothe. The tension did not seem to arise organically. Instead, it felt like the author set him up just to knock him down again.

The characterizations suffered on a couple fronts. Various characters were tired clichés (mean-spirited schoolmaster, haughty rich student) and others were not well developed. Kvothe's two best friends at the university (and their relationships) seemed weakly established.

It appears to be en vogue of late for fantasy novelists to verbalize their conscious efforts to defy the conventions of the genre. A theme throughout this book is that things did not occur neatly or tidily because this is not a story or fairy tale. Yet it still read just the same to me. Apparently telling us the story is not a story is no reliable means to escape the conventions. This is not fantasy literature's first flawed hero or legendary figure who is revealed to be less than his image.

I struggled to finish the book. It was only on my last day of reading that I decided to rate it at three stars instead of two. There is some pretty good stuff here. There's just a whole lot of frustrating nonsense you must be willing and prepared to wade through. I honestly do not know if I will read the next installment(s).

Even after reading the star reviews on the back of the book and all the praise for Rothfuss on Amazon reviews, I had my doubts. People tend to get a little over-excited about new authors and their debut novels. Still, I thought I'd give this one a chance. Good damn thing too! Don't take it lightly when I tell you that I think Rothfuss will be recognized as one of America's very best fantasy authors in the near future.

This is the first part of a three-book series recounting the life of Kvothe, an almost mythical man somewhere between an outlaw and a hero. As Kvothe-in-hiding narrates the majority of this book, recounting his early days as a child to his coming of age as an advanced student at the University, a new story is also starting to unfold in the present tense. The overall effect is that you're really reading two separate stories at once, one being the primary story of Kvothe's youth, and the other being much more brief and mysterious but guaranteeing dark futures. Both stories are extremely infectious and promise excellent tales to come. You're left with a feeling of only knowing a small part of an epic tale with many secrets and mysteries yet to be discovered.

As other reviewers have stated, the characters are incredible. Kvothe, the main character and storyteller, is somehow at once intimately knowable and mysterious. One of the strange dynamics of the story is being able to compare the Kvothe of the present to the Kvothe of his story. Two very different seeming people. Most of the side characters hold their own secrets as well. What is the role of the creature of fae who appears to be Kvothe's apprentice or protector or something else? What is the deal with the frustrating Denna, who presents young Kvothe with so much heartache but appears to be desperately in love with him too? I can't wait to find out.

The overriding theme of this first book is in the form of foreshadowing great events to come. The reader knows much less than the characters in the book, but gains hint after hint of mysterious secrets to be discovered in the future. I can't think of another book that takes quite the same approach to telling a tale, but it worked quite well for this one. Props to Rothfuss for taking the chance on doing something new with his first novel.

It is going to be hard waiting two years for the conclusion of the trilogy, but you can bet I won't forget much of this compelling story in the mean time. After reading Rothfuss' first novel, I'm convinced that he deserves the hype.

This was a surprisingly difficult book to rate. How many stars do you give a book like this? At times it was wonderful, and at other times it was quite bad.

On the one hand, lengthy stretches of this book grabbed me, pulled me down, and kept me submerged in a truly wonderful and believable fantasy world. Some portions of the book were quite adventurous while many others developed believable, intricate characters and wonderful settings. Patrick Rothfuss, the book's author, did a particularly good (if optimistic) job of creating a believable academic, university setting in a fantasy world. This setting let him deal with magic in a very thoughtful and intriguing way.

In addition to all of this, some portions of the book had me laughing out loud, and others left me thinking, "Wow." Wow, this is exactly how this scene should have gone. Or - wow, I wasn't expecting that. How exciting! Or - wow, that is a really interesting character!

On the other hand, lengthy periods of this book were terrible. Some sections were downright tedious and uninteresting. I understand why they were there, and how they serve the story. But still, they could have been written better and could have been more engaging. Some sections of the book were slow and plodding.

Reading requires effort. Don't get me wrong; I love to read, and I rarely consider fiction-reading to be work. I really love books and I love words even more. Still, reading does require effort. And there were times, when I was reading this, when I wondered if it was worth the effort. It is a long book and it has some tedious sections.

So, how did I decide to rate this book? Why four stars? Well, the excellent sections of the book were really excellent, and they made up for the not-so-great sections.

But, beyond that, I was particularly impressed by how well the author developed his leading character, Kvothe. Considering the book, after I had finished it, I was impressed to realize just how much Kvothe changes throughout the novel. He is one kind of person at one point, and a very different kind of person later. And then, remarkably, he changes yet again! It is impressive that the author could pull this transformation off. It makes sense that the character changes as he does, and the character seems consistent, believable, and fascinating.

I had complicated feelings about this book. On one hand, I loved Patrick Rothfuss's writing style and the way he set up the world. He managed to keep me engaged throughout the book, the settings were detailed, Sympathy was incredibly clever, the University was cool--the set-up was just fantastic. The idea was intriguing, as well; I haven't read many, if any, books with this premise. The whole idea is that Kvothe is already a legend, and is recording his story.

However, the main character got in the way.

I found Kvothe to be unrelatable and irritating. I don't want to give too much away, but I didn't feel anything for him during any of his hardships. The whole book is just a platform for Mr. Rothfuss to proclaim how amazing his protagonist is. At one point, Kvothe's first mentor tells Kvothe's parents that their son will excel at anything he does, and become the greatest whatever the world has ever seen. Kvothe has no flaws--he's a genius, he's the most talented musician anyone has ever seen, he rescues people, he makes friends, he's the 'plucky underdog' who stands up the mean, rich bully--he's annoying! True, there are books where you're supposed to dislike the main character, but this isn't one of them. I'm supposed to like him, but he's too convinced of his own superiority.

I also disliked Kvothe's girlfriend. She changes her name often, but Kvothe calls her Denna. She's basically a female Kvothe, which explains why they get on so well. However, where Kvothe is learning Sympathy, Denna is essentially a gold-digger. But it's all good, because she's beautiful and life is hard for attractive, single women! I sort of understand what Mr. Rothfuss is trying to explain when another character gives Kvothe this whole speech on why Denna acts like she does, but it just came off as "That's all attractive women can do!"

Actually, that was the thing I disliked about this world--women don't really show up. There are some people in Kvothe's troup at the beginning, there are a few women learning Sympathy, and there's Denna. I would be fine with what Denna does to survive if it had been handled better, but it wasn't. She's portrayed as bright, and women are allowed into the University--why doesn't she study and apply? She's apparently the only musician who can rival Kvothe--why doesn't she try to make a name for herself as a singer and get a patron? She's apparently a good actress--why not act? The justification for what she does is basically "she's hot and it's easy money."

A lot of the minor characters were more enjoyable--Devon and Bast, especially, except for when they're sucking up to Kvothe. Interactions between the two of them are...interesting, to say the least. However, a lot of the minor characters simply provide a background that Kvothe can shine against. They're there to make him look good. In general, the teachers either love Kvothe or hate him. The ones who love him are intelligent, good people, while the ones who hate him are EEEEEEEEVIL pigs or idiots.

Master Elodin is one of the exceptions. He's totally mad, and is my favorite character in the book. Also, he convinced Kvothe to jump off a roof, which is reason enough to love him. The librarian, too, is likable. He catches Kvothe with a candle in a stack of old, rare books and bans him from the library. He's overprotective of his books, which I can totally relate to.

Overall, I would give this book 2 1/2 stars, but I'm rounding it down to two. While I did enjoy Mr. Rothfuss's writing style immensely, his characters need a major overhaul. I won't buy the next books, but if I could borrow them from a friend, I would read them, just to see if the characters get more likeable.

The reasons legends work is because the characters in them are legends. They don't need to be human; we don't expect them to be, we don't want them to be. Patrick Rothfuss tried to make a hero a person, and didn't quite get it right.

My first review of this book was reported by an offended fan and removed by Amazon (I will not deny that it may have been warranted). For this review I decided to articulate in detail why I don't like this book in a very clear and fair manner. Regardless of this review being helpful it will probably receive many "Not Helpful" votes by fans trying to bury negative reviews out of spite, examples of this can be seen on some worthy reviews below. The question is asking if the review is helpful, it's not asking if you enjoy valid criticism of your favorite book.

[No Spoilers]

The book is about a man named Kvothe who is telling his life story at an Inn, beginning as a young boy in a group of traveling performers. The world the book takes place in involves a magic system called "Sympathy", and a "True Name" power, where knowing the true name of something gives you power over it. The story is fairly linear aside from moments where you are reading about the present day Kvothe telling his story.

Pros:
- Interesting concept (The main character telling the story of his past)
- Unique magic system called "Sympathy", and the "True Name" power
- The author's writing style is not bad

Cons:
- The main character is pretty much the only one that does not come across as flat
- Female characterizations particularly lack depth (The protagonist's "love interest" is poorly written)
- The main character comes across as arrogant and unlikeable (If you met Kvothe in real life you would not like him, you'd probably be beneath him anyway)
- The main character is over-powered mentally, musically, and magically in an uninteresting way (There're books with adept protagonists that are less abrasive)
- Extreme lack of interesting plot developments for a fantasy book. (It almost felt like I was reading a boring run-of-the-mill fiction for most of the book)
- The pacing is slow (Lord of the Rings has slow parts, A song of Ice and Fire has slow parts, but they have what this book does not, rewarding, engrossing moments)
- Overwritten (The story does not merit 672 pages, I may have given it 2 stars if it was shorter, but at this length it became tedious)
- Overhyped (If this book wasn't rated so highly and presented as the best fantasy story to come along in years I would not have felt so betrayed)
- Cliché (The manner the story is told in is interesting, but the things happening are not. i.e. young orphan boy goes to magic academy, excels at everything)
- Boring (For all the reasons mentioned above)

I've never felt so cheated, betrayed, and angry over a book before. I'm severely bothered and confused by the fact that I hated this book, yet so many people love it. My taste in fantasy is very broad. Some of my favorites are: Malazan Book of the Fallen, The Great Book of Amber, A Song of Ice and Fire, Wheel of Time, LOTR, The Mistborn Trilogy, (Dune and Hyperion are favorites for Sci-Fi). Sometimes I'll even pick up a mass-market paperback from the grocery store like "The Dresden Files" and enjoy it.. so I'm not that picky, though generally I do prefer books of a higher standard.

What is it about this book that makes everyone love it? Maybe I'll figure it out when I'm older and have more patience, but I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone. I would suggest checking out any of the books I mentioned above before buying Name of the Wind. They are all well-loved and deserving of it.

I don't think poorly of anyone who likes this book, or wish to disrespect them or the author. In fact I believe Patrick Rothfuss has great potential, and is a better writer than I could ever dream to be. This is only my opinion of this particular book, and everyone has the right to their own opinions and preferences.

C. S. Lewis said of Lord of the Rings: "Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart ... good beyond hope." To use it for this book is high praise, indeed, but accurate.

I've been reading fantasy since the 60's, and have lost track of the number of copies of LOTR I've worn out. Of the 1,000's of books sitting on my shelves, I can count on the fingers of one hand the ones that reach that level: The Fionavar Tapestry, the first Deryni trilogy, the Belgariad Epic, and the Riddlemaster of Hed. This pantheon now has a new member. Never have I read a book that was so engrossing, so quickly. I cannot praise it enough. Mr Rothfuss, where have you been hiding?

I'm completely mystified by this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the first quarter of the book, but then the book just fell apart.

First, Denna. Are we supposed to enjoy reading about the maddening and nonsensical non-relationship between Kvothe and Denna? I couldn't decide if I was supposed to like Denna or see her as the evil temptress our hero's misplaced love for whom will bring about about his downfall. In the end I'm still not sure, and Denna remains a non-person, a sketch of a character with little to recommend her. I found myself disconnecting from Kvothe because of her. It wasn't just that she was unworthy of his affections, although that's true. It wasn't just that Kvothe was such an inept, passive, fumbling, virginal twit when it came to pursuing (or decidedly not pursuing her). A little bit of that as part of a growing process in a teenaged character makes sense. But it was that the book seemed to focus completely unselfconsciously and without irony on a clueless teenager in the friend-zone with a troubled, wounded-bird-type teenaged girl. Is high school drama of this low variety what we really want in a fantasy novel?

2nd, the Chandrian. Has there ever been as mystifyingly unscary and uninteresting a supernatural villain as the Chandrian? After (almost) finishing the first book, I could care the less about them. And the fact that I didn't find the Chandrian a compelling villain took away from the tragicness of the death of Kvothe's parents and made me ambivalent toward his desire for revenge. And those terrible nursery rhymes that hold the key to understanding them (what's their plan? What's their plan? Chandrian ugh). Not well done.

3rd, the world. I know really next to nothing about the world Kvothe lives in. I don't know the politics, history, much of the culture or anything about the surrounding nations. There are plenty of fantasies that are intentionally vague about faraway lands, but this doesn't seem to be something purposeful here, but rather something the author just didn't have time for.

4th, the writing. What the heck was the point of this long, wandering interlude where Kvothe goes to the village to investigate the wedding massacre? This book has no pacing or focus. It speeds up, slows down. Rothfuss adds characters that don't contribute anything to the plot and then forgets about them. The dialogue is snappy at some points, but at others it is completely incongruous with the setting, e.g. "witty" romantic banter while standing in the aftermath of a massacre or facing down a drug-addled lizard (seriously?!??!!!?).

All in all, I read the book, and at times I was completely drawn in. I would say the 2nd half of the book was extremely disappointing. I think that the author had an unfinished manuscript with some potential, and his editor did him a disservice by publishing it as is. For a good first book in a series that's a bit long and winding look at The Darkness that Comes Before. Compare how much happens in that book with how much happens in the Name of the Wind.