The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

2007; 722 pages. New Author? : Yes. Genre : Epic Fantasy. Awards : 2007 Quill Award - Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy. Book One of the Kingkiller Chronicle. Overall Rating : 8*/10.

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Once he was called Kvothe - meaning The Flame, The Thunder, The Kingkiller, The Arcane, and/or The Bloodless. Now he is simply Kote - a not-so-prosperous innkeeper in a backwater village. But the Chronicler wants to write his story, so that the legendary hero is not forgotten. And therein hangs a tale...

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What's To Like...

The Name of the Wind is the start of an epic. It's like A Song of Ice and Fire, but not as many characters to keep track of. It's like Wheel of Time, but purportedly will only be a trilogy. It's like Lord of the Rings, but there are no dwarves, elves, orcs, ents, or hobbits. But there are some evil critters, and the character of Kvothe is especially well-developed.

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The writing is good, and there's even some poems and songs in it. There is some gentle humor to boot. The magic system is original and interesting. It's less miraculous than Gandalfian wizardry, and therefore more believable.

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There's a lot of chemistry in it, which is always a plus for me. Oh yeah, and it reveals the seven words to make a woman love you. Which we'll kindly put in the comments of this review.

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There are two timelines. The present, with Kote telling his life history to the Chronicler. And the huge biographical backstory of Kvothe, which is only begun here. One of the sub-themes is drug-addiction, which seems to me to be a rare topic in fanstasy novels.

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Kewl New Words...

Sophist : a skilled debater; a scholar or thinker. Here : a wise guy. Sygaldry : magic involving sigils or glyphs. Mommet : a voodoo doll. Lanting : urinating. Prat : a stupid or foolish person. Verdigris : a greenish patina formed on copper, brass, or bronze surfaces, caused by prolonged exposure to the air or water.

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Excerpts...

Chronicler's face grew red. "I'd heard that Kvothe was fearless," he said hotly.

The innkeeper shrugged. "Only priests and fools are fearless, and I've never been on the best of terms with God." (pg. 47)

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But for most practical purposes Tarbean had two pieces: Waterside and Hillside. Waterside is where people are poor. That makes them beggars, thieves, and whores. Hillside is where people are rich. That makes them solicitors, politicians, and courtesans. (pg. 160)

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He made a frustrated gesture and sighed. "Have you ever heard the saying: 'One wife, you're happy, two and you're tired-'"

I nodded. "-three and they'll hate each other-"

"-four and they'll hate you," Threpe finished. (pg. 438)

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"You see, women are like fires, like flames. Some women are like candles, bright and friendly. Some are like single sparks or embers, like fireflies for chasing on summer nights. Some are like campfires, all light and heat for a night and willing to be left after. Some women are like hearthfires, not much to look at but underneath they are all warm red coal that burns a long, long time.

"But Dianne... Dianne is like a waterfall of spark pouring off a sharp iron edge that God is holding to the grindstone. You can't help but look, can't help but want it. You might even put your hand to it for a second. But you can't hold it. She'll break your heart..." (pg. 484)

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"Music is a fine thing, but metal lasts." (said to Kvothe)

"Metal rusts. Music lasts forever." (Kvothe's response)

This is a long book, and not a particularly quick read. And for an epic fantasy, there isn't a lot of action, especially during the "University years" in the backstory. TNOTW sets the table for Volumes 2 and 3, which aren't out yet. Will they have more action? Romance? Heartbreak? Fighting? Things that go bump in the night?

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We shall see. For now, we'll give Patrick Rothfuss' debut book 8 Stars. Subject to change depending how good/meh/bad the sequels are.

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Other Voices...

For Queen Bina's fine review of The Name of the Wind over at 5-Squared, see here.