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Feb 22, 2012

Jacob rated it:

2/19/2012: Not An Apology
I don't want to seem all knee-jerk and reactionary, but Pat Rothfuss wrote a rather unpleasant blog post recently that damaged my respect for him (long, long, long discussion here), so I'm retracting my apology below. Pat doesn't really seem like "a pretty cool guy" anymore, and I no longer feel bad about writing this review. That is all.

6/1/2011: An Apology
I feel a bit conflicted about this. You can see from the rating that I d More...

210 comments like (209 people liked it)

May 08, 2011

Patrick rated it:

Well, it's done. And it's been a long time coming...

Back in late 2009 I finally got the book to the point where I was satisfied with it. It was an okay book. It was a book that if I had to publish it, I knew it wouldn't embarrass me.

By May 2010 I'd re-written the book to the point where I was happy with it. It was a good book. It was a book I was pleased with.

By my final deadline in November 2010, I'd revised things to the point where I was excited about it. It w More...

75 comments like (215 people liked it)

Jul 17, 2011

Simeon rated it:

I'm going to have to be the sole voice of dissent.

I found Kvothe profoundly annoying.
Here's an excerpt of his typical storytelling, word for word:

"I managed very little sleep that night, and Losi came closer to killing me than Felurian ever had."

(Post-coital thoughts on the second girl in 20 pages. He's 16.)

"She was a delightful partner, every bit as wonderful as Felurian had been. But how could that be? I hear you ask. How co

More...

194 comments like (118 people liked it)

Aug 12, 2011

Cassy rated it:

Patrick Rothfuss sang to me. Literally sang “You are my sunshine” to me last Sunday. More on that later.

I didn’t want this book to end. When I was within sprinting distance of the end, I actually put the book down, bought groceries, and vacuumed the stairs. (My husband was pleasantly surprised.) I wanted so desperately to savor those last fifty pages that the parking lot at Target didn’t seem like an ideal location. Thus, I acted like a normal human for a couple hours until I could c More...

15 comments like (30 people liked it)

Jul 26, 2011

Michael rated it:

I took a look back at my copy of The Name of the Wind. The second book, The Wise Man's Fear, had an asterisk and denoted that it would be released SOON in hardback. That was a long time ago. Honestly, that is what bothers me. Don't make promises you can't fulfill. HOWEVER, I also re-read Rothfuss's dedication page in that book. In the second part, he dedicated it to his father for teaching him that if you're going to do something, take the time to do it right. I think we should bear that in min More...

2 comments like (10 people liked it)

Sep 18, 2011

Mike (the Paladin) rated it:

I finished this last night....finally. While there are moments in this book of brilliant writing they are (for me) interspersed with LLLLOOONNNGGG stretches of yawningly boring prose. Had the book been maybe two thirds it's length I think it could have been better.

Without spoilers I found that the story of Kvothe wanders along getting almost nowhere...yes I know we established some more of it here, but not a lot and we're about where we were in a lot of ways. The story in the book's More...

16 comments like (16 people liked it)

Mar 29, 2011

Tyson rated it:

It's hard to write a review after reading a book like this. It's like reviewing a sunset after a spring storm. Yes, that's a poetic image, and that's what Rothfuss does to your brain. I plan on selling all my worldly possessions soon and devoting my life to chasing the wind...

But meanwhile, I'll try to do this book justice. It starts much as Name of the Wind ended, with Kvothe still a 15 year old at the University. It spends about 300 pages in this mode. Kvothe has a handful of More...

12 comments like (33 people liked it)

Feb 22, 2012

Valerie rated it:

update 2/19: After reading today's appalling blog post, I'm dropping this down to two stars. I've been considering this for a while -- the third star was grudging, as in "Well, this mostly pissed me off, but his prose is still worthy of praise" -- but this post creeped me the hell out and kinda convinced me that Kvothe is a self-insert. The review is still intact under the spoiler tag; I just wanted to throw this in, because ew.

<spoiler>I loved The Name of the Wind. I More...

4 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 19, 2011

Jake rated it:

I enjoyed the first book, but did not feel the same way about this one. Fantasy books are meant to be the unbelievable, this much is certain, and the heroes that take the starring role are meant to be people of great intrigue and who can accomplish completely incredible feats, but it feels that it's pushed a bit too far in this book.

Kvothe not only is an amazing arcanist, a prodigy with a memory so perfect that he can call up how people smelled on a single day years ago, but he's a m More...

13 comments like (31 people liked it)

Feb 20, 2009

Ronando marked it as to-read

When THE HELL is this book coming out?? The first book grabbed me by the throat and threw me down and had it's way with me and I am fast becoming impatient in having it happen a second time.

... This better not turn into another George R.R. Martin wait! Or ... or... or I shall be extremely vexed. VEXED I tell you!

20 comments like (95 people liked it)

Nov 24, 2011

Tim rated it:

I have almost 1500 SF/F books in my database, and I've probably read 500 more that I forgot to list. I have never read a book that was simultaneously so bad and so good. I suspect that as time passes I will like it less. You know when you go to the local Enormous Portions restaurant and go with the meat in the rich gravy with the fries and onion rings, and the mud pie for dessert, and a couple of drinks, and you enjoy it all. Until near the end of the meal, when you don't feel so good; then yo More...

3 comments like (9 people liked it)

Jan 15, 2012

David rated it:

The Name of the Wind was one of the best fantasy novels I've read in the past several years, so it was inevitable that the second book in Patrick Rothfuss's debut trilogy would have a hard time living up to expectations. Although I really liked it, I felt like rather than building on the awesomeness of book one, Rothfuss kind of let his momentum carry him through the second book. It would have been better had they been released as one volume, except of course it would have been the phonebook-siz More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jul 28, 2011

Allison (The Allure of Books) rated it:

Originally posted here.

Well. It should be no secret that I have been anxiously awaiting this book since I first read The Name of the Wind back in early 2009. Since then, I've been on a crusade to make as many people read it as possible. I haven't kept up an exact count, but I know the number of people that have picked it up because of me is around 20. When people ask me what my favorite book is, that is the book I tell them. When I re-read it last month, I just loved it more. Now, af More...

0 comments like (7 people liked it)

Mar 30, 2011

Autumn rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

4 comments like (4 people liked it)

Mar 01, 2011

Stefan rated it:

4.5 stars

If, like me, you were so impressed with The Name of the Wind that you neglected all but the most pressing business until you turned the final page, you may have decided to give it a quick re-read in anticipation of the sequel. If you did, you probably spotted this quote in Chapter 43:

There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.

After a long but worthwhile wait, we now have the second n More...

7 comments like (57 people liked it)

Mar 21, 2011

Doug rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Mar 05, 2011

Vinaya rated it:

*Vinaya emerges from her cave, blinking owlishly at the sun*

You gotta admire a man who can hold your interest through two days and 994 pages of more or less nonstop reading. The second installment of Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles, The Wise Man's Fear, is just as compelling and beautifully written as the first. Kvothe returns in full glory to recount more of his adventures at the University, at Vintas and in Ademre.

I was a little annoyed and more than a little impat More...

13 comments like (25 people liked it)

Jan 14, 2012

Noelle rated it:

Too wordy. Too unbelievable. Even if this is the quintessential exceptional hero, what has happened to the hero in the short span of less than a year is completely unbelievable, especially at 17. There is no time for these events to happen. The wisdom, the luck, the meetings are all too much, it started to get long winded. It feels like you are being manipulated for future events. Like the dungeon master just happened to put the exact sword, gem, and book of magic all in one room and then More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 12, 2011

Ben rated it:

The first third of The Wise Man’s Fear is a repeat of the plot conflicts of The Name of the Wind. Kvothe is back at the University, but worries about tuition; Ambrose tries to ruin Kvothe’s life; Kvothe loses his instrument, rhapsodizes about how much music means to him, and then gets it back; Denna comes and goes. After the Harry Potter setting is abandoned, the book goes into several side-conflicts that take up more time than they seem to warrant. And then the book ends.

Once again, More...

0 comments like (20 people liked it)

Oct 22, 2011

George rated it:

I do enjoy the pacing of this trilogy. It is different than most as it takes a more detailed approach in revealing the main character's story. It seems to sprinkle smaller amounts of fantasy than most in this genre but, enough to qualify for it's inclusion. It is an intriguing approach.

However...

It is fair to call "Mary Sue Factor" on this. The conflict feels mostly predictable as the main character turns his hand to just about everything and becomes master of More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 04, 2011

Contrarius rated it:

This will be a bit of an atypical review for me. Another Goodreads user, Simeon (formerly YeahIknow3), has presented a very inaccurate critique of this book. In the interest of spreading accurate info, and since Simeon seems to be in the habit of deleting comments on his own review that he doesn't like or can't refute, I'm presenting corrections to his false claims about the book here. I have preceded each of his claims with asterisks.

WARNING! SPOILERS BELOW!

-----

More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Mar 31, 2011

Matt rated it:

The Wise Man's Fear is begins precisely where The Name of the Wind left off. There was very little catching up to do in the plot and the transition between books was as smooth as any i've come across. Kvothe spends a great deal of time at the University once again, however for those who would appreciate a change of pace, Kvothe embarks on a rather lengthy and eventful journey for a large portion of the story. I've read many complaints about the repetitive nature of the story, or that it can More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Jul 02, 2011

Gavin rated it:

So, there's an established phenomenon that I don't think anyone has coined a snappy title for yet, in my head I call it "Fabulous but Unpredicted Success Leads to a Complete lack of Editorial Constraint or Outside Input Whatsoever which-in-turn Leads to Creative Stagnation and Catastrophe". FUSLCECOIWLCSC. Foo-Sil-Kec-Oiw-Lecuscu. Not going to be printed in a newspaper any time soon, but it's true in all kinds of media.

Generally:
1. Someone outside the established system will bring in something n More...

0 comments like (11 people liked it)

May 18, 2011

Ron rated it:

Not quite a clean five stars. In some ways it's a better story than The Name of the Wind. Good characterization and plot development. A fun read.

But it has flaws. Too many typos and sloppy constructions. Rothfuss has proved that he is capable of better, so must have been the Multiple Editing Syndrome: you introduce new errors while excising the old ones.

Disappointed the University is becoming another Hogwarts (or whatever the Harry Potter school was called): a place to repeat More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jan 19, 2012

Lee rated it:

Overall rating 4.5. I would give the first half of this book 5 stars...It repeated a few things through the first few chapters, but it was really good. Now the second half was quite difficult for me to rate. I thought way too much time was spent on or "in" places that had little relevance to the story except to add detail and pages...for example, his time in the Fea and with the Adem. I think both could have been condense greatly..but I still loved it. Who knows, maybe it was need More...

6 comments like (2 people liked it)

Oct 02, 2011

Robert rated it:

I picked up Name Of The Wind last summer when I was waiting in the airport. I have a tough time picking up any new fantasy now because anything I have tried after reading Robert Jordan and George RR Martin, doesn't not even come close to measuring up to these 2 authors. I noticed NOTW won the Quill award so I thought I would give it a read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't wait for Wise Mans Fear to be released. I thought WMF moved extremely slow and went nowhere. It was anticlimactic and More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 12, 2011

Justin rated it:

Rothfuss can write. Straight up. Despite the fact that Kvothe is borderline dues ex machina, I find him vulnerable and interesting. That can only be explained by the fact that Rothfuss can really spin a tale.

with that said, I think WMF really loses track at various points in the novel. The book reads more like a travelogue than a novel. Kvothe goes from place to place, has adventures, makes love to a new girl, and then ends up basically where he started.

At several More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Apr 13, 2011

galleycat rated it:

Four years after big buzz and glowing reviews turned "The Name of the Wind" into a surprise New York Times best-seller, rising fantasy author Patrick Rothfuss has finally delivered the widely anticipated middle book in his Kingkiller Chronicles trilogy.

It was worth the wait, even if Rothfuss can't get out of his own way at times.

"The Wise Man's Fear" picks up where "Wind" left off, with the episodic tale of Kvothe the Bloodless (a name he ear More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Jun 17, 2011

Victoria rated it:

I don't understand why I keep reading these books when they're poorly written, poorly plotted, sexist, shallow, and insulting to my intelligence. Kvothe is a douchebag, women exist solely for his emotional/sexual edification, and the entire plot is so painfully contrived that it makes me cringe.

So actually, that's a lie. I do know why I keep reading these books: because I keep hoping that there will be a twist somewhere along the line where Kote is like LOL JUST KIDDING, I'M NOT ACTU More...

0 comments like (9 people liked it)

Aug 05, 2011

Maree ♫ Light's Shadow ♪ rated it:

SO GOOD! So far, living up to the expectations and to the last one. Second books usually don't manage this well, and I'm enjoying being impressed.

I've been loathing the part of the book where Kvothe is done with school just because I've been loving reading about it so much, so when he said he was just going to take a term off, I was okay with it, pleased that he'd be going back eventually. VERY CLEVER, ROTHFUSS! You tempted me with the idea that he'd go back and then sucked me into More...

5 comments like (2 people liked it)