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Caroline's review

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One)
by Patrick Rothfuss

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One)" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1172529959m/186074.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/186074.The_Name_of_the_Wind?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The Name of the Wind</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/108424.Patrick_Rothfuss">Patrick Rothfuss</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4654443?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 5 of 5 stars For a while now, I've been looking for a good, addictive new epic fantasy to sink my teeth into. Most of what's coming out these days in the genre is book 10 of an ongoing series (Robert Jordan, I'm looking at you right now), and those get really dull really fast for me. A co-worker that I chat about fantasy novels with sometimes mentioned that he had started this book, and was completely addicted to it. I picked it up and put off starting it for a few weeks, but as soon as I started the first page I was seriously hooked.
 
 The story begins in the Waystone Inn, where things seem to be safe and simple. It quickly turns into something more ominous, with a man coming into the inn injured and with the corpse a "demon" that looks like a giant spider. But, with how interesting that gets, it isn't even the real story of this book, which is told by the innkeeper, Kote, to a man known as Chronicler. Chronicler shows up at the inn, having heard rumors that the legendary Kvothe might be there, and after some amount of wheedling Kote tells his story.
 
 I loved Kvothe. Not often can authors pull off the "cocky bastard" character without annoying me, but Rothfuss definitely did with Kvothe. Having lived on the streets for a few years after his family is killed, he grows up hard and fast and willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. But, despite the fact he's willing to steal and lie to get his way, he's still all-around a good guy.
 
 The wit of the novel also got me. I don't normally find myself giggling, let alone laughing, while reading novels, but for this one my husband had to ask me a few times "What's so funny?" Rothfuss did an excellent job of getting me interested in the characters, and so that when Kvothe did something extra witty or sneaky, it really would just get me. Or one of the many times he injured himself (he spends a whole lot of the time getting himself hurt, which I definitely can appreciate. I have a soft spot for the clumsier heroes) or made an ass of himself, I'd find myself cringing along with him.
 
 There have been a few "Harry Potter for adults" comparisons out there for this book and others, and for once it does ring fairly true. Like Harry, Kvothe goes to a school to learn to be a magician. This is definitely much more of an adult novel (which isn't to say there's loads of swearing and sex--there's very little of that, in fact), with characters way more fleshed out than those in Harry Potter. I'd definitely recommend this to Harry Potter fans that are looking for something similar but at the same time completely different.
 
 This was an incredibly addictive novel, and even though at times it was a little slow-paced, I loved every bit of it. It has magic, romance, action (and a dragon! Or, I should say, draccus, since dragons don't actually exist), and a whole lot of wit. I'm very much looking forward to the next one, and sad that I'll have to wait until Spring to read it. Highly recommended to any fantasy fans, especially those like me who are in a drought waiting for the likes of George R.R. Martin or Robin Hobb.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/244267?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Caroline's review
rating:
bookshelves: fantasy, read-in-2007

For a while now, I've been looking for a good, addictive new epic fantasy to sink my teeth into. Most of what's coming out these days in the genre is book 10 of an ongoing series (Robert Jordan, I'm looking at you right now), and those get really dull really fast for me. A co-worker that I chat about fantasy novels with sometimes mentioned that he had started this book, and was completely addicted to it. I picked it up and put off starting it for a few weeks, but as soon as I started the first page I was seriously hooked.

The story begins in the Waystone Inn, where things seem to be safe and simple. It quickly turns into something more ominous, with a man coming into the inn injured and with the corpse a "demon" that looks like a giant spider. But, with how interesting that gets, it isn't even the real story of this book, which is told by the innkeeper, Kote, to a man known as Chronicler. Chronicler shows up at the inn, having heard rumors that the legendary Kvothe might b...more For a while now, I've been looking for a good, addictive new epic fantasy to sink my teeth into. Most of what's coming out these days in the genre is book 10 of an ongoing series (Robert Jordan, I'm looking at you right now), and those get really dull really fast for me. A co-worker that I chat about fantasy novels with sometimes mentioned that he had started this book, and was completely addicted to it. I picked it up and put off starting it for a few weeks, but as soon as I started the first page I was seriously hooked.

The story begins in the Waystone Inn, where things seem to be safe and simple. It quickly turns into something more ominous, with a man coming into the inn injured and with the corpse a "demon" that looks like a giant spider. But, with how interesting that gets, it isn't even the real story of this book, which is told by the innkeeper, Kote, to a man known as Chronicler. Chronicler shows up at the inn, having heard rumors that the legendary Kvothe might be there, and after some amount of wheedling Kote tells his story.

I loved Kvothe. Not often can authors pull off the "cocky bastard" character without annoying me, but Rothfuss definitely did with Kvothe. Having lived on the streets for a few years after his family is killed, he grows up hard and fast and willing to do whatever it takes to get what he wants. But, despite the fact he's willing to steal and lie to get his way, he's still all-around a good guy.

The wit of the novel also got me. I don't normally find myself giggling, let alone laughing, while reading novels, but for this one my husband had to ask me a few times "What's so funny?" Rothfuss did an excellent job of getting me interested in the characters, and so that when Kvothe did something extra witty or sneaky, it really would just get me. Or one of the many times he injured himself (he spends a whole lot of the time getting himself hurt, which I definitely can appreciate. I have a soft spot for the clumsier heroes) or made an ass of himself, I'd find myself cringing along with him.

There have been a few "Harry Potter for adults" comparisons out there for this book and others, and for once it does ring fairly true. Like Harry, Kvothe goes to a school to learn to be a magician. This is definitely much more of an adult novel (which isn't to say there's loads of swearing and sex--there's very little of that, in fact), with characters way more fleshed out than those in Harry Potter. I'd definitely recommend this to Harry Potter fans that are looking for something similar but at the same time completely different.

This was an incredibly addictive novel, and even though at times it was a little slow-paced, I loved every bit of it. It has magic, romance, action (and a dragon! Or, I should say, draccus, since dragons don't actually exist), and a whole lot of wit. I'm very much looking forward to the next one, and sad that I'll have to wait until Spring to read it. Highly recommended to any fantasy fans, especially those like me who are in a drought waiting for the likes of George R.R. Martin or Robin Hobb....less

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message 1: by Crazy Uncle Ryan

01/29/2008 12:16PM

I can definitely relate to the whole laughing thing. As I was reading I would start laughing and would turn to my wife (who was typically in the middle of reading her own book) and say: “Honey, I gotta read you this part.” Anyway, I enjoyed reading your review. I also can’t wait for the next book to come out.