Edifanob's profile

149 ratings | 38 reviews
avg rating: 4.60
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Edifanob's bookshelves

read (149)
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Edifanob is currently reading

	07/19 Edifanob gave to: Getting Old is Criminal (Gladdy Gold Mysteries) by Rita Lakin bookshelves: currently-reading, my-books	my rating:
	read in July, 2008 Edifanob said: "Review in progress... I still love Gladdy Gold and her gang!! " add a comment
	07/15 Edifanob is currently reading: The Summoner: Book One in the Chronicles of the Necromancer (Mass Market Paperback) by Gail Z. Martin bookshelves: currently-reading, my-books	my rating:
	add a comment
	06/24 Edifanob is currently reading: Stalking Darkness (Nightrunner, Vol. 2) by Lynn Flewelling bookshelves: currently-reading, my-books	my rating:
	add a comment

Edifanob's recent updates (rss)

July 25

Edifanob marked as to-read:
Amphigorey (Hardcover)
by Edward Gorey
bookshelves: to-buy, to-read

my rating:

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New comment on Shannon's review of The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One)

Edifanob wrote: "It's definitely the best book I read this year.
I read several reviews before and after that I was n...more "

(see all 15 comments)

Edifanob read and liked Shannon's review of The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One):

"This is why I love fantasy so much. After a recent string of okay fantasy novels, a couple of good ones but nothing to get really excited about, I've rediscovered my passion thanks to this book. I'm so impressed, and so in love, I can't begin to desc...more This is why I love fantasy so much. After a recent string of okay fantasy novels, a couple of good ones but nothing to get really excited about, I've rediscovered my passion thanks to this book. I'm so impressed, and so in love, I can't begin to describe it. But I can try to give you a feel for the book, if I can figure out where to start and how to do justice to this masterpiece.

Kvothe (pronounced like "Quothe") is a world-renowned figure of mystery with a disreputable reputation - a hero or a demon depending on which stories you hear. The real man 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 there that he shows any interest 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 up with his parents' troupe, performing plays and tricks across the land while being taught "sympathy" (magic), history, chemistry etc. by a tinker, Abenthy, who had been to the University; to ending up homeless and penniless on the streets of Treban, a big port city. It's not until he's fifteen that he makes it to the University, and is accepted, 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 up the ranks of the university.

There are many adventures and mishaps along the way, and while some plotlines come to a tidy end at the close of this novel, over-arching plotlines and themes have been given a solid foundation to continue on into the next books. It took a surprisingly long time for me to realise the connection between the number of days he will take to tell his story, and that this is "Day One" in the trilogy - it's told over the course of the first day. The only thing is, he's young yet (Chronicler judges him to be about 25, though at times he looks infintely older), and there are things happening in "real time" that intrude upon the story, that will need to be resolved I think - so while I have every confidence Rothfuss has excellent control over his creation, I would love more than three books :)

I can't think of the last time I was this impressed by any story, let alone a fantasy novel. I won't compare it to bloody George R.R. Martin like everyone else is doing because I don't see that they have anything in common, really - one is a work of pure genius and the other is utter crap. Comparing them only heightens my dislike of A Game of Thrones. In truth, it's simply a marketing strategy to compare new books to ones that are already really popular, in order to draw in a well-established audience.

This is an epic fantasy - epic in scope - but it's also a bildungsroman, a story of a person's life, a life journey (including the quite moments), which I love. The character development is ludicrously good. The world-building is solid, believable and original - there're enough new elements to keep your interest, but not so many that you get confused and overwhelmed: a perfect balance. The design of "sympathy" is original and unique, and makes so much sense that I'm half-surprised it doesn't really work. It's complicated enough to not be trite, but one basic premise is the connection between things, the sympathy they have with each other - if you broke a branch in two, the two halves would still have a connection, like sharing the exact same DNA, and so if you control one half you affect the other half. Same with two pennies of the same metal, so that, if you were holding one and someone holding 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's an intellectual kind of magic, not a "wave the wand" type. It takes knowledge, concentration and effort, so in effect, anyone could learn.

As for the characters and their growth, I am so impressed and so in love I will no doubt do a bad job of expressing it. While Kvothe's story is told in his voice, first person, the present day interludes are told in third person omniscient, but usually from certain characters' points of view. You get a mix of other people's impressions of characters, and a gentle showing that tells us even more. The genius is in how Kvothe is portrayed: while telling the story, himself as a young 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 as a man, having been through all that and more and had it shape him into something subtly different, yet still very much the same 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 crush, actually. He's not good or evil, but he's suffering from a conscience: he's very human, and lonely, 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's bidding and fetching food and cutting wood for others. I expect it's his contradictions and complexities that draw me to him.

The writing style is smooth, the pacing just right (though the first few chapters take a while to get you into the story, you still need to read them closely because there're a lot of details in them), and the prose isn't cluttered with boring, irrelevant descriptions or pointless details. It's a fat book and a long story, but it flies by. While it needed better proofreading - there were a lot of problems with dialogue punctuation; there were a few lazy typos; he never once used a semicolon when he should have; and he always used "lay" instead of "laid" (but hey, at least he was consistent) - the prose itself is engaging, often humorous, detailed but not overly so, and never boring. I also loved the little songs and ditties that are included, and the stories within Kvothe's story.

Likewise, the way he doles out the various plots, revealing and hinting at the right moments, building up tension and anticipation, giving clues that start to coalesce into a stunning picture, is, frankly, impressive. The supporting cast, while not as fully explored as Kvothe (it is his story, after all), are in their own ways vividly portrayed and gradually explored. There's no chunky exposition or a description of a character shoved at you all at once. It's 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. There was a while there, when I was reading, that the prose gave me the same kind of thrill as reading a sex scene in a romance novel might - but 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 saying more, just that it's 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 also to people who enjoy great stories told wonderfully well. As many non-fantasy readers loved Harry Potter, they would also love this book....less "

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Edifanob made a comment in the group The Mystery of Victorian England—discussion of The Face of a Stranger topic:

Edifanob wrote: "I think that Monk never meet before a woman like Hester.

I'm not even sure if he had a realtionshi...more "

July 24

Edifanob marked as to-read:
Queen Victoria (Paperback)
by Christopher Hibbert
bookshelves: to-buy, to-read

my rating:

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July 22

Edifanob liked a trivia question:
In Anna Karenina who was Anna in love with? see if you know the answer »

Edifanob liked a trivia question:
Whose face "launched a thousand ships"? see if you know the answer »

Edifanob liked a trivia question:
What is the name of the hero in the book The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One)? see if you know the answer »

Edifanob marked as to-read:
The People of Paper (Paperback)
by Salvador Plascencia
bookshelves: to-buy, to-read

my rating:

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Edifanob's favorite quotes

"I cannot live without books."
— Thomas Jefferson

260 people liked it

"When I have a little money, I buy books; and if I have any left, I buy food and clothes."
— Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus

172 people liked it

"Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them."
— Arnold Lobel

tags: books, reading

75 people liked it

"The shortest distance between two points is always under construction. "
— Rebecca McClanahan

tags: poetry

8 people liked it

"Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education."
— Mark Twain

3 people liked it

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Edifanob's groups (recent posts)

Goodreads Feedback — 1005 members — last activity 1 hour, 46 min ago
This is a place to give feedback about Goodreads. Feature ideas, bugs, or any other suggestion for improvement. The Goodreads staff monitors this gr...more

The Mystery of Victorian England — 41 members — last activity 13 hours, 56 min ago
It is for all of those Anne Perry fans out there. It gives them a chance to talk about her and her books.

Goodreads Librarians — 1460 members — last activity 1 day ago, 05:58PM
A place where people can work together to correct book issues on Goodreads. Examples include combining editions, contacting librarians, fixing book an...more

Rothfussians — 28 members — last activity 6 days ago, 08:42AM
Patrick Rothfuss needs a goodreads.com group! For fantasy fans and anyone that appreciates beautifully written books.
Discuss The Name of the Wind, ...more

events Edifanob is attending

event: The Cater Street Hangman
date: August 01, 2008 08:55AM
attending: 2 people
location: The Mystery of Victorian England, United States
description: This is the book we will be reading for August 1 with the Pitts. Hope you enjoy it.

Current reply: yes change your reply »

event: A Dangerous Mourning
date: September 01, 2008 10:52AM
location: The Mystery of Victorian England, United States
description: This is the Monk book for September 1. Cuddle up and relax.

Current reply: yes change your reply »

event: Callander Square
date: October 01, 2008 08:04AM
attending: 2 people
location: The Mystery of Victorian England, United States
description: This is the October 1 book with the Pitts. Hope you find it rewarding.

Current reply: yes change your reply »

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Edifanob's friend comments

showing 1-2 of 2. (add a comment | view all)

from Daniel

06/05/2008 03:18PM

Gruss Gott, Edifanob, und viel gluck haben.

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from Pat Nelson

05/26/2008 03:13PM

Thank you for the add. I seem to be drawing a fan base in Germany. You are the second one to write me in as many weeks. I hope you enjoy my books as much as the other fellow did.

Have a great week!
PNC

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