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Bizarity
read and liked
Robert's
review of The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle, #1):
"About a year ago, a relatively unknown author by the name of Patrick Rothfuss approached me and asked me to review his book for my myspace audience. He'd received some pretty impressive endorsements and the concept of his story seemed interesting, so...more
About a year ago, a relatively unknown author by the name of Patrick Rothfuss approached me and asked me to review his book for my myspace audience. He'd received some pretty impressive endorsements and the concept of his story seemed interesting, so I decided to give it a shot.
As usual, my wife got a hold of it before I did. A few days later, she handed it back to me, telling me the book was something I 'must' read. Seeing how I'd already promised Patrick a review, and now with my wife giving me trouble on the other end, there was simply no escape.
When I cracked the book open I was immediately treated to a magical world of immense depth, stunning characters, and exquisite detail. Patrick makes masterful use of the bar setting to draw together a slowly evolving cast of characters as well as give his main character a chance to tell you the first installment of what promises to be a very compelling life story.
The tale is one of tragedy, youthful adventure, and teenage love (or pining for it). It is a gritty tale, but Kvothe (I assume the word is pronounced Quoth, as in 'quoth he') possesses extraordinary gifts and is the equal to the many challenges he encounters. Kvothe is very good at most anything but his talent is well balanced by a long and ongoing string of hardship and he doesn't usually fall into the typical Mary Sue traps that many characters do these days. Well, maybe just a little, but not too much to distract from the story.
A primary plot device, and one that I find most compelling, is Kvothe's competition with a jealous rival. This story line ties in brilliantly with what is, in my opinion, the crowning glory to the tale -- Kvothe's performance at a local music contest. The event happens a little more than halfway through the book, so if you're reading and are a little frustrated with the slow plot development -- don't give up, it gets a lot better. Though I won't go too far into detail with this particular scene, I will say that it is one of the absolute best I have ever read in fantasy anywhere. The book, even without its many and obvious merits, is worth reading to get to this particular scene alone.
So now that I've rambled, hinted, and danced around what I liked about the story in a hopeless attempt not to give too much away, I will briefly describe a few of the story's detractors. The first is that the pacing is pretty slow, sometimes plodding. If you like a book jammed with action, this one isn't it. That said, to Patrick's defense, I will state that it would probably have been impossible to develop such likable characters and poignant events without taking this much time. But where the story is heartfelt, it often lacks in tension. Second, the book needs a good map! As an independent author I have spent hours drawing at least adequate maps so that my readers have the opportunity to know where everything is happening. The map in this book is sparse and lacks sufficient detail. Third, a few of the characters come across as just a little two-dimensional. I like a good sympathetic villain and the intricacy of Patrick's writing just begs for one.
Minor gripes aside, the book was fantastic and I will be looking forward to number 2. I'll also be happy to pass it on to my friends/fans as I agree with the many critics singing his praises.
To Patrick -- you have earned your pipes good sir! (less)
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