The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jun 04, 2012 Carrie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, own, recommended, fbtbp

And I have finished this masterpiece.

The Name of the Wind gripped me into it's web and held me like a book hasn't done in some time. I ate, slept, breathed this book. I needed, not wanted, but actually felt like I needed to be reading it, when I wasn't I wished I was. I have loved many stories, I have given many 5 stars. But not all have made me feel as if I needed it to survive.

A new favorite, that will be loved over and over again.

Who needs food or sleep when you have The Name of the Wind

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Jan 01, 2010 D.G. rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, fantasy, favorites

What a book! I usually don't read this type of fantasy but this was amazing. This is a story of a legend and by the middle of the book, I wondered how I didn't recognize him when the book started - I cannot explain it better myself, but I felt as if I should have known who he was. The language is absolutely beautiful and the book's magical atmosphere is conveyed more with words than with magic, which I think it's amazing given how one of the tenets of the story is that names have powerful qualit ...more

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Mar 31, 2010 Jesslyn rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: z2014-kindle-reads, audiobook-whispersync-companion, cat-epic-fantasy, cat-series-ongoing, fantasy-challenge

THE best Fantasy novel of 2009, IMHO

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May 15, 2009 Awallens rated it really liked it

My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone
has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree. "The Flame" is obvious
if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably been burned as a demon. I keep it short
but it's unruly. When left to its own My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone
has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree. "The Flame" is obvious
if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably been burned as a demon. I keep it short
but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I've been set afire. "The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone
and a great deal of stage training at an early age. I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could
be considered at least partially prophetic. My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because
she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe
Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them. But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know." I have, of
course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings.
I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at
a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during the day. I have talked to Gods, loved women,
and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me. So begins the tale of Kvothe - from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players
to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic.
In these pages you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. But THE NAME
OF THE WIND is so much more - for the story it tells reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.
I found this book long but ultimately satisfying. At first I just wanted the book to move along but it's obvious why Rothfuss sets the pace he does, and I'm delighted by it. I love the intrigue at the end and I hope the next book is out soon. Rothfuss's skill with words is fun to read, and don't give up on this book to soon for if you do, you'll be missing a treat.
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Apr 29, 2011 Logan rated it really liked it

Shelves: own-bought-ebook, fantasy

First impressions: I'm not generally an epic fantasy fan, but after hearing everyone and their mother rave about this book, I had to try it. I'm so glad I did! The first few chapters had just enough mystery to suck me in, and once the story-within-a-story kicked in, there was no turning back.

Lasting impressions: Parts of this book were so beautiful I could hardly breathe, but there were times I wanted the pace to pick up a bit. You have to commit for the long haul with this one.

Conflicting impre First impressions: I'm not generally an epic fantasy fan, but after hearing everyone and their mother rave about this book, I had to try it. I'm so glad I did! The first few chapters had just enough mystery to suck me in, and once the story-within-a-story kicked in, there was no turning back.

Lasting impressions: Parts of this book were so beautiful I could hardly breathe, but there were times I wanted the pace to pick up a bit. You have to commit for the long haul with this one.

Conflicting impressions: The story Kvothe tells is meant to span three days, and this novel is the first of those. At times, because of the length of this tale, I felt the story lost its focus. I got swept up in the adventures Kvothe undertook, but occasionally got impatient wondering where this was all headed.

Overall impressions: There can be zero doubt that Patrick Rothfuss is a masterful storyteller. His patience and attention to detail, combined with a clear love of words and the beauty they can create, make it obvious that storytelling runs in his blood.

It should be no surprise to see a family of storytellers at the heart of this book. Kvothe is the son of a traveling band of performers, and learns most of life's major lessons from plays, literature, and stories. As he grows up, and suffers a devastating series of losses, he vows to research the history of his world's most dangerous stories - those surrounding the mysterious and deadly Chandrian.

Rothfuss juggles between Kvothe's present and past, with the past related to the reader by Kvothe himself as he recounts his journey to a transcriber known as Chronicler. In the present, Kvothe is a man of many secrets, and the action is nailbitingly tense. I was desperate to know how this man's life had shaped him into the innkeeper so many refer to as a "king killer." Meanwhile, as we listen to the incredible tales from his childhood, I rooted for this boy of poverty and heartache to find his way in the world and realize his strengths.

Kvothe has remarkable abilities - his intelligence is quick and sharp, he can make music that causes even the most hardhearted men to weep - and at times he has an ego to match. He's grounded by his extreme poverty and a hard life, however, and as often as his mouth gets him into trouble, he usually has the sneaky grace to get himself out of it. As he starts to learn magic, make friends, and fall in love, we get the pleasure of seeing how the smallest of stories can create a hero. Intentions do not generally find a way into history books, and though Kvothe may have reasons or circumstances that affect his actions, the stories quickly become larger than life. Actions speak louder than words, remember?

This is a dense book that took me nearly two weeks to finish, but it was absolutely worth it. Rothfuss has a gift for words, and he can spin them into scenery that fills the mind. Rarely have I felt so transported into the world of a book. Though the story is long, it is certainly not boring. I had the feeling that I was simply experiencing one part of a long journey, that would come to a full and satisfying resolution by the end of the trilogy. That doesn't mean there was not a definite conclusion to this part, which had a great ending of its own. Instead, I was being prepared for an epic tale that required the patience of a good setup to give me the payoff of a glorious ending.

Well, if this book is any indication, that ending is going to be magnificent. I wouldn't miss it for the world. ...more

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Oct 13, 2009 Chompa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Excellent book. I lost some momentum when I was about 2/3's thru it. Not sure if it was the book or life getting in the way.

Rothfuss is an excellent writer and his means of telling this story is very original and compelling. I'll be sure to check out the sequels. Best Fantasy novel I've read so far in 2010. ...more

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