What's wrong with Trebon?

[thistlepong, Master Namer]

After a long time looking at the books in various settings, one of the greatest points of contention seems to be Trebon and the Draccus at the end of The Name of the Wind.

The section seems to have drawn a lot of people out of the text. (I was deeply immersed and dying for any clues about the Chandrian.) Folks have both commented that it seems "tacked on" and incongruous with the rest of the book and that Pat has confirmed it was added at Betsy Wollheim's request (unverified by citation.) Others have called it boring... pointless love story... meandering... lots of stuff, really.

I can appreciate not liking something even when I totally liked it myself. But at this point I've become pretty interested in getting a real sense for how readers feel about it. I'd love to hear anyone's take on it.

Where did the text go wrong, or right?
When did it come back to itself, if ever?
What didn't appeal to you?

Given that a massive amount of plot forward details get dumped in the section, how do you reconcile your distaste, or enjoyment, of it.

Why do you think it's there?

[Ions]

while listening to the first book I always look forward to trebon until Kvothe and Denna start wandering around... then I kinda start losing interest. then the house! AWESOME! then the wandering. then the farmer, AWESOME then the wandering. then the dragon, AWESOME! then the wandering, and the farm, and the drug use, the plan to kill the Dracus and the flirting from denna...then some more BLAH, then the fight to save the town, then the search for more knowledge of the 7, then home.


I think its because after all is said and done were left with a fake name for denna's patron and a vague description of what was found at the farm. and it was a lot of text to get there.

[Eric]

It feels really contrived.

Kvothe hears a rumor and conveniently everything lines up for him to get there in time.

Denna's there again, surprise!

She leads him by the nose away from the very thing he went to investigate and he doesn't even realize he's being kept away from the upstairs of the Mauthen farm. Like, three or four times he tries going up there and Denna's like: 'No! Respect mah authoritah!' And he follows her like a lost puppy away from the farm.

She lies about just about everything he asks, but he doesn't mind or notice because he's so besotted. It's disgusting.

Denna gets drugged and still hardly reveals anything about herself. Then she conveniently vanishes again after Kvothe saves the day.

Frankly, I feel the whole damn thing was a terrible way to accomplish whatever he was setting out to do. I feel like after Doors of Stone is out we'll have a better idea of why this scene was included. But until then, what the hell, Pat?

[Amber, Master Sympathist]

Yah, this part bored me to death, I think because I wanted more info on the seven.

I was like "OH YAY" when he found out they attacked the farm, and I didn't even mind that it perfectly lined up for him to get there, since, eh, it's fantasy, when does that NOT happen?
Except then we get there and Oh Denna's here....

Snore Fest, lets get to that Farm Kvothe.

Oh Denna's going with us...alright, interesting.

Oh, nothings here. Denna and Kvothe do a lot of yapping that I don't care about, they say a little chandrian rhyme. Yay! We're getting back to the point.

Nope nevermind, turns out we're gonna look at some dirt...and oh look, a dragon!
Thats not a dragon stupid, thats lizard cow.

Me - ??? WTF...


Lets hide from it, it seems crazy.

Snore Fest.

Actually that Lizard Cow is on drugs, so it kinda is like a dragon...

*rock acrobatics* followed by...me snoring.

Drugs are bad, they make perfectly nice lizard cows angry and psychotic.
Oh and look the stories over.

But Kvothe totally used Tehlu's iron wheel to kill it...isnt that cool?

Me - I guess. What about the Chandrian?

Kvothe - Shut Up about them, we already did the f'ing rhyme. Jesus....I mean Tehlu (whats the difference anyway?)

I said "End Story." See ya in 5 years.

*facepalm*



I found the Draccus scene more out of place than the Fae or Ademre in WMF. But like I said, all I really wanted was to find out about The Chandrian, which didn't happen so it left me with a bad taste. The whole scene just left you with more question and no answers.

[thistlepong, Master Namer]

Okay, so was Denna's presence in Trebon more unusual than at The Eolian, Severen, or the bar in Tarbean?

[Amber, Master Sympathist]

I would say, not in my opinion. I didn't think it was that weird he met up with Denna (when is he not? Plus, it is a fantasy story) I just find his meeting up with Denna always slows things down and moves him away from the topics I am actually interested in. Sorry that wasn't very clear LOL.

I get bored of K&D's indirect back and forth about their past and feelings. I assume that is because I'm a pretty direct person and consider such business nonsense/drama/bullshit.

I think I might actually like Denna more if we didn't always have to see her with Kvothe. LOL!

[[deleted user]]

I did not mind this scene as much at all. I'll admit that it's one of the slowest scenes in the book, but I still enjoyed it. I thought that Fae and Ademre were far MORE out of place in WMF.

[thistlepong, Master Namer]

Irrational wrote: "I did not mind this scene as much at all. I'll admit that it's one of the slowest scenes in the book, but I still enjoyed it. I thought that Fae and Ademre were far MORE out of place in WMF."

Really? I guess I've seen folks rail against those scenes, but it seems to focus mainly on Kvothe's superhuman sexual prowess rather than a sense of them being out of place.

We were told to expect these scenes at the beginning of the WMF and the end of NotW. They seem to follow the same narrative strictures as the rest of the book. And they supply more than half of the material we end up speculating about.

Like Trebon, I liked them. But, like Trebon, they end up serving a formal function for the story. I wonder if that's where he steers some readers wrong. I guess I think he's pulling it off, but that's not the only opinion.

[[deleted user]]

Really? I guess I've seen folks rail against those scenes...

The Chandrian is my primary interest, is the thing.

In Trebon, we are at least HINTING that something about the Chandrian is happening. The entire time we are there, we know what we are looking for. Even though we find little, we find something.

In the Eld, we don't know that's Cinder, not until, far later. Its about Qvothe proving he is a badass to some Vints.

THEN, in Ademnre, we seem to be far off the path of the Chandrian, until finally we realize they know something, and he gets a story with their names.

I think that these two sections dont feel like much more than Qvothe "Leveling up" to me. It's like grinding in Wow. Just pointless badassery.

As an aside, I do think that Patrick Rothfuss can eat Alphabet soup and crap out better writing than most people. Even these "down" scenes are scenes I enjoy. I just enjoy them "less."

[Reads with Scotch]

I guess, I just made the intuitive leaps. I was excited when, Kvothe went to Adem. As soon as Tempi entered stage left my first thought was “Please oh please go to Adem!” the Amount of actual information not just skirted hints was surpassed by no other section in the book. I think it is discussed so much because of the quantity of story lines his time in Adem touch. There are a few answers or light shed on just about everything.

Aside from that, I just find the culture of the Adem fascinating.

[Reads with Scotch]

If I had to pick a scene that seemed clunky and slow, I'd have to say the Eld. Other then the story of Jax and the moon (further elaborated on shortly after by Felurian) and the engagement at the encampment- it seemed to drag. I swear if I had to listen to one more lovers spat between those two...

[Kvothe]

The first read is a snore.
But my second reading, OMFG FORESHADOWING CLUSTER BOMB
Does anyone notice how easy this scene would be if he had accepted the Tinker's offer?
He could have a romantic Dinner with Denna with the wine.
He could have killed the draccus using his chicken fishing method without using all of the opium and he and denna could be rich.

Also, the stone arch made out of graystones that they sleep on?
The same one from his dream after his troop is massacred?
the same kind of door way, as revealed in settling his debt with sim in WMF about waystones, is said to be a portal to the fae?
That resembles, (dare i say it?) A DOOR OF STONE?!?!?!?

[Kvothe]

Servius Heiner wrote: "If I had to pick a scene that seemed clunky and slow, I'd have to say the Eld. Other then the story of Jax and the moon (further elaborated on shortly after by Felurian) and the engagement at the e..."

I feel that was the point of that scene, to illustrate the pure agonizing boredem of the wild goosechase the Maer sent him on.

[Reads with Scotch]

I’ve brought up the tinker link before. I think there is more to tinkers (true tinkers as in not every troupe is Ruh) then is given. There are a few times between the two NOTW&WMF where kvothes interactions with the Tinkers would have given him precisely what he would have needed in the scenes to follow. Additionally all the stories in the four corners seem to have a lot of hidden knowledge that everyone ignores or writes off as children’s tales. Who are the tinkers? Why don’t bandits mess with them? Ect ect. Everyone talks about them, everyone says be nice but why. I have always thought there is more to them. I haven’t ever seen any real discussion on the topic though.