notw: The Speculation-free Re-Readers' Thread (Book One and Two)

[Dustin]

I really liked the world and all the little details. Even if it isn't the most original world, the details really give it depth.

The songs and stories are neat, I wish we had a few more.

“When the hearthfire turns to blue,
What to do? What to do?
Run outside. Run and hide.

When his eyes are black as crow?
Where to go? Where to go?
Near and far. Here they are.

“See a man without a face?
Move like ghosts from place to place.
What’s their plan? What’s their plan?
Chandrian. Chandrian.”

Rothfuss also does excellent work at creating interesting minor characters, despite some comments about his female characters. Bast, Auri, Puppet, Elodin, Kilvin, Devi, etc. They might be too interesting and overshadow the main characters who are far more normal.

The magic is also very neat and I like how he gives us a logical system (Sympathy,etc), as well as some mysterious ones.

My main dislikes are Kvothe, who I occasionally consider to be almost as much a snob as Ambrose. It seems like he's constantly condescending to the reader.

"You can't understand how it feels to have a new shirt... new paper... new shoes... a place to sleep ... money in your pocket unless you've have been truly poor."

But then I like that about him too.

I also dislike Denna. No, I loathe Denna. I don't know why, perhaps its because she has no talents or skills or real purpose in story. Why did he have to like Denna. Sure Bella was the obvious choice, but why not. She had skills and was likeable. Even Devi would have been a more interesting person for him to stalk. Probably not a successful relationship, but an interesting one.

[Skip]

Songs are good. Kvothe even says so in Chapter four: "You'd be surprised at the sorts of things hidden away in children's songs."

One in particular that only seems like Kvothe being caught singing a children's song (view spoiler)[about his mother (not that he knows it) (hide spoiler)]:

Seven things has Lady Lackless
Keeps them under underneeth her black dress
One a ring that's not for wearing
One a sharp word that's not for swearing
Right beside her husband's candle
There's a door without a handle
In a box, no lid or locks
Lackless keeps her husband's rocks
There's a secret she's been keeping
She's been dreaming and not sleeping
On a road, that's not for Traveling
Lackless likes her riddle raveling.


Now Denna is another story altogether. First realize that everything you get is from Kote, who is going to tell things from a particular biased point of view. Also, I don't take young Kvothe to be a snob so much as clueless. He really doesn't get that everyone isn't as bright as he is, and he is completely clueless when it comes to women. Even late in the second book he's still clueless. He may have learned to please women, but he definitely didn't understand them.

But D is Kvothe's love because she was a riddle and a mirror. She never gave much away about herself. But she is clearly bright, she shares Kvothe's curiousity, and she is broken very badly, just like Kvothe.

Then there are the seven words. In Chapter 36 Elodin asks Kvothe if he knows the seven words to make a woman love him, and he says no; but like the name of the wind, the seven words change depending on the time, the place and the woman. Kvothe always says seven words to D when they meet. In chapter 32 he first speaks to her and asks "I was wondering what you're doing here". It doesn't seem to be much of anything, but when they meet again in Chapter 35 she remembers exactly what he said. She even teases him about it in Chapter 72 after he tells her "Looks like I'm destined to be loveless."

Normally I don't put much to fate, even in fantasy books, but given how malleable reality is in the series for namers, well ... they are probably bewitching each other without even knowing it.

[Alain]

Dustin wrote: "I really liked the world and all the little details. Even if it isn't the most original world, the details really give it depth.

The songs and stories are neat, I wish we had a few more.

“When th..."

It would have been a different dynamic if he was attracted to Devi. Here is someone who is clearly at least his equal and I guess it is more implied but also ruthless. She seems to have a soft spot for Kvothe although that not saying much since it seems that everyone with two X chromosome seem to be infatuated with Kvothe.

[Alain]

I am curious about Abenthy in several respects. We first come across him in a town where the mayor and a police officer mistake him for a simple tinker. We quickly find out that this isn’t the case in fact he is far from being a simple anything. First he seems to know the “name” of things. We latter find out only a small minority of people can “name” things and most of the ones that can are slightly nuts. Admittedly I think we only see him “naming” once it is hard to gauge how proficient he supposed to be. Abenthy also does a great job at teaching Sympathy to Kvothe and seems to be an accomplished Arcanist. So what is he doing as an itinerant merchant offering his “misunderstood” services to small towns? He seems to have all the skills to be able to establish himself somewhere which he does latter in the story. So what drove(no pun intended) him to the road? Is Abenthy still alive ? after all the Chandrians wipe out Kvothe’s father troupe due to his song. Ben was present during it so have the Chandrian killed him as well? Does he have a further role to play in Kvothe life? Its implied several times that Kvothe will be kicked out of university so does he seek out Abenthy to continue his education?