Name of the Wind Discussion - Spoiler Free

[TheThirdLie, Houdini Mod]

Welcome to the first [asmb:] Book of the Month Discussion!

Some of you have already started the book and if you want to discuss it without being free with spoilers use this thread. There aren't any spoiler tags or anything like that, so basically just make a huge SPOILER WARNING tag if you want to mention something in here that might be a spoiler.


A brief synopsis of the book:




--------------------
Stats

Book: The Name of the Wind
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Genre: Fantasy
Nominator: Keith
Month: August 2010
BotM Number: 1

[Apollo]

For the first 40 or so pages I was getting worried I wasn't going to like the book. It really picks up after his story starts...I don't think that's a spoiler is it? Time allowing I'll probably have it finished in about 3 days or so.

[TheThirdLie, Houdini Mod]

Definitely not a spoiler. Blurting out maybe plot points would be a spoiler.

[Jingai]

I've gotten through to chapter 9, and what appears
to be the point at which Kvothe is beginning to tell
his story to Chronicler. So far, Kvothe is an interesting character, somewhat reminiscent of one of Dumas' musketeers. I will say that this book seems
to belabor itself with detail, and while I can appreciate that to a certain degree, I really think
that there comes a point when the actual story needs to start. That said, I do think I will enjoy this book.

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

The book, and story, does start off slowly.

But it is a nice build up. Once it got going, I found it hard to put it down, when I first read it.

Edit: And the cartoon is nice.

[TheThirdLie, Houdini Mod]

It's from a t-shirt design contest Rothfuss is/was doing. I saw it on his blog yesterday and thought it was amusing, so I put it here. Shame I don't have the artist's name to give credit to him/her though. =\

Also, anyone who ends up enjoying this - you should check out Rothfuss' blog. It's pretty darn funny.

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

He makes Kvothe look like a red-headed Link.

[TheThirdLie, Houdini Mod]

It really does. I still like it and would wear a shirt with it on it.

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

Now I wish I knew more about programming so I could take an old Legend of Zelda rom thing and hack it so that it would be based loosely on the Name of the Wind.

[Nora aka Diva, The Diva Mod]

Glodson wrote: "The book, and story, does start off slowly."

Oh, good to know cuz I was kinda worried.

[Nora aka Diva, The Diva Mod]

Am I the only one struggling with this book? I will continue reading for now in hopes that it will get better.

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

Well, I really liked it.

But it did start out unremarkable.

However, I thought it got really good, but I guess people do have different tastes, so it isn't unexpected that some won't like it as much as others.

[Nora aka Diva, The Diva Mod]

Glodson wrote: "But it did start out unremarkable."

Not to be a total bitch here but how far into it before it gets interesting?

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

Well, it didn't take me too long.

When they started to get into the story of Kvothe was were I got into it.

[Nora aka Diva, The Diva Mod]

I have a nagging feeling the problem is me and not the book.

[TheThirdLie, Houdini Mod]

You could always put it off for a few days or a week. Just to give yourself time to get into the mood of reading. Sometimes I'll just be flat out not in the mood to read and have to wait to get through a book... like last month. It took me a month to read a book when it should only have taken a few days. >.<


Either that or the book just isn't to your tastes. It's likely as well. If so, there's no harm in dropping the book. You can still discuss it - like why you didn't like it.

[Nora aka Diva, The Diva Mod]

I think part of the problem is a set aside another book halfway through to start this one. I think I will finish it before picking this one back up. unlike some people I tend to read one book at a time.

[TheThirdLie, Houdini Mod]

Yeah, I'm only able to read one at a time as well... or, well, find myself enjoying a book better if I'm only reading one.

[Sean]

I'm on page 66 and I'm enjoying it quite well so far.

The dialogue is fairly witty. This surprised me a bit, because I don't generally expect cleverness and originality from a fantasy novel. <_< Call me cynical if you must.

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

I think that is because many fantasy novels are written by people who read "The Lord of the Rings" and said "Hey, I can do that too!"

So, they adopted the bad dialogue and all.

That reminds me...

[Sean]

XD Well, I wouldn't go so far as to say that Lord of the Rings has bad dialogue. It's just very particularly suited to its setting.

That kind of formality doesn't work well in most settings. Especially when you start throwing in modern archetypes, like the brooding loner. Brooding loners... are not formal.

Also, I hate fireballs. Just saying. Any wizard who throws a fireball is no friend of mine.

[Give me a good ol' half-brick in a sock anyday.:]

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

I just thought that the dialogue felt forced often. The settings, and the history just came so naturally, but the dialogue just didn't live up.

However, the archetypes can be done well, but that's hard to do. Often, they are fumbled. And you get the love interest, and the brooding loner, and all that.

How about a socially awkward hero that wants to be the life of the party but adopts the dark and brooding loner so people will attribute his awkwardness to some secret? That would be believable, and fun, even if done in a serious tone.

And why fireballs? If you have arcane powers, why not something more devious?

And nothing beats a wizzard.

[Sean]

Ohmygoodlord, that sounds like a fantastic character you've just imagined there. XD

That's exactly my point about fireballs, though. They are completely unimaginative. They basically contradict my own romanticized notions of magic. It takes it from being something mysterious and mythical, to being something fairly mundane.

[Oom, afk lulz.:]

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

I guess I would like to see more people take some of the archetypes and play with them to make them more interesting.

And I don't think there's anything wrong with a fireball by itself... just add something to it. Or maybe use it in a fun way.

Oddly enough, I've thought they should go in the direction of the mundane more often with magic in books with it. Like make it more common place where people wouldn't have flint and steel to light fires, and what not. Have fun with it.

Like science fiction, make some of the technology more mundane to make it more believable.

[Lildreamelf]

@ Glodson

And nothing beats a wizzard."

i call pratchett reference.

@ Sean

That's exactly my point about fireballs, though. They are completely unimaginative. They basically contradict my own romanticized notions of magic. It takes it from being something mysterious and mythical, to being something fairly mundane.

in your romanticized notions of magic, what else (other than magic) would wizards do? hopefully that doesn't come out rudely. i sincerely want to know.

[TheThirdLie, Houdini Mod]

They should play with lightning more. >_>

[Glodson, MIA Mod]

Hey, I've got a few more ideas.

First: Fun with Fireballs! Who said they have to come from the caster? Why not have one that launches from behind the target? Or one that comes from the ground where they are standing to throw off the target? Hey, maybe one that detonates in a blinding flash for the express purpose of blinding the target? Or, since this is magic, an antifire ball? A ball of burning cold that snap freezes things around it? Okay, that last one, not so good.

Other Magics: Maybe launch arcane energy into the ground which leaps out after a distance at its target as an spear of earth and rock? Maybe use your magic to move a large volume of air from directly in front of your target for a massive vacuum effect, which would be rather gory. Or reverse it and just force a greater volume of air in a space causing extreme pressure. Hey, since we're moving stuff anyways, why not use different sonic attacks to debilitate enemies? If going for humor, the brown note would work here.

And finally, let's play with physics: why not change the force of gravity, making things impossibly heavy? Or remove it so the target launches into the air because of a step. Maybe play with the electromagnetic force so that they pass through objects, or find that metal is terminally attracted to them?

I have a few ideas, but I am going to keep them because I've been playing with an idea for sometime now.

[Apollo]

I met someone who considers himself a physics wizard. It's not nearly as interesting as you would think.

[Nora aka Diva, The Diva Mod]

My meandering thoughts so far.
Chapter 6. Moses was found? If he is a myth bring him in a bottle if he a man bring him in chains... I went looking for a myth and found a man. _Ten commandments movie.
Chapter 10 pages 70 &71:Within my will the universe has it's beginnings, Within my wisdom is the type and patterns of all things. (yes oddly enough the beginning of this chapter reminded me of something out of a Xena episode. page 72. Made me think of when Luke skywalker makes the connection between Old Ben and Obi wan Konobi(sp?) and of course that reminded of.. "these are not the droids you are looking for." Heart of stone wasn't that something in the Yu-Gi-Oh world? lol.

[Nora aka Diva, The Diva Mod]

Jamie wrote: "Either that or the book just isn't to your tastes. It's likely as well. If so, there's no harm in dropping the book. You can still discuss it - like why you didn't like it.
."

Yeah I am done, I just couldn't get into the book. The characters I did not care about. 15 chapters I read hoping for something to happen that would spark my interest and it just wasn't happening. Sorry people but I just don't like this book.

[Jingai]

I've read up to chapter 32 so far, so if you are behind that, beware of some possible spoilers.




I am on the fence with this story. The major
reason for him moving to Tarbean, and the mythology
of the series being presented in the form of parables is pretty creative, however I just don't
find myself really getting into the story as much as
perhaps I would have liked to by this point in the
book.

Perhaps things will pick up once Kvothe is in the University.

[Nora aka Diva, The Diva Mod]

You made it farther than I did.

[Mary]

I think the university part of the story is a vast improvement. I'm still in the university portion of the book, somewhere in the 400's, so I can't speak to the rest of the story. So far it's not one of my favorite books but I'll finish it and make up my mind then.

[Sean]

"in your romanticized notions of magic, what else (other than magic) would wizards do? hopefully that doesn't come out rudely. i sincerely want to know."

Sorry, I forgot all about this thread after I finished the book. XD

Well, I like to see magic reference folklore and follow folkloric laws. So I like when someone can control another person by knowing their name, or by offering them food and having them eat it.
I like in the Hobbit when Gandalf made the sun rise just a bit faster (or maybe made the trolls argue? I'm not sure. And that's fantastic) in order to defeat some trolls.

Magic is supposed to be subtle and mysterious. When you just throw fireballs around like you can pick them up off the ground, it just makes it mundane and boring.

[Possible spoilers but probably not:]
I *might* have had a problem with the magic in The Name of the Wind, in fact, because of the scientific explanations, but it still managed to maintain some subtlety. And I like that it follows strange and arcane rules, like similar objects having more sympathy with each other. It hearkens back to folkloric magic, which always seems to follow seemingly random rules.

[Lildreamelf]

i like the melding of science and magic. there's definitely an alchemical feel to things.