The Name of The Wind
By Patrick Rothfuss
Pub: Gollancz
662 pages
Kvothe was a living legend, until he disappeared. Then, of course, he became just a legend. And as with all stories the tales of his life are much exaggerated. Renowned wizard, dragon-slayer, master songsmith, are just some of accolades laid at his feet.
Kvothe, living incognito as an village innkeeper, is found by a wandering scribe, who, deducing his identity, wishes to take down a true account of his life. The scribe however is not the only one to find the wizard, and trouble is brewing in the lands surrounding Kvothe’s village .
The book moves between the tavern in the present, as Kvothe recounts his life to the scribe, and the recollections themselves.
As the story unfolds it is revealed that all of the stories told of Kvothe contain some truth, but only the smallest amount. In this book we a privy to Kvothe’s early life, as he grows up amongst a troubadour troupe before tragedy strikes and he is abandoned. We follow Kvothe to “university” and find the real story behind him killing a dragon. He is pitted against petty bullies and monstrous creatures and also gets a taste of love. Going into any more detail would rather spoil it, so I’m going to avoid that.
One of the nicer touches is that the story Kvothe relates does not have an immediate connection to the events of the present. This prevents the telegraphing of the plot present in some books that use a similar narrative style. Kvothe’s life story doesn’t distil down in the obvious way either, and is more engaging than the telling of his legend would have been.
As seems to be a habit for me it’s another book that doesn’t follow fantasy conventions, taking a sideswipe at much of the traditional clichés along the way. Kvothe may not be the hero the legends make him out to be, but he eclipses these expectations.
The first in a series, it is going to be a long wait to read the second of these fantastic books. Consider this another recommended read, but like Locke Lamora, be prepared to long for the next instalment.
5 comments:
Thanks for the review..
I am now reading Karen Miller - Innocent Mage and I have this next on the list..
I have heard only good things... Now I am so looking forward to reading it...
I absolutely love the cover...
;)
This book has been on sale at Asda for a few weeks now for a fiver instead of the usual RRP of £7.99 (I think). So I was considering of buying it but thinking really hard because my TBR pile is now mountainous... reading your review has just helped me decide :)
Thank you for sharing!
Erotic Horizon - It is a lovely cover. Beware a different, ugly cover exists should you order it online, and can't see it yourself.
Cherry - RRP on my copy (A5 size) is £14.99, so grab it for £5 while you can, it's a bargain. TBR piles only ever seem to grow. Seems to be one step forward (downwards?), three back (upwards?) as books get read and more get added.
Reviewed this about two years ago - it was my "gateway" back into fantasy. Loved it, and am envious you don't have to wait nearly as long as I have for the next book!
Name of the Wind is just a magnificient book. Chris has it - this is a true gateway book for people (like me) who aren't so sure about fantasy. I recently finished it, and am working on a review.
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