The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss)

This book. This book.

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 have 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 have 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 day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me.

That's the back cover of The Name of the Wind, debut novel from Patrick Rothfuss. For your enjoyment, I've read the whole thing and am here to tell you if it's good or not—though, really, if those italics didn't make you shiver, this review might do you no good.

What We Know Going In

Name of the Wind is a fantasy novel. Depending on which cover you see, it might be standard fantasy fare, a little weird, or the story of how Carrot Top learned to play lute after he lost his shirt. It's the first in a trilogy and critics and authors alike dig it. Based on the back cover, I'm inclined to agree with them. 

What We Found Out

A man in hiding from his past recounts his life story—from the day his family was butchered by demons, to his time as a street urchin, to his training in magic, to his eventual immortalization as a legend in his own time.

As you might have gathered from the smorgasbord of hyperlinks, this story is Troperiffic. In the tradition of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, this is a story about stories, and as such it gets very, very meta. The book itself is a frame story: it begins in third-person, observing the interactions of a mild-mannered innkeeper, and then sits the innkeeper down and asks for his life story. (It makes sense in context.) His story involves even more stories, and they're all told with the same extraordinary command of language as the back cover.

What's Good?

Rothfuss's prose is gorgeous. Word geeks will love reading this book just for the experience. Rothfuss's great strength is in replicating the feel of bardic storytelling on paper. The main story is narrated verbally by Kvothe, and it feels like a story being told, rather than written.

Apart from that, Kvothe is a fascinating, extraordinary character. Everyone in this story is sharply drawn, but Kvothe, as the primary protagonist, gets more attention and more development, and it's wonderful to experience. He's also mercilessly witty, which is hilarious to read.

What's Bad?

The plot's a bit kudzu-like, and Kvothe has been accused of being obnoxious and invincible. These are valid claims. Kvothe wins at things a lot. And he is a real jerk sometimes. He's not really the sort of person you would want to hang out with. He can be mean, selfish, and cruel to a huge degree. (Note, though, that these are criticisms of his personality. Kvothe is a bad person, but a great character.)

The book is also pretty long, clocking in around 259,000 words (Order of the Phoenix is 257k, Fellowship of the Ring is 187k, to give you an idea. Source). For people with little free time, it's a major commitment, especially since it's the first of three.

So, then...

Is it quality? Yes. Grade-A fantasy by all accounts.

Is it family-friendly? In large part. Recommended: age 10+

Is it daring? Very much. Though it incorporates all sorts of tropes, it plays around with them to such a degree that they're unnoticeable.

What's the rating? 10/10. Would read again, repeatedly.

Vorfelan Rhinata Morie.