The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1)
Discover #1 New York Times-bestselling Patrick Rothfuss’ epic fantasy series, The Kingkiller Chronicle.
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DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND
My name is Kvothe.
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.
So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature—the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.
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Community Reviews
The story ends up going in a pretty different direction from where it started, and that's a good thing because I almost gave up on listening to the book after the first few chapters. I started paying more attention once Kvothe starts telling the story of his youth and his experiences at the university, which I found much more compelling than the brief returns to the "present" day with Kvothe in hiding at an inn. But I suppose those elements set the foundation for the series, as they make the reader wonder how Kvothe came to that position.
I do find some of Kvothe's decisions irritating at times, particularly when they're borne out of arrogance rather than his obvious intelligence, but that may simply be a factor of his young age. I also didn't quite understand the depth of Ambrose's animosity towards Kvothe and found him to be a somewhat flat and predictable character (not unlike Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter). He's just there to be the main character's nemesis.
As an instructor of writing and rhetoric, I particularly enjoyed the fact that Kvothe has studied rhetoric, both with his father when he was growing up and also at the university. He also ends up being pretty skilled in the art of persuasion.
I do find some of Kvothe's decisions irritating at times, particularly when they're borne out of arrogance rather than his obvious intelligence, but that may simply be a factor of his young age. I also didn't quite understand the depth of Ambrose's animosity towards Kvothe and found him to be a somewhat flat and predictable character (not unlike Lucius Malfoy in Harry Potter). He's just there to be the main character's nemesis.
As an instructor of writing and rhetoric, I particularly enjoyed the fact that Kvothe has studied rhetoric, both with his father when he was growing up and also at the university. He also ends up being pretty skilled in the art of persuasion.
Kvothe, could you be a little more condescending? "Not many people realize this..." "Something a lot of people don't know" yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah.
I get it - this story is largely told from Kvothe's point of view, and as such he aggrandizes EVERYTHING about himself. But how does that not make him intolerable for most readers? I did complete it, but with much eye-rolling and groaning.
I get it - this story is largely told from Kvothe's point of view, and as such he aggrandizes EVERYTHING about himself. But how does that not make him intolerable for most readers? I did complete it, but with much eye-rolling and groaning.
The Name of the Wind is a divisive book, and my three-star rating reflects this inner conflict. On one hand, it is one of the most lyrical and immersive fantasy works I have ever read; on the other, it's a story that, after over six hundred pages, leaves the distinct feeling of being nothing but a very long, albeit beautiful, prologue.
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