(Kingkiller Chronicles: Day 1)
Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Copyright Date: 2007
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
( Entertaining )
Back-Cover Description
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 the tale of Kvothe-from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. But The Name Of The Wind is so much more-for the story it tells reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.
My Thoughts
The Name of the Wind was a very entertaining read; it is very well written and action packed. At first glance however, it blatantly follows the same hero's journey template that Star Wars and Harry Potter use. Let's see if this sounds familiar: a young boy, Kvothe, who is very gifted in seemingly every way, encounters a life altering tragedy and is forced upon a path of justice. But as the story evolves, the journey starts to veer off the beaten path.
What sets The Name of the Wind apart is that the Kvothe isn't necessarily a hero; or to be more precise, we don't know whether he is a hero or not. He could be one. This is a personal vengeance and in this context, we don't know his quest is for the betterment of everyone or just himself. His ire is directed against at an unknown enemy, but the spotty evidence points to a strange group who only exist in folk tales as the foe of a mighty kingdom long gone.
His quest is quite a ride to go along with and takes some unexpected turns which is nice. My only issue with it comes from Kvothe's knack at being great at EVERYTHING. It can get a bit tiresome when it only takes him a few tries to master a new skill; the movie version of the book will have quite a few montage scenes.
I really liked this book and will definitely read the next in the series once it comes down to paperback prices. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a page-turning adventure that mixes the epic medieval scenery of Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth with the classic magical hero's journey we all know and love.
