BOOK REPORT: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Title: The Name of the Wind 
           (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. 

BOOK REPORT: Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Title:              Good Omens: 

                       The Nice and Accurate Prophecies 

                       of Agnes Nutter, Witch

Author:        Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Copyright Date:       2000  (my edition 2006)

My Rating:  5 out of 5 stars  ( Excellent and Funny )

Backcover Description

The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according toThe Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.

My Thoughts

"You can't be certain that what's happening right now isn't exactly right, from an ineffable point of view"

When I mentioned my reading project to my gaming group, the consensus was that I needed to read Good Omens if I hadn't already.  Now, I've read 4 or 5 Pratchett books previously, and anyone who has read any of his books knows how funny and clever he is. His writing is simply a delight to read. It keeps you smiling, sometimes laughing out loud, and will make you think at times as well. 

For those not familiar with Neil Gaimon, he got his start as a graphic novelist, with The Sandman Series  being the most famous, and then expanded into other writing forms.  He wrote the books Stardust and Coraline from which successful movies were made and has a host of other Fiction and Young Adult Fiction in his portfolio. 

You can tell that Terry Pratchett had  much to do with the prose and style of the book.  That same wit is there, but Neil Gaiman brought a darker subject (how do you get darker than the soon to arrive Armageddon) that adds depth to the writing.  

This book was EXTREMELY well done. The story and characters of Good Omens are great.  As the back-cover description outlines, the Armageddon is on its way and the two main characters, an Angel named Aziraphale and a demon named Crowley, who are actually good friends, are reluctant players in the ineffable divine plan.  The four horsemen ride motorcycles with plague being replaced with pollution since the advent of vaccines. There are witches and witch-hunters and the Anti-Christ who was misplaced at birth and is being raised in the suburbs.  

"You do know you could find yourself charged with being a dominant species while under the influence of impulse driven consumerism, don't you?" 

I don't want to go too much more into the plot, but I would highly recommend this book to anyone wanting a light-hearted, funny read that is ineffably great.