The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Fantasy
662 pages
Originally published in April 2007
5/5
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. 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.
**Post may contain spoilers**
My thoughts: When I picked this book up from Books A Million, I really wasn't entirely sure if I was going to like it. I had heard a lot of good reviews about it, but I have picked up books that people rave about and I absolutely hated it. But I was honestly pleasantly surprised. The summary itself definitely caught my attention.
This book is basically a story within a story. I had serious doubts because when I realized this, I thought there was absolutely no way I would stay interested. But I was very wrong. This book is so descriptive and so magical in a way I don't think I've ever encountered in a book before, well besides Game of Thrones. There is so much information to take in but it's not too overwhelming. The magic system in this series is definitely unique and interesting. Honestly it's a breath of fresh air.
I hate that it took me this long to read this series. There is magic, fighting, university, romance and comedy. You'll see ancient beings, dragons, and of course magic. There's religion and science. You'll love some characters and probably hate some. I disliked very few characters in this book and what I really liked is that it seems all the main (and even some minor) characters have some form of character development. If they don't change in the first book, then you can see it in the sequel. There are a lot of characters, but not so many that I got lost. I also love the mystery that surrounds this book. Kvothe, the main character, spends his whole time at University investigating two groups of people that nobody seems to a) want to talk about or b)know anything about. And I love that all of the questions aren't answered at the end of the book. I've read too many books where the author answers too many questions in the first book and it doesn't exactly leave me wanting more. But this one definitely leaves many things unknown at the end.
Honestly I absolutely loved this book. I just got done reading the sequel so I might post a review of that as well, I'm not sure. I would definitely recommend this series but just know that the third book is not out yet and does not have a release date as of yet. That's the bad thing about series, love the books but hate the wait. This series is definitely worth the wait though.