• Paperback: 672 pages
• Publisher: DAW
• ISBN-10: 0756405890
• ISBN-13: 978-0756405892

Synopsis:

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.

The Name of the Wind is the first book of The Kingkiller Chronicles and the debut novel of Patrick Rothfuss. Or as I like to call him Silver Tongue or That-Guy-Who-Is-So-Eloquent-That-He-Makes-Me-Feel-Like-A-Boorish-Fraud.

I mean that second one with the utmost affection and adoration of a die hard fan.

There are so many things that make Rothfuss’ book one of the best I’ve read in the last decade. He does everything right that a writer possibly can. His storytelling is beautiful without coming off as lofty and insincere, with pacing that engages you from start to finish. His approach to magic is original, even logical and his world building is masterful. But if I had to say what was most wonderful about The Name of the Wind, what was the single greatest aspect that other writers should look to emulate, it’s Rothfuss’ mastery of character.

A good writer is a master of the human condition. The complex hero is a common archetype in literature; many of the most loved characters in all of the written word fall into this characterization, but Rothfuss takes it to another level. He achieves a balance in his protagonist, Kvothe, that few writers can really measure up to. Kvothe is both clever and colossally stupid. He can be kind and strong one minute and petty and insecure the next. He is the most human character I’ve ever had the pleasure to read about and I honestly can’t anticipate what he’s going to do next.

He’s human. Probably the most human character I’ve ever read. All of the characters in The Name of the Wind possess this very real, very human quality that makes you forget you’re reading a work of fantasy. Like any good drama, the cast only serves to enhance the action. And Rothfuss has created an incredible cast of characters for his series.

I give The Name of the Wind 5 of 5 stars.

Pick up your copy of The Name of the Wind from Amazon today.

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