Book Review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

I've read The Name of the Wind several times already and enjoy it immensely. However, at work several of my colleagues have been reading it or chatting about it, so I figured I'd remind myself of the story and, since I never wrote a review here since my reading predated my blog, this is also a good opportunity to write up my thoughts on it.

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.

Read on for my spoiler-free review.

Overall Impression
This is an excellent book with lots of things going for it: a clever character, gripping plot, intriguing world, and told through a frame story all with a poetic flair to it. Rothfuss has written an epic tale that is both down to Earth and legendary at the same time.

Plot
One of the interesting aspects of this book is how it is told through a frame story. The innkeeper Kote, after a few chapters introducing you to his world, starts narrating the story of his life as Kvothe. Most of the story is as Kvothe but even there, there are times when he attends a play or such and the narrative shifts yet another level deeper into that story. It's very cool and well done and makes you realize there are subtle connections between all the stories, even if not all of them are revealed yet.

It's also interesting to me to see how tightly woven the narrative is. There are parts that seem to meander, only to come into sharp focus later on in the story. It's clear Kote, and thus Rothfuss, have an important story to tell and every little detail is part of it.

Characters
This is a story about Kvothe, told by Kvothe. He is the main character and the narrator, of sorts. His story is tragic, though also hopeful and full of wit. He is talented and smart, but impulsive, arrogant, and his cleverness gets him into trouble more often than it helps him. He frequently sounds too good to be true, but I attribute that to an artifact of having him tell his own story with all the embellishments he himself claims he does to make sure his reputation grows. There are also a number of notable side characters, like Bast, Denna, Elodian, and others, but this is not their story.

Setting / World Building
This is a fantastical world built with surprising amounts of detail in some areas and blank spaces in others. For example, the currency and some of its variants are described in intricate detail, but some place names and history are missing. Still, that's part of the magic of the book- you discover alongside the characters the stories of these far away places as they become relevant to the plot.

There's also several types of magic in the book, with again some varying levels of detail. You get explanations on how to focus your mind to perform Sympathy and how it relates to Sygaldry. You even see some people who know the Names of thing, like Wind, Iron, or Fire. We get some tantalizing hints on exactly what that means, just enough to get the gist of it and leave you wanting more.

An even bigger mystery is what the Chandrian are. These mysterious evil-doers are considered legends or myth, yet they are very much real in Kvothe's life. Who they are, how they came to be, and their relationship to Tehlu and the Amyr is still very much hidden.

Final Thoughts
This is the start of an epic story about a legendary character. Kvothe controls his own narrative and makes sure you know how awesome he is, even with his flaws. It's a fun book with lots of cleverness and makes you think about a lot of things, such as his struggles with poverty and recognition and also about more fantastical things like the Chandrian and the nature of magic. I strongly recommend this book, with the only drawback being that it's part of a trilogy and the third book has yet to be written.