I found The Name of the Wind when I was looking up good (fairly) recent fantasy books to read. Kvothe’s introduction to his life reeled me in with the promise of an epic story. Rothfuss didn’t disappoint.
BULLET POINT REVIEW
- Poetic Language: The Name of the Wind is filled with poetic phrases. While they bring images to life, they are also beautiful to read and give me something to anticipate in future rereads.
- Compelling World: In reading this book, I can tell that Rothfuss is familiar with his world and its rules. (I read in an interview that he even did the calculations for use of sympathy, which is akin to magic but scientific in its processes.) There is much potential for future exploration of this world, not to mention that a big conflict seems to be brewing.
- Complex MC: Kvothe is both endearing and frustrating. I like his curiosity and desire to learn, and he has a natural flair for entertaining crowds. However, he is also very aware of his intellect and giftings. He is arrogant and prideful, and he picks fights that he cannot win. He also has a vice in his attraction for something unreachable. In short, Kvothe is a thinks-he-knows-it-all teen who believes in his invincibility. Which I can appreciate because it portrays the dark side of his giftedness. As a gifted child, Kvothe would be arrogant and do stupid things thinking that he’ll go ahead and take the consequences later.
- Unexpected Plot Twists: I love how Rothfuss takes the legends about Kvothe and reveals how they actually came to be. It’s so much fun to see them play out.
- An Epic in the Making: As I mentioned in my comments on the world building, it looks like something big is brewing. I read somewhere that Rothfuss has said that he has tricked readers into reading a prologue, and it’s reassuring to hear that. Given how little of Kvothe’s life is covered in book one alone, I’m guessing that this trilogy will be solely about the building of Kvothe’s legend. Yet, the happenings in the present suggest that there is more going on than what has happened in Kvothe’s life alone. I hope to see more of this world soon.
- A Chronicle of Kvothe’s Life: The Name of the Wind feels like a chronicle of Kvothe’s early life. Kvothe’s story of his life doesn’t immediately tie into his present circumstances or the present-day conflicts, and it takes a while for an enemy to be introduced to us. That said, it does seem to foreshadow an epic journey to come.
- Where’s Book Three? This is more of a personal complaint and has no bearing on my actual rating of the book. I’ve seen a lot on the Internet on the lack of visible progress on the third book of this trilogy, which promises to be the start to a larger series. I can understand that Rothfuss wants to take his time to write a good book without the weight of the guilt and burden to finish for the audience. At the same time, the wait time isn’t encouraging me to pick up book two in the meantime.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, the complexity of the world building, the depth of Kvothe’s character, and the promise of an epic in the making easily makes this one of the top fantasy reads on my list. I sincerely hope to see book three released within the next several years so that I can see what Rothfuss has planned with The Kingkiller Chronicle. I wish him all the best in his writing and that he finds what he needs to complete the third book.
CONTENT
- Alcohol
- Language
- Some sexual scenes / thoughts
- Violence
CHAT WITH ME
What are some of your favorite favorite reads / series?
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Ethan says
I would definitely hesitate to start this series without knowing there is a definite continuation coming in later books. It is one of the main reasons I've held off on reading Game of Thrones.