Customer Reviews:
 Brilliant Debut September 1, 2008
Brilliant book - once I started reading it I could not put it down, I would definately rate this for anyone who enjoys fantasy. Also great to find something a bit different. The characters are really well written and you care about all of them, not just the main character. I also really enjoyed its humerous side. Great book, bring on the sequel.
Wonderful Book. More please! August 29, 2008
This is a wonderful book. Very hard to put down. Having just finished it, I am eagerly awaiting the next installment (April 2009)!!
 My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me... August 14, 2008
First things first: `Name of the Wind' is a big book, both physically and figuratively. Even in large paperback it's 650+ pages of small-font writing. Whether this whets your appetite or puts you off is a matter of personal preference, but the main thing is; is the story's epic size justified? For the most of it, yes.
It follows the story of Kvothe, but not in a typical way. We meet him as a rather unassuming innkeeper, but when he's hunted down by a Chronicler, we find that there's more to this young man than meets the eye.
But almost no action takes place in the present time. Rather, Kvothe retells his back story from there, in an auto-biographical fashion, even going so far as to switch into first-person narrative. It's an interesting style, which gives the extra edge of making you wonder how this great prodigy came to be such a lowly innkeeper.
Rothfuss has a distinct voice, one which will appeal to fans of Robin Hobb and George R.R. Martin. However, one thing that Rothfuss is particularly adept at is avoiding cliches. It's high fantasy, sure, and there is magic, but it's presented in such a grounded fashion, working as a pseudo-reality, that would make even the most high-brow of literary fiction look airy-fairy. You won't find any dues ex machinas or rich lost relatives coming to the rescue here; Kvothe really has grind his life out, for every penny, and you really empahise with him, hoping always for something good to come his way.
Trouble is, Rothfuss does take this anti-cliche thing a bit far. Such is his often prudish avoidance of cliches that very few typical storytelling devices come into play. Can't we have at least one sword/magic fight? Or a dramatic climax? Or a moment when all seems lost to our hero? No. Kvothe exists in a constant lull, neither on a high nor low. Indeed, his character barely seems to change. It really does read like a biography. The story doesn't even finish properly, with next to no story strands tied up (there will, be sequels, mind, though it would be nice to have some sort of closure here). In fact, considering it's size, very little actually happens in this book in terms of plot and incident. Worse, if you read the blurb on the back cover, you'd assume what's written there is what happens. But no. Only two of the listed achievements actually occur in this book. This, I found, was extremely frustrating; almost a form of cheating; it's bare-faced lying. This alone is enough to knock a star off the final mark.
And yet, despite this, `Name of the Wind' works. Why? Because it's real. We recognise Kvothe as ourselves, because whilst he is enormously talented and charismatic, nothing ever comes easily to him; he fights tooth-and-nail for everything, and by the end of it, despite the fact the story has progressed very little, Kvothe will be a character that stays with you long after you reach the back cover. So yes, I recommend this book highly; just keep an open mind, don't expect your typical fantasy novel and you'll be enthralled, and left hungry for the next instalment.
 An interesting start to a series July 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book leaves me a little bit confused. On one hand, I found it compelling and could not put it down. On the other hand, it was not actually that good. It's a very accessible story with an interesting structure. I enjoyed the mystery of what could have brought Kvothe to the village where the story opens, and I found his tale very emotive. The university is a fascinating setting, and Kvothe's world is very well fleshed out.
However, over the course of 600 pages, not an awful lot actually happens. I was left with the feeling that the entire story could have been told in half the length without any of the atmosphere or depth being lost.
I found that some of the characters were utterly fascinating - particularly the university professors and Kvothes's mentor, Ben - while others were tedious and/or too perfect. Kvothe himself would have been better spending less time describing his apparently great skills, and the character of Denna is almost painfully cliched. A woman described as having no female friends because she's so perfect is almost impossible for the reader to empathise with.
And finally, don't be fooled by the product description. None of those feats committed by Kvothe actually happen in this book. I'll be reading the sequel to find out if and when they do (which is probably the goal of mentioning them on the book's cover), but unless it improves on the first I may not follow the series through to the end.
not your average dungeons and dragons... June 12, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I'm not the articulate type - others in reviewing this book will no doubt do the book more justice. But let me say this:
About an hour ago I was half way through this book; just outside through the open window I could hear my neighbours children playing - laughing and chatting and generally doing what kids do; opposite me, on a sofa, two of my cats lay side by side, contented and asleep. Beside me was a most excellant beer, from a micro brewery, the owner of whom I was on first name terms with. And then there was this book. It was so good the tears rolled down my face.
A perfect moment in time.
If you've spent 30 odd years reading fantasy and sci-fi and are beginning to get a wee bit jaded at the awful dialogue and unconditional heroism of some of the characters then this is the book for you. The story is the usual tale of young orphan who follows his destiny but told in such a way that it's as though you've just discovered a whole new genre.
It may not be macho enough for some. The hero isn't averse to playing a lute OR shedding the occasional tear. But it's a refreshing change and my only complaint is that the second part of the triology isn't out for another year...
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