The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Discover #1 New York Times-bestselling Patrick Rothfuss’ epic fantasy series, The Kingkiller Chronicle.

DAY ONE: THE NAME OF THE WIND

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.

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Shelby – ☆☆☆
The Name of the Wind was an interesting fantasy novel. This is the story of Kvothe, in his formative years. Some parts were longer than necessary, others just flew by. Overall, though, I enjoyed this story!

We are introduced to a humble innkeeper and his helper. He enjoys his patrons, and the stories, but something is just missing. Bast, his helper, is concerned about the wellbeing of his "master" but can't do anything about it. We learn the innkeeper, called Kote, has lived a much more exciting life than he has let on when he starts detailing his life to a Chronicler.

This book was long, I mean very long. Many characters come and go, but some stick around. Once we get into the story, we find out that Kote is actually the 'Famous' Kvothe, and this is his biography. His childhood is touched on, his admission and training at the University, his strengths and weaknesses – but we never really know HIM. We're told the story as we go, and much is left unexplained. I need to know what happens with his romantic interest, Denna.

The world of Kvothe isn't much different than ours, the world building has a few differences, mostly in animals. The magic is more realistic than what I was expecting, and the characters were relatively down-to-earth. This isn't the story of a group of people setting out on an adventure. This is the account of a hero and how he became what he was known as.

I'm not ready to start the second book as I need much more time than I currently have to get involved in this world. I will definitely pick this series up when I'm ready to immerse myself!

Patrick Rothfuss was born in Madison, Wisconsin to awesome parents who encouraged him to read and create through reading to him, gentle boosts of self-esteem, and deprivation of cable television. During his formative years, he read extensively and wrote terrible short stories and poetry to teach himself what not to do.

Patrick matriculated at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, initially studying chemical engineering which led to a revelation that chemical engineering is boring. He then spent the next nine years jumping from major to major, taking semesters off, enjoying semesters at part-time, and generally rocking the college student experience before being kindly asked to graduate already. Surprisingly enough, he had enough credits to graduate with an English major, and he did so grudgingly.

Patrick then went to grad school. He’d rather not talk about it.

All this time Patrick was working on “The Book,” as he and his friends lovingly titled it. When he returned to Stevens Point he began teaching half-time while trying to sell The Book to publishers. In the process, he disguised a chapter of The Book as a short story and won the Writers of the Future competition in 2002. This put him into contact with all the right people, and after deciding to split The Book into three installments, DAW agreed to publish it. In March 2007, The Name of the Wind was published to great acclaim, winning the Quill Award and making the New York Times Bestseller list.

All this success was wonderful. Patrick eventually had to stop teaching in order to focus on writing, though he screwed that up by having an adorable baby with his adorable girlfriend. He started a charity fundraiser called Worldbuilders and published a not-for-children children’s book called The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle in July of 2010 through Subterranean Press, which was adorable, and seriously isn’t for children.

After a great deal of work and a few cleared throats and raised eyebrows from his patient editor, Wise Man’s Fear came out in March 2011 to even more acclaim, making #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list. Life continues to rock for him, and he’s working hard on writing the final installment of the series.

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Shelby reviewed her personal copy of The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss for this post.