Product Description

'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. My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me' So begins the tale of Kvothe - currently known as Kote, the unassuming innkeepter - from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, through his 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 the notorious magician, the accomplished thief, the masterful musician, the dragon-slayer, the legend-hunter, the lover, the thief and the infamous assassin. The Name of the Wind is fantasy at its very best, and an astounding must-read title.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #106408 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-27
• Binding: Hardcover
• 672 pages

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. My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me' So begins the tale of Kvothe - currently known as Kote, the unassuming innkeepter - from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, through his 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 the notorious magician, the accomplished thief, the masterful musician, the dragon-slayer, the legend-hunter, the lover, the thief and the infamous assassin. The Name of the Wind is fantasy at its very best, and an astounding must-read title.

About the Author
Patrick Rothfuss currently lives in central Wisconsin where he teaches at the local university. In his free time Patrick writes a satirical humor column, practices civil disobedience, and dabbles in alchemy. He loves words, laughs often, and refuses to dance. The Name of the Wind is his first novel. There will be more.

Customer Reviews

An interesting start to a series
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 clichéd. 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...
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...

bloody good
excellent...the only crappy thing is that I have to wait a year for number 2 - really really annoying. I normally buy books that have all their sequels published cause i read fast. so i read this in a couple days and now have to wait a year. ug.
but one of the best i've read in the past year...