Name of the Wind/Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Over the weekend I completed a reading marathon of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles, excluding "The Slow Regard of Silent Things". This series has been recommended to me for a very long time, same as when I was a virgin reader to George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. I can't say why I couldn't make it through "Name of the Wind" the few times I tried. It wasn't because I thought the book was dull or anything, I simply hadn't read past 20/30 pages, and would forget about the book when I put it down.

It's been a while since I dove into a binge reading period, so I kicked it off with Neil Gaiman's "American Gods", which was fantastic. I can't wait to see what the television series is going to be like.

That being said, I was craving something of similar writing, of great storytelling, and just had a feeling that Patrick Rothfuss was going to be able to hit that mark. His writing is different, of course, but the storytelling is what hooked me. Once I passed that 30 page mark, I found myself still turning pages and realized I didn't want to stop reading about this curious character named Kvothe.

"Name of the Wind" is a story set at a fairly fast pace. There are many stories being told, but the obvious ones I should mention is Kvothe retelling his lifetime/past story (even though he is still considered young, a twenty-something), and the present story taking place at Kvothe's inn while he is telling this his tale in the company of two others.

We learn what kind of environment Kvothe grew up in, who is parents were, and what type of character he is. He is someone who has relentless determination to learn. This relentless determination has lead him to being blind to other things, such as subtlety, abstract ideas, and a hard time of grasping questions with either no answers or no definitive answer. Still, Kvothe is an exceptional character who seems to have a good moral compass and a goal that is early set in the story where he won't stop until it's complete. He learns. He becomes poor. He learns how to survive, alone. He attends University. He works hard. He learns magic. He learns history. He learns from social situations.He learns hard truths. He experiences extraordinary situations and adventures.

This makes his time at the inn all the more curious, where he seems like a shadow of his past. What is he doing there? Why does it seem like he is waiting to die? This unknown expresses something went amiss, or unexpectedly, however we don't know what exactly has happened and where our main character truly stands now.

Many characters and adventures are met over the course of the two books so far, however for each question answered, there seems to be a dozen new questions on the tip of my mind. This is the kind of book I like. Hearing a great story being told, with a puzzle embedded across three books...

If you have enjoyed books by Terry Goodkind, George R.R. Martin, and J.K. Rowling, then you will definitely enjoy The Kingkiller Chronicles. I now await with everyone else for the conclusion to the trilogy. Patiently.

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