I suspect that some of my regular readers have come to think that I don’t like any books. That I’m a cynic who simply loves to criticize others, perhaps out of professional jealousy. But I assure you, nothing could be farther from the truth.
I have just finished Patrick Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind…and I like it. Quite a bit, actually.
Fear not, for I do have criticisms, but for now, praise. This is the story of Kvothe, a epic hero and wizard whose life has become mythic in his own time, so great in fact that he has retired to run an inn in the middle of nowhere while still in his prime. This is the story of how a boy became a man, and how a real life became a hazy legend.
This is Harry Potter for adults. Kvothe is orphaned when the Chandrian (Voldemort) slaughter his family, and after several years living on the streets (under the Dursleys’ stairs), he enters the University (Hogwarts) where his general prowess in all things makes him feared and awed. He makes friends Wil and Sim (Ron and Hermione), enemies Hemme (Snape) and Ambrose (Malfoy), and excels in music (quidditch).
But instead of wandering through an overly convenient maze of clues to solve some mystery, he leads a very recognizable life. He worries about money (constantly), he’s terrible with women, and whenever he’s given a story-book opportunity to do something great, he manages to accidentally ruin it. This is fantastic reading. Kvothe is a character worth spending time with.
And now, on to the grumbles!
First, the story is told by Kvothe himself as he dictates his memoirs, so you know that no matter what happens in the story, Kvothe is going to survive and go on to do great things, which takes a bit of suspense out of the narrative.
Second, the opening third of the book describes Kvothe’s life before the University, meaning it is full of characters and events that really don’t carry over into the rest of the book, which almost makes it a very long prologue. And I don’t like prologues.
Third, there is no clear plot between these covers. This is the life of Kvothe. Fine, but your average story needs a beginning, middle, and end, and this story has no end. In fact, after 660 pages, the book concludes without any resolutions to his University endeavors or his search for his parents’ killers (those will come in the necessary second and third volumes). So The Name of the Wind does not stand on its own, which rankles.
But with that said, I’m looking forward to those future volumes. I like Kvothe, and I like Rothfuss’s writing style, and I enjoy watching this young man going about a very real, very flawed, yet very exciting life.
Seriously, that’s it. I like it. Go read it.
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