The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Day 1) Paperback – June 12, 2008

I read the reviews for this book, both good and bad, before purchasing it. I read it from cover to cover before sitting down to this review. This is a really good book in the fantasy genre, I wanted to give it 4 or 4.5 stars because I felt it was too 'modern' in style compared to Tolkien or even GRR Martin, then realized that it was my bias of the 'way things should be' and not the merit of the book I was reviewing. This book gets the full 5 stars with absolutely no reservations.The main character Kvothe is the kid with untapped powers that Harry Potter made familiar but Potter wasn't original either. He's a combination of a genius, quick learner, musical prodigy, and hopelessly incompetent with girls. I know all the people reading this are international gigolos who have to chase off Playmates with a stick, but I related to the awkward kid with a first crush who wanted with every fiber of his being to talk to the girl he liked and couldn't find the right words in the thousands of hypothetical dry-runs that worked through his mind. That was definitely a humanizing touch for a kid that might have been much more inaccessible to a reader due to his overall excellence. There were some criticisms of Kvothe being too perfect, but early and often he fails to do things he should, does things he shouldn't, and suffers consequences for them all, both internal and external.The writing style sets this book apart from the breathless action of pulp D&D style fantasy books, and for me seemed to be what I would describe as luxurious. We were taken along in the story with sufficient attention to details and world-building, but not overlong and overdrawn descriptions of every blade of grass, like a relaxing boat ride down a lazy river. Certain aspects, the history, the mode of magic in Kvothe's world, etc. got more attention but always added breadth and depth without overburdening the reader. Other times, Kvothe's life meandered down roads and pathways that didn't lead to the forging of a fantasy novel hero, just like real life. However, I was turning the pages every bit as fast as a pulse-pounding hack-and-slash story, but it was just to sink deeper into the world being woven around me. At least through the first book, it seems to have less world-building backstory than Game of Thrones, and wayyyy less than Tolkien, but I'm all the more glad for it. It's all fine and good to create your own syntax for elven, or dwarvish, or Klingon, but nobody's going to pretend that at 12 years old they knew what the hell Tolkien was talking about all the time. This was a nice, interesting, easily-consumed story that never felt burdensome or like a slog through x number of pages to get to a "good" part.If I had to nit-pick this book, just to appear fair, I'll give you 3 nits. First, it would be that the author falls victim to the fantasy-trope belief that in order to portray 'foreign lands' and people from them, there has to be a bunch of unpronounceable consonants jammed together to form a person or place name, or fragments of a language, and throw in some unaccountable apostrophes for good measure. I could care less if I never have to skip over another nonsense name like Cthystler'rn in a fantasy novel again. There are a handful of these in this book, but they never really take center stage or leave you in the lurch for not trying to decipher that gibberish. Second, sometimes the young Kvothe is frustrating in his impotence when trying to express his love for his off-and-on girlfriend, and you really think he's a putz, but his obliviousness never strays outside the realm of the believeable. Third, and possibly the most troubling (but not to me) is that by the end of the book you've done a lot and been on a lot of adventures, but nothing has really brought you noticeably closer to the overarching mystery that is the reason for the story in the first place. The lore of the Chandrian is doled out in such tiny morsels you really don't know much more at the end than you did at the start. In this aspect it definitely reads like the first book of a trilogy, but at 750 something pages it had plenty of heft and there's no way they could have trimmed it down without losing the charm and the luxury that I liked so much in the first place. Make of that what you will.I held out on ordering the second book in the trilogy due to some of the negative reviews, I'll have to grudgingly call them 'haters', that indicated that The Name of the Wind starts losing focus partway, or midway, or most-way through, but I didn't see that to be true at all. It was really a delightful read all the way through, and I wish I had more time to read more of it at each sitting. I did indeed order the second book in plenty of time for it to be here waiting for me, and I am anxious to get started on it asap.Bottom line: A definite 5 star book with a nice story in a world you won't mind soaking into for a while.

Patrick Rothfuss doesn't even need another glowing review - but I'll make one anyway. I was introduced to this book a few years ago and enjoyed the hell out of it. Kvothe is almost so perfect (at first) that he's annoying; brilliant, clever (not exactly the same thing!), funny, adorable... but he's also complicated. He can be a bit egotistical (which can get him into trouble) and a bit blind to other's true feelings (mostly only with Denna!) But he's an easy character to root for and to love, The adventures are many, the other characters are memorable, and the story is very compelling. Which leads me to a criticism that Mr.Rothfuss & his fans will find totally unsurprising: that while the author kindly gave us a compelling sequel (a Wind in the Door) and 2 small novellas (the Slow Regard of Silent Things & The Narrow Road Between Desires), he has *not* yet given us the last book of the trilogy: The Door of Stone. Mr. Rothfuss has said he is plagued by the compulsion to re-write & that the process has been & probably will be long. It's ok. (I won't say it doesn't suck, lol, but for someone THIS good? I can wait!) Also, bonus point to my review: because I long ago gave away my original smaller paperback to my son because I insisted he read it, I needed a new copy for my own bookshelf. Now that my daughter wants to read the book. And I really wanted the larger paperback., I know it's ridiculous, but I like those, paperbacks that while not large print/type, are just bigger/more substantial to hold in my hand! (Almost but not quite hardback-sized??) I actually scoured the dimensions in the descriptions until I thought I had chosen the right one and luckily for me, I did. So if you're looking for those larger copies, this is the addition that I got! And do yourself a favor, also check out the audiobooks are narrated by Nick Borel (I believe) &/or Mr. Rothfuss. Absolutely fantastic!! (And free if you borrow a copy from your local library!!!)

Name of The Wind is excellently written and an intriguing tale. It's been recommended to me for years and my first two attempts led me to put the book down. I attribute it to it not being the right time of life.Now I have find the novel and, while I enjoyed it overall, it left me wanting. Kvothe is a loveable character and easy to root for, the prose are elegant without being gaudy, and the story flows fairly well. My issue is that not much really happens and the story structure itself feels non existent. It helps that the book is cleverly told as Kvothe telling his story. Still though, it left me wanting. I understand it's the first of a trilogy, but I expected at least one storyline to resolve and nothing really ever did which bummed me out.