It took me a while to get to reading Patrick Rothfuss, but The Name of the Wind certainly did not disappoint. Typically, when I read epic fantasy, the stakes are much higher. Usually, the world or the universe is in jeopardy, and a hero or group of heroes have to fight to prevent their nation or world from being destroyed. There are typically big battle scenes and epic adventures. This book has none of that. And despite this, I really enjoyed this book.
This book is the origin story of Kvothe after a chronicler learns of his real identity while he is living in hiding as an innkeeper in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Kvothe starts off a child in a traveling performance troop and eventually winds up homeless in a big city and then a student at the Arcanum, a sort of magic school/university, where he is the youngest student at the school because of his off the chart aptitude. The main reason he wants to be at the school is to find out more about the mysterious, potentially ancient group of people who killed his parents and his travelling troop. Along the way, he gets into a blood feud, meets a mysterious girl who is often in and out of his life, and becomes a renown lute player.
The main thing about the book is that it is really well written and compelling. Even when some of the things that are happening aren’t terribly exciting, the writer does a great job of keeping the reader interested. It was a bit long and could use some trimming. I gave this book four out of five stars because the stakes could have been higher, and I felt this was just the prelude for more to come. So, I eagerly await reading the sequel. This is a book that I would highly recommend.
