Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicles

[IWasSentWest]

I read "the name of the wind" about a year and a half ago. And I am not ashamed to say that it is one of, if not the best fantasy book I have ever read. It hit on every thing that there is to love about fantasy, but yet took it beyond that. It doesn't follow the usual 3 step plot and all that bullshit. It is unique, and I loved it.

In the words of a friend of mine, the book "rode me hard, and put me up wet".

It isn't just the book I loved. I started researching the author, and found his website. I now regularly check his blog because the guy seems like one of the coolest mother fuckers in the world. He just seems like the kind of guy that I could definitely see myself becoming best friends with. Stalkerish maybe? IDGAF.

The second book of the trilogy is named "The Wise Man's Fear" and it seems that every time I look at a response to when it will be released, more and more people are going insane. I won't delve into details, but basically the publishers along with Rothfuss are pulling a George RR Martin and really making the buyers wait. If you read Rothfuss' blog, mainly this then you will understand.

I urge, and I emphasize URGE to the fullest extent, that whoever reads this immediately reads this book. I promise you, and I emphasize PROMISE to the fullest extent, that you will not be disappointed.

.....please don't be disappointed

[Jean]

SentWest: I would love to follow your advice, - for no other reason than it being your advice, which I hold in high respect - and I am sure I'll be able to find these books in Europe; I have, however, a question: will it read equally well by someone who doesn't care shit about fantasy as a genre (I mean myself, of course)? I mean, is it just a good - you know - book, well written, with characters, dialogs, and all that? My main problem with fantasy has always been that the authors tend to sacrifice all of the above to their limitless imagination, and it always leaves bears dissatisfied.

[IWasSentWest]

First off, wow Jean. A compliment from you always makes me smile a little brighter.

Now as for the book;
It is not merely fantasy. It is about a boy who (slight spoiler) loses his family, and how he grows up to become a legend, not just for slaying a dragon, or rescuing a princess. He becomes a legend because of his musical talents, his brilliance, his romance, and everything in between. Also, I believe that it has been translated to roughly 30 languages, with Rothfuss personally making sure that nothing is "lost in translation" (i am just GREAT with puns), so you should be able to sniff one out.

I will copy and paste a few of the opening paragraphs. If fantasy is not your cup of tea, then this should tell you whether you would like it or not. Both of these sections are posted on his site, as well as 100 other book site and review sites, so I don't think it is illegal....if it is, feel free to remove.

From the book overview:

My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.

"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.

"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.

I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.

My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.

But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."

I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.

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.

You may have heard of me.

So begins the tale of Kvothe—from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to 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 as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. But The Name of the Wind is so much more—for the story it tells reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.

From the first page:

"It was night again. The Waystone Inn lay in silence, and it was a
silence of three parts.
The most obvious part was a hollow, echoing quiet, made by things that
were lacking. If there had been a wind it would have sighed through the
trees, set the inn’s sign creaking on its hooks, and brushed the silence down
the road like trailing autumn leaves. If there had been a crowd, even a handful
of men inside the inn, they would have filled the silence with conversation
and laughter, the clatter and clamour one expects from a drinking house
during the dark hours of night. If there had been music . . . but no, of course
there was no music. In fact there were none of these things, and so the silence
remained.
Inside the Waystone a pair of men huddled at one corner of the bar.They
drank with quiet determination, avoiding serious discussions of troubling
news. In doing this they added a small, sullen silence to the larger, hollow
one. It made an alloy of sorts, a counterpoint.
The third silence was not an easy thing to notice. If you listened for an
hour, you might begin to feel it in the wooden floor underfoot and in the
rough, splintering barrels behind the bar. It was in the weight of the black
stone hearth that held the heat of a long-dead fire. It was in the slow back
and forth of a white linen cloth rubbing along the grain of the bar. And it
was in the hands of the man who stood there, polishing a stretch of
mahogany that already gleamed in the lamplight.
The man had true-red hair, red as flame. His eyes were dark and distant,
and he moved with the subtle certainty that comes from knowing many
things.
The Waystone was his, just as the third silence was his.This was appropriate,
as it was the greatest silence of the three, wrapping the others inside itself.
It was deep and wide as autumn’s ending. It was heavy as a great riversmooth
stone. It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting
to die.

[IWasSentWest]

edited

[IWasSentWest]

I am rereading the book again. I guess I am the only one who really enjoyed it lol. Well to each his own

some good news though, i have heard rumblings that the second book is going to be released sometime this year...and it's the kind of rumblings that i don't tend to ignore. yayayayyayyayayayay

[Brice]

I haven't read it. I don't read much fantasy.

[IWasSentWest]

tsk tsk man. well if ur looking for more than just fantasy, i say look no further! (using my best used car salesman voice)

[Brice]

maybe...I have a huge stack of books to read right now.

[IWasSentWest]

it's cool man, not trying to push anything on you.

[Brice]

Oh, I know.

[cody44]

I own a copy of the book, but have yet to get around to reading it. I just have so many other books to read first. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed it though.

[IWasSentWest]

make room for it man!

[Jean]

grrrr have been unable to find anything by Rothfuss in Paris, and I really had hoped

[bast_imret]

Anyone know where to find a 1st/1st of this at a reasonable price?

[IWasSentWest]

your username carries a familiar name to the books! haha i never noticed that.

...best thing i can tell you to do is google or ebay it

[bast_imret]

Actually, it's from a Tad Williams book: Tailchaser's Song.

I've got a copy of the audiobook from Audible that I'm going to listen too, but I'd love to grab a 1st/1st to start collecting along with the next ones that come out.

Have you ordered a copy of his new book from Sub Press? Princess & Mr Whiffle? Looks quite interesting.

[IWasSentWest]

they have postponed that book so much that i finally quit anticipating it. but i hope it comes out soon, bc i will def. pre-order it

[bast_imret]

You should probably head over to their website and order it now, as it's currently at the printers, due out in July. Been selling very well too.

Still looking for a 1st/1st, that isn't over $200. Most of the auctions I've found don't have the info listed and upon inquiry turn out to be much later printings. Wish I had caught wind of this book when it first came out, would have definitly snagged one then. I can't believe how quickly the value escalated on this for a standard trade hardback.

[IWasSentWest]

i actually think my grandma might have it. i'll look into it

[IWasSentWest]

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...WIND&x=23&y=21

scroll down to number 7 on that list, is that what u are looking for?

[Lily-sai]

Oh, what a coincidence, I finished The Name of the Wind last week, and to my surprise, I really, really liked it. It just felt real, which is always a great joy, whatever the book's genre is. This is also a big compliment from me, because I'm very picky about what I read.

Jean, I really hope you will have the chance to read it.

[Jean]

I really hope so too!

[bast_imret]

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...WIND&x=23&y=21

scroll down to number 7 on that list, is that what u are looking for?

Yea, I saw that one the other night. Considering it, but I find it odd that he states:

Pages 330-334 has corners folded, DJ edgeworn, slant to book

Followed by:

Very Good+ in Very Good+ dust jacket

Funny, that doesn't sound VG+ to me. But based on the prices for true VG+ copies, might be worth it. $250 for a trade hardback that's 2 years old is crazy.

[bast_imret]

i actually think my grandma might have it. i'll look into it

Hmm, let me know what you find out.

[bast_imret]

Wow. 3/4 of the way through and I'm quite amazed. An excellent book. And the guy doing the reading for the audio book is fantastic! His accents and pacing are great. I love how the narrative flows, beautiful.