It's been a while since I've read High Fantasy in the same vein as J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Although there are no elves, dwarves, or orcs in this book series (that I yet know of), it undoubtedly reminded me of Tolkien's works, with a dash of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series for the eventual academic setting.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is a bit like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in that it's a story within a story. A humble innkeeper named Kote manages his business, serves his patrons, and keeps to himself—besides mentoring a young man named Bast. Strange things happen in town, leading to a meeting between Kote and Chronicler, a storyteller. Revealing that he knows Kote is actually the legendary Kvothe Kingkiller, Chronicler convinces him to share his story so that Chronicler can record it. Kvothe, Chronicler, and Bast sit down together in the inn, and that's when the real story begins.
As a young boy, Kvothe is part of an Edema Ruh troupe run by his parents, who travel the land performing plays and songs. Along the way, they meet a man, Abenthy, who takes note of Kvothe's curious nature and striking intelligence and begins to teach him the things he learned at the University. This includes sympathy—otherwise known as magic. When unfortunate events force Kvothe to fend for himself on the streets, he does everything he can to stay alive and make a better life, all with the distant dream of attending the University. When he finally scrapes together enough money, he makes the journey to the University to continue his learning of sympathy—and hopefully, find the answers to the horrors of his past. And, of course, what epic fantasy story would be complete without a bit of romance?
The Name of the Wind is one of those monster books you need to put your full effort and attention into reading. It's long, dense, and has many things to keep track of. But if you put in the work, it's a delightful tale with many twists and turns that kept me reading long into the night. I wasn't sure about it when I first started reading because of how long it took to get to the actual story, but I clearly became invested in it due to how many times I wanted to scream at Kvothe for his dumb decisions. There have been many times I've wanted to yell at a protagonist, but none more consistently than Kvothe, who could simultaneously be insanely smart and colossally dumb.
I'm not sure if there was anything I disliked about this book—except, of course, for the dumb decisions. While it is long, it's one of those books that warrants its length and wouldn't work if it were shorter. It's not quite as intense as Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones), which made it much easier to read. Since it's written as a story within a story, however, the inner story isn't finished by the end of the book. That left me a bit unsatisfied, even though I know the sequel continues the story. What worries me is that there is supposed to be a third book, although it's been nearly ten years since the second was released, with no sign of when the third will be published. Alas, it is too late for me to give up now.
I rate The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 4/5 stars. Think carefully if you decide to read it—the trilogy is not yet complete, and like George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire, it may not be for years to come.
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