The Name of the Wind: 2013 Book #4

4 out of 5 stars

I got tipped off to this book from a friend with similar tastes, and when I added it to my Goodreads shelf, I noticed quite a few of my friends rated it very highly as well – including some folks who I know don’t usually read fantasy novels.

I think that speaks to one of the book’s strengths – building a compelling fantasy universe that has broad appeal. Kvothe’s story of struggle and growth from a tragedy, hitting rock bottom and finally attaining his dream, but having it not be what he’d hoped – that’s something everyone can relate to. There is magic, and there are strange creatures, but they almost exist outside the story. The real tale is Kvothe’s quest.

I found the main character confident, capable, and even cocky at points – but somehow Rothfuss managed to leave an overall impression in my mind as humble. Perhaps it was how he handles what Kvothe calls his most important relationship – the stuttering romance with Denna. After reading the book, I felt like the author may have overstated this, but I’m withholding judgement until I read the rest of the books in the series. Kvothe has lots of different relationships with lots of different people, but this one with Denna (aside from perhaps Auria), is what drives him to act in the way he acts for the key scenes in the book.

This leads me to what I felt was a big weakness for the book – this didn’t work 100% for me as a standalone book. I realize it is part of a series, but I didn’t feel any sort of solid resolution at the end of it. It felt like there were scenes missing after the last page (which I’m sure will be contained in the 2nd book) and the last two hundred pages felt unfocused.

SPOILERS AHEAD
The introduction of the sweet eating draccus felt like a hasty plot addition. Rather than providing meaningful progress along his hunt for the Chandrian, a creature that hasn’t been mentioned in the entire book is introduced, and perhaps forms (arguably) the climax of the book. After this, there are mini climaxes, with Ambrose, the University, Bast and Chronicler. All these combined led to me feeling the final pages of the book were the weakest.

I also wasn’t a fan of the structure. I had to struggle past the first 50 pages of introducing Chronicler before we got to the meat of Kvothe’s tale, which is one giant flashback. Again, as a series, this storyline may be compelling, but it nothing but get in the way in this first book. However, the book contained 500 pages that I thoroughly enjoyed, so I will definitely be reading the 2nd and 3rd edition in the series.