The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear

 

I read both of these books back to back, so thought it would be easiest to write my thoughts on them together.  Let's start off by saying that I really liked both of these books.  I would have to in order to read to large tomes like these back to back.  I'm not sure I love them as much as some people do.  They are not the best books I've ever read, but they are definitely in the upper echelons.

The first thing I liked about these books is the form of the story or rather stories.  The book is written as an infamous man named Kvothe telling his life story to others.  However, there are interludes to his retelling in which another story is unfolding very slowly.  The reader only gets little glimpses of what is going on while the main character tells his story.  We only vaguely know why the main character is so famous and his story is so sought.

The other thing about these books that sets them apart from so much of the average literature out there is the depth and scope of the world Patrick Rothfuss has created.  Rothfuss' world seems real in the sense that there are legends and history.  All of the nations of the world have histories as well as stories from long ago that may be true, false or a little bit of both.  To me, this is where most fantasy novels fall down.  If the world is deep enough, you can become immersed in it and lose yourself for hours, days or weeks.  In Rothfuss' world, there always seems to be more to learn about it and that which is unsaid and unknowable.

The last thing I would like to comment on is the characters.  The characters are very well developed and none of them is cookie cutter.  Yes, you have the hero and the villain and the side-kicks, but they are not cliche while fulfilling these literary roles.  It is a good sign when you give a crap what happens to the characters in a story.

One thing I did not like about the books is the amount of time spent on some areas of the story.  An inordinate amount of time seemed to be spent with Kvothe at the University.  There were many experiences and adventures that seemed pointless and really not leading anywhere.  I was really looking forward to something different by the time the setting changed away from the University part way through the second book.  I will admit that the series isn't over and so maybe all those experiences at the University will fit into the bigger picture by the end.

So, I would definitely recommend these books to anyone who likes a well written fantasy story that will immerse you in the experience for a few weeks.  I would not recommend these books to anyone who is a slow reader or cannot stick with a book for very long.