The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Published by Orion books, 2008.

As you  might have read, I've been busy reading Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind. And now, after what feels like forever, I finally finished it! Don't worry, it didn't take me this long because the book is boring and hard to get through. It took me this long because this is a Big Book, with more than 600 pages. And when you're busy with work and what not, that's a lot to get through. However, it's totally worth it.

The Name of the Wind is the first part of The Kingkiller Chronicle trilogy. The story is about Kvothe, an infamous adventurer, musician and arcanist (sort of wizard but not really), who has retreated from this life and now lives as an innkeeper named Kote in a small village with his apprentice Bast. When Devan Lochees, known as Chronicler because of his profession, discovers Kvothe's true identity, he persuades him to tell his life story so he can write it down. Kvothe agrees, telling Chronicler it will take three days to tell it. The Name of the Wind is the first day of telling and it covers the period from Kvothe's youth until he's a young man at the University.



Kvothe is a fun character to read about, because he is a true adventurer. He takes risks, always speaks his mind and follows his passions. He can be over-confident, but when necessary, he can rely on his friends to help him out of trouble. He also undergoes quite some character development. He grows up as an Edema Ruh, part of a travelling troupe of performers. From early on, it's clear that he's special; he's extremely intelligent for his age and picks up anything from playing a musical instrument to the memorization of plays in no time. When the arcanist Abenthy joins the troupe, he starts to teach Kvothe about science and 'sympathy': a kind of magic based on scientific rules. Abenthy instills the desire in Kvothe to study at the Academy and discover the name of the wind.

The character development really starts when Kvothe's parents and their entire troupe are killed by the Chandrian, leaving Kvothe as sole survivor. Mad with grief, Kvothe survives in the woods for a while, after which he lives on the streets of the city of Tarbean. Over the years, he tries to deal with his grief, until a storyteller awakens his old character and Kvothe decides to move on and go to the University. He regains his confidence (maybe a bit too much), skills, cunning and his desire to learn. With a bit of luck, he makes it into the University as the youngest student ever. Admitted, he is motivated to find out more about the Chandrian in the hope of finding a way of revenge.

The character of the Chandrian is just a small part of the world and history presented in this book. Rothfuss has created a fantasy world with elements from the Middle Ages and has given it a very elaborate mythos. He has taken the romantic aspects of the Middle Ages, which I am in love with myself, of the troubadour and the travelling troupes. Kvothe plays the lute and at the tavern the Eolian many minstrels come together to show off their musical skills. Minstrels write songs about the history and mythology of the world. The book also includes many children's rhymes which reference the mythos created by Rothfuss. The mythos Rothfuss has created is similar to that of Tolkien, in the sense that it adds a similar atmosphere to the world. This mythos is often referred to by storytellers, who are an important part of the world created in the book.

The importance of the passing on of stories is also part of the character of Chronicler, who collects stories in his book to save them for posterity. By adding Chronicler to the story, Rothfuss creates a double structure in his book. On the one hand there is the story taking place in the present, of Kvothe telling his story. On the other hand there is the story of Kvothe's life, which is the real story told throughout the book. Whilst I sometimes felt like 'the present' interrupted the 'real story' and just wanted to know what happened next, it does add another dimension to it. By presenting the outcome of the story, Kvothe in the inn, you look differently at the story Kvothe is telling. You wonder how the boy in the story turned into the man telling it, and what happened in the world that the roads are no longer safe. Kvothe sometimes refers to this himself, as he tries to pinpoint the actual start of the story, from which point he started to become 'the' Kvothe.

The book is a great read. Rothfuss has added so much detail to the story, it truly feels like a labour of love. It also means that there is a lot for the reader to digest, meaning you have to pay attention to the story. I sometimes reread passages, so I could properly understand and piece together the mythos in this book. Whilst it asks for a bit of work from the reader, it also delivers a huge pay-off, as the book presents a perfectly created new world to delve into and give you plenty of hours to enjoy. This truly is a first part of a trilogy, so you do need to read the rest of the trilogy to have a fully rounded story. However, I personally don't mind getting to spend some more time in this world.

Ratings: 4.5 out of 5