The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss

Hello,

               In this post I’m going to be reviewing the book The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, my all-time favorite book. I wasn’t recommended this book by anyone, but found it at the local Hy-Vee by accident. I first read it in 2007, but have read It many times since.

               The book is set in a medieval-type world; swords, wagons, and leather-clad vagabonds being the norm. There is also a type of magic, known as “Sympathy,” which follows a set of rules very similar to our own laws of physics.

               The main character of The Name of the Wind is Kvothe. The reason I think the book is so interesting is because it’s not written from the third person, but from the first. So it’s the story of a hero in his own voice, and it is done very well. It’s split into three sections, opening with the book’s version of present day. Then it flashes back to Kvothe’s early childhood, and then moves on to his early adulthood.

               One of the main reasons I liked it is because Rothfuss keeps the action flowing, but also balances it with the occasional tidbit of romance and other non-action topics. Another big positive for the book was that not everything went right for the main character; he had his ups and downs. I love this because it makes the story much more convincing – I hate stories that have NOTHING go wrong for the characters, it makes it boring.

               Overall I had very few negatives for The Name of the Wind other than the four years it took for Rothfuss to come out with the sequel. I suppose, if forced to come up with things that I didn’t think were perfect, I would only have two.

               The first negative would be the occasional confusion over whether or not the current scene was a flashback. I think it’s always difficult to make a book where flashbacks occur, and Rothfuss handled it well, but not perfectly. The second negative is just something that bugs me a tiny bit about the whole plot. If it’s the story of a hero told in his own voice, wouldn’t this hero be tempted to lie, or glaze over the embarrassing parts? I certainly would, considering some of the stuff that happens to the protagonist in this epic fantasy novel.

               But all in all, The Name of the Wind was greatly written with new concepts and amazing characters. I’d give it 9 out of 10 stars.

               Thanks for reading!

Matt Finley