The Name of the Wind

What a great book! I've not been following the fantasy scene closely, since most fantasy these days is complete dreck. The last good novel I read was Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, and then I happened upon Patrick Rothfuss' work in a rather roundabout way that landed me on this page:

http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/blog/2009/02/concerning-release-of-book-two.html

I found it entertaining, but when I got to "P.S. Your tears are delicious to me", I realised I simply had to read this book.

And wow, what a book. Kvothe is inhumanly good, like Superman, but without being tiresomely superior[*], and seeing the world through his eyes makes him enormously more sympathetic than he might have been in the third person.

The great thing about Rothfuss is the sense of wonder that he manages to capture. I loved the interludes of music the most, far more than the descriptions of "sympathy". Looking back at the book, I can't say I remember any outstanding characters - most of them are two-dimensional compared to the hero - but I did like Master Elodin the Namer.

I read the book in two sittings, maybe around 12-14 hours, and loved almost every minute, and I now get to join the giddy throng waiting for "The Wise Man's Fear."

The waiting sucks, but I can wait. I had to wait years for Stephen King to finish the Dark Tower (that might have been better if left unfinished at say, Wizard and Glass). I'm already nine years older than I was when I read Martin's Game of Thrones, so I think the wait for Wise Man's Fear isn't going to kill me yet.

Recommend: BUY!

The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss
ISBN 978-0756404079

[*] Batman so totally kicks Superman's ass in the likeability department.