Esther:
I know.
"Name of the Wind" is a stupid name for a book. It sounds like Pocahontas or something. Plus, it's epic fantasy. Lord of the Rings is also epic fantasy. Unless your name is Brandon Sanderson, I do not read epic fantasy.
And so this book sat on my nightstand. And sat, and sat. And then it went back to the library. I listened to an interview with the author Pat Rothfuss, and liked him so much I thought I'd give him another chance. So I pirated the book for my Nook. And it sat neglected in my e-reader too. I finally read it.
I don't feel the least bit guilty for pirating his book. Why? For one, I get the impression he's of the same opinion on that as I am. And two, because I just bought four copies of his book. Three of those are Christmas presents. I trust the people I'm giving it to will love the book as much as I do, and they'll buy copies for their friends. It's a good system.
I liked this book that much. The book is one of those books that just gets me. Does anyone else read books like this? Name Of The Wind ( I shudder even now to say the title...it sounds almost Twilight-ish) has joined the ranks of the Anne Of Green Gables Series, and the Harry Potter series. The short list of books I enjoyed so much, I hit the last page and immediately started back at the beginning. I have now read NOTW twice and at 712 pages, that's no easy feat.
Orson Scott Card liked it too. He called it Harry Potter for adults... you can see why I like it now. :-P Although if you have a problem with spells, wands and broomsticks, there is none of that in NOTW. Mostly it's just beautifully written. It is literary fiction hiding on the epic fantasy bookshelf. This book is like going out for a $250 meal. It is something to be savored, enjoyed, and thrilled over. (Bethany didn't like it as much as I did, but she read it in less than 24 hrs, plus we have vastly different reading/writing styles...not that you would ever guess it from our overlapping tastes).
It's about a boy named Kvothe (pronounced like "Koe-th"). And it follows his life from childhood to adult. It's a trilogy and the second two books have not been published yet, so this first book gets approx 1/3 of the way through his life... or story. He's like a Musician + Zorro + Aragon + Oliver Twist all rolled into one. You love him, you sympathize with him... You get to live his life along side of him. And his life is magical.
There are shortcomings to this book, but I cannot see them. The dialogue gets wonky sometimes, the story doesn't really follow any conventional patterns. I can see where some people think that the story is kind of cliche. A fantasy's fantasy. The Mary Sue. The whole magic system is pretty basic in concept (you have to know the true name of things in order to control them). But he has it so well thought out and executed, I don't care. And like I said before, this book just gets me. I read it twice. I love it. I am not the only one. Patrick Rothfuss's fans are infamous and rabid.
I am not recommending anyone go read it, because it's sort of my secret happy place right now. But, if you do read it, don't talk to me unless you love it. Otherwise I just might have to kill you with my mad Arcanum skills.
Plus he has a cute little baby who wears cloth diapers.
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