The Name of the Wind is a long book. Ending around four hundred thousand words, one would think that completing this behemoth would be no small task, and yet...it is.
I've read several books that have been so intriguing that they've kept me from life's other tasks and held me hostage until I managed to reach the end of the last page. But there's only one book that's been able to do the same for the better part of one thousand pages.
The Name of the Wind is this one book.
A masterpiece of fantasy, and the first book of Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle series, The Name of Wind is never weighed down with the typical tropes and archetypal situations that characterize other fantasy books. Instead, it's a work that manages to transcend the trappings of its genre while still delighting in the world and magic system that distinguish it.
Combining elements from other popular works of fantasy (such as the academia of Harry Potter and details of Tolkien's Middle-earth), The Name of the Wind is the story of an aged Kvothe retelling his life to the famous biographer, Chronicler. Without giving anything away, it's this dichotomy of present and past that not only holds the reader's interest, but helps set the story apart as something unique.
As I said previously, this book manages to incorporate many elements that characterize the fantasy genre–specifically that of a detailed world. However, unlike many similar books, The Name of the Wind manages to blend a complex world and a well-paced story. Often, the flow of a story suffers due to the gratuitous details that slow the pace of the plot. While other books manage to move along, they do so in a setting that seems more akin to a vacuum than a real living place.
The Name of the Wind is one of those rare books that strikes a perfect balance between pace and detail. The reader can obsessively track the all the minutia or read through the book very casually. It's this freedom of pace that makes Kvothe's story one that manages to feel more real and therefore more enjoyable.
This story spans years—but without becoming boring. Scenes that would be “filler”–or fall flat in lesser works–far exceed expectations here. It's the scenes of “relative” downtime and minutia that often manage to feel the freshest and most exciting.
Funny and clever, Rothfuss delights in taking words and melding them into something that's as poetic as it is funny. Dialogue and phrases are woven in a way that make you want to write a quote down just to go out and use it in real life. It's this beauty with words that makes The Name of the Wind a pleasure to read. Rothfuss' style of twisting words and phrases into a string insightful wisdom is something that will stick with you long after you closed the book.
This story gives insight into human life against the backdrop of a larger-than-life epic set in one of the most real worlds I've ever read. One minute you're laughing, the next minute you're on the verge of tears. My only complaint is that I wish the book was longer. You can never have too much of a good thing, and The Name of the Wind is great. Fortunately, there's a second book that's even longer–and just as good.
If you want a great book to read, look no farther than Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind.
