Patrick Rothfuss- The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind- Review

Patrick Rothfuss

Genre: Fantasy

Rating: 4/5

The short version: It’s frustratingly not a finished story, more of an extended introduction, but it lays out the bones of a fantastic trilogy.

This review will contain spoilers.

I hated The Name of the Wind.

I mean, it’s brilliantly absorbing and well thought out. But I probably wouldn’t have started reading it if I’d known it was only the start of an as-yet unfinished trilogy. And so, I hate it because it made me want more. And there is more! But I probably won’t read The Wise Man’s Fear until I know when the next book is coming out, because otherwise the wait is just going to be infuriating.

If the long wait means that the final book is as good as the first, though, I’ll happily eat my words. One of my favourite things about this book was the depth of the worldbuilding, and I fully appreciate that that takes time. And it’s not only the obvious parts of worldbuilding are done well. The rules of magic are logical (or as logical as they can be), and the geography is well established, but even little details like folk tales and the history of the countryside are seen to. I can only wonder at how much time that must have taken to plan.

I’m still not sure whether I enjoyed the opening of the story, or if it could have been cut a little shorter. It definitely meant that I was prepared for a different story than the one which was eventually told, and I felt a little short-changed that we didn’t see more of characters like Chronicler and Bast when they were so prominent in those opening scenes. I think (I hope) it may be a little more relevant once I’ve read the next books in the trilogy, so for anyone reading this book, stick past the opening. It’s worth it.

The narrative frame, once it was in place, was well-used. The story opens with news of attacks by strange creatures reaching a strange bartender, Kote. He saves the life of a man whose job is to record stories, and soon enough he is telling his own. It turns out that his real name is Kvothe, and he is something of a folk hero. Most of the rest of the tale concerns how he comes to study mystical arts at the University, and his early life there.

This allowed Rothfuss both to develop suspense and create lighthearted moments such as towards the end of the book, when a group of people in the present day are sharing exaggerated rumours about Kvothe’s life. I really enjoyed the way Rothfuss shared hints about Kvothe’s future throughout the book; it was funny and engaging, and I’m really intrigued to know how some of those events come about.

I have seen a fair amount of criticism of Kvothe’s character in other reviews of this book, which I think is a little unfair. It’s true that Kvothe is arrogant- that’s evident in the way he gains admission to the University, his determination to be better than everyone else, and his easy dismissal of people who don’t make life easy for him. Rothfuss also makes the reasons for this clear, though. Kvothe has lost a lot, and he’s doing his best to never lose that much again. There are also some beautifully human moments- when he worries about Auri, when he panics over losing Denna, and his compassion for the draccus he has to kill are just a few. But I think that arrogance balances out his brilliance. It made him feel more human.

I do think that the narrative frame led to some pitfalls. Kvothe is telling his own life story, so it’s only natural that it focussed around him- but this was to the detriment of the development of minor characters. I enjoyed what I saw of Simmon and Willem, but between instances of Kvothe demonstrating his brilliance, there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for the reader to really get to know them. Hopefully that’s something that will be rectified in later books. I was also disappointed by the heavily patriarchal system of the University. There was definitely room for a few women amongst the Masters.

I have to admit, it was incredibly frustrating to reach the end of the book and realise that the 600 pages I’d read were essentially nothing but groundwork. All they did was set up Kvothe’s personality and his relationships with others. I would have enjoyed it if the plot had finished in a stronger place, with some more climactic event. However, the relation of many smaller episodes fits in well with the story being developed and allows for much greater exploration of his relationships with others.

I suppose the main thing to be aware of with The Name of the Wind is that it’s incomplete, and isn’t satisfying as a story in its own right. However, it’s a strong beginning, and I am convinced that the rest of the trilogy will be even more enjoyable for a stronger story.

I just won’t be reading the next one until I know I  won’t have to wait long for the last.