The Name of the Wind
vBy Patrick Rothfuss
vReviewed by Oliver Dickman
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is the first of an ongoing trilogy, The Kingkiller Chronicle.
The series takes fantasy to a whole new level with an extraordinary amount of detail, astonishing
characters, and a complex yet easy-to-follow plot. Rothfuss creates an entire world within the book
largely oblivious to the fact that it’s filled with treacherous creatures and scientific magic called
apathy. Few people hear of the University that teaches this magic, let alone attend to master its
strict set of rules. One of those rare people is a street-smart orphan who not only wants to avenge
his dead family, but also aims to find the name of the wind. Although both tasks could easily kill
him if he makes the wrong move.
It begins with Kote, an average innkeeper who actively blends in with a rural town. More and more
travelers slowly pass through with tales of being attacked by magicians and mythical beings.
Peace is disturbed when Kote has no choice but to save a traveling scribe from seemingly
indestructible arachnid monsters. This act of heroism reveals he is Kvothe the bloodless, the
man who supposedly killed a king and started the land’s current war. Eventually the scribe
convinces Kvothe to retell his life story, though it’ll take three days.
Each book is one of the days he spends talking to the scribe, though the majority of each book
focuses on Kvothe’s past.
Patrick Rothfuss spent the majority of his college years with his major marked as “undecided,”
focusing on writing while there. Eventually he made the switch from English literature to teaching,
leaving the school in 2002 with a master’s degree. After a lucky break, Rothfuss’ first
book of the trilogy was published as Name of the Wind. The book quickly gained
several awards and was released in 26 foreign countries, allowing Rothfuss to
continue writing while teaching.
Check out The Name of the Wind and other books
in the series from Yankton Community Library.
The third book in the series, The Doors of
Stone, is set to be published in 2020.
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