The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle Day One)
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 676 pages
Kote is a simple innkeeper, but he was once the mighty wizard Kvothe, and events are reminding him of that. This is a story told from both directions. From the beginning, with a child full of curiosity, and from the end, with an adult that wants to stop knowing all he learned.
Book Review (Spoilers)
I think my favorite part of this book is that the young Kvothe, and the old Kvothe could not be more different. Young Kvothe wants all knowledge right now. He fights when anything he loves is threatened. Old Kvothe wants to lose himself and all he’s learned in the guise of an innkeeper. He seems to have given up his major loves of magic and music on his own. Slowly getting the pieces of what could have caused this change really drives this story.
I go back and forth between two thoughts with young Kvothe. I am annoyed that he has no emotional balance, reacts rashly to obstacles, and that he refuses to ask for help. However, then I think how the biggest life lesson he learned is that you have to be able to solve your own problems, because the people you trust can be gone in a day. From that perspective, of a paranoid young man who has learned that the world is trying every day to take what he loves and needs away, his reactions make perfect sense. However, it still creates a nerve wrecking read. Kvothe is always moments away from complete disaster.
For that reason, I really loved Auri and Elodin. They do a lot to lighten up this story. There are points when Kvothe is gambling his future on his new scheme, that I was happy to take a break with the half-crazy people instead. In fact, Kvothe would be happier if he followed their lead, and started listening to the world instead of following his ambitions. He could’ve moved into the underthing instead of chasing after the Chandrian and causing some war and giants spiders to happen.
I think this book does find its own balance. The old Kvothe balances the young. The calm crazy people counter balance young Kvothe’s paranoid craziness. The richness of all those characters, the world, and its magical principles help distract from a constant almost disaster. Still, even with all that, I still find myself saying, “Oh Kvothe, really? You think that’s a good idea?”
