The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle Day Two)

aftermath of rape, graphic violence

This book was very scattered at times, and gave me a feeling of Kvothe’s life. What is the direction? What will happen next? Where will he even be, and what will he do? I really enjoyed that part of it. In any other book, with any other character, I’d say the author needs to break out these disjointed stories and try again, but Kvothe is a whirlwind. He is Edema Ruh. This story is his.

I think the part of Kvothe’s unfolding life story that has impressed me the most is honestly just how he made sure the rape victims got home safe, and would have good lives, despite what had happened, and how stupid men in general can be about handling rape victims as if they did something wrong. It was really the most heroic things he’s done yet. A lot of the other things were quick reactions to a situation, or because he was in love, or fighting for his own life. This was really a time when he sacrificed a lot, to fix something he wasn’t responsible for, and could have left at any stage for them to fend for themselves.

On rereading this book, there are two things that surprised me, that I missed completely the first time through. The first is that the doom-causing Cthaeh sent him to Ademre, where he did learn more ways to hurt and to wield power, but the Adem also taught him discipline. How to think about violence, and how to think while fighting. What he probably needed the most to guide him, considering his temper, level of power, and his survival instincts. The Cthaeh as a pure vehicle of future doom seems odd now, thinking that its direction there gave Kvothe better access to his power, but also showed him how to think about violence and fighting with restraint and a care for what is actually right, instead of just survival. Kvothe may have killed more people after he learns to think of what is right, but it causes him to think afterward.

The second is that Kvothe isn’t just forgetting and losing skills because he’s playing at being an innkeeper. Kvothe changed his name. It is what startles Elodin earlier when Kvothe asks about Denna changing her name. Before Elodin knows that Kvothe means a calling name and not a true name, he is truly scared. Kvothe changed his real name, and is becoming someone else. Bast thinks he can remind Kvothe of who he is, but it isn’t just a matter of remembering. Kvothe is becoming someone new, and losing who he was. Now we just need to find out why. What happened that he needed to destroy himself? And as he loses his most basic skills, does he really have the power to say his old name and restore himself? Or is day three honestly just going to be about an innkeeper? If that is the case I hope Auri comes to visit.