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The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle) | 
| Author: Patrick Rothfuss
Publisher: Gollancz
Category: Book
List Price: $13.39
Buy New: $13.05
You Save: $0.34 (3%)
Rating:  423 reviews
Sales Rank: 45548
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 672
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.8
ISBN: 0575081406
EAN: 9780575081406
ASIN: 0575081406
Publication Date: June 12, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Review
Amazon.com's Best of the Year...So Far Pick for 2007: Harry Potter fans craving a new mind-blowing series should look no further than The Name of the Wind--the first book in a trilogy about an orphan boy who becomes a legend. Full of music, magic, love, and loss, Patrick Rothfuss's vivid and engaging debut fantasy knocked our socks off. --Daphne Durham
10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Patrick Rothfuss
 Q: Were you always a fan of fantasy novels?
A: Always. My first non-picture books were the Narnia Chronicles. After that my mom gave me Ihe Hobbit and Dragonriders. I grew up reading about every fantasy and sci-fi book I could find. I used to go to the local bookstore and look at the paperbacks on the shelf. I read non-fantasy stuff too, of course. But fantasy is where my heart lies. Wait... Should that be "where my heart lays?" I always screw that up.
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors? Favorite books?
A: Hmmm.... How about I post that up as a list?
Q: What are you reading now?
A: Right now I'm reading Capacity, by Tony Balantyne. He was nominated for the Philip K Dick award this last year. I heard him read a piece of the first novel, Recursion, out at Norwescon. I picked it up and got pulled right in. Capacity is the second book in the series. Good writing and cool ideas. Everything I've like best.
Q: How did Kvothe's story come to you? Did you always plan on a trilogy?
A: This story started with Kvothe's character. I knew it was going to be about him from the very beginning. In some ways it's the simplest story possible: it's the story of a man's life. It's the myth of the Hero seen from backstage. It's about the exploration and revelation of a world, but it's also about Kvothe's desire to uncover the truth hidden underneath the stories in his world. The story is a lot of things, I guess. As you can tell, I'm not very good at describing it. I always tell people, "If I could sum it up in 50 words, I wouldn't have needed to write a whole novel about it." I didn't plan it as a trilogy though. I just wrote it and it got to be so long that it had to be broken up into pieces. There were three natural breaking points in the story.... Hence the Trilogy.
Q: What is next for our hero?
A: Hmm..... I don't really believe in spoilers. But I think it's safe to say that Kvothe grows up a little in the second book. He learns more about magic. He learns how to fight, gets tangled up in some court politics, and starts to figure unravel some of the mysteries of romance and relationships, which is really just magic of a different kind, in a way.
Patrick Rothfuss's Books You Should Read 
The Last Unicorn | 
Neverwhere | 
Declare | 
Beatrice's Goat | 
Blankets |
See more recommendations (with comments) from Patrick Rothfuss
Product Description
'I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me' So begins the tale of Kvothe - currently known as Kote, the unassuming innkeepter - from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, through his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe the notorious magician, the accomplished thief, the masterful musician, the dragon-slayer, the legend-hunter, the lover, the thief and the infamous assassin. The Name of the Wind is fantasy at its very best, and an astounding must-read title.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 418 more reviews...
 Loved it for the story, was enchanted by the prose January 4, 2009
J. Campbell (WV)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought I had already reviewed this book. Must be that the reviews are only good for the version you bought. This is an awesome book. I have read Jordan, Martin, MacMasters, and many others. I loved many of them. This book beat them hands down. Some of the paragraphs were so artistically worded I reread them over and over. I might be a bit obsessed with words. (example: "Treading Trodden Trails" in the Dave Matthews song to me is perfection. It says everything it needs to say and is poetry too!) But I truely loved this book and so far everyone I have shared this book with has loved it as well. I see some negative reviews in here and personally I can't understand them. For the genre this is an awesome book. It isn't Harry Potter, it isn't King of Thrones. The first is light and fantastical, the other is dark and mid-evil. I loved both of them as well. This is is somewhere inbetween in a thoroughly fleshed out world of it's own. I am sure this review does not do it justice, but I did want to make sure I said what I thought about it.
Fresh high fantasy from a jaded reader December 29, 2008
Emmalyn Yee
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Name of the Wind is an excellent novel. Rothfuss's voice flows smoothly, lyrically, without being flowery. The character is complex and changes throughout the novel. The plot is intriguing and unpredictable. Certainly, some things are expected - he is legendary and therefore perfect, he attracts women like bees to honey, he started as a poor nobody to become the most powerful man in the land (i'm assuming), etc. Can you have a high fantasy hero without at least some of the cliches? The important thing is that Rothfuss teases us with the storyline, hints and reveals darker turns that keep me uncertain about Kvothe's true nature. I am even interested in the double storyline, and usually I get bored and skip either the future or the past vignettes.
I have read a lot of fantasy novels over the years. I have read at least one book from most of the popular high-fantasy writers, and in the past few years I have become bored and jaded by the choices out there. Either the book is terribly predictable, the characters are flat, or the writing style doesn't suit me. I can find practically put together Eragon from sections in different novels.
That being said, this is the first new fantasy book I have read for years. I have finally found a fresh voice in fantasy, and I look forward to the next novel.
True Poet and Brilliant writer December 28, 2008
Paul Genesse (Salt Lake City, UT USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
THE NAME OF THE WIND by Patrick Rothfuss
I just finished reading THE NAME OF THE WIND from DAW Books by Patrick Rothfuss. He is a true poet and brilliant writer. THE NAME OF THE WIND is a very intriguing book about a fascinating character: Kvothe. This fantasy is set in a realistic medieval-type world, not our own, and is quite believable. It chronicles the life of a famous man who has an epic tale to tell. He is in hiding in the beginning of the book, a non-descript innkeeper in a backwater village.
The truth is that he is a very famous/infamous man known far and wide for his exploits. The novel tells of his early years, growing up as the son of the best traveling performers in the land, then after a harsh and lonely time in a brutal city, his eventual admission into The University where he hopes to learn real magic--and much more.
This is not Harry Potter at Hogwarts. This is a truthful look at the life of someone with no money or safety net. Kvothe has to use his wits and hard work to make his way in a world that crushes most people down. This novel is about what determination and skill can accomplish--but it's about so much more. THE NAME OF THE WIND is a deep look at human nature and how forces shape a person into what they are, and what they're going to become. It's a poignant and captivating study of a most remarkable person.
I was very entertained by this lengthy book (662 pages in hardcover), and savored the moments when I could read it for long periods. Life interrupted me several times, as I had deadlines related to my own novels or stories, so it took longer than it should for me to finish reading. Also, I read the hardcover version, which is quite heavy and not very portable. The paperback is now out and I would advise picking that one up--as many people have making it a New York Times bestseller.
Now I look forward to reading book two: A WISE MAN'S FEAR, coming out soon.
If you're interested in epic novels that get to the heart of what it means to be a hero, and the cost of that path in life, THE NAME OF THE WIND will give you hours of entertainment, and a depth that most novels rarely achieve.
Paul Genesse
Author of The Golden Cord
Book One of the Iron Dragon Series
www.paulgenesse.com
Genius...pure genius December 19, 2008
Angela Harkins (Blairsville, GA USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Rothfuss's writing is so witty and eloquent the pages fly by. He gives a new spin to the classic tale of heroes and dragons. Really, there's not enough praise in the universe to describe his tome of extreme excellence and sheer kicka$$ery!
So, I'll give you a few examples of its appeal:
1. I have never been able to pick a favorite book before. Now I'm possessed by the demon of Patrick Rothfuss fandom every time someone asks. I should probably cut back on that, though. My family is getting the "It's time to call the exorcist" gleam in their eyes. But fear not, holy water could never destroy my love of "Name of the Wind"!
2. I read NOTW a year ago before passing it along to my friends. I still haven't gotten it back and all my friends loved it!
In the interest of full disclosure, some may think that the book moves slowly. I completely disagree, but I understand where they are coming from. Rothfuss fleshes out his world completely, realistically, and interestingly. I would listen to a description of dirt if this man wrote it.
Honestly, just go buy it.
*waves hands* shoo!
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