Review: The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles #1)

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Summary
This is the story of Kvothe who was a very bright and talented child. When an arcanist joined up with his parents' troupe, he discovers what he wants in life may lie in the learning of magic at the University. Follow this extraordinary journey through the backwaters, the deep forests, and big cities.

Commentary
When you first read the summary, you may think that this is a typical epic fantasy. In some ways, I have to admit, this is (there's lots of stew), but what Rothfuss brings to the table in this book is an absolutely great sense of humor and superb writing.

This is a tale of an unapologetic hero in the making who has an incredible habit of getting himself into trouble and making you laugh along the way. The pacing is perfect, the characters are perfect (minor exception of a female love interest who I really hated) , the plot is well an epic fantasy, and the frame of the story is perfect. You will finish this book saying "That, my friends, was storytelling."

In short, this was one of my favorite books of all time (I think this says a lot as the number of absolute favorites stands at about 30? out of the over 1400 books I've read). This book makes epic fantasy worth your time.

Star Rating: 5.0/5.0

For an explanation of the Star Rating go here.

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