Where The Wind Begins (Wind Series Book 1)

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Jun 08, J. Sutton rated it it was amazing. This is a magnificent and wonderfully-written epic fantasy novel! This first book in The KingKiller Chronicle emphasizes the early years of a wizard named Kvothe, framed against what we know or can surmise about the present-day fugitive Kvothe who is telling the story.

View all 14 comments. Nov 18, C. Drews rated it it was amazing Shelves: I shall keep shouting!! Because I loved it so!!

The Name of the Wind - Wikipedia

It had like a checklist of so many things I love that it's most emphatically a Cait Book. And what is this checklist, you ask? I read this via audio narrated by Nick Podehl and it was amazing. Well it was amazing on double-speed. Impatience is my middle name, also. Kvothe yes I know his name is ridiculous was absolutely my favourite creature of ever. He's clever but kind and he's witty but also a bumbling idiot at times. Like he lives and breathes it.

He got into so much trouble all the time usually because he's an idiot. But he was precious. About his name pronunciation: I've heard people say it's said like "quoth" but The audio narrator had a hard "K" sound, so he almost said it just phonetically? I'm just going to not say it outloud and that'll solve all my problems. This is going to be a disaster. The book is also "told" by Kvothe. It starts off with a mysterious little town and this mysterious little inkeeper Kvothe, DUH and he ends up narrating his life story to a passing storyteller who's writing it all down.

I have so so so many questions. Like why is Kvothe hiding? What is he doing? How did he meet Bast? Can I ship him and Bast? Why is he so easily telling his life secrets? Why is he sad? Why is he not at the university? Guess who ordered it the second after finishing this? He's also addicted to books, did I mention that?? Okay but I do have a few negatives Which, I mean, should make it a 4-star probably?

I can even look past some of these twitch aspects, such as: It was a bit insulting to my intelligence, actually, and this happened a lot with the repetition. Like oh look super happy parents. Like Denna was a major Manic Pixie Dreamgirl. Basically no personality but mysterious and beautiful and she totally lead Kvothe on AND always has another guy on her arm I mean, if a guy was doing that I would be mad too. Even though Kvothe basically friendzoned himself.

Basically all the women in the book can be described as "nice". And they have lots of sexist views on them too which made me want to punch someone quite frankly. I had issues, but I still loved it. I also just loved how complex and detailed the world was. From the complex magic system to the detail of the history and backstories and just how BIG the world felt. It wins for me wanting to be totally sucked into this universe. Although I constantly got confused at how much kindness was in here??? Like in A Game of Thrones everyone is just alive to stab you in the back.

And I'm literally being Hermione over here and screaming every time Kvothe nearly gets himself expelled because he's an idiot. Well, obviously I could flail forever. But I shall caaalm myself and just continue loving and adoring the darling Kvothe who is a genius academic musician who loves books like the dude picked up a book in the library purely because it was about dragons???

And I want to read it all. It didn't have a rocketing fast pace and sure, it had things that made me twitch angrily, but problematic moments aside: View all 24 comments. Upon this second reading, I've come to the conclusion that the audiobook for this isn't the greatest. View all 21 comments. This is definitely one of my new favorite books, so if you're a friend of mine, prepare to have me brutally push it on you until you give in and give it a go. One of the reviews I read compared it to The Song of Ice and Fire and Lord of the Rings, saying that the book was equal to the best of fantasy written thus far.

Well let me tell you, this doesn't stand alongside the fantasy greats, it knocks them off the shelves. It isn't just some fantastic epic that you read for fun Originally posted here. It isn't just some fantastic epic that you read for fun and adventure although you'll get plenty of that too. It is story of a real life. Kvothe has known pain, despair, the feeling of being completely abandoned and alone, and he has also experienced joy, love, happiness and knowledge.

One chapter he is beaten half to death, the next he is being shown some of the truest acts of kindness I could ever imagine. I can't think of an emotion I didn't experience while reading. I snorted with laughter, gasped in outrage, choked back tears, shook with disbelief and trembled with anticipation. Seriously, the book has it all. What a magnificent achievement to tell this story in a completely believable way-I mean sure there are dragons and magic sympathy Here you have a 15 year old boy, who early on, had fantastic parents and a happy life as a traveling performer.

When that was taken away, he lived on the streets of a large city and raised himself to be tough and cunning. He knew how smart he was, and he got himself a place in the University. Now-before you start thinking that he is portrayed as being perfect-the author never hesitates to remind you that he is still a kid! He is constantly showing off and doing outrageously idiotic things that get him into heaps of trouble.

I wanted to wring his neck more than once myself! Anyway, I'm not going to try to summarize the book. I wouldn't be doing it any favors.

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I will say that the beginning was slow. It probably took me over a hundred pages to actually get really involved with the story. But, even that was all so mysterious and sinister that I knew sticking with it would pay off. I can't wait to read it again someday when I will be able to understand more of what was going on in the beginning. I have read a ton of reviews and comments of people saying it ruined the book and so on. I don't get that. I thought Kvothe ended his story in a perfect place to set up anticipation for the next book, and the little scene with Bast and the Chronicler that closed the story was brilliant, set up interest in the current setting.

Even after over pages, I still don't "know" Kvothe.

Isn't that the point? He isn't predictable, and he hardly ever did what I expected him to do. For that reason alone, I know the next installment will probably be even better then this one. Oh yeah--one more thing though. If you're a fan of the book He is hilarious, and regularly keeps me entertained. He is just the type of guy I would love hanging out with.

Not in a creepy-I'm-looking-at-him-through-his-window way, more of a "hey lets eat something really unhealthy and talk about books. Its a pleasure to read such a fantastic book by a guy that actually seems to deserve the privilege of having come up with it. View all 26 comments. When I began reading this, I did so with a yawn. It initially appeared quite basic and completely uninspiring. I almost stopped reading after twenty five pages, shocking I know.

If I did that it would have been a massive mistake because this is one of the best fantasy novels published in the last twenty years. This series has such a huge s When I began reading this, I did so with a yawn. This series has such a huge scope. Rothfuss has spent a lot of time setting this up, and in the process has created a lot of apprehension. Let me explain myself, Kvothe is telling his story to a chronicler who is writing down every last word.

The Real Reason Rothfuss’ Kingkiller 3 Is Not Here Yet

He is telling his story in the manner of a master bard who knows how superior his own tale is; he knows that his life was somewhat eventful to say the least. The reader, like the listeners, cannot prize themselves away from it. This was such an extraordinary clever technique.

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.

You may have heard of me. At the beginning of the book we hear about this man who has become a living legend; we hear about this man who is hero worshiped and revered. This may seem a little contradictory when considering his superb natural talents, but when he was a boy he lost everything; he had no family; he had no friends; he had no books, and most importantly, in this world, he had absolutely no money.

He is naturally proficient at magic and all things academic; he is clearly someone who belongs at the university. However, tuitions fees cost, and he is a lowly beggar living on the streets of Trebon. Thus, a tale of hardship, magic and the struggle to survive unfolds. Rothfuss has Kvothe narrate it is such a way that you are listening in earnest for every word; he makes you feel like you are sitting in the Wayward Inn with the chronicler and Bast; he makes you feel like you are there as he tells his life story: Of magic, music and women Try as hard as he might Kvothe could never fully repress the horrors of his past.

He was separated in a most brutal manner from his parents, one that made him almost forget who he was. However, a likeminded storyteller brought him back to himself, which sent him on the path to the university. He slowly starts to remember the magic he learnt as a boy; he starts to realise, again, what he is capable of. He digs up his past and uses it to make him stronger. Indeed, through re-learning the music of his youth he finds solace and a way to pay his tuition fees. He begins to grow up and, in addition to this, he finds an unexpected friend through the power of his lute.

He has paced this series in such a clever way. However, these acts were not in the conventional sense, though he did technically do both; it made me laugh. For me, this series has everything. It is an interesting magic system that is both complicated and difficult to master; it has a protagonist who is very well written and is deep in sensibility.

And to top it off, he has three mistresses: He tries to balance the three, but often fails extraordinarily. Can I please come and study at the university? The world in which this is set is developed and wonderfully written. At the end of this book, I simply wanted to join the university and explore its archives. This place has more books that can be read in a life time; it is packed full of tomes of every variety.

I have a soft spot for novels that take the time to describe books and libraries, and, in the process, share a love of reading. For me, this made the university a rather desirable location, even if several staff members are confrontational and directly seek rivalries with students. This story was, simply put, excellent. To my mind, Rothfuss has more than earnt his reputation. The Name of the Wind - A jaw dropping five stars. The Wise Man's Fear - A messy four stars 2. View all 39 comments. Those who like badly plotted male wish fulfillment Gary Stus.

Spare me Rothfuss fanboys who just want to pick fights over negative reviews. I thought the book sucked. My thinking the book sucked in no way impacts how much others enjoyed the book. And if you are uncomfortable that I point out the lack of strong female characters, the main character as essentially a male Mary Sue, or the fact that the entire book was pure male fantasy wish fulfillment, then perhaps you should consider some personal reflection on why those points upset you.

I had ETA 2: I had to downgrade this from 2 stars to 1. I have a very visceral negative reaction whenever I am reminded of this book. I have blocked this book's existence from my mind and whenever someone mentions it, I want to foam at the mouth. I slogged through the first pages and kept wondering when the plot was going to show up. The early bits were interesting but had a tendency to drag espcially after Kvothe was by himself. After he joined the University, the story picked up a bit and became more engaging -- but there was still no real point to the book Rothfuss probably planned the story arc over the span of presumably three books, and broke up the story at what seemed like appropriate points.

But my complaint is that they weren't - by focusing on the overall story arc, there were no arcs in the individual book, and no thread that connected everything together other than Kvothe was telling the story of his life. Another irritant was Kvothe, the paragon of perfectness.

He was beyond perfect. He had no flaws and after a while, it got annoying. Would it have killed the author to give his main character a zit or something? On a whim, I started filling out the Mary Sue litmust test for Kvothe but got tired of checking all the boxes. If a character didn't love him, they were horrible, bad, not very good people.

Women fawned over him and fell at his feet and had no other role in the story. This was an epic fail on the Bechdel test. There were enough hints of a larger plot to intrigue. I just wish that Rothfuss compressed everything more. I did end up liking it enough to contemplate continuing on with the second book View all 69 comments. Jan 26, else fine rated it did not like it Shelves: I really, really wish I could give this negative stars. View all 49 comments.

Aug 10, Maureen rated it it was amazing. I'm not over it.

This book has all the makings of a great fantasy. Plot that moves along very well and is supremely interesting. It's got it all. One thing I also appreciated is how simple the magic system is. It's pretty e THIS. It's pretty easy to understand the basics so there isn't a ton of info-dumping. I also listened to the audiobook part of the time and really really enjoyed it!

It's just great and you should read it. View all 20 comments. Pat Rothfuss an excellent congoer. The other problem I had was the language: Kvothe's eyes are described as shards of ice just a sentence before his voice is likened to a sharp steel blade. Ah well--there's lots of other high fantasy in the world.

View all 77 comments. Jan 21, Maxwell rated it it was amazing Shelves: I don't have words adequate enough to express how much I enjoyed this book. Kvothe is now one of my all-time favorite characters. The world Patrick Rothfuss has created is so vivid and rich and well-imagined. Seriously, no coherent and structured review here because I am just gushing over how fantastic this book is. If you even remotely enjoy fantasy books and especially if you don't think you like fantasy go read this book now!

View all 8 comments. I heard a lot of hype and great things about this book from just about everyone and their mom in order to tell everyone else and their mom who has not read the book to read it so they can fall in love and rate it five stars. So I took a shot and check this book out of the library, ending up hating the book mostly because of the main character, Kovthe.

Everything that he does to me might as well be a flaw, the flaw of being rational , not thinking of the consequences or the emotional effect it wo I heard a lot of hype and great things about this book from just about everyone and their mom in order to tell everyone else and their mom who has not read the book to read it so they can fall in love and rate it five stars. Everything that he does to me might as well be a flaw, the flaw of being rational , not thinking of the consequences or the emotional effect it would have on others. I was wondering how many things that he does right then there is a flaw to follow right afterwards.

I know he is still learning in this book, but where is his common sense or emotions other than anger , I felt like he had it and throw it out the window. The main point is I felt that me as a reader does not fell sympathetic for his action, but hating it instead. He is like everything that a parent does not want their kid to become friends with or their daughters to even date. He is no gentleman. Overall, he is a very arrogant character that think he is better than everyone in everyone way possible, and he would do anything to get ahead, even if means killing you.

So he is not a person to be trusted. He is my version of Sword of Truth's Richard Rahl, Soldier's Son's Nevare Burvelle or Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, Thomas Covenant, which I know a lot of people hate these three characters to death by wanting to destroy those books, but I loved those three characters. Donaldson was coming from. Hey, at least the book is well written and readable, which made me actually finish the book.

Also many compare this book to The Lies of Locke Lamora, which even the two authors acknowledge that, and have become good friends, appearing together at signings with two of the highest ratings and loyal fan followings. For me, The Lies of Locke Lamora is a book that I quite enjoyed after many tries of finally able to read the book. Also the book is like Lev Grossman's The Magicians. One is Kvothe is a mixed character just like the main character of The Magicians, Quentin, where both characters are in a love or hate relationship.

The biggest difference between the two books is that The Magicians is not as well like, having an almost a star less in the ratings. Lastly, this book has the highest rating of any book I have ever seen on Goodreads. It has even a higher rating and likes than any of the Song of Ice and Fire books, which is saying something, even though it is a lot more popular. It makes me feel like I am not ever going to understand the what is so great about the book, and Partick Rothfuss.

I'm not a big fan of Partick Rothfuss himself as a person just like many who hate Orson Scott Card or Terry Goodkind, but that is another story for another time. I am also not a fan of John Scalzi personal or for his books as his books for me directly mimics well known books. If anyone that knows me, two of my favorite characters are Drizzt and Ender, who are both the opposite as a character to Kvothe, even though the first time I heard of Kvothe, even though I had the seen the book when it came out in the bookstore, was really the first and best SUVUDU cage match It had all the top characters from Science Fiction and Fantasy up against each other.

Kvothe and Drizzt was fighting it out for the third and fourth place, and I could not believe that Drizzt lost. I had to check him out. Personally I think Drizzt would have won just because he is over infinite times better of character than Kvothe ever will ever be. View all 53 comments. So many of my favourite reviewers on Goodreads have praised this book to high heaven, so obviously I jumped at it without a second thought, just to end up feeling "meh" about it.

It would seem, sadly, I expected too much. Something I'm not wont to do, but even the best slip up, I suppose. Still, I really hate not loving this book. However, it isn't all bad. Let me tell you the good things first, like why it's getting 3 stars: The idea I love the switching back and forth between present time and t So many of my favourite reviewers on Goodreads have praised this book to high heaven, so obviously I jumped at it without a second thought, just to end up feeling "meh" about it.

The idea I love the switching back and forth between present time and the past. Having Kvothe tell his life story aka 'the story of how I became a hero and a legend' is very intriguing, and it's well executed. The world-building Okay, I don't mean the entire world our cast find themselves in.

It's very believable and comes to life rather effortlessly in my head, but what I really love is the university. It's a stroke of near-genius how Rothfuss has taken normal, real studies and given them a breath of fantasy to make them entirely different, but recognisable and endlessly cool. Especially Elodin, what a crazy, brilliant bastard with the greatest sense of humour - or, eh, well, maybe it's not a sense, per se, but he is hilarious- The readers probably appreciate it more than anyone else.

I like almost all of the supporting cast even Ambrose, he's a massive dick but he's very good at it , and that is perhaps the biggest plus in all of this. The sad fact is that, each of these points have their problems. The problem with the idea is that, despite what you may think, the beginning of Kvothe's hero career is a mess and not very interesting. The world-building is well done, and overall satisfying, but there are very few details. Rothfuss is very imaginative - he shows this often - so I refuse to believe he couldn't tell me a little bit more about how, let's say, "Heart of Stone" really works.

Without this information I can't picture it very well in my head, so it loses its value and makes the whole thing a little less believable. Which is a shame, because there are so many cool concepts and I just want to know more about them. And lastly, give me all the most perfect supporting characters you can and this is a close one , but when I don't like the main character or his love interest, we're not left in the most attractive position.

All of that, though, would mean absolutely nothing okay, maybe still a little if the story had any sense of purpose or direction. In a vague sense it does, we know it's the story of how Kvothe became the legend he is, but the red thread, the guiding light that's supposed to show us how and why these events are important and reassure us it all leads up to something, it isn't there.

It's a bit like reading a biography of someone you have never heard of, wondering why all these stories are included, and hoping they all carry some purpose, but knowing, deep inside, they probably don't. I don't want to know everything Kvothe ever did that was significant to him , I want to know everything that was significant in making him the person he became, and I feel a bit as if I'm wasting my time. I want to trust that we're going somewhere, and rationally I know we are, but it feels like we're just moving on to move and not to get anywhere.

At this pace we'll never get to see anything beyond his college years and that would be fucking sad. It doesn't help that nothing particularly mindblowing or game changing happened in this book view spoiler [he doesn't even learn the name of the wind. Are you kidding me? Mind you, it was never truly boring, but I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere either. And that is perhaps the worst enemy of storytelling: Rothfuss breaks the one rule of storytelling: Make you character want something. Kvothe seems to not really know what he wants and thus the story lacks direction. I think the "climax" might have been Kvothe killing a draccus while learning very little about the Chandrian and wanting to be a hero, because it felt good.

To be honest, the guy's a little pretentious and idiotic. Older Kvothe is much better; he might be sadder, but he's a more fulfilled and interesting character. I hope the next book is better with all of this, because the story has potential. The story of how he was named bloodless is kind of dull and disappointing though - and perhaps this is the entire problem. Rothfuss takes a guy who's clouded in mystery, in myth and impressive tales, and makes him and his story trivial.

I get that a hero can be somewhat ordinary, but please, for the love of god, let him not be boring. In all fairness let me mention it only took me a week to read it, and these darn feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration mostly happened to me afterwards. It's a fun book, very well written and the good things in it aren't simply good, they're very, very good. I'll most likely also recommend it to people, but mostly so they can get to the second, and because everyone else is head over heels with this series and who am I to deprive anyone of the possibility of such an experience?

Jun 07, Melanie rated it it was amazing Shelves: It's easy for me to write what worked or what didn't work, but it's hard for me to describe magic. The book even touches on this and how it's impossible to describe some things. It would be easier for me just to call this book blue fantastic and move on 1.

It would be easier for me just to call this book blue fantastic and move on. But where is the fun in that? So I'll try and probably do a mediocre attempt of explaining why the biggest regret I've made in my literary life is not reading this book sooner. I always have some stream running in the background when I'm home and I figured I'd give him a chance, but I didn't expect to completely fall in love with his personality. Seriously, the man has more charisma than any of the Twitch streamers out there. He's very entertaining, passionate about this charity, books, and his post-apocalyptic city , and a natural born storyteller much like Kvothe.

Rothfuss so much that I knew I had to read his book immediately and, to know surprise, it completely enthralled me. In fact, it's the best fantasy book I've ever read. The story starts in The Waystone Inn, in Neware. Kvothe is a very gifted child and picks up everything he does with ease. His family's troupe traveling performance artists is one of the best in the world. Therefore, Kvothe has dipped in many different pools to excel at. His family accepts an arcanist named Abenthy Ben into their troupe and Kvothe soon finds a new best friend in him.

He teaches Kvothe many different abilities, most including tricks with his mind. He also teaches him more about the world and a place called The University, which could help shape Kvothe's very gifted mind. Disaster strikes and poor Kvothe soon learns the meaning of really being alone. His talented father is obsessed with writing a song about The Chandrian, who are a group of seven known in myth and folklore as bad or evil.

Many people in this world fear different things, but everyone throughout Termerant fears The Chandrian. Soon, Kvothe understands why. Both had their eyes closed. They seemed so perfectly content. If you can find someone like that, someone who you can hold and close your eyes to the world with, then you're lucky. Even if it only lasts for a minute or a day. I really don't want to say much more, I just hope I've swayed you into giving this series a shot if you were like me and haven't done so yet.

The story is fantastic, the writing is amazing, and if you have a heart the main character will capture it. Oh, and the goose bumps I got when reading the epilogue and blissfully being connected to the very beginning for a full circle. I don't really have words, just a whole lot of feelings that I'm not sure what to do with. I cannot wait to start The Wise Man's Fear after reading this first masterpiece.

Find a pool of water with a sheet of ice across the top, still fresh and new and clear as glass. Near the shore the ice will hold you. Eventually you'll find the place where the surface just barely bears your weight. There you will feel what I felt. The ice splinters under your feet. Look down and you can see the white cracks darting through the ice like mad, elaborate spiderwebs. It is perfectly silent, but you can feel the sudden sharp vibrations through the bottoms of your feet.

That is what happened when Denna smiled at me. View all 13 comments. I just caved and bought this book, even though my birthday is in less than a month View all 9 comments. Jul 25, Jim rated it it was amazing. They say writers should write what they love, what they're passionate about, and Patrick Rothfuss loves stories. The Name of the Wind introduces us to Kvothe, a legendary figure now living a quiet life as an innkeeper.

This is the first book in a trilogy, and takes us through the first day of Kvothe telling his story to The Chronicler, a wandering scribe and collector of stories. Rothfuss also shows us the power of stories. Kvothe is shaped both by the stories others tell about him as he grows u They say writers should write what they love, what they're passionate about, and Patrick Rothfuss loves stories. Kvothe is shaped both by the stories others tell about him as he grows up, and eventually by the stories he tells about himself. Stories define us, just as they define the world around us. Kvothe spends much of his time seeking stories of the Chandrian.

It's quite clear that Rothfuss loves this stuff. If the book isn't evidence enough for his love of story, check out the many interviews he's done and notice how often he responds by saying, "Let me tell you a story about that Gifted orphan goes off to magical school and becomes a hero.

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As a result of the confrontation, he's sentenced to further lashing but avoids expulsion. Thanks to his clear magical abilities, he is also promoted in rank as a student under Master Namer Elodin's tutelage. In the inn at the present day, a mercenary possessed by a skin dancer force attacks the patrons and kills one of them. When Kvothe seemingly fails to use magic to help, the skin dancer is killed by the local blacksmith's apprentice, Aaron. The first day ends when Kvothe finishes the first chapter of his story and the town settles down for the night after the commotion.

At night, Bast breaks into Chronicler's room and reveals Chronicler's coming was part of his plan all along. He threatens Chronicler to focus Kvothe on the more heroic aspects of his story, in the hope that Kvothe will abandon his apathy and regain his old, heroic self. In the epilogue, it is implied Bast's fears are well founded, as the present-day Kvothe is described as just a man "waiting to die. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Name of the Wind Cover image. Retrieved 29 November Retrieved 10 August Retrieved 4 June Works by Patrick Rothfuss.

Retrieved from " https: CS1 German-language sources de Pages to import images to Wikidata. Views Read Edit View history. This page was last edited on 12 November , at By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Wise Man's Fear. Few people know of it: A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows Full of secrets and mysteries, The Slow Regard of Silent Things is the story of a broken girl trying to live in a broken world.

In The Wise Man's Fear , Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of his family, and travels into the Fae realm.

There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived Now, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time. This anniversary hardcover includes more than 50 pages of extra content! Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries.

My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe. I've had more names than anyone has a right to.

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