Book Review: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind hits hard. This novel is amazing and is definitely the best book I have read all year. (Aside from Book two in the series The Wise Man’s Fear)

“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts. There are seven words that will make a person love you. There are ten words that will break a strong man’s will. But a word is nothing but a painting of a fire. A name is the fire itself.”

I have seen this story described between the perfect mix of Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. This description is spot on. Patrick Rothfuss creates such a beautiful magic system that completely fresh and unique. It stands out among the best magic in all of fiction. Reading through this series brings back the magic of going through Harry Potter the first time when you were a child.

Kvothe, the protagonist, is a rich character with a good backstory. You grow up with him in the first part of the story and see how he was developed. I have seen the vocal minority go out and call Kovthe a “Mary Sue” type character, (A character may be judged Mary Sue if she is competent in too many areas, is physically attractive, and/or is viewed as admirable by other sympathetic characters.) and I can see how they would say that. Kovthe is adept at many things and seems to master and challenge laid before him. It can be a bit frustrating sometimes but who wouldn’t want to be like that? I think there is a piece in all of us that wishes we could live our lives as a Mary Sue character. That’s what makes a story so good to read. Fantasy is great at helping you escape to a new universe, and this series has brought me back to loving the fantasy genre.

Patrick Rothfuss has truly created a masterpiece here. This world will bring you in and leave you with a lasting impression. I will also add that after falling in love with this series, I started researching the man behind the magic. Patrick has done a lot of cool things with the press he has gotten from this series. I have watched every episode of his D&D series so far and loved it.

Please also check out “http://www.worldbuilders.org/”. It is a great charity started by Patrick Rothfuss.

Also, check out the Tak kickstarter. It is based off the game in the second novel in the series The Wise Man’s Fear.

Buy the book here! – The Name of the Wind