'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'

--back cover

The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day 1

The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss

'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 Kingkiller Chronicles #1

Probably one of the best quotes I've ever read and sets the vibe of the book in general.

Yunuen Lopez

"It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die."

Ring a bell ? I feel like for his world building. Rothfuss reused real world concept and made it fantastical lol really where is the originality and the mind blowing-ness that touched so many people ? 

Law of conservation a fundamental concept of physics 🤦🏻‍♀️ then is it SF Im reading ? 

Amira BEN

"First is the Doctrine of Corres- pondence enhances sympathy. ' Second is the Principle of Consanguinity, which says, 'a piece of a thing can rep- resent the whole of a thing. " Third is the Law of Conservation, which says which says, 'similarity 'energy cannot be destroyed nor created. ' Correspondence, Con- sanguinity, and Conservation. three C's." 

Annabelle Gauthier

The sword shone with the knowledge that dawn was a small beginning compared to the ending of a season: the ending of a year.

It was the patient, cut-flower sound of a man who is waiting to die.

This deluxe, illustrated edition celebrates the New York Times-bestselling series, The Kingkiller Chronicle, a masterful epic fantasy saga that has inspired readers worldwide
This anniversary hardcover includes more than 50 pages of extra content!
- Beautiful, iconic cover by artist Sam Weber and designer Paul Buckley
- Gorgeous, never-before-seen illustrations by artist Dan Dos Santos
- Detailed and updated world map by artist Nate Taylor
- Brand-new author's note
- Appendix detailing calendar system and currencies
- Pronunciation guide of names and places

'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.

Source: https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/books/detail.page?isbn=9781473224087

Victoria Justice

It is a word. 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.

If you can find 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.

"A poet is a musician who can't sing. Words have to find a man's mind before they can touch his heart, and some men's minds are woeful small targets. Music touches their hearts directly no matter how small or stubborn the mind of the man who listens."

A hero named Kvothe, now living under an assumed name as the humble proprietor of an inn, recounts his transformation from a magically gifted young man into the most notorious wizard, musician, thief, and assassin in his world. Reprint.

annika

En una posada en tierra de nadie, un hombre se dispone a relatar, por primera vez, la auténtica historia de su vida. Una historia que únicamente él conoce y que ha quedado diluida tras los rumores, las conjeturas y los cuentos de taberna que le han convertido en un personaje legendario a quien todos daban ya por muerto: Kvothe... músico, mendigo, ladrón, estudiante, mago, héroe y asesino.

Ahora va a revelar la verdad sobre sí mismo. Y para ello debe empezar por el principio: su infancia en una troupe de artistas itinerantes, los años malviviendo como un ladronzuelo en las calles de una gran ciudad y su llegada a una universidad donde esperaba encontrar todas las respuestas que había estado buscando.

«He robado princesas a reyes agónicos. Incendié la ciudad de Trebon. He pasado la noche con Felurian y he despertado vivo y cuerdo. Me expulsaron de la Universidad a una edad a la que a la mayoría todavía no los dejan entrar. He recorrido de noche caminos de los que otros no se atreven a hablar ni siquiera de día. He hablado con dioses, he amado a mujeres y he escrito canciones que hacen llorar a los bardos.

El nombre del viento

Sarai 

pacing was odd at times but it also made sense- highly enjoyable and it is crushing me that this is an unfinished series 

abi a

Very immersive fantasy with an entertaining and engaging plot, which is normally all I could ask for, EXCEPT that the female characters are so astoundingly flat and comically underdeveloped that it literally made it impossible for me to suspend disbelief and kind of derailed my entire experience of the book. I know this book was written a while ago but come on… I hope the author finds some platonic female friends and realizes that women are just regular humans before he writes the mythical third book. 

Jessica Gagliardi

Not to be missed: The powerful debut novel from fantasy's next superstar

Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

A great start to an ultimately disappointing trilogy. The worldbuilding is thorough, imaginative, and immersive. The characters range from hateable to lovable—in a good way. However, the protagonist’s relationships with women are painfully juvenile. Some argue that’s intentional, but as time passes and more is known about the author, that becomes harder to believe.

I would recommend this book as a standalone, because it’s such strong fantasy, but readers will likely be disappointed, as it raises more questions than it answers. The only sequel is a much more frustrating read, one that introduces even more mysteries without resolving any of the ones from this book. The third installment may never come, as it's now been well over a decade without an update from the author.

Charlie Queen

A great start to an ultimately disappointing trilogy. The worldbuilding is thorough, imaginative, and immersive. The characters range from hateable to lovable—in a good way. However, the protagonist’s relationships with women are painfully juvenile. Some argue that’s intentional, but as time passes and more is known about the author, that becomes harder to believe.

I would recommend this book as a standalone, because it’s such strong fantasy, but readers will likely be disappointed, as it raises more questions than it answers. The only sequel is a much more frustrating read, one that introduces even more mysteries without resolving any of the ones from this book. The third installment may never come, as it's now been well over a decade without an update from the author.

A bit slow at the beginning (as with most fantasy that needs world building) but I found myself choosing reading over sleep once I got about half way through. Super curious about the Chandrian as well as the customs of the different corners of their world, only gripe is I wish it had an index to offer some more explanation for things mentioned in passing (but perhaps I just need to read the second book) ROTHFUSS PLEASE FINISH THE TRILOGY I BEG U!

Jas 🐸

this is why i like fantasy!!!! -1 for the 1 book that has yet to be published

felicity hu

really well written and an interesting world/story

did realize that the author never ended up finishing this series and there are so many loose ends, not sure if I’m emotionally ready to read the second book knowing there isn’t a third

Daphne Li-Chen

really well written and an interesting world/story

did realize that the author never ended up finishing this series and there are so many loose ends, not sure if I’m emotionally ready to read the second book knowing there isn’t a third

Drew Nerbas

Although the book can be a slow burn at certain points, it kept me hooked with its constant unexpected events and twists. I look forward to reading the next book and hopefully the third book will be published one day. 4.6/5

'This is a magnificent book' Anne McCaffrey 'I was reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkein, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone' THE TIMES '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 Kingkiller Chronicle: Book 1

Luke Harkness

Best fantasy book I’ve read

I absolutely adore films/tv shows/books that show the journey of a character who has an incredible life that changes and goes off on so many tangents. This book isn’t the quickest read and isn’t hugely filled with action but it truly takes you on a journey. You need to finish this book, don’t give up - trust me, it is wholly worth it. So far this is the best fantasy book I’ve ever read!

Pierre

I don't understand why this book is rated so high. I read as much as I could but nothing was happening. I felt like the long descriptions were not delivering a lot of material and after 15-16% of the book read I still didn't know what the world or the characters looked like

This book and I felt like oil and water: we just didn’t mix well. I really wanted to like it as I love fantasy but just could not get over my dislike for how boring I found Kvothe 🫣 . Enjoyed the world building at the beginning and the mystery of the ending, but the entire middle was hard to get through.  

Amalie

A fantasy classic, which leaves me with a hunger for more.

Julia 

John Nettles

At 15 percent completion, I can’t take any more. I can’t find a single thing about this story or any of these characters that I like. 

So far, the story goes something like. 

>Character 1: I am Quothe, a humble innkeeper. I’m really a super badass in disguise. 
>Char 2: I am Quothes helper. I never shut up about what a badass he is!
>Char 3: I am unnescessary extra character visiting the inn. I recognize that innkeeper; he’s really a legendary badass in disguise! 
>Char 4: I am a mystical wandering bard. I recognize this incognito innkeeper, and will ask him to recite the entire history of his baddassery! 
>Char 1, Quothe: Ok bard, here’s my life story. (Proceeds to introduce a series of new characters who all get awed by his own potential for—but not application of—badassery.) 

Jesus Christ, we get it we get it. The main character is a smooth, fierce, smart, chosen one etc etc. Just like every fantasy main character ever. 

Whatever happened to “don’t tell me, show me?” By this point I think I hate Quothe and his fawning crew. 

Gonna give 2 stars because maybe it picks up later or something idk

—Reviewed from my iPhone. Please excuse typos etc

El Nombre del Viento

marta 

bella <3

Totally understand why this is a staple of the fantasy genre. My favorite thing about it was the framing. I love that we get to see Kvothe when he's older and already established as a legend. And then we go back and see him as a kid. The mystery that kept me reading was how this kid who loves art and knowledge grows up to be known as a Kingkiller. But I think it started losing steam the farther I read. I just wasn’t as entertained by the conflicts he was being confronted with and I started to get bored. Not sure if I’ll continue the series, but who knows.

My first fantasy read in a while and I had forgotten how captivating this genre is - it was easy to come back to this book every day. 

That being said, this book wasn’t entirely what I expected - the majority of the story lingered on his time at Uni without much actually 

 to move the plot along. Overall I expected a bit more closure - what happens with the Chandrians? What’s the deal with the spiders? I understand that this is only meant to capture one portion of the Protagonist’s story, but at almost 700 pages I expected a bit more!

Jacqui Spears

My first fantasy read in a while and I had forgotten how captivating this genre is - it was easy to come back to this book every day. 

That being said, this book wasn’t entirely what I expected - the majority of the story lingered on his time at Uni without much actually happening to move the plot along. Overall I expected a bit more closure - what happens with the Chandrians? What’s the deal with the spiders? I understand that this is only meant to capture one portion of the Protagonist’s story, but at almost 700 pages I expected a bit more!

Not to be missed: The powerful debut novel from fantasy's next superstar
Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

Jakob

Beautifully magical writing and dialogue, very fun and engaging with its limited magic system, and characters that have fantastic chemistry through dialogue and interactions. Really great listen.

Jaden Nelson

I have a lot of sort of jumbled thoughts on this great book, and some I don't necessarily know how to explain. First of all, and probably one of the greatest things about this book is that it is not an extremely action packed book. In fact, probably about half the book is quite slow paced. However, I was still interested in every moment I was reading. Second, the style and genre of the book are very cool. It is a sort of "realistic fantasy" type thing that is primarily a story being told by a man of his past adventures. It made for an amazing read. Third, the ideas rothfuss had were really well thought out and great, but (I think) even better was the writing. He has truly embodied the character perfectly with his writing style, and shifted it to fit the scene. His characters are written very well to either be very liked, or hated by readers. Fourth, I do always enjoy a book that I read for pleasure and enjoy, but also learn new things from. Kvothe (the main character) is very knowledgeable on a variety of subjects and informed me on some random but interesting facts(like the fact that apple seeds can produce a deadly poison cyanide if ingested, charcoal can prevent your body from absorbing poison in your stomach, etc).From the beginning of the book I had a vocabulary list of words I did not know the meaning of(I looked them up as I went and recorded the definition). Words like austere, wan, uncouth, constable, etc. of course I only took these notes for about 1/4 of the book because i was lazy, but you get the point. I have so much more to say but I don't want to make this review any longer than it already is so, to summarize, fantastic book that I would HIGHLY recommend to everyone. The book can get a little complex at times so maybe teens and up could read this, and make sure you are committed to this book because it's 600+ pages and the writing made me read very slow because of how intricate it is. Also, just a tip, make sure you have the next book available to you before you are on the last 50 pages because I have to wait 2 days for it and I am feeling the pain. Ok bye!!

 PS THIS A GREAT BOOK FOR READERS WHO DON'T THINK THEY LIKE FANTASY BECAUSE IT IS SORT OF FANTASY, BUT ALSO NOT AND A GREAT STARTING PLACE BESIDES THE LENGTH OK BYE


Rereading Review 2019: Okay second time around I am not completely sure that I would give this 5 stars. Don't get me wrong, I still love the book and I haven't decided I'm "too old" or "mature" to read it, but I couldn't help but notice some things this time around that annoyed me just a little. First of all (view spoiler)[ the whole dracus scene (which is like 5 chapters long at least) seemed a little long for me. Like I get it made him more of a hero and it helped him become closer to Denna kind of, but like I got a bit tired of reading about the dracus. (hide spoiler)] On top of that, there were a few instances where I think Patrick may have written one too many "I felt myself blushing" lines. Most of the time it works fine and adds to the character, but I think he could accentuate Kvothe's boyishness in different ways too. Besides those things (which are minor really) I really like the book. It has helped me get back into a fairly regular reading schedule and something that I found really cool was that when I was rereading the book and remembering things from the first time I read this, I didn't remember them as words that I had read, I saw them as images in my head. I guess this shows how much my brain likes to make pictures of things in my head while I read. Also, I refuse to picture Kvothe as a red-head. Every time it they mention him being a red head, I promptly ignore it and continue to picture my image of him haha. I will be moving on to the Wise Man's Fear immediately probably (but also reading other books at the same time) and I am excited to start because the first time reading the series, I preferred TWMF. I guess I'll have to see what I think on a second try.

Elliot

Jenna

This book was great. When I was young, I was scared that when I got older and read adult fiction, I would be incredibly disappointed and not be able to relive the experience of getting swept away into a story like I had with juvenile and YA fiction. Lo and behold, this book arrived and proved me wrong. THANK GOODNESS. It was such a lovely and witty read and would highly recommend to those who enjoy epic fantasy.

One big thing that did bother me about the book is I got about 50 pages in and there was no women?? No women in this town? At all? I get it, we're primarily in an inn, but come on, please, at least a bar-maid. This blog post covers my concerns about the lack of women in this story pretty well: http://bunwat.booklikes.com/post/700867/thoughts-on-name-of-the-wind-and-the-bechdel-test

Still a great book that I would recommend and I did love Denna, but it still was perturbing to not have any women for quite a large chunk of the book.

It was okay. Unfortunately, I can’t count myself as one of the people impressed by this book.

It was entertaining enough to read but for a book this well loved and this popular, it didn’t bring anything new to Fantasy. I expected so much more. The world building, the intrigues felt like any 90s fantasy books you can read but with a more modern writing. Btw more modern doesn’t mean better to me. The author was praised for his writing but personally it doesn’t dethrone Glenn Cook in terms of writing or even Robert Jordan (despite struggling with Eye of the World I recognise his prose being more memorable)

Finally, I’m sad to see how female characters are depicted in this book. They felt more like a trophy, they were just the object of admiration to Kvothe because they were pretty. They just existed for Kvothe to admire them. Denna who could’ve been so much more was characterised as shallow and very dumb at times (so much it made my eye roll and stop reading for a second).

Also Kvothe was unfortunately not so memorable to me. Some hate him but I felt indifferent towards him. To me, he was too two dimensional and lacked some depth. He was just the little genius who was hated by so many around him. I honestly needed more. Again.

Overall, in my opinion this story could’ve been so much more. And definitely less boring at times. Having a whole chapter where he tries on some new shoes was pointless for example. I guess going into the book and taking the hype into consideration didn’t help I guess ?

It was okay. Unfortunately, I can’t count myself as one of the people impressed by this book.

It was entertaining enough to read but for a book this well loved and this popular, it didn’t bring anything new to Fantasy. I expected so much more. The world building, the intrigues felt like any 90s fantasy books you can read but with a more modern writing. Btw more modern doesn’t mean better to me. The author was praised for his writing but personally it doesn’t dethrone Glenn Cook in terms of writing or even Robert Jordan (despite struggling with Eye of the World I recognise his prose being more memorable)

Finally, I’m sad to see how female characters are depicted in this book. They felt more like a trophy, they were just the object of admiration to Kvothe because they were pretty. They just existed for Kvothe to admire them. Denna who could’ve been so much more was characterised as shallow and very dumb at times (so much it made my eye roll and stop reading for a second).

Also Kvothe was unfortunately not so memorable to me. Some hate him but I felt indifferent towards him. To me, he was too two dimensional and lacked some depth. He was just the little genius who was hated by so many around him. I honestly needed more. Again.

Overall, in my opinion this story could’ve been so much more. And definitely less boring at times. Having a whole chapter where he tries on some new shoes was pointless for example. I guess going into the book and taking the hype into consideration didn’t help I guess ?

Extraordinary writing, and compelling characterization. The final two chapters are worth the wait.

Sarah Taylor

So fun, charismatic fantasy, beautiful world building, I loved it.

Alec Karlen

Wynter

A well-written wet dream of a thirteen year old boy. I would have been annoyed by this book more, if it wasn't written so damn entertaining. But c'mon, Kvothe is such an incredible overachiever, I thought my face would get stuck in a perpetual cringe. Nobody is that amazing! Also, all women he meets are universally beautiful and have a thing for him. Um, no. And if Denna was so tired of men following her, she'd be staying clear of them, instead of jumping from one boyfriend to another... And let me put this out there - I felt really bad for the draccus. The end.

Anthony

I found this book quite captivating. I loved the story-in-story approach. It was kind of a slow burn in the absolute best of ways. Can’t wait to continue the story!

The Name of the Wind The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day 1

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