The Name of the Wind
Patrick Rothfuss' debut novel is astonishing. Epic fantasy needed to be reinvented. Prior to this novel it was a stale genera, following very specific plot lines, and was becoming extraordinary predictable. Fans of epics were getting antsy. The Song of Ice and Fire series seemed to be the only outlet, and George R. R. Martin's writing style was under heavy fire. Rothfuss' novel came a long at the right time. As the Harry Potter generation was getting it's last book The Name of the Wind swooped in and provided another outlet for hungry fans. It's a new s series to obsess over, new magic to learn, and a new character to fall in love with.
Kvothe is the kind of character that only modern genera writing could produce. A lot of criticisms of fantasy center around sex and sexism. Honestly, said criticisms are warranted. Part of what drove me away from this genera was the sexism. The idea that men are able to be heroes and women are able to wait on them hand and foot gets tiresome. After reading novel after novel where the only female presence is either a whore or a princess, I felt like I needed to take a break. The Name of the Wind breaks the stereotype. The women in this novel are strong in their own right. They don't let Kvothe off the hook, and they give him a run for his money. And it's not just one woman that does this, it's all of them. Rothfuss levels the playing field for female characters in fantasy.
Another area of this book that made me really excited was its magic system. Too many times in fantasy magic is done with little or no explanation. Have a dragon to kill? Well, let's get a wizard to do that. Three pages later a magic spell saves everyone, and the troop moves on. As a reader, I shook my head. How does the magic work? Why not just create an army of wizards? Why not train everyone to do some magic? It's frustrating. Sympathy is part magic and part rough science. Having grown up with a father who's first love was Chemistry, Sympathy makes sense. Rothfuss goes into detail about how it works, why it works, and why it's incredibly dangerous. Also, and this is a testament to the author's writing style, it's not dull. Giving explanations in short bursts over the entire novel was refreshing. It also made it seem far more realistic than a magical being popping out of nowhere to save the day.
All in all, I loved this book. My husband has saved himself as well, because the last book I read on his recommendation was Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. A novel I hated so much he was banned from giving me books for years. Pick this book up. It's worth the time, and is a delight to read.
Next up I'm rereading To Kill a Mockingbird. It's the next selection for my Required Reading Revisited book club. This will be the fifth time I've read Harper Lee's classic. I can't wait to write about it. I have so much to share.
Patrick Rothfuss' debut novel is astonishing. Epic fantasy needed to be reinvented. Prior to this novel it was a stale genera, following very specific plot lines, and was becoming extraordinary predictable. Fans of epics were getting antsy. The Song of Ice and Fire series seemed to be the only outlet, and George R. R. Martin's writing style was under heavy fire. Rothfuss' novel came a long at the right time. As the Harry Potter generation was getting it's last book The Name of the Wind swooped in and provided another outlet for hungry fans. It's a new s series to obsess over, new magic to learn, and a new character to fall in love with.
Kvothe is the kind of character that only modern genera writing could produce. A lot of criticisms of fantasy center around sex and sexism. Honestly, said criticisms are warranted. Part of what drove me away from this genera was the sexism. The idea that men are able to be heroes and women are able to wait on them hand and foot gets tiresome. After reading novel after novel where the only female presence is either a whore or a princess, I felt like I needed to take a break. The Name of the Wind breaks the stereotype. The women in this novel are strong in their own right. They don't let Kvothe off the hook, and they give him a run for his money. And it's not just one woman that does this, it's all of them. Rothfuss levels the playing field for female characters in fantasy.
Another area of this book that made me really excited was its magic system. Too many times in fantasy magic is done with little or no explanation. Have a dragon to kill? Well, let's get a wizard to do that. Three pages later a magic spell saves everyone, and the troop moves on. As a reader, I shook my head. How does the magic work? Why not just create an army of wizards? Why not train everyone to do some magic? It's frustrating. Sympathy is part magic and part rough science. Having grown up with a father who's first love was Chemistry, Sympathy makes sense. Rothfuss goes into detail about how it works, why it works, and why it's incredibly dangerous. Also, and this is a testament to the author's writing style, it's not dull. Giving explanations in short bursts over the entire novel was refreshing. It also made it seem far more realistic than a magical being popping out of nowhere to save the day.
All in all, I loved this book. My husband has saved himself as well, because the last book I read on his recommendation was Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. A novel I hated so much he was banned from giving me books for years. Pick this book up. It's worth the time, and is a delight to read.
Next up I'm rereading To Kill a Mockingbird. It's the next selection for my Required Reading Revisited book club. This will be the fifth time I've read Harper Lee's classic. I can't wait to write about it. I have so much to share.
(Image brought to you by: ideacious. This shelf is available for preorder, retails for $24. I'm buying several.)
I still haven't managed to finish Jonathan Strange, and I'm someone who can't stand not to complete a book. I'm baffled how it became a bestseller.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with The Name of the Wind, but it sounds like something I should check out! I'm a latecomer to fantasy and so far have a very limited pool of authors that I read.
Name of the Wind was really good. I agree with what you said above about how stock fantasy was getting kind of rote. The main character was slightly too arrogant for my tastes, but I loved how well-drawn all the supporting characters are. I'm excited for the sequel, though my husband claims its rather disappointing.
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