I recently finished reading my favorite book in the world, “The Name of the Wind,” for the third time. It is written by Patrick Rothfuss. It is part of a trilogy. The third one has yet to be released. Bated breath, folks. Bated breath.
The reason I love this book is because it can appeal to anyone. I am a lover of fantasy. Science fiction. The surreal. And while this book is set in another world and it has magic and such, it is written in a more fluid fictional first person narrative. Meaning the main character is telling his story and he can be related to by most. The words in this book are pure poetry.
I wish I could quote some of my favorite verses. There are so many quotable sayings in the book. Unfortunately, I recently read you cannot print a quote from a book without permission from the author. And, thus, I shall not. It makes me more than slightly nauseous to think of Patrick Rothfuss reading my drivel.
It does take a bit to get into the book. Each time I read it, I get stuck on the first thirty pages for about two days. But then the story opens up. And you get lost in it.
The story centers around Kvothe. It starts out with him as an inn keeper relating his story back to a transcriber. And boy what a story! The main premise of this book is him getting to The University to try to learn the name of the wind. It is what Harry Potter would be if it was set to poetry and music. And I say that with the highest regard, because if I ever won the lottery, the very first thing I would purchase is the first edition Harry Potter book.
Kvothe is an unlikely hero. Well, aren’t all heroes usually unlikely? So, I guess he is a likely hero. You are definitely rooting for him even as you disagree with some of the choices he makes. But that is what makes this book great. Not good. Because you do care. You care about a character who does not exist. True magic. That is what that is.
As soon as I finished this book, I promptly picked up the second one (for the second time) and breezed through it. And then, in a purely nerdy fashion… I made notes and guesses about what I thought was going to happen in book three.
Then I googled it. Because that is how much I love this book. I found forums discussing just this very subject. I swiftly felt like an idiot. So many wonderful theories and ways to look at these books. Not only did I not feel worthy to post my theories, but I also left the forums firmly believing that Patrick Rothfuss is a genius. If what these people theorize is correct, he will have brought the whole story together so beautifully. And unbelievably intelligently. I cannot even stand it. That is how smart these books are.
Have you read these books? Are you anxiously awaiting the finale? Do you have any recommendations of your own for me to read while I am waiting? And tell me I am not alone in my firm belief that brains are mightier than brawn in making a grown woman swoon.
P.S. You can always check out Patrick Rothfuss’ blog in my blog roll. And his Facebook page is wonderful. But my favorite post of his was one he wrote this past Valentine’s Day. He is such a beautiful writer. This might be the best blog post ever written. Oh! Also, I just want to quickly note that he curses on his blog. This does not bother me. But you should be warned, in case that affects you negatively.
