I hate books like this. Absolutely, positively, loathe
them. My fingers hurt from holding them open. Sleep
deprivation makes me grumpy, irritable and cranky. I hate
any book that is so good that the only thing that makes me
stop reading them in the wee hours of the night is that my
eyes won't focus any more. Or, God forbid, I finish the
damn thing when book two isn't out yet.
THE NAME OF THE WIND tells the story of Kvothe. Or rather,
it tells the story of Kvothe telling his story and why he
became the infamous figure that he is, and why he has gone
into hiding, broken in spirit and waiting for the end.
This, the first book in an evident trilogy, starts with
Kvothe as a gifted and precocious child. Orphaned by dark
powers, he becomes intent on revenge. To gain the knowledge
and power he seeks, he enrolls at the University of the
Arcane. The book traces up through the early part of his
career at the University, as he struggles to excel and
survive with no resources beyond his wits.
THE NAME OF THE WIND has all the hallmarks of a great
fantasy story - a fully realized, imaginative and immersive
world; interesting and believable characters; a gripping,
expansive story; and excellent writing. Considering how
much the story might resemble the Harry Potter stories in
the broad strokes, it is a testament to the creative powers
of the author that not once did I even think the word
"Hogwarts" the whole time I was reading it. And in a genre
rife with various explanations of magic, the arcane arts in
this book are presented with a refreshing take that brought
a smile to the cold-hearted physicist within me.
It's entirely possible that the series doesn't live up to
the promise of this first book. The epic plot so hinted at
in THE NAME OF THE WIND may not turn out to be as epic as it
seems. Book two may turn out to be a self indulgent mess
(Eldest, I'm looking at you). Until the series is
finished, I'll refrain from appellations such as
"masterpiece," "tour de force," "the new Tolkien," or "best
of the new millenium" - but this series is definitely in the
running.
The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows
to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen.
From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to
years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city,
to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a
legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a
masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind
of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet's
hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted
young man, told through his eyes: to read this book is to be
the hero.
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