Books I've read in 2017: The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

My name is Kvothe.

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.

You may have heard of me.

I have read (and listened, via Audible) to a beautifully-wrought fantasy series by Patrick Rothfuss several times this year. A friend of mine introduced me in 2014 and I discovered the story of Kvothe slowly, reading the books off and on before finally being hooked. Now, I'm on my 5th re-read and discover a new piece of the puzzle every time.

I suppose that part of the series' appeal right now is that it is unfinished, and the depth of storytelling allows fans to analyze the intricate writing to try and speculate about Book 3. It's been 10 years since The Name of the Wind was published, and 6 since its sequel The Wise Man's Fear. We're still waiting on the third installment in the series, tentatively called The Doors of Stone. Through the expansive first few books, Rothfuss carefully crafts a world of magic, music, and myth.

Our hero Kvothe--or perhaps our antihero--was once regarded highly as a singer, swordsman, magician, genius, and overall legend. Now, he has fallen from public grace after starting a war, perhaps faked his own death, and now manages a quiet inn, a shadow of his former self. Rothfuss describes him at the beginning and end of each book as "a man who is waiting to die." It is the story of his life, told in his own words, from an idyllic childhood as a trouper to the murder of his parents by a mysterious group of people, to the University where he searches for answers to their death, and far beyond.

At the same time, the frame story reveals how dangerous the world has truly become, and how Kvothe blames himself for everything that happened.

I am not quite sure what I will read after I finish Wise Man's Fear for the fifth time. I may take a break. I may delve back in. Hopefully, if nothing else I've said so far has, this will be what convinces someone to give these a try--the fact that this series is worth that many rereads!

Click here for an excerpt of NotW from Pat Rothfuss' official site!