Culture

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is the first novel of a trilogy known as “The Kingkiller Chronicle.” This debut fantasy novel has quickly garnered critical praise for its style and creativity. A unique prologue foreshadows an original take on the hero’s journey. It features beautiful, flowing prose that creates an uneasy and eerie silence to heighten our anticipation that, like the calm before a storm, something wicked this way comes.

When we first meet the main protagonist, Kote, he appears to be nothing more than a lowly and weary innkeeper, seemingly disenchanted with life itself. Downcast, his silence is described as the “patient, cut-flower sound of a man waiting to die.” Yet as a strange and sinister evil begins to advance, Kote finds himself directly in its path. When he rescues a travelling scribe, named Chronicler, from certain death, it is revealed that Kote is none other than Kvothe, a figure of insurmountable legend. As an unmatched swordsman, gifted musician and brilliant actor, Kvothe’s reputation has swelled to monstrous proportions, leaving everyone uncertain of the truth.

As Kvothe retells his story to Chronicler, he promises to truthfully account for the strangest feats he has been attributed with. At this point the novel slips into the first-person narrative, with brilliant warmth and humour, as the story of his youth begins to unfold. “I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Treborn. 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 the 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.”
Central to this novel is the motif of storytelling. Importantly Kvothe is retelling the harrowing events that lead to an adolescence struggling to evade poverty and fuelled an all-consuming obsession with the mysterious figures known as the Chandrian. In a wider sense, storytelling permeates the novel in folksongs, olden mythology and children’s stories, which frequently resurface in different settings, hinting at the origins of the Chandrian. Kvothe himself advocates the importance of folklore, “You’d be surprised at the sort of things hidden away in children’s songs.”

The clever structure contrasting the magnificent deeds of the young Kvothe and his current situation as an innkeeper builds a powerful suspense. As his personal trials are revealed, the reader becomes increasingly anxious that Kvothe in the present day may not be able to rally his spirits in time to vanquish the oncoming evil. Furthermore the occasional intrusion of the third-person narrative develops a richer exposition than can be achieved in first-person narrative alone. This exposition is integral to the thorough world-building in this novel, proving once again that this dual-narrative artfully contributes to what makes this novel so compelling.

The Name of the Wind skilfully pokes fun at tropes that the fantasy genre has worn threadbare, and breathes fresh life into the genre. This novel has everything: strange creatures; awe-inspiring magic; tremendous action; and compelling characters complete with bothersome rivals. It is an outstanding fantasy novel and is likely to delight readers that are fans of J.R.R Tolkien, J.K. Rowling and George R. R. Martin. The only constructive disclaimer I can add is that at times this novel can be something of a slow read. However, the action that is slow to surface is well worth the wait and it is more shocking because it is withheld for so long. This first instalment leaves many questions unanswered, undoubtedly leaving the reader wanting more, as Rothfuss proves to be a master of suspense.