The Name of the Wind

The Kingkiller Chronicle, Day 1 The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1

by Patrick Rothfuss

mass market paperback, 722 pages

English language

Published May 15, 2008 by DAW Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-7564-0474-1
OCLC Number:: 225538273
Goodreads:: 22917961

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(116 reviews)

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.

So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature—the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.

--back cover

6 editions

Amber Herbert reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

I'd Follow Kvothe Anywhere

5 stars

Rothfuss is a phenomenal storyteller with a knack for filling out a world through action over exposition. His prose is a delight to read, and his descriptions are lush without being flowery.

Kvothe is an intriguing and nuanced character. Despite being gifted in sympathy, sygaldry, and music, he fucks up or finds himself in less-than-stellar situations on the regular. But his development and journey is more honest and realistic because of his numerous faults. His only being fifteen certainly helps that believability along.

I also love how the magic is a natural part of the world instead of the main focus. Though magical elements are there, and add quite a bit to the story, Kvothe's growth as a person is at the forefront of the tale.

I recommend The Name of the Wind to anyone looking for a great fantasy novel that focuses more on character than magic.

RobertJordan reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

A unique approach to fantasy

5 stars

What an interesting take on a fantasy novel. This one's been an my reading list for a while and is touted as one of the best fantasy novels out there, so I had to take a crack at it.

I found it to be a super engaging read and I love the narrative within the narrative approach. I felt like the author did an excellent job of pulling you along without divulging too much (leaving you more curious about what else was going on).

I whooped at the triumphant moments and felt right in the shoes of Kvothe's world in the novel, which to me, is the exact kind of thing that makes a novel stand out.

I believe you can read this as a stand alone (as I know there is controversy around whether or not this series will be finished) and still get great enjoyment (speaking as someone …

What an interesting take on a fantasy novel. This one's been an my reading list for a while and is touted as one of the best fantasy novels out there, so I had to take a crack at it.

I whooped at the triumphant moments and felt right in the shoes of Kvothe's world in the novel, which to me, is the exact kind of thing that makes a novel stand out.

I believe you can read this as a stand alone (as I know there is controversy around whether or not this series will be finished) and still get great enjoyment (speaking as someone who has not read the second book of the trilogy)

FishermansEnemy reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Name of the wind

4 stars

An interesting approach to the fantasy narrative.

Chris he/they reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Fantastic Magical Education book

4 stars

The story does suffer from a lack of developed female characters. Most female characters fall into the Madonna/whore dichotomy, which may be a result of the protagonist's own opinions or the author's. It's a compelling and fun story, but be aware it is a sausage party.

Rcaze R0 reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Not bad, but not very good either

3 stars

A decent piece of fantasy. It starts out interesting, fun, exciting, but as the story unfolds, the style of narration changes and the main character becomes less and less interesting. It's bizarre too, because as you read, you can tell Rothfuss is a really really good writer. It's just - the second half is a tad boring and awkward.

Perhaps I would have liked it more if I were a decade or two younger. As it stands, it's just OK.

MasseR reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Harry Potter for adults?

4 stars

I don't usually read much fantasy, but I enjoyed this. The analog to Harry Potter comes from the first book focusing on the main character studies in magic.

anunusualuser reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

A Book for My 20s, but Maybe Less so for my 40s

4 stars

I'm getting older every year (the scientists can't explain it), and with each year that passes I find myself relating to this title a little bit less. As others have no doubt mentioned in their reviews, I came into this novel back in 2008 and fell in love. The prose, the story, the way it seemed that Rothfuss was hinting at something really special with future volumes, it was all there.

I think a lot of people soured on the series during certain parts of the second novel and that's retroactively affected how they feel about this book. For me, at nearly 40 years old now, I still find the prose to be great. I still find the story interesting, I just don't easily relate to the main character quite like I used to.

Ultimately, I DO recommend this book for people who love fantasy books. I hope to one …

Ultimately, I DO recommend this book for people who love fantasy books. I hope to one day see some sort of conclusion to this series, where we hopefully see some great resolutions, some great story elements that play on our expectations in interesting ways and more.

Jonathan Zacsh reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicles, #1)

Review of 'The Name of the Wind' on 'GoodReads'

4 stars

Enjoyed the format of the narrator in the inn, and the setting of a magic academia.

trotskyAKAbronstein reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Review of 'The Name of the Wind' on Goodreads

2 stars

As dire as described in all of the 1-star reviews:
terribly written, young-adult fare
big strong alpha-male hero who can do everything,
clumsy clumsy clumsy
all characters are one-dimensional
* all scenes are one-dimensional.

I mean, it's just awful, and when the big strong green-eyed hero switched to recounting the bone-damagingly boring story of his ONE-TRUE-LOVE, then I just couldn't take it any more.

Shame on all those who give this pile of amateur crap 3 stars or more.

Ikwezi reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Review of 'The Name of the Wind' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I struggled to finish this book. All you need to know about Kvothe, the main character, is that he immediately becomes THE BEST EVER at everything he attempts, for no apparent reason other than storytelling convenience. Sadly, the interesting aspects of this fantasy world that surfaced during the narrative were quickly lost to more yammering from Kvothe, the least-convincing fifteen year old character I've encountered since the TV version of the Archie gang, and a damn sight less interesting magical boarding school student than Harry Potter at his most boring.

Thomas Gaffney reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Review of 'The Name of the Wind' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book was highly recommended, but lived up to every expectation.

It took a while to get rolling (like more fantasy novels that have to build the worlds they live in), but once it did, it really took off. Cannot wait to pick up the next book.

Curtis reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Review of 'The Name of the Wind' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Well, dangit, now I'm gonna have to read the next one.

Strakul reviewed The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)

Review of 'The Name of the Wind' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This is an excellent book with lots of things going for it: a clever character, gripping plot, intriguing world, and told through a frame story all with a poetic flair to it. Rothfuss has written an epic tale that is both down to Earth and legendary at the same time.

For a more in-depth review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2019/12/book-review-name-of-wind-by-patrick.html