The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day Two The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2
Hardcover, 994 pages
English language
Published March 10, 2011 by Daw Books.
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
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 the tale of a hero told from his own point of view — a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man's Fear, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to …
“There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
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 the tale of a hero told from his own point of view — a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man's Fear, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King's Road.
All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived ... until Kvothe.
In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time. --front flap
Great, now I can join the crowds calling for Rothfuss to get the third book finished. Great tale, multi-layered yet completely accessible.
Good, good story. But it's too long. To long.
I feel that this book is slower than The Name of the Wind, perhaps due in part to Kvothe's adventures, perhaps in part due to a number of stories-within-stories, and perhaps in part due to the fact that this is a middle book.
The plot doesn't advance much from The Name of the Wind. Kvothe leaves the University to reduce the University's liability, and essentially traverses one quest after another. Kvothe experiences some growth, and I expect that growth to drive the third book's plot development. But don't read this expecting to receive any answers to questions raised in the first book, and expect frustration at more questions when you finish.
Overall, this wasn't as enjoyable for me as The Name of the Wind. I kept reading, hoping the book's pace would pick up, even as I was looking forward to finishing the book so I could …
I feel that this book is slower than The Name of the Wind, perhaps due in part to Kvothe's adventures, perhaps in part due to a number of stories-within-stories, and perhaps in part due to the fact that this is a middle book.
The plot doesn't advance much from The Name of the Wind. Kvothe leaves the University to reduce the University's liability, and essentially traverses one quest after another. Kvothe experiences some growth, and I expect that growth to drive the third book's plot development. But don't read this expecting to receive any answers to questions raised in the first book, and expect frustration at more questions when you finish.
Overall, this wasn't as enjoyable for me as The Name of the Wind. I kept reading, hoping the book's pace would pick up, even as I was looking forward to finishing the book so I could move onto something else.
I doubt I'm the first one to say this, but The Kingkiller Chronicles is this century's [b:The Lord of the Rings|33|The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3)|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1411114164s/33.jpg|3462456].
I have finished the second of three parts, third to be published. This book was nowhere near as good as the first, which is a shame. There were long stretches of sheer nothing, to the point where the book was probably about 20% too long. What's worse is, and I'm going to try to give nothing away, a potential exciting portion was glossed over in favor of parts that sucked the life out of the narrative. I'm giving 3 out of 5 only because the good parts are really good. Hoping the final installment has an editor with a bit more sway and a story with a bit more drive.
An absolutely awesome book! A huge chunk of my Christmas holiday was dedicated to reading this book. And even though I wasn't a fan of the part about the Felurian, everything else was excellent. Now I'm joining hordes of people waiting patiently for the next book..... :)
As good as the first, even if the style changes a little.
An okay book that manages to go nowhere after 1000 pages. Kvothe learns to fight and... other stuff. Then he ends up right where he started, but not as poor.
None of the questions brought up in the first book are answered. That, and the Felurian chapters just about ruined the whole book; since after that, Kvothe apparently feels obliged to hump everything that moves (thankfully in PG-13 detail, at least).
And Denna. Enough with her. I wish she'd just kick the bucket already.
Again, some of my favorite parts are the short stories the characters tell around campfires and whatnot.
On the bright side, when the third and final book comes out next year (?), it should solve all of the mysteries that haven't been solved yet. Right? Maybe?
A superb fantasy; loved every moment of this. I'm surprised that some of the fans of the first book were disappointed by this one. It only strengthened my ties to the characters. Can't wait for the final chapter.
This was a very good book. I was reading the first book as this one was being published and went straight into reading this book. I went from years of not reading to reading 2000 pages in relatively short order (couple of weeks) and came away very satisfied. It might have been wise for me to pace myself a little more though.
Don't read this book until you read the first book. Then you won't really need me to tell you whether or not you should read this book.
Brilliant, perfect sequel. I highly recommend this book to everyone. Definitely worth 5 stars all the way through. I literally could not put this book down.
One of those books I spent a week putting off reading the last chapter... I figured if I didn't read it, the book would never be over and I wouldn't have to cope with the loss. Loved it. More Kvothe please, Patrick Rothfuss.
Continuation of one of my favourite new fantasy stories. Highly recommended.
Updated: Original 5 star review was a tad high -- this is not as good as the first book, but still worth reading. Would give it 3.5 stars if I could.
Although I liked this one, the whole story took place in only a handful of locations which, in hindsight, makes it seem to me like a whole lot of very little actually went down, but with a lot more words thene might otherwise be needed. IMO, when setting up for additional stories, the current book should set up the reader's desire for the next installment throughout the story. This one just felt like a string of "point in time" anicdotes
Still, I'm loveing the pacing, the style and especially the worldbuilding. I like the time spend with the Adem the most, and appreciate the details of their cultural design. I just hope that this series has a decent progression and an EVENTUAL conclusion (cough SoIaF)
The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss is his second novel and sequel to The Name of the Wind, released in 2007. A third book, The Doors of Stone (working title) is projected to finish off the series.
I haven't read The Name of the Wind but The Wise Man’s Fear's execution does not necessitate any reading of the first book to enjoy it as a single work. After having read it though, I certainly want to get a copy of the first book and the last when it’s released.
The Story
The Wise Man’s Fear is a continuation of the story of Kvothe a warrior, musician and wizard. It’s autobiographical, a tale told mostly in the first person by Kvothe- a recording of his adventures as he saw them, not as the legendary figure he is known as. It is then a series of adventures, strung together by Kvothe’s …
The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss is his second novel and sequel to The Name of the Wind, released in 2007. A third book, The Doors of Stone (working title) is projected to finish off the series.
I haven't read The Name of the Wind but The Wise Man’s Fear's execution does not necessitate any reading of the first book to enjoy it as a single work. After having read it though, I certainly want to get a copy of the first book and the last when it’s released.
The Story
The Wise Man’s Fear is a continuation of the story of Kvothe a warrior, musician and wizard. It’s autobiographical, a tale told mostly in the first person by Kvothe- a recording of his adventures as he saw them, not as the legendary figure he is known as. It is then a series of adventures, strung together by Kvothe’s participation in them. It reveals a complex and varied fantasy world with enormous depth. There are various side adventures that help build the character of Kvothe in the reader’s mind and there’s a grand story of mythic proportions that simmers just below the surface of the narrative. Who are the Amyr ? Who are the mystical Chandrian? We are presented with two Kvothes, the one in the present who is less than impressive, that seems to have lost some of the power and prowess described in his own retelling of the Kvothe of song and legend.
A note on structure
The story is split into two time frames, the present is presented in the third person, where Kvothe is telling a story of his deeds to a character called The Chronicler. These short snippets(5 to 10 pages each) of third person narrative are dispersed throughout novel breaking up the main text, which is Kvothe telling his story in the first person.
This structure works well, at close to a 1000 words, even Rothfuss' talented use of first person point of view needs a change in pace and perspective to keep the work fresh.
Harry Potter Goes to College
One of the first thoughts that occurred when reading The Wise Man’s Fear, especially the early part of the novel, was that it had a “Harry Potter goes to College” feel to it. By which I mean, it captures a wizardly university atmosphere in the same way the the Harry Potter books evoked the atmosphere of English boarding schools. It’s no surprise to note that Orson Scott Card has likened it to a darker, adult Harry Potter. For older readers of fantasy, I am reminded of elements of the Earthsea novels by LeGuin.
A literary Magpie
Rothfuss has described himself as a literary Magpie and while the book is original in craft and execution their are references or subtle hat tips to predecessors, for example a quaint love poem spoken by one of the characters uses a (Anglo Saxon I think) poetic form employed by Tolkien. Though The Wise Man’s Fear samples from the genre its not merely a reimagining or a repackaging. I think that Rothfuss is actually doing something quite subversive. There are two tales told; one is what’s occurring in the present the other the heroic backstory to Kvothe. By the end of the book I am not sure if I quite believe the image that Kvothe has put forward in his tale to the Chronicler. The parts of the book set in the present show Kvothe as less than impressive -compared to his image at least. This is not your ordinary heroic fantasy, there’s elements of course in Kvothe’s retelling, but I get the feeling that Rothfuss is heading in a different direction- a more honest deconstruction of the hero perhaps.
Final thoughts
Briefly – Buy it and the The Name of the Wind as well.
This book read like it was half the size, a testament to Rothfuss skill in presenting 900 or so pages of first person narrative. Though we know as readers that Kvothe can’t die (at least until the end of the series) Rothfuss manages to constantly have important things at stake, whether it’s people that are close to Kvothe, or his possessions. Rothfuss has crafted a character who’s life and aspirations are important to the reader – I felt pangs of anxiety when his loot was ‘stolen’ or when he was helpless to render assistance to Denna.
I am in awe of Rothfuss ability to render the playing of a musical instrument as an action scene. The bard, often a staple of fantasy, rarely gets in the spotlight for his raison d'être – Rothfuss puts it front and centre.
It’s a rare, original fantasy of epic proportions.
