What's In a Name?

Some people I know have sworn to never again pick up an incomplete fantasy saga, to read only completed trilogies, sagas, or stand-alones. Today's review is not for those people.

I'd been hearing a lot of praise for the book The Name of the Wind, by first-time author Patrick Rothfuss. First, that praise came in the form of blurbs from some authors I particularly like. Eventually, it came from a few people I know reading the book themselves and declaring that indeed, it was enjoyable.

The first volume of a projected trilogy called The Kingkiller Chronicle, The Name of the Wind is the tale of a legendary hero (or notorious villain?) gone into hiding, but found out by a Chronicler who wishes to take dictation of his life's story in his own words. This living legend agrees, and begins pouring out his checkered past from early childhood.

I'm reluctant to dub the story a "Harry Potter for adults," because I happen to think that Harry Potter is a quite wonderful Harry Potter for adults. But this first book is overall quite similar, if unsuited to give to most kids to read. The main character's history involves his childhood without his parents, his ultimate discovery of magical ability, his enrollment in a university for magic, his conflict with some students and teachers there (and friendship with and guidance by others), his side adventures in a nearby town, his ultimate quest for revenge on the evil force that killed his parents...

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

But lest I sound too critical, let me be clear that I actually found the book a rather entertaining read. The shape is certainly familiar, though many of the particulars are different. And the writing is entertaining. Though a bit slow at first to pull me in, once the book finally set its hook in me, I read it quite rapidly. The sometimes episodic nature of the main character's history made the book easy to read in pieces or in long stretches as desired.

Though I'll certainly never convince any "no incomplete saga" people to change their minds on this book, I feel the cliffhangers at the end of this volume are fairly mild. The book is a telling of the character's life story, and ends after "just one episode" amidst the episodic progression of events. The book certainly has implications of a larger plot at work, and of course that series title, The Kingkiller Chronicle, promises bigger things to come. But I'd say the end of this book feels more like the end of one season of a partly-serialized television show than a conventional first volume of a fantasy trilogy. (The second volume, The Wise Man's Fear, was released last year, and is now on my future reading list. The third volume is yet to be completed by the author.)

That rather tenuous overall narrative does keep me from holding the book in too high an esteem, but I must say again that it was a well written and entertaining effort. I'd call it a B+. If you like fantasy, you'll probably like this...

...assuming you're willing to wait for the final volume (before or after reading the first two books).