Natalia.

 

“The Name of the Wind” is a fantasy novel by Patrick Rothfuss, the first book in The Kingkiller Chronicle. Rothfuss introduces the main characters, an innkeeper Kote and Bast, his assistant. Kote is in fact Kvothe– the famous sword fighter, magician, musician and also the rumoured murderer of a king that caused a war. The story continues as Kvothe consented to let a Chronicler record his story after Kvothe saved him from Spider-like creatures. Kvothe tells the story from his childhood, his family the Edema Ruh, a troupe of travelling performers and his meeting with the mysterious Abenthy who opened his eyes to the magic of "The Name of the Wind" and his desire to attend the University, school of magic. In a nutshell, Kvothe was driven by his desire to learn higher education in magic and his need to discover the Chandrian, the legendary demon who murdered his family.

 

 

“The Name of the Wind” is filled with mainstream characters you can find in a cheesy teenage novel, with the themes of being bullied by someone rich, noble-like, being poor to the point of stealing and learning the ‘street life’ that makes the character stronger and sharper in a sense. But Rothfuss wrote with such flair and edge that he made Kvothe into a sarcastic and twisted sly guy instead of the usual, powerless weak character who relies on love and friends. The larger theme of the story is about the reality that people pretend and puts up a façade in front of others like how Kvothe puts on a small façade in front of his friends every day. But Rothfuss never stresses on this, it wasn’t a "lesson that needs to be learned”.  He wrote it simply because it was part of the world and reality. This is why “The Name of the Wind”, although a fantasy novel, was able to connect with the readers and the reality of the world.

 

 

“The Name of the Wind” is a must-read if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter series and— dare I say it— after “The Name of the Wind”, the Harry Potter series seems childish.