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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Um, hellz yeah! Why do series that are amazing have to be long and/or long books? Really, it isn't a problem, except for that whole "Time means something on planet Earth" and I can't just spend ALL of my time reading.
This book - well worth the time. Don't be intimidated by the length. You won't notice it. :)
This book - well worth the time. Don't be intimidated by the length. You won't notice it. :)
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brilliant book!
This was a little slow and a little dull at points, but the premise was interesting even though the plot didn’t move very much. I am interested enough in the characters to continue reading the series.
I appreciate deep dives on characters - and this story has a lot of that. I like that the book is written like a true life story or autobiography and not a “storybook.” At one point the main character even explains this distinction to his biographer when asked why he did not take a certain course of action and play hero. There are lots of potential problems that resolve or turn out to be nothing, there are deviations that develop the character in the ways all life events do but which don’t move the plot forward, and there are important, fleeting relationships (Ben, Travis) that do not have to resurface later in the book to have impact. The narrator Kvoth’s awareness of the autobiographical nature of the story is a great device that leads to some pseudo fourth wall breaks with beautiful reflections (“If you are looking for a reason for the man I would eventually become, if you are looking for a beginning, look there”). This device also allowed the side characters to sprinkle in questions which was valuable and fun.
This was all great stuff. I think the slow feeling of the book was just because very little actually happens. It’s mostly buildup and context so I am hopeful that we will see more action as the series continues. Although the plot felt slow at times, the lifespan pacing was well managed. We see a lot of growth over a long period of time at a pace that does not feeling forced, rushed, or unrealistic. I thought the evolution of the relationship between Chronicler and Bast during interludes was also interesting and I appreciated their small plot twist at the end of the book. This relationship has a lot of potential. The magic system of words and naming is also interesting and exciting (“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the hearts of men... But a word is nothing but a painting of fire. A name is the fire itself”).
I am a little disappointed at the way women are portrayed. They are all beautiful, delicate, and function as objects. I’m interested by Dena and appreciated the way the author gave her some complexity: “If a storm blows down your house, or breaks a tree, you don't say the storm was mean. It was cruel. It acted according to its nature and something unfortunately was hurt. The same is true of Denna.” However, the book is rife with Madonna/whore tropes, even where the author and main character appear sensitive to prejudice.
Otherwise, the writing is solid and occasionally it is arrestingly beautiful. I love writers who get loss and appreciated the retelling of a battle story where “the bloody field was less horrible to look upon than Lyra’s grief.” I also thought Kvoth’s reflections on his parents’ death was beautiful: “I hope they were together, busy with loving each other, until the end came. It’s a small hope and pointless really. They are just as dead either way. Still I hope.”
Bought the second audiobook & found out the author never finished the series. Fucking A.
I appreciate deep dives on characters - and this story has a lot of that. I like that the book is written like a true life story or autobiography and not a “storybook.” At one point the main character even explains this distinction to his biographer when asked why he did not take a certain course of action and play hero. There are lots of potential problems that resolve or turn out to be nothing, there are deviations that develop the character in the ways all life events do but which don’t move the plot forward, and there are important, fleeting relationships (Ben, Travis) that do not have to resurface later in the book to have impact. The narrator Kvoth’s awareness of the autobiographical nature of the story is a great device that leads to some pseudo fourth wall breaks with beautiful reflections (“If you are looking for a reason for the man I would eventually become, if you are looking for a beginning, look there”). This device also allowed the side characters to sprinkle in questions which was valuable and fun.
This was all great stuff. I think the slow feeling of the book was just because very little actually happens. It’s mostly buildup and context so I am hopeful that we will see more action as the series continues. Although the plot felt slow at times, the lifespan pacing was well managed. We see a lot of growth over a long period of time at a pace that does not feeling forced, rushed, or unrealistic. I thought the evolution of the relationship between Chronicler and Bast during interludes was also interesting and I appreciated their small plot twist at the end of the book. This relationship has a lot of potential. The magic system of words and naming is also interesting and exciting (“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the hearts of men... But a word is nothing but a painting of fire. A name is the fire itself”).
I am a little disappointed at the way women are portrayed. They are all beautiful, delicate, and function as objects. I’m interested by Dena and appreciated the way the author gave her some complexity: “If a storm blows down your house, or breaks a tree, you don't say the storm was mean. It was cruel. It acted according to its nature and something unfortunately was hurt. The same is true of Denna.” However, the book is rife with Madonna/whore tropes, even where the author and main character appear sensitive to prejudice.
Otherwise, the writing is solid and occasionally it is arrestingly beautiful. I love writers who get loss and appreciated the retelling of a battle story where “the bloody field was less horrible to look upon than Lyra’s grief.” I also thought Kvoth’s reflections on his parents’ death was beautiful: “I hope they were together, busy with loving each other, until the end came. It’s a small hope and pointless really. They are just as dead either way. Still I hope.”
Bought the second audiobook & found out the author never finished the series. Fucking A.
Rereading The Name of the Wind and I’m at the point where Ambrose swindles Kvothe out of a whole talent to enter the archives and hands the man a candle.
Strange how (out of all of the awful things that have happened thus far) this is the point in the book that kickstarts my spiraling anxiety for Kvothe.
Strange how (out of all of the awful things that have happened thus far) this is the point in the book that kickstarts my spiraling anxiety for Kvothe.
First of a trilogy and not self-contained. At the start I was afraid it would be another tiresome fantasy book about boys for boys, but despite that limitation I did enjoy it once the story picked up. The story-in-a-story structure seems like it might become more interesting in the next book.
After starting this book off I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but I ended up falling head-over-heels for it.