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A review by mjdale95
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
5.0
I would give this (incomplete) series a 4/5 so far
Kingkiller Chronicle is probably the most polarising series in fantasy, and it's easy to see why - I hated The Name of the Wind first time around, but after re-reading it totally flipped and became one of my favourites. I think this was because the way the book is marketed on its blurb and the actual story are totally different - this isn't a story of an epically powerful wizard performing epic deeds, its a slow-moving, grounded origin story - but a beautifully written one. The prose is what people always praise about this book, and it is warranted - I feel a constant itch to reread these books because I know the writing is so enjoyable.
The protagonist, Kvothe, is considered the Mary Sue to end all Mary Sues by many, and they're not really wrong - he narrates the story himself, which raises the possiblity of some unreliable narration, but he comes off as an absolute genius and prodigy who can get out of any jam with his brilliant wits. Is this a wish fulfillment fantasy? Probably.
The only side character really worth mentioning is Kvothe's love interest, Denna. Another criticism of this series is the romance sideplot and how women characters in general are written, and they certainly aren't great, but if viewed as a window into the mind of the teenage boy telling the story, they somewhat make sense. Anyway, this is the slowest burning slow burn romance you're ever likely to come across, and I really hope it has a satisfying payoff in the final book.
Speaking of that final book... it's been 11 years since the last book was released. The same amount of time since the last ASOIAF book was published. At least GRRM has the excuse that he's trying to weave about fifteen plotlines across multiple continents together in a way that makes sense, but this story really isn't that complex. Wtf is taking so long?
Kingkiller Chronicle is probably the most polarising series in fantasy, and it's easy to see why - I hated The Name of the Wind first time around, but after re-reading it totally flipped and became one of my favourites. I think this was because the way the book is marketed on its blurb and the actual story are totally different - this isn't a story of an epically powerful wizard performing epic deeds, its a slow-moving, grounded origin story - but a beautifully written one. The prose is what people always praise about this book, and it is warranted - I feel a constant itch to reread these books because I know the writing is so enjoyable.
The protagonist, Kvothe, is considered the Mary Sue to end all Mary Sues by many, and they're not really wrong - he narrates the story himself, which raises the possiblity of some unreliable narration, but he comes off as an absolute genius and prodigy who can get out of any jam with his brilliant wits. Is this a wish fulfillment fantasy? Probably.
The only side character really worth mentioning is Kvothe's love interest, Denna. Another criticism of this series is the romance sideplot and how women characters in general are written, and they certainly aren't great, but if viewed as a window into the mind of the teenage boy telling the story, they somewhat make sense. Anyway, this is the slowest burning slow burn romance you're ever likely to come across, and I really hope it has a satisfying payoff in the final book.
Speaking of that final book... it's been 11 years since the last book was released. The same amount of time since the last ASOIAF book was published. At least GRRM has the excuse that he's trying to weave about fifteen plotlines across multiple continents together in a way that makes sense, but this story really isn't that complex. Wtf is taking so long?