The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind
by Patrick Rothfuss

From the author's website:
My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.

"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.

"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.

I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.

My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.

But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."

I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.

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 Kvothe—from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic. In these pages you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. But The Name of the Wind is so much more—for the story it tells reveals the truth behind Kvothe's legend.


I had a free download for audible when I bought my Creative Zen MP3 player and decided to go with the longest book on my to-read list that was still worth 1 credit. This audiobook is 27 hours long. I listened to it while I did housework as well as inventorying at work.

Let me tell you - if the description didn't entice you... well, you're a lost cause. This book was absolutely AMAZING! I can see why it is such a big hit in the fantasy realm. Now, some of you may think that this book isn't YA, but it received on of the 2008 Alex Awards which is a high school young adult award from the American Library Association. So, I believe it is one of those borderline books that walks the thin line between young adult and adult fantasy.

There was so much to this story and it got you interested and involved from the beginning. The only thing that kills me is that it came out in 2007 and there is still no book 2! How dare you Patrick Rothfuss, how dare you! I'm dying to learn more about Kvothe and his adventures.

So, if you like fantasy and especially if you like EPIC fantasy, read this!

5/5 Roses

(This is not in the running for the August Comment Contest, due to the fact that is an audible file.) :) But, please comment, comments still count as entries (limit 2). If you have no clue what I'm talking about. . . See this post.