If you think waiting for the next book of the Game of Thrones is tough, try waiting for book three of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss.
Debuting in 2008 with The Name of the Wind, followed by The Wise Man’s Fear in 2011, we’re still waiting on the conclusion.
The wait is eternal, but though the series is incomplete The Name of the Wind in particular is well worth your time.
The story is of Kvothe, a man, once a legend, now running an inn in a tiny backwater.
Starting life as the son of the leaders of an itinerant troupe of performers, he ends up on the streets of an unforgiving town and eventually attends the most prestigious school of the arcane arts, all before the age of 18.
Kvothe is a talented young man.
Because of his unusual upbringing he’s an accomplished musician, a great reader of people and a quick learner in a great variety of disciplines.
He’s also a master liar which predictably leads him to trouble.
This simple-seeming story could have been filled with the worst clichés, or at least come across as a poor knockoff of Harry Potter.
This is far from the case: this is a definitely a mature work.
It’s the story of a life already lived, told from an adult’s perspective.
Kvothe reflects on his mistakes, on his flaws and on the people he loved and hurt through his own choices, and he made a lot of them.
Patrick Rothfuss has a particularly casual way of writing.
Given the genre and the length of the book, you would think that the story is epic fantasy, twisting and turning through complex set of characters.
Not here.
This is the story of one man, a personal tale.
It’s quite a refreshing change from the grander stories that are more common in the genre.
And anyone who reluctant to attempt a huge fantasy world would find that it’s not nearly as intimidating as it seems.
Just as a note: Manuel Lin-Garcia, the creator of the Broadway hit Hamilton, has optioned the books for TV or film production.
Given how central music is to the story, this is an interesting development that I think will get a lot of people excited.
Steven McCreedy is a library technician at the Cambie Branch. Next on his reading list is Too Like the Lightning by Ada Palmer.
