The Wise Man's Fear Mass Market Paperback – April 2, 2013

It’s hard to know where to begin with this book. Recommended to me by a dear friend, Kerry, who, when I said I wanted a novel to lose myself in, asked, “Have you tried Patrick Rothfuss?” I replied in the negative (though I had heard of him - you’d have to be deaf to the literary and fantasy community not to have), and picked up the first book in his Kingkiller Chronicles a little unwillingly. Unwilling because, with the exception of Kim Wilkins, Juliet Marillier, and Sara Douglass, I’ve read very little fantasy since George RR Martin. I’ve nothing against it; on the contrary, I am a huge fan and have been since I read Prince Caspian when I was eight. My bookshelves bulge with fantasy novels and my first foray into publishing was in that marvellous genre as well. It’s just that having to research my own work and loathing the interminable wait between instalments in fantasy series, I’d deferred my reading in this genre (apart from authors above) indefinitely. I’m just not patient enough and understand completely why my friend, Joy, waits until all books in a series are out before commencing them.So, I picked up The Name of the Wind reluctantly…Oh. My.What a book.What a reading sensation.How had I deprived myself of this work for so long? Beautifully structured, holistically conceived, filled with characters in whom you believe and a world that is so rich and complex, I found this book impossible to keep away from. I’d rise in the morning and drift towards it; begin to eat and flick it open, regardless of the company (so rude, I know); record a favourite television show (yes, even Game of Thrones) to watch later and read instead; stay up till all hours wishing I could remain in Rothfuss’ world.And this is why (without, I hope, spoiling the experience).When the book opens, we’re introduced to Kvothe, the youthful inn-keeper with an incredible past that involves, wizardry, death, monsters, music, women, wine and song, sharp intellect and no small degree of talent, as well as incredible adventures, abject poverty, suffering, brutality, violence, academic and physical lessons, hope, resilience, hard work, love, bets and the lurking ill-will of dire enemies. So how did this amazing red-haired man with a colourful and unbelievable past, who when we meet him seems to have lost the will to live, end up running an inn in a remote, quiet place while the world around him plunges into darkness?Against his better judgement, Kvothe begins to tell the story of how he became a legend in his own life-time to a man whose been searching for him in order to record his memories – the Chronicler.And so Kvothe’s tale, from itinerant performer to wunderkind, is told – in Kvothe’s first-person voice in the past before switching to a third person present. The language is poetic and moving, the dialogue snaps one minute and brings you to tears in the next. Kvothe is irreverent, honest, modest (except when he’s not) and completely convincing and lovable, even has he grows into what you can tell will be formidable powers. He’s possessed of a wicked sense of humour, a strong sense of justice and refuses to be a victim, no matter what life metes out. I went through every conceivable emotion and then some reading this book and grabbed the next one immediately (it’s almost a thousand pages), delighted I would be able to spend more time with someone who has fast become one of my favourite characters of all time.Elegant, original, magnificent in scope yet humble in execution, this is a book any lover of reading would enjoy. Furthermore, Rothfuss is very open with his many fans about his writing, the world he’s created and his ambitions for the writing future. Only, in getting to know him as a writer through words other than those in his marvellous novels, I’ve also learned that the third book in this series, Doors of Stone (there are novellas and short stories connected to the world as well), despite being promised earlier, might not be available until 2016. This brings me back to why I stopped reading fantasy all together –the waiting when you willingly give yourself over to a new book and world is painful. However, in this instance, I make an exception. Learning that Rothfuss doesn’t want to let DoS go until he’s absolutely satisfied it’s as good as it can be, makes sense to me and kudos to him.Despite the wait ahead, I’ve no regrets I read these books – such is the power and beauty of what Rothfuss has accomplished and my faith in his very impressive abilities – I was poorer without this experience.Just a marvellous read. I’ll try and be patient… really.

EDIT: I'm not understading the reasoning that people who say they enjoy the book are marked as unhelpful. I'ts not as though the ones marked as unhelpful said anything unuseful or overly analytic. It's just a recommendation.Original Post:I realized as I was writing this review that the parts that I was thinking of negatively I didn't feel until after the book was done and I read these reviews. During the book, nothing really rung untrue. There are plot devices, you recognize them for what it is and Rothfuss doesn't insult your intelligence. It's a land of magic and old power coarsing throughout the land Why shouldn't there be a simple way for males to not impregnate women. (Some women claim this would be very welcome nowadays and I'd agree.)Onwards,Patrick Rothfuss has a gift. I say, dramatically.He writes with such ability that even though there are plot similarities between this trilogy and Harry Potter, or Wheel or Time, he completely makes them his own, and it never feels like it's cheated you or the story has lost it's way. His manner of writing is for adults. (Adults should be bolded.) So his subjects don't need facile names like mugwumps. I know why people love Harry Potter, even while I contiunue to tell them there is much, much better out there. They love the wonder of the story. And this, is what The Name of the Wind, and A Wise Man's Fear have done for me. It has injected wonder back into the world for me.The various arts as he describes their workings, the forms of magic, the immense power of a simple thing. Magical realms and creatures out of tales are true, but not intrusivly whimsical in Harry Potter, or in Jordan's Wheel of Time's relentlessly dark way. It's idea that "Your folk tales and nightmares are real and you can die anywhere even sleeping, and everything is trying to kill you." But in a somber, serious way that lies just below the lyrical nature of his writing.Maybe he's tailored that to the world he's created in which music is all-important to the character, and the world, as certain civilizations consider music to be the equivalent of whoring while absolutely valuing silence, as pauses are built into their very language. While others consider music their greatest gift to all of civilization and have built their life around performing it for others.If he hasn't built this lyrical quality in on purpose, to me, even better. It doesn't mean he's peerless, but it puts him in a rarified company. Maybe I'm not as wide read as I hoped, but in pure style he's with China Melvielle, Carlos Louiz Zafron, Neil Gaiman and others I can't think of at the moment.John Scalzi, Charles Stross, they tend towrd a different style of writing. More direct. No less enjoyable, (as I don't want those authors to think I'm slighting them in any way.) I've bought all of both authors novels and enjoyed them all, even the Tor freebies, but I digress) Scalzi has a wry wit, as does Stross, Scalzi has a rapid-fire manner of making words do what he wants. He enjoys a clever phrase and isn't shameful of it. This is not a bad thing. It doesn't transform your perception of language though. He uses English like a set of tools he is extremely competent with and while not adding the soaring transformative architechture of the Italian Renaissance, he adds a touch or three to his well crafted house.Stross also has a wry wit, and has a very wordy way that while I want to say is transformative, it's hard to initially decipher. (your mileage, as always will vary.) but once cracked, he's a great read with fantastic ideas.But Rothfuss clearly grabs you with a unique, poetic, (have I said lyrical yet?) musical dance that draws you in and hypnotically wants you to see every sentence. Every adjective. Each motion in the phrase given. And he gives those phrases some thought. They aren't constantly children's puns or rhymes, although those are present. He makes seemingly dedicated and real observations about words, human behavior, and the power of a story, all the while using a powerful one itself.Rothfuss enjoys a turn of phrase, a pun, the banter between equally eloquent characters. (Even if one seems only to exist as a perpetually annoyed sounding-board for Kvothe's cleverness with word and phrase.) readers fond of his work most likely do too, and won't be dissapointed. If anything, it feels as though the banter has gotten better. It makes the characters more real.If anything, as several reviewers have said they don't enjoy the time with Fleurian. I have a mixed opinion. I saw it as the authors reinforcement of the point he's made time and again in the book. Some stories are greatly exaggerated. Maybe it's the approach men and women have towards sex, but it rang true to me. There's something very confusing about the other sex when you're that age and once you finally taste that fruit, the tendency is to want more. If anything, while keeping it (I thought subdued) and only hinting at eroticism without crossing the line into titilation, he used it to point out that once more, stories frequently morph in the telling.The story seems to be about a stunningly intelligent and observant boy who has the small certainties of life pulled out from under him in a cruel feudal system-like world by the worlds darkest secrets and he's fighting back as he can, yet for all that he's a boy. And a nice one. With his own mind. A powerful will, a wit, a dark past, abilities any of us would kill for, saves teh day, loses some others, and yet for all that, for all the fantastical truth of his characters story to the Chronicler, Kvothe is still brought low to weary, hidden innkeeper, waiting out his days for something unrevealed as of yet, all because of story and how powerful rumors are.This review is starting to lose it's coherency so I'll wrap it up by saying this: I love this man's writing, I don't see how he can fit so many answers to questions into the next book as it was stated a trilogy, and I pray he doesn't become bored with the world as it seems like it has so many enjoyable stories to still be told.I highly recommend this book.

My taste in books is fairly diverse.There are days when I’m really in the mood for sharp, witty banter between characters, while some days it’s the tension of a thriller or the richness of historical fiction that I crave. Some moods find me hungry for spells-a-minute action and explosive battles, yet stretches pass where all I’ll devour is the slow burn of a new romance between unlikely partners.….And sometimes I’m in the mood for high fantasy that takes me on a journey spanning countries, years, and even realms. Padded by plenty of world building and a well-devised magic system, this complex continuation of Kvothe’s adventures is one such book. I thoroughly enjoyed The Name Of The Wind (which I actually stumbled upon accidentally) in great part because it introduced me to a new author who writes lovely prose; Rothfuss crafts articulate paragraphs (and sometimes single sentences) that articulate in striking and thoughtful new ways feelings and ideas I’ve wrestled with my whole life. Indeed, some passages are so elegant I’d almost consider them poetry (Sorry, Kvothe!) while others just make me smile for their clever depiction of one of life’s wry truths.All the while keeping me entertained in his fantastic world.In this novel, Rothfuss continues to delight the academic and fantasy-lover in me while also squeezing my heart in unexpected ways. I delight in how passages can carelessly yet thoroughly turn my understanding of, say, something as foundational as Love on it’s head.“So yes. It had flaws, but what does that matter when it comes to matters of the heart? We love what we love. Reason does not enter into it. In many ways, unwise love is the truest love. Anyone can love a thing because. That’s as easy as putting a penny in your pocket. But to love something despite. To know the flaws and love them too. That is rare and pure and perfect.”<3

Gosto dessas estórias bem escritas, longas e bem detalhadas.

The Wise Man's Fear, the second installment in Patrick Rothfuss's The Kingkiller Chronicle, picks up where The Name of the Wind left off. Kvothe, the legendary bard, continues recounting his past to a chronicler. This time, we delve deeper into his time at the prestigious Arcanum, the University, witnessing his growth as a mage and musician, and his entanglement with love, loss, and adventure.Strengths:>Exquisite prose: Rothfuss's writing is undeniably captivating. He paints vivid pictures with words, drawing you into Kvothe's world through rich descriptions and witty dialogue.Compelling character development: Kvothe continues to be a fascinating protagonist, flawed yet relatable. We see him mature from a talented but arrogant youth to a seasoned individual facing the consequences of his choices.>Intriguing world-building: The world of Temerant is further explored, revealing its intricate magic system, diverse cultures, and hidden secrets.>Engrossing episodic journey: The book takes Kvothe on various adventures, offering a mix of thrilling action sequences, heartfelt moments, and philosophical insights.Weaknesses:>Slow pacing: While the world-building and character development are enriching, the central plot progresses at a slower pace compared to the first book. This might be frustrating for readers seeking more immediate answers to the overarching mysteries.>Limited answers: While some mysteries are unveiled, many remain tantalizingly unanswered, leaving readers with a sense of anticipation and frustration.Overall:The Wise Man's Fear is a captivating continuation of The Kingkiller Chronicle. Despite the slower pace and lack of immediate closure, it offers a rewarding experience for fans who appreciate Rothfuss's masterful prose, intricate world-building, and engaging character development. It leaves you eager to unravel the remaining enigmas and witness Kvothe's ultimate fate in the highly anticipated final book.Recommendation:This book is highly recommended for readers who enjoyed The Name of the Wind and appreciate fantasy with rich prose, complex characters, and a slow-burning, episodic narrative. However, those seeking a fast-paced plot with immediate answers might find the experience frustrating.

Amazing series

So far I am really enjoying the story. However the printing in this book is really bad, if you go over it with your finger the ink smears.