Review - The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

Hello, hello! TGIF, am I right? Hopefully you get a couple days off now or at least, some time off soon! For now, but the grind continues here and today I thought I would do a quick review on a book series that had a big impact on my style of writing. So, without further ado, let's get to it!

Since I was young, fantasy novels have always found their way into my bookshelf. I think everyone my age, had either the Deltora Quest or Ranger's Apprentice books when they were kids. Of course, there was also the classic Eragon series as we got older, which helped us branch into the timeless masterpiece of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series. An all-time favourite of mine (and will be forever) are the Skulduggery Pleasant series, spanning across 13 books with two more to come. But all of these books, despite how amazing they are, aren't the ones I am going to talk about today. Today, I am going to talk about the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. Currently, there are two books out in this series which are called The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, respectively. The third book, which we think will be called The Doors of Stone, is yet to get a release date, as Rothfuss refines his story. At the time of me writing this, it has been over 10 years since the second book came out and has left fans wondering when we will get the next part of the story. But all good things come to those who wait (or so they say) so for now, let's talk about the current books!

MAIN PLOT

I'll try my best not to give any major spoilers throughout this review, so if something doesn't really make any sense, that's why. Similarly, I may also accidentally give one away so POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD.

The story is centred around the main character called Kvothe. No, I don't know how to pronounce it either, but I go with "Koth" because it's easiest for me. We're introduced to Kvothe as an Innkeeper of his own bar and inn in a small town in the countryside. With him is Bast, both a worker and it seems, his apprentice for something else. Due to it being a small town, Kvothe is the only inn in the area, so he is well known and liked by the townspeople who meet their every night to talk about their day and to pass any kind of news or rumours going around. Through this we here tales of dark creatures of myth that seem to peak at Kvothe's curiosity. After reassuring the townspeople that he knows nothing about them and that they're just myths, we see Kvothe dealing with these exact same creatures and thus the story really begins. A man soon comes to town simply named the Chronicler seeking to write down the story of the person who once upon a time was incredibly powerful and had even been rumoured to kill a king. The Chronicler recognises and asks him to recount his story. Kvothe obliges and tells him that it will take three days to recount everything (hence why there will be three books) and the rest of the book is the story of Kvothe. It starts off when he was kid, going through many hardships and challenges, taking him into adolescence and eventually into a young man. Across the story, it shows how Kvothe learnt the properties and scientific nature of "magic" at the University, how he learns how to fight and even how he becomes one of the greatest musicians in the land. All of this, however, is leading to him finding out about if a mysterious group/person exists called the Chandrian. This takes Kvothe across many different lands and through exciting and dangerous adventures, leaving us to see that there is more than meets the eye at Kvothe's Inn.

WRITING STYLE

Rothfuss's writing style is one of the best that I have ever seen. He does a great job of telling a long story feel like it isn't. Every aspect of his sentences is smooth and don't feel like you have to work to understand the gist of it, which is good because both books are over 600 pages long and, what I would call, small print. What Rothfuss does, that I am an incredible fan of, is tell a story. Now, I know what you're probably thinking; "That's what all books do moron!" but that's not always the case. I have read a lot of books that tell the story at you, not to you. They make you feel like you're just learning information to piece an overall story together. That isn't always a bad thing, but for this genre, it is. These books don't do that, they are told to you. It draws you in and makes you feel like you're sitting across from Kvothe himself, listening to him recount his life or at the University learning all the secrets that it holds. It's a story being told, not regurgitated and that's what makes Rothfuss's writing style elite.

WHO THEY'RE FOR

The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear is written for anyone. There aren't any incredibly dark or scary or sexual parts that wouldn't be suitable for younger readers. I am not saying there are zero however, but they are brief and very scarce. If you had to put an age group on it, I would say that people who are between 14 and 150 years old will be alright. If you're looking at getting into the fantasy genre, I feel this is a great starting piece to introduce you to that world. It demonstrates what fantasy books are all about. It shows incredible magical feats and creatures, insane world building and lets you be fully immersed into the world. There were plenty of times I would read it for three or four hours and not even realise that time had gone that quickly. I would even read it at work! So, if you want to live in a world where anything is possible, these books are a great start.

 

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss are easily one of my favourite books series of all time and have earnt their place on the top shelf of my bookcase. What is even more incredible is that I have only read these books once. Once! Yet, I have such a vivid memory of them. I find myself some days just randomly remembering different parts of the story. And then I remember that the third book isn't out yet and I get sad but then I look up when it's supposed to be coming out and everyone just says soon so a little hope creeps back in. That's the kind of effect they have on me, I am constantly checking to see if there is any updated news on the third book. Because of these books, fantasy has been cemented as my favourite genre and has made me expand into other fantasy novels in the hope that they leave the same effect on me as the Kingkiller Chronicles have. These books are something that I will always mention when I talk about my favourites and, because of this, I definitely recommend checking them out as soon as you can!