Published Information
| Author: | Patrick Rothfuss |
| Series: | The Kingkiller Chronicle #1 |
| Published: | April 2008 |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Pages: | 736 |
Plot Summary
The book is about a man named Kvothe who is an innkeeper, with an unknown past. After some dark events begin happening in the local area, a scribe walk into the inn and recognizes him for who he really is: a hero, a kingkiller, a city burner, and several other names refering to the mystery of who he really is. He has been hiding for several years to get away from his life of fame and infamy.
The scribe had heard that he was in the area and wanted to get the real story of who he in, and is able to get Kvothe to agree to tell his story, but says it will take three days. This book is basically the first day of him telling his story.
He begins life in a troupe of traveling entertainers and gets much of his education from some of the people that tag along with the group. He is very quick at picking things up, both knowledge as well as experience, and begins his training in arcane arts from a traveling arcanist that joins the group.
After his family and friends are killed, he lives a hard life of begging a stealing in a big city, until he figures out a way to join the Academy, where the arcane arts are studied more in depth.
Once in the academy, he learns that life, whether in the city as a beggar, or in the academy as a student, there are dangers that need to be avoided, and challenges to be faced. But much of his life, at this point is driven by his desire to learn, and his thirst to avenge the death of his family.
At the end of the book, we find that this story telling, while hard for Kvothe, is a type of healing that is needed in his life.
Comments
I had a friend recommend this book to me saying that it was better than a couple of books that I really have loved in the past. I was skeptical, but he was right. While there are several elements of the book that remind me of stories such as Harry Potter (attending the school of magic, and dealing with an annoying, rich rival), Ender (Kvothe is incredibly smart, picks up everything very quickly, but compared to what people expect, he is too young for all he is able to accomplish), or Eragon (on the trail of a evil from legends to avenge his family), Rothfuss does an excellent job making the story very original and full of life. The characters are believable and full of depth.
However, there are a few moments where the story seems too incredible. In stories like the Lord of the Rings or Shannara, it makes since that so many things are happening to the hero simply because the are on a dangerous quest. In the case of Kvothe, much of what happens is just dumb luck. But the story is enjoyable enough that I am able to see past that.
All in all, I would recommend this book to any of my friends that enjoy epic fantasy and consider it one of my favorites. That being said, I only recommend paperback because it took the author several years to write this book, and the second one has been in the works for several years as well. It is a little frustrating to see such a good book and then not be able to follow up with the rest of the story. And the rest of the story is needed. Not cliff hanger, but you know there is more.
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