Two weeks ago I happened to be talking with a friend abut fantasy books (shocking!) when The Name of the Wind made its way into our conversation. I had read Patrick Rothfuss book two years before and, while I liked it a lot, I believed that people exaggerated a bit about how good it was until now. The next Monday she brought me a copy of The Wise man’s Fear. How much I liked it? Well it took me a week to read a thousand and two hundred pages and it was a busy week.
Strong points: The characters, The setting, the development of the story.
The Wise Man’s fear, written by Patrick Rothfuss, picks up the story right where The Name of the Wind left it. Kvothe, now a broken man living the rest of his days as an innkeeper under the false name of Kote, retells his story to Chronicler, a man who has managed to find him. Kvothe will tell us about his years in the arcane university, his adventures serving under the maer Alveron, his romances, his triumphs and his failures all of which are tragically connected to the wars which are ravaging their world.
The characters are probably the strongest quality of this novel and that’s saying a lot for them. Every single one of them is unique and unforgettable, bringing something of their own to the story and making it richer by their presence and alluring personalities. Kvothe captivates the reader through his point of view of the events and his unique self, which sets him apart from other fantasy characters. As a young man, he is imperfect, full of qualities but also victim of the arrogance that comes from knowing how talented he really is, with a subtle greyness in him, a dark side hinted in some of his actions. As his older self he is pitiful, wise beyond his years but also depressed, full of cynicism and fragile as only a man who has lost everything can be. And between these two opposite poles we are witness to a slow transformation that will enthrall the reader as the character becomes more complex and more difficult to predict.
Denna is also a superb character full of lights and shadows that give her an incredible humanity, her desire to remind free from any bonds but her complete dependence to her abusing patron is just an example of how complex this character really is. Her relationship with Kvothe is difficult to define and is full of hues which add up to keep the reader wanting to know more about this mysterious girl and what relationship does she have with the events to come.
The rest of the characters, from the eccentric master Elodin to the evil Cthaeh, are full of twists and complexities that won’t leave you indifferent to any of them. The way they fit in the story and how they fulfill the roles they are given is simply masterful.
The world where the book takes place is rich and variable, full of cultures carefully built to the utmost detail. Patrick Rothfuss world reminds me to the worlds of masterpieces such as Conan the Barbarian, Hawkwood and the kings, Game of Thrones, Malazan Book of the Fallen and the Discworld. It is so vast, so well-constructed, that will keep you wanting to know more about its wonders and dangers. The game of the rings in the court of the Maer, the Lethani of the Adem and the marvelous world of the Arcane University are just some examples of the wonders a reader is going to find in the pages of this novel.
Finally we can’t forget to talk about the development of the story, which unravels with a sense of timing and elegance which feels incredible. While some parts of The Name of the Wind felt a little bit dense, I didn’t notice any dull moments in The Wise Man’s Fear which only by the size of the book is incredible. The adventures that Kvothe lives, even if out of context would seem as if they had nothing to do with one another, follow a rational path which perfectly connects one chapter after the other until the amazing and heartbreaking ending of this amazing book.
So finally someone got the maximum score in my humble blog. The Wise Man’s Fear is an amazing book which I would recommend to every living soul, even if the Kingkiller Chronicles it their first immersion into the fantasy genre. Mr. Rothfuss, I take off my metaphorical hat and raise a cup of (Spanish) beer to your health and to the third installment of the Kingkiller Chronicles, may it be as good, if not better. (Or I take off my metaphorical cup and raise a hat full of Spanish beer. Once you start drinking you never know…)
FINAL SCORE: 10/10
¡Hasta la próxima!
Ps. Thanks to the wonderful Nuria for putting this book on my hands.
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