“Words are pale shadows of forgotten names. As names have power, words have power. Words can light fires in the minds of men. Words can wring tears from the hardest hearts.”


American author Patrick Rothfuss partnered with DAW books to publish The Name of the Wind in 2007. The high fantasy novel is split along two timelines – the present day, in which a traveling Chronicler (biographer) has happened across (been saved by) Kote the innkeeper and the past, in which Kote the innkeeper is actually Kvothe the Kingkiller; Kvothe the Arcane; Kvothe the Bloodless.

Kvothe was a fast-talking, and faster-thinking, student of the University where he became a master of arcanum and the 6-string lute. Kote the Innkeep weaves the tale masterfully to the enraptured Chronicler, and even a careful reader will be challenged to find the seams. Rothfuss composes this 662 page epic with the word selection of a poet and the endurance of a marathon runner. Each word – each sentence – each paragraph builds a beautiful tapestry of a story, one which the teller is exhausted by the telling of.

If you have time for only one fantasy novel this year, please pick up The Name of the Wind. It is a wonderfully constructed tale, and if you enjoy the genre, you ought to love this offering.

Winner of: Quill Award (2007) SciFi/Fantasy/Horror; Publishers Weekly Best Books (2007) SciFi/Fantasy/Horror; Alex Award (2008) – Young Adult Library Services Association.

BQ-06-269

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