The Name of the Wind
It is under the category: A Book that was written 10 years ago.
This is the story of a man named Kvothe. He has gone into hiding - presumed dead by many - until one day a Chronicler comes to town wanting to find him and hear his story. Kvothe agrees, and such begins the story of his life. He tells of being a little boy in a music troop. How one night while he was playing away from the camp, he comes back to find the entire troop dead - including his parents. The Chandrian - or evil spirits - have killed everyone "for singing the wrong kind of songs" Kvothe escapes, and starts a life on the streets as a beggar, barely surviving day to day. He eventually gets a small amount of money together, buys a good pair of clothes, and applies to learn at the local University. At this University, they teach magic (what they call sympathy). He is only 15, but he is among the youngest to be admitted and he excels quickly. He spends a few years at the University honing his skills, and also trying to learn as much as he can about the Chandrian who killed his parents.
I liked this book. It is LONG - almost 700 pages, but it held my interest. I enjoyed the story of how this very poor boy who had barely a penny to his name got to the University and became a legend in his own right. There were parts that didn't make a lot of sense to me - things I think the author could have left out to shorten the story. For example - there was a long section of the book that he spends in the company of a young lady while he looks for the Chandiran. He has heard a rumor that they are 60 miles north of where he is in school, so he just bolts, buys a horse on a loan, and heads out to find the Chandrian. He seems.....out of place. Sure - I get that he wanted to find them. But he is a 15 year old boy - what was he going to do when he found them? In the end - he didn't find them, but it was a wasted part of the book in my opinion. Although - maybe the author was showing what a true 15 year old boy would do - take off without thinking. So....whatever. The book, also, is written in a fashion along the lines of The Hobbit. It is a fantasy book - made up words, and made up coin......but not to the point of distraction. There are books out there that make up words for the sake of doing it. Here it was a nice balance.
Other than that - it was a good tale. IT is the first book in a trilogy, but if each are 700 pages, the other books will have to wait until I finish my challenge to get to those. If you like fantasy books, like Lord of the Rings, or the Hobbit....give this book a try.
Stars: 4
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