Absolutely superb stuff. This book was recommended separately by three different friends, and it lived up to expectations.
It's the first fantasy book I've read (or certainly in the last decade) so initially I wasn't quite sure. As the chapters progressed though, the story fell into really beautiful story telling.
I'm was taken away by how good the writing and prose were. There were turns of phases that were fun and a pleasure to read. The book itself is also broken into small enough chapters that I could read for 15-20 minutes at night and complete a chapter (I like to stop reading at "natural" endings).
The story, or rather the trilogy of books (this being book 1), follows Kvothe and the telling of his life story. Kvothe agrees to tell his story over three days (at which point I realised that I was reading Day 1).
I'd to write more of thorough review, but the story is brilliantly dense that I can't do it justice. The second book in the trilogy is 1,000 pages - which is daunting to me, but it's definitely on my reading list now. There's also a number of novellas that have been written for the world the Rothfuss has written which I've also earmarked. As for the conclusion of the trilogy, I've been told that not only is there no publication date set, but that Rothfuss has been at it for 8 years 😱!!!
18 Highlight(s)
IT WAS ONE OF those perfect autumn days so common in stories and so rare in the real world.
"You'd be surprised at the sorts of things hidden away in children's songs.
If not for him, I would never have become the man I am today. I ask that you not hold it against him. He meant well.
Waterside is where people are poor. That makes them beggars, thieves, and whores. Hillside is where people are rich. That makes them solicitors, politicians, and courtesans.
Bones mend. Regret stays with you forever."
and in some places there was such despair that mothers could no longer muster enough hope to give their children names.
Without her, Lanre's life was nothing but a burden,
you needed money or brains to get into the University. The more of one you had, the less of the other you needed.
There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.
To deem us simply enemies is to lose the true flavor of our relationship.
Men fall for her like wheat before a sickle blade."
"You seek to bend me to your will, but it will not work. Your flattery is naught to me but wind!"
which is a different slice of the same loaf.
while I was trying to think of a clever response, I fell asleep.
"That brings us up to twenty-one," I explained. "A good number. Three sevens."
After a few moments my back began to ache with the pressure of supporting her weight and my own. My leg started to go numb. Her hair tickled my nose. Still, I didn't move for fear of ruining this, the most wonderful moment of my life.
There was no Kvothe, only the confusion, the anger, and the numbness wrapping them. I was like a sparrow in a storm, unable to find a safe branch to cling to. Unable to control the tumbling motion of my flight.
"What do you mean by blue? Describe it." I struggled for a moment, failed. "So blue is a name?" "It is a word. Words are pale shadows of forgotten names.
Others I've read in the "The Kingkiller Chronicle" series: