The Name of the Wind

Kingkiller Chronicle, Book 1

By: Patrick Rothfuss

Narrated by: Nick Podehl

Discover #1 New York Times bestselling Patrick Rothfuss’ epic fantasy series, The Kingkiller Chronicle.

“I just love the world of Patrick Rothfuss.” (Lin-Manuel Miranda)

“He’s bloody good, this Rothfuss guy.” (George R. R. Martin)

“Rothfuss has real talent.” (Terry Brooks)

Over 1 Million Copies Sold!

Day One: The Name of the Wind

My name is Kvothe.

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me.

So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature - the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.

Praise for The Kingkiller Chronicle:

“The best epic fantasy I read last year.... He’s bloody good, this Rothfuss guy.” (George R. R. Martin, New York Times bestselling author of A Song of Ice and Fire)

“Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous.” (Terry Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Shannara)

"It is a rare and great pleasure to find a fantasist writing...with true music in the words." (Ursula K. Le Guin, award-winning author of Earthsea)

"The characters are real and the magic is true.” (Robin Hobb, New York Times bestselling author of Assassin’s Apprentice)

"Masterful.... There is a beauty to Pat's writing that defies description." (Brandon Sanderson, New York Times bestselling author of Mistborn)

©2007 by Patrick Rothfuss. (P)2009 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“The originality of Rothfuss's outstanding debut fantasy, the first of a trilogy, lies less in its unnamed imaginary world than in its precise execution…As absorbing on a second reading as it is on the first, this is the type of assured, rich first novel most writers can only dream of producing. The fantasy world has a new star.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

“Fantasy readers-a notoriously discerning group-tend to dole out praise judiciously, which makes the reception of The Name of the Wind, the first volume in Patrick Rothfuss's The Kingkiller Chronicle, that much more remarkable. Critics are already throwing around comparisons to some of the biggest names in fantasy, including George R. R. Martin, Tad Williams, the recently deceased Robert Jordan, and even Tolkien. (Bookmarks Magazine)

“New fantasy authors are usually overhyped, and it's rare to find one who writes with such assurance and narrative skill right from the start. I was reminded of Ursula LeGuin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkien, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone. Like the writers he clearly admires, he's an old-fashioned storyteller working with traditional elements, but his voice is his own. I haven't been so gripped by a new fantasy series in years. It's certain to become a classic." (Lisa Tuttle, The Times)

Another Addiction

I never write reviews but I do usually rate the audio books I truly consume my life. If you love Jim Butcher's Princeps' Fury and Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Series, you'll love this first installment of Patrick Rothfuss. The narration is great due to the degree of character separation which ends up being entertaining story telling. I only wish I could find more series like this. I've ran out of scifi/fantasy books to listen to and crave more...

Pull up a chair at the inn and give a listen...

Kvothe is a legend and everyone has heard of him. Sure the tales often differ and contradict each other but here is your chance to sort out the truth from the exaggerations. Rothfuss offers you the opportunity to hear Kvothe's story from the man himself and who could pass up an opportunity like that? Grab a chair and a mug and settle in for a long listen.

What makes this an excellent book is the detail of the world that Patrick Rothfuss has created. I always love a detailed magic system in fantasy literature and there is more than one of them to be had in the Kingkiller Chronicles. Kvothe's tale starts when he is young and the listener learns about the various magics in the world right along with him. The style and structure of the story really isn't anything new, but it's done really well. I am amazed at the level of detail provided and yet it is obvious that the surface has barely been scratched. There is a lot more to come in the subsequent books and I am looking forward to them.

So why only 4 stars if everything was so great? Well it took me over half the book to feel like I was really in a fantasy world. For me, Kvothe's language was too much like my own and Podehl's narration only reinforced that feeling. Despite the content it just didn't "feel" like a fantasy book of swords and sorcery. The good news is that I got over it and I am now happily listening to book two. So if you start listening and have that same feeling don't give up - it will pass and you will be glad you stuck it out.

Beautifully Written Book

I'd just like to say that I don't work for DAW or Brilliance Audio, either..
That being said, Patrick Rothfuss is an amazing writer. I read this book on a whim, picking it up one day on the recommendation of someone in the bookstore, and found it to be one of the most amazing pieces of prose I've ever read. The narration is quite well done, bringing the character of Kvothe to life quite well. I'm not sure that the gentleman who gave the book a bad review quite understood what was going on in the book; it's the life story of a man not yet thirty as told to a scribe in the common room of a inn. It doesn't have the in-depth worldbuilding of a Jordan or a Martin, but it's up there in terms of storytelling and character development.

Better than most Fantasies, nevertheless…

This is quite a bit better than most works in the fantasy genre. There are a number of scenes with really good writing that I really enjoyed. The narration was completely excellent. The characters have a youthful sensibilities and the story has a sweet naivete such that teens and young adult readers may enjoy this series better than I did.

Although I really like fantasy novels, I am usually disappointed, as I was in this case. There were a few reasons I did not get into this book.

I am generally not a fan of the story-within-a-story format as it is rare for a story-in-a-story to improve the story and characterization. In this case, I found this format reduced my enjoyment.

These fantasy characters thought like youthful modern Americans (even the adult characters) which acted as a constant non-sequitur that kept me from becoming fully engaged in the story. The story has a youthful naivete that may be sweet, but I am old and not naïve and it did not work for me.

The prose, although quite appropriate for a young audience, were a bit simplistic for my own tastes. The descriptions and analogies were a bit cliche.

This was a pretty good book, but it was decidedly not my cup of tea.

WOW!

Patrick Rothfuss has create a work of genius. His characters are deep and real. He paints a scene vividly - not just the look but the sense of place, the sounds, the feel, all of it. The story is funny, and suspenseful and sometimes devastatingly sad. The narrator, Nick Podehl also does an amazing job with the various dialects and conveying the incredible scope of feeling in the book. One of my favorite books ever. Bravo!!!

Looks promisind

Being a huge fan or Martin and Jordon, I took a shot with this one. The story seems promising. The narrator annoyed the living @#$% out of me.... He runined the book in my opinion. I would love to see it redone with Roy Roy Dotrice as the reader.

A Timeless Classic

What did you love best about The Name of the Wind?

Patrick Rothfuss is a brilliant writer. I was captivated within minutes.

What about Nick Podehl’s performance did you like?

My favorite narrator, his voice is pleasant and easy to listen to. Characters are unique and distinct.

It's great to find a new author

I even went to the authors website to find out about book 2. It's nice to be able to listen to a whole series straight through, but in this case I found out I'd better not hold my breath. I would still recommend it though.

The Name of the Wind

as good as any fanasy epic i have ever read. I look forward to the next 2 books.

This!!!!

If you're looking for epic fantasy, complex stories, magic, and mayhem, look no further! This storyline is as EPIC as they come! It's taken me a week to wrap my head around it, and it took me over a week, before this, to listen to the books so far! A really good online friend came through for me, when I was asking for recommemdations, and if I ever meet her in person, I will rain kisses on her face. It's not a story I would have sought on my own, without prejudice to screenplays, and the like, rather like Lord of the Rings, which I was influenced to watch by the 70's cartoons.This is an epic story on such a scale. I look forward to more from both the author and the series!