Does Name Of The Wind get better?

[Darth Vader's Bastard]

I would say to the OP that yes it does get better but the things you are complaining about do not go away.

The story really picks up once he get to the university.

I personally love these books, but have been involved in several heated debates (both online and in person) with people who absolutely cannot stand the writing.

[kcf]

Where is this happening? (Not trying to be a dick, I just don't see it at all.)

In short:

Rothfuss creates the perfect stereotypical fantasy here - Kvothe. He is famous, he's an orphan, he was a poor street urchin who found greatness, he goes to the university and excels, he has unexplained talents, yada, yada, yada.

Then Rothfuss has us see the origin story through the first person recollection of an older Kvothe - but not a Kvothe yet old enough to be particularly wise. Very much a classic story within story with story approach. Kvothe tells his story - that of an annoying, arrogant youth. Just like most youths out there - they are annoying, ackward and they think they know all the answers. He doesn't sugar-coat it. The hero in the making we see actually just as annoying and mistake-prone as everyone else, perhaps even more so. That youth is clueless with girls and obsesses unhealthily over one in particular. While the Chronicler wants to hear about the stories that made Kvothe famous, all Kvothe want to do is talk about the girl. We see some versions of the events that made Kvothe famous that obviously are very different from the stories as they are widely known (such as the whole dracus fiasco). Kvothe nearly completely dismisses stories that Chronicler really thinks are important - and then he talks more about the girl.

And it's also clear that Kvothe is either somewhate unreliable or that he still has the habit of exageration and indulgence that he did as a youth. All of this becomes much more clear in the second book and I discuss it some in my review of that book.

I think it's all done very well and I find it quite amusing to read. However, enjoying the book all comes down to one's ability to tolerate Kvothe and if you like Rothfuss' story telling. I do - I think he has a wonderful, engaging story-telling ability that is very addicting. But, I can understand why others don't feel that way.

[Sci-2]

Thanks for the analysis - great stuff. Will be checking out your reviews for sure.

[Shryke]

Sorry, i would say failings. Not that it matters at all, but everyone sees people that live in small towns as a bunch of backwoods good old boys that never change and remain stagnant. Usually until a big city girl comes and teaches them the meaning of tolerance - or they're psycho hillbillies and they murder her.

You are reading your own sore-spots into the book.

[Arthmail]

No, i'm reading tired cliches and you are arguing semantics.

I come from a city of 50,000, and now live in one of a million. I have no sore spots for something that never directly affected me.

[The Wedge]

And it's also clear that Kvothe is either somewhate unreliable or that he still has the habit of exageration and indulgence that he did as a youth. All of this becomes much more clear in the second book and I discuss it some in my review of that book.

Beyond exaggerating his own talents and abilities to learn, it is also good to hear Kvothe talk down legends (e.g. how he became known as "The Bloodless"). He's also amused to hear patrons tell outlandish legends of his fame without knowing who it is that is slinging them drinks at the backwater tavern.

[williamjm]

wait, what?

It's a fairly brief mention (it seems Kvothe understandably doesn't really want to talk about it) so it's easy to miss, the bit in question is:

The object of the chase was in the middle of the alley: a young boy, eight years old at the most. One of the older boys was holding him down. The young boy’s bare skin shone pale in the moonlight. There was another sound of ripping cloth, and the boy gave a soft cry that ended in a choked sob.

The others watched and talked in low urgent tones with each other, wearing hard, hungry smiles.

I’d been chased before at night, several times. I’d been caught too, months ago. Looking down, I was surprised to find a heavy red roof tile in my hand, ready to throw.

[Maia]

But in WMF we learn that Kvothe went into incontrollable rage and beaten his attacker to death, didn't we? He was much too cool to get raped... Just as only a very special woman was worthy of relieving him of his virginity and the experience turned him into fantastic lover, apparently. Yea, Kvothe really is quite intolerable, IMHO ;).

[Tears of Lys]

But in WMF we learn that Kvothe went into incontrollable rage and beaten his attacker to death, didn't we? He was much too cool to get raped... Just as only a very special woman was worthy of relieving him of his virginity and the experience turned him into fantastic lover, apparently. Yea, Kvothe really is quite intolerable, IMHO ;).

Wha?

[Verboten]

Wha?

He mentions one of his attackers lying limp against the wall after bashing his head in with a brick IIRC.

[Tears of Lys]

I think Maia may be confusing scenes. In the brief mention of his attack, he doesn't say anything about it other than that he was caught. Witnessing the young boy being attacked and not doing anything about it bothers him years later, more so than any attacks he suffered.

There's no mention of his bashing anyone's head in this scene.

[Crazydog7]

I like it very much myself. I'm almost at the end and had a very enjoyable experience but it is annoying how the main guy keeps having his ass pulled out of the fire at the last minute.

[Maia]

I don't think that I am confused in this case, though I am known to have been wrong, of course. In WMF Kvothe returned to that incident and

we learned that what really happened was that he had a convenient ability to go into such powerful rage that it helped him to beat back his attackers and likely kill one of them

[Tears of Lys]

Gosh, I don't recall that at all. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd really appreciate it if you could find the passage and direct me to it. (If you don't care to take the trouble, believe me that I totally understand. I pop in and out of this board all day whenever I can squeeze time out of my real life and I expect you've got better things to do too. :) )

[Sci-2]

But in WMF we learn that Kvothe went into incontrollable rage and beaten his attacker to death, didn't we? He was much too cool to get raped... Just as only a very special woman was worthy of relieving him of his virginity and the experience turned him into fantastic lover, apparently. Yea, Kvothe really is quite intolerable, IMHO ;).

Yeah, all the sex he got was so over the top. The story would have been better served with one or two genuinely human sex scenes, though as others point out he might be exaggerating the story. If it turns out he's been lying for quite some time I'll be impressed.

Does he even do anything with a girl before he has sex with Felurian?

[williamjm]

Gosh, I don't recall that at all. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd really appreciate it if you could find the passage and direct me to it. (If you don't care to take the trouble, believe me that I totally understand. I pop in and out of this board all day whenever I can squeeze time out of my real life and I expect you've got better things to do too. :) )

I was going to look it up anyway. This is the passage from early in his encounter with Felurian:

Softly, I bent to kiss her, and something broke in my mind.

I felt the snap as four years of my life slid away. Suddenly I was back on the streets of Tarbean. Three boys, bigger than me with greasy hair and piggish eyes had dragged me from the broken crate where I'd been sleeping. Two of them held me down, pinning my arms. I lay in a stagnant puddle that was bitterly cold. It was early in the morning and the stars were out.

One of them had his hand over my mouth. It didn't matter. I had been in the city for months. I knew better than to yell for help. At best no one would come. At worst someone would, and then there would be more of them.

Two of them held me down. The third cut my clothes off my body. He cut me. They told me what they were going to do. Their breath was horribly warm against my face. They laughed.

There in Tarbean, half-naked and helpless, I felt something well up inside me. I bit two fingers off the hand over my mouth. I heard a scream and swearing as one of them staggered away. I strained and strained against the one who was still on top of me. I heard my own arm break, and his grip loosened. I started to howl.

I threw him off. Still screaming I stood, my clothes hanging in rags around me. I knocked one of them to the ground. My scrabbling hand found a loose cobblestone and I used it to break one of his legs. I remember the noise it made. I flailed until his arms were broken, then I broke his head.

When I looked up, I saw the one who had cut me was gone. The third huddled against a wall. He clutched his bloody hand to his chest. His eyes were white and wild. Then I heard footsteps approaching, and I dropped the stone and ran and ran and ran....

Suddenly, years later, I was that feral boy again. I jerked my head back and snarled inside my mind. I felt something deep inside myself. I

reached for it.

I hadn't compared the two passages directly before. Although it's not technically contradictory to the passage in NOTW, what it describes is quite different to what you would think had happened from the bit in NOTW.

Does he even do anything with a girl before he has sex with Felurian?

No.

[Tears of Lys]

Thanks, WJM. It does sound like they are contradictory. But then that just adds to the contradictions and the questions that arise regarding Kvothe's tale. Patrick Rothfuss says that any contradictions are intentional, so I can't wait to see how this all wraps up. 'tho I must say that even if the third book doesn't tie things neatly up with a bow, I've had a fun ride. (goofy mixed metaphor : :wacko: )

[AverageGuy]

I hadn't compared the two passages directly before. Although it's not technically contradictory to the passage in NOTW, what it describes is quite different to what you would think had happened from the bit in NOTW.

I always assumed this:

"One of them had his hand over my mouth. It didn't matter. I had been in the city for months. I knew better than to yell for help. At best no one would come. At worst someone would, and then there would be more of them."

meant that it wasn't the first time he'd been assaulted. And the multiple rapes was why he couldn't get past it even when confronted with Fela under that drug. But maybe I was reading it wrong.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

AG,

I agree with you. Further, it could be a sign of Kvothe's unreliablity as a narrator. When he gets to the particular part of the story that describes his experience with Felurian he doesn't want the reader asking awkard questions about his past as an urchin in Tarbean and so retconns his own story.

[dbcooper]

There are other signs of the narrator being unreliable such as when Kvothee receives a Silver ring from someone and then later returns it to the giver as a Gold ring. Seems a little obvious to be an editing mistake. In my opinion The Wise Man's Fear is much better than The Name of the Wind. But if the OP finds TNoTW unbearable, his opinion will probably not be changed by TWMF.