The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

...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 the moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me.’

The above passage is reproduced ...
...hero is a staple of the genre, and barrow kings, Gods, dangerous paths and strangely named towns form the backbone of hundreds of fantasy novels. This offering ticks almost every box in the long list of fantasy clichés, yet somehow manages to provide a read that is original, entertaining and perhaps even inspiring.

When we first meet Kvothe he is a simple innkeep in an anonymous village, going by the name of ‘Kote’ and keeping a low ... more

‘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 the moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me.’

The above passage is reproduced on the sleeve of this delightful fantasy novel, and with good reason: it gives an overview of a story that is instantly familiar to readers of fantasy literature. A powerful, daring, magical hero is a staple of the genre, and barrow kings, Gods, dangerous paths and strangely named towns form the backbone of hundreds of fantasy novels. This offering ticks almost every box in the long list of fantasy clichés, yet somehow manages to provide a read that is original, entertaining and perhaps even inspiring.

When we first meet Kvothe he is a simple innkeep in an anonymous village, going by the name of ‘Kote’ and keeping a low profile. None of the locals suspect that he is the famous ‘Kvothe the Bloodless’. We are soon given to understand that there is much more to the man than this, but it is not until the mysterious ‘Chronicler’ arrives and persuades him to tell his tale that the story really begins, with Kvothe recounting his long, autobiographical tale.

Kvothe grew up among a troop of travelling performers and was taught sympathetic magic by an ‘arcanist’ who travelled with the party. The troop were among the best in the business and Kvothe led a happy life until one day, while he was off gathering wood, his parents and the entire troop were killed by the mysterious ‘Chandrian’. After some considerable time in which he leads an aimless and miserable existence, Kvothe sets out to enrol at the University to advance his magic and discover all that he can about the Chandrian.

We follow Kvothe through his triumphs and tribulations, friendships and rivalries, loves and losses. He is a brilliant student and magician, a musician so talented that he brings audiences to tears and then to their feet, a dashing hero who rescues helpless maidens from dangerous situations, a friendly, popular, mischievous and all-round great guy.

Sounds familiar? The clichés are so well-worn that they should hurt, should offend the dignity of any discerning reader. Yet instead they bring comfort and joy, creating a fantasy world that is, as all good fantasy worlds should be, an escape and relief from the mundane pressures of everyday life.

As an avid reader of fantasy novels, I am usually disappointed by their quality. Many follow essentially the same plotline: poor boy has magic powers and overcomes all. This isn’t a problem per se, but too often the efforts of fantasy authors lack depth or credibility. For example, I can’t abide the efforts of Trudi Canavan, whose novels lack any subtlety or good writing style, or Terry Brooks, whose work is overly descriptive and too shallow to provide good escapism.

Indeed, much of the fantasy that I enjoy is that which turns its back on this ‘classic’ plotline: George R R Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire Series’; Frank Herbert’s sci-fi fantasy ‘Dune series’; or even JR R Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ where the hero is both non-human and lacking any real magic powers of his own. Only a few authors have successfully pulled off the more traditional, clichéd storyline, for example Raymond Feist in his magnificent ‘Magician’ trilogy, or even in her own peculiar way J K Rowling, whose ‘Harry Potter’ stories are a refreshing, if juvenile, twist on the well-worn tale.

Patrick Rothfuss is a new name that I can add to this list, and he comes as something of a surprise. ‘The Name of the Wind’ is his debut novel, and to date (June 2009), the only one that he has published. A 36 year old College lecturer, Rothfuss comes without any notable literary background or recommendation. In view of this, ‘The Name of the Wind’ has had remarkable success, appearing on the New York Times bestseller lists, winning the 2007 Quill Award for best sci-fi/fantasy and appearing in Publishing Weekly’s ‘best books’ selection for 2007.

It is difficult to describe what separates the men from the boys in terms of fantasy fiction writing, and why exactly it is that Rothfuss should be counted firmly among the men. Partly it is with the care and depth with which Kvothe’s character is developed. His personality traits aren’t merely described, or revealed in clumsy exchanges, but are gradually hinted at and developed as we follow his journey from boyhood to adolescence. The dialogue between the characters is patient and carefully worked, allowing us to get to know the characters rather than being rushed through the plot like diners at downmarket restaurant. It also avoids the pitfall of trying to be too realistic; our everyday spoken conversations are jarring and stilted, laced with interruptions and reliant on non-spoken understandings. Attempting to recreate this in the novel will merely frustrate the reader and disrupt the fantasy; a good author is able to create dialogue that is credible without being realistic.

Humour is one device that can help to square this (and other) circles, and ‘The Name of the Wind’ is rich in gentle humour. It won’t have you laughing out loud – and it isn’t intended to. Rather, both the novel and the characters within it manage not to take themselves too seriously, with a range of well-worked irony and clever wordplay in both the dialogue and the narration. This helps to keep the narrator likeable, when otherwise his arrogance and wilfulness might leave us with a sour taste is our mouth. With a few remarkable exceptions, novels with a dislikeable narrator are not enjoyable to read.

“The Name of the Wind” is a novel that is enjoyable rather than mind-blowing. It offers nothing particularly new, but like your mother’s cooking, it is all the better for being familiar. It is the first in a trilogy, with the sequels yet to be published. I won’t be reserving a copy of the second instalment pre-order, but I will certainly buy it once it hits the bookshop shelves.

Published in the UK by Gollancz (an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group), 2007
ISBN: 978 0 57508 1 406
RRP: £8.99
 

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