Fantasy Book Club discussion

When I bought this book I thought it was an individual title - I usually try to avoid a series, because it's so hard when I get addicted to one. Lol. So, when I finished the book it just left me hanging and wondering whether there's more coming. If it is part of a series does anyone know when the other books are coming or any information about them?

Niranjana, it is the first of a trilogy.

The Wise Man's Fear is next, publish date TBD, sometime in 2010 most likely.

Oh good! :) I nearly cried when I thought The Name of the Wind just ends like that. That would have been very unfair to the readers. And I prefer trilogies to sagas anyway.

Rothfuss recently finished the manuscript for WMF, a huge honking thing according to his blog. The book was actually supposed to be out this past spring, but he re-wrote it. It is now in pre-production/editing. Likely to be released late spring 2010.

Lochaber wrote: "Rothfuss recently finished the manuscript for WMF, a huge honking thing according to his blog. The book was actually supposed to be out this past spring, but he re-wrote it. It is now in pre-prod..."

The Name of the Wind instantly became a favorite of mine, I am dying to read The Wise Man's Fear!

Yes, the ending was a bit abrupt, if not quite a cliffhanger. That could have been quite a bit more polished, imo. I hope WMF does a better job. It will be only his second published novel, after all.

As a reader, I hate cliffhanger endings. They are a pretty pathetic means of getting your readers to buy the next book. There are lots of authors of epic series who do a good job of winding up the current book, creating a feeling of resolution for the reader, yet still leave a lot to be done for the next book. AND, they do all that without a cliffhanger ending.

Lochaber wrote: "Yes, the ending was a bit abrupt, if not quite a cliffhanger. That could have been quite a bit more polished, imo. I hope WMF does a better job. It will be only his second published novel, after..."

I definitely agree with you about cliff hangers. As it is though I didn't mind so much in The Name of the Wind. Maybe its due to my attachment to Kvothe and his tale.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I enjoyed the writing, the story, the characters. I hope WMF is the same quality as his first book. Anyone knows of someone that writes similarly?

I guess I didn't mind the open-ended ending so much because I knew about it ahead of time. It probably would've been much more jarring and annoying me more had I not.

That said, as I see it, this is one of those series which is really one story broken into three parts, as opposed to a trilogy which is actually three different stories. In a way, it's not that different that having the LotR split into three books - except that LotR was meant to be released as one book and later got split. I think publishers like the three book, one story thing, though.

The fact that it is, though, really just the first part of one story, as opposed to the first book of a trilogy, is one thing that bothered me. I kept thinking "Do we really need 800 pages of set-up, especially when the next book will probably be another 800 pages of more set-up". Of course, that depends on whether you see the story within the story as the set-up of the story, or as standing on its own merits. It's a little bit of both, really.

Maybe I would've liked it more if I liked Kvothe more, but the whole "I'm so brilliant and wonderful at everything, except talking to girls" is just so Gary Stu. All of the obstacles in the book, well at least the ones from the University onward, seemed so manufactured.

This is just a "trilogy", though, right? 'Cause I'll continue it if it's a trilogy, but if it's gonna be more than that, then I'm not so sure.

As far as I know, it is a planned trilogy. I don't know what Rothfuss might do after he's done with it though.

Actually, in interviews he has often said that the trilogy was originally written as one book and that it became so massive that he had to break it up. I guess thats why it feels broken up, but from what he says in his blog and inteviews, the whole thing is already written, its just taking some time to get trough the editorials I guess

Marco wrote: "This is one of the best books I have ever read. I enjoyed the writing, the story, the characters. I hope WMF is the same quality as his first book. Anyone knows of someone that writes similarly?"

You might try Guy Gavriel Kay. His work is not the same, exactly, but his style is as rich in story and mythic archtype. His characters are a bit more mature, and his plots carry a bit more depth and subtlety - though one cannot see, yet, how much depth Rothfuss' story will have, or where it will ring in, since the first book doesn't yet reveal the full sweep.

I've stated several times that I didn't like the way NoTW just "stopped" - I think that because there was so much else about the book I liked I'll forgive this sin. I really think he should have broken down over different lines....<<>>>

I would have had one book that took him through the early years - up to the death of his parents.

one book of life on the streets

One book of the college years

And so on.

I'm sure I'm harder on this point then some are because my husband writes very 'structured' books and plans each begining/middle/end carefully. To me...just "stopping" because it is getting long (which he admits to what happened) is not what I would prefer.

You are lucky though as you are coming into this series not too far from when the next one has been released. For some of us we've waited through several "false" publications dates where Patrick promised a date, missed it, promised another etc.

Again - don't get me wrong - I really love his work and I agree with others that I'd rather have him take the time to get it right.

Robin.

I'm currently reading this one, but I have to say that the diction used seems very easy and small minded. I'm not saying that I necessarily mind this, but he doesn't go into extravagant adjectives, which I guess is something I'm used to when it comes to fantasy. I'm not entirely sure if it bothers me, its just like a painting with only primary colors, not an entire spectrum. Also, I've noticed a couple grammatical errors in the book, in places where they are not acceptable, which sort of nags at me. But the story is rich, that is for certain.

Janny, thanks for the suggestion, I will look into the author you suggest. Is anyone cringing just a little bit that the new book wont be as good as the first?

Actually, I am hoping that the next book is better (no more two-missing-strings lute playing, please (echoes of "yeah, right!" from all the musicians in the chat)), and that we get a little more taste of the present Kvothe in the Waystone Inn, with all the interesting things happening in Kvothe's PRESENT. There Is something intriguing going on, and I don't want another 750 hundred pages of back story, entertaining as it was, in the first person, again. I hope he winds up the back story soon, and gets Kvothe on his way.

Lochaber - you've nailed it, for me, precisely. Also, I'd like it plenty if the ending point was a bit more graceful. It's been a long wait for the next breath!

Lochaber wrote: "Actually, I am hoping that the next book is better (no more two-missing-strings lute playing, please (echoes of "yeah, right!" from all the musicians in the chat)), and that we get a little more ta..."

Yeah, I hope so too. I found what was going on in the present was actually more interesting than the past. It would be cool if it would be like half and half, of the present situation and the back story, but I also don't want to have any unnecessary expectations of it yet.

From the sounds of it though he still has quite a bit of backstory to tell... Especially if he spends the entire first book on his time in the University. That means he has quite a bit left to do in the past, and says he needs 3 days to tell it... and if the books are going by day, that would suggest the entire series is going to be about his past. Maybe the past stuff will get alot more interesting? Maybe less Denna... More stone spiders. Maybe he keeps it going into a two trilogy series, 3 for the past, 3 for the future, as the character isn't very old...

I suspect Kvothe's story (the one being told in the inn) is not actually finished. We'll see story merge with present at some point in the 3rd book and that's where we'll get the final conflict and resolution.

I personally think The Name of the Wind ended up well. If you noticed it went back to that three noticeable silence inside the Inn, the same as the first page of the book.Which was really effective for me.

Plot threads were still unresolved, which hopefully would get more interesting in the second book. :)

Oh yeah! Robin, am still waiting for The Crown Conspiracy to reach our local bookstores. Has the books been published internationally yet?

Clansman wrote: "Yes, the ending was a bit abrupt, if not quite a cliffhanger. That could have been quite a bit more polished, imo. I hope WMF does a better job. It will be only his second published novel, after..."

I have to disagree! I get extremely frustrated when I move from book to book in a series and find that it follows this path: Everything's good, something happens, everything's good again (to sound very basic)... A good example is the Sword of the Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I got to about the fourth book in that series and dropped it. Loved it at the beginning... but hated the way the author described the stories mostly because of this that I am trying to explain here. It was so refreshing to have an open-ended book that I could just pick up the next book and continue the story.

Does that make sense? :)

I personally enjoyed this book very much. It took a while to get used to the author's writing style (as I haven't seen much like it before). One of the best books I've read by far. I loved getting to know Kvothe and his youthful life.

I started reading this book on the rec's of site members but I have to admit to being a little disappointed by it so far. The storyline and plot are good but it is too laboured for my liking and does not move the story along fast enough to keep my interest. There are some exciting/intriguing chapters but many are too descriptive or filled with ancillary moments which could really have been edited out. I liked the writing style and language but craved more adventure?
Sorry, I really wanted to get into it but half way in I'm still waiting for it to grip me.

I found the Name of the Wind to be very entertaining even though the writing is weak in parts. The sequel was also entertaining but was drawn out a bit too much in the middle. Also, Kvothe's massive male ego started to annoy me after a while and moved a bit too far away from the Kvothe it the first book - even though it's only a few years of an age span.

That said I will continue to read the series if more titles are forthcoming.

Annie wrote: "I found the Name of the Wind to be very entertaining even though the writing is weak in parts. The sequel was also entertaining but was drawn out a bit too much in the middle. Also, Kvothe's massiv..."

it's interesting how mixed views one might find about Ruthfuss's books... sinse the first read of The Name of The Wind I knew there is more than meets the eye in those books, it is filled with hidden messages and hints to how the story ends, or starts in his case, have any of you read Jo Wolten's Jo Walton articles in Tor.com discussing them, while I'd figured some things myself, I found those eye opening
http://www.tor.com/features/series/pa...

I agree with the people who liked the book even with some weak writing. It's gotta be hard to catch everything in epic fantasy. I really enjoyed it, so much I read it all in one sitting. The male ego ness of it all did annoy me until I really thought about what the author was doing. Imagine a famous person dictating their memoir? Of course there's going to be a lot of ego! I didn't need to like Kvothe to like the story. I also appreciated his layered plot telling ploy, very Arabian Nights. All said it provided the escape I was looking for even if the prose did not have the maturity of someone like McKillip. I will admit though it took me four trys over the two years I bought it before I actually got past the first chapter. So it's not a "go out and buy it now" book but it is a "worth reading at some point" to me. :)

Finished NotW recently and really enjoyed it, more than I thought I would to be honest. And I actually preferred reading the backstory to the current bits. I liked the ending - made me want more!

@Weenie: Well, then go grab yourself The Wise Man's Fear ;-)

Max wrote: "@Weenie: Well, then go grab yourself The Wise Man's Fear ;-)"


Reading this now and would second the recommendation.

It's on my list to read at some point this year! :-)

I love both of these books and hate having to wait for the last one.

Beth wrote: "I love both of these books and hate having to wait for the last one."

same here!!

I have listened to this series (I am audio book fan) and highly recommend it. its awsome.

I started this book and made it 5 pages before I gave it up for other pursuits. Did anybody else find it really slow to start?

Jasmine wrote: "Beth wrote: "I love both of these books and hate having to wait for the last one."

same here!!"

and here!!

yes the book takes alittle bit to get going and when it do's not a whole lot happens becase the name of the wind is basicaly geting all the ground work layed for the last 2 books in the tilogy. i know that sounds bad but if you ahve any intrest at all in read the next you have to read this one or you wont have a clue what is going on

Andrew wrote: "yes the book takes alittle bit to get going and when it do's not a whole lot happens becase the name of the wind is basicaly geting all the ground work layed for the last 2 books in the tilogy. i k..."

Who says the series is a trilogy ? I was of the understanding that it will be six books. 3 pre Kvothe-as bar owner & 3 post... I guess you could call that 2 trilogy's but it's really all one story.

Hmmmm . . .well, even less happened in Wise Man's Fear than in Name of the Wind. Seems there was barely enough material for one book here, let alone three, or god forbid, six. I prebought book two. Won't make that mistake again.

Ann wrote: "Hmmmm . . .well, even less happened in Wise Man's Fear than in Name of the Wind. Seems there was barely enough material for one book here, let alone three, or god forbid, six. I prebought book two...."

LOL. I thought this one was okay, but not interesting enough to read #2. He did some interesting things with the writing in the beginning, but it fell apart and got quite prosaic as it went along.

i was very let down by this book and will not be following up the story, simply because i developed little interest in Kvothe or his story. It seems to be the standard fantasy story and nothing new jumped out at me or even seemed to be original.

Hugely disappointing.

I think the changes are subtle and nuanced. I read TWMF and at times rolled my eyes and even groaned aloud at some of the prose and interactions, but overall found enough to enjoy that it merited my time.

'Standard fantasy' is a term that I used to nod knowingly at whenever I saw it in reviews. Now I think it's just a catch-all term used by people who don't want to take the time to critique something, or delve more deeply into something.

No offense to those who use it, I just would rather people be more specific as to what they do or do not like about a book, regardless of whether it is 'standard post-dead earth cyberpunk-thriller with a half-human half-alien protagonist who uses an advanced hyper-molecular structure to interact with the world around them and is also able to temporarily take over the mind's of others.'

I bought this book because the description on the back grabbed me right away and I thought: I have to read this! The story just couldn't hold me at all in the beginning however. Other people I know have read it and tell me that it gets going around page 50 or so.

Scott wrote: "I think the changes are subtle and nuanced. I read TWMF and at times rolled my eyes and even groaned aloud at some of the prose and interactions, but overall found enough to enjoy that it merited m..."

ive not read many fantasy and i had read The Lies of Locke Lamora which i hugely enjoyed prior to reading this and it just felt like the obvious plot.... young guy, growing up, fantastic at everything on his way to be a hero.

The section with the dragon dragged on and was the worst dragon i had read about.

What really bothered me was the lack of any real storyline that wanted me to keep reading about a skinny ginger haird freak (i kept thinking of simon from the dragonbone chair) who was so skint but wonderful that everything fell into place at the right time.

the only part that was interesting was right at the beginning in the Inn.

I might read more of Locke Lamora but i wont be of Qvothe.

Spoiler NotW
(view spoiler)[ The entire trilogy was originally planned as only one book, thats why the story structure is totally f*cked.. The part with the dragon, Rothfuss has admitted, was only put in because he needed some kind of dramatic happening to end the book.. And i think one gets exactly that feeling when reading it.. Rothfuss uses a lot of "filler", especially about Denna/jenna(?) i got so sick of hearing about her, and thats probably also a symptom of making 1 book into 3 (hide spoiler)]
I'll advice people who is thinking about reading this, and isnt too desperate about it, to wait until the last book in the trilogy comes out. There are a lot of mysteries in the books which is fun to guess at, but there will be no answers, or natural clossure in the story before the last book.. I wish i had waited, i'll have to reread the first two when the last comes out, so i'm sure i can keep track of all the subplots..

I'm new to the group but I wanted to come show some love to one of my favorite series. Yes the last book isn't out but I wait for a lot of books and it's just another to wait for. I have read read them at least 3 times. and I'll read them probably a few more before the nest book does come out.

Story wise, this is awesome. I had just trouble with its writing style.