I always enjoy reading an author's debut novel, and having heard many good things about this book I thought it was worth purchasing.
"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down then 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 the day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make minstrels weep.
My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me."
Now my first thought upon reading the blurb was, "Wow, he sounds like a real prick." I get extremely annoyed when a character in a novel is all powerful and seemingly has few, if any, mortal flaws. It is simply ridiculous and makes it extremely difficult to feel any real relation to the character at all. Most of us feel we have more flaws than genuinely good skills, let alone being better than everyone at everything.
The character of Kvothe does indeed HAVE flaws, especially as a teen, but they are mostly an over-inflated ego and an inability to swallow his pride. He is not an unkind character by any means, but this does little for me in balancing how far up his own backside he is, humble though he may be on the outside.
Even as the Innkeeper many years later as he relays his story I am still hit with the sense that he still feels himself to be better than others, and has hidden himself away out of shame and guilt instead of facing up to his apparent mistakes borne from his overconfidence.
It may be prudent to mention, however, that it is the first book in a series, so it is merely a glimpse of the whole. Kvothe is, quite apparently, a very complex character, and the path that led him to fake his own death and change his identity equally complex. This book only describes his journey towards and his time at the University, which we can gather from the blurb is merely a trifle of the whole.
In a more positive light, I very much enjoyed the structure of the book, written as a story someone is relaying but also including detail about the present, hinting at other events in Kvothe's past that have led him there. The supporting cast are superb, and I very much enjoyed the diversity displayed therein. Kvothe himself, while seemingly able to do everything wonderfully, has a very human side to him, especially concerning social interactions. He is still, very much, a teenage boy, and I appreciate that this is something that is made quite apparent. He is, amusingly, pretty thick headed.
Most definitely an excellent example of a strong fantasy novel, The Name Of The Wind deserves a great deal of praise, regardless of my issues with the main character. It is an occurrence not uncommon to me that I tend to prefer supporting characters, as the main character is too often difficult to relate too, or just plain irritating. I am very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series from this extremely talented author.
