RE:View: The Name of The Wind

Tolkien. Lewis. Rowling. Martin. Pratchett. Undoubtedly the greatest Fantasy authors that ever lived. Well, time to add a new name to that list: Rothfuss. And don't go forgetting it, as Patrick Rothfuss' beautifully crafted first entry into a breathtaking trilogy (The Kingkiller Chronicle) teaches us that, above all things, names are important; especially one as grand as The Name of The Wind.

  From street urchin to magic prodigy, the ageless-like Kvothe has led an eventful life that he now tries to forget, hiding under the masquerade of a humble innkeeper on the very outskirts of life. But when a travelling scribe comes a-knocking, Kvothe reveals his long and winding history, stretching deep through the darkest pits of despair and the greatest acts of bravery. And so it is told how our protagonist Kvothe, the charming, red-headed young boy, seeks to discover what the name of the wind is, throughout his journey of tragedy, love, magic and heroics.

Ranging from his childhood days of travelling with the Edma Ruh entertainment troupe and hard cold nights on the grimy streets of Tarbean, to his trouble-bound days at the University and heartfelt attempts at wooing the woman he loves, Kvothe comes off as a charming, fun and complex character. And all the more for it, as this really is a character-driven story, all coming from Kvothe's point of view.

  But truly the most gripping of this world is its believability. Don't let the pretence of Fantasy fool you, as Rothfuss has put a ridiculous amount of effort into making this seem realistic. Magic is not just a thing that snaps from your fingers, but instead must be conjured through 'Bindings', which involve all matter of chemistry and alchemy. Folklore and religion, society and history; all richly interwoven throughout this most wholesome tale.

 It then kicks in with both these huge & dramatic and small & endearing, emotion-evoking moments. I was welling up and whimpering within the first 50 pages, then laughing joyfully out loud at those tiny character moments that just sit perfectly, while action had me rooting on the edge of my seat and then bubbling up with anger at one particularly irritating character. These characters seem so well-thought out and totally imaginable, painting a dainty image in my head of every single slight movement they make notated down on the page. You just feel like you're there, like you are with Kvothe, living and breathing his universe.


The pace seems to slow and lurch out toward the middle, as Kvothe settles down into his educational lodgings at The University. Harry Potter fans will feel right at home here, with a similar vibe of "school of magic" going on that I really dug. Don't be put off though, as this is a more mature, realistic and off-beat setting compared to that of HP and co. When it gets slow here, things start to descend a little - perhaps causing a worry of disinterest in the reader - but when the break of the equilibrium finally comes, it consequently hits you as hard as it hits Kvothe, luring you into this (as he says it) "false sense of security" and then shattering it within moments.

 Simply put, upon opening this book, you will be engulfed. Engulfed into a world you won't want to get away from. Engulfed so that you will want to make time for this story. You will stay up into the late hours, telling yourself "Just one more chapter". You won't stop thinking about it once you put it down. And you will be crushed when you realise it's finished. In fact, the ending comes so suddenly that it's just plain cruel, teasing you silently with the anticipation of the second, The Wise Man's Fear. Luckily for me, it came out earlier this year, so no waiting time, but for those who had to wait four years... How did you stay sane?

Buy it now. Read it ASAP. Thank me later.

5 Stars

ATR

Buy Now from Amazon:

The Name Of The Wind: The Kingkiller Chonicle: Book 1

RE:View: The Quantum Thief

Yay, a book!

  The Quantum Thief is the debut sci-fi crime thriller from Finnish Scotsman (yeah, really), Hannu Rajaniemi. Set in a deep and technological world some centuries into the future, the plot follows cunning inter-planetary thief, Jean de Flambeur as he tries to piece together his lost memories on the Moving Cities of Mars, after being broken free from a cruel and relentless game-theoretic "Dilemma Prison" by the mysterious Mieli and her dazzling Spider-Ship, Perhonen. Ridiculously long sentences aside, this is a stunning hard sci-fi novel "peopled by bizzare post-humans but powered by very human motives of betrayal, revenge and jealousy."

  Starting out as a clever heist tale, The Quantum Thief soon explodes into a sprawling and engaging story of elaborate crime, twisted romance, mind-boggling conspiracy and heart-racing action, all neatly wrapped in some interesting and thought inducing high-end sci-fi concepts. From privacy gevulots and zoku tribes to exomemory and the "Quiet", the book is littered with these complicated and often unexplained terms from start to finish. In the first few chapters, things like this are rapidly dropped upon the reader, most likely leaving you with questions that will only be answered through perseverance. And although this may turn away the impatient reader, those that stick around will find great satisfaction in the way Rajaniemi unofficially reveals the meaning of his puzzling concepts, through natural character involvement and well placed dialogue.

 The characters themselves are equally as deep as the universe they populate, with the majority having complex and intricate backgrounds that shape their poignant personalities. The thief, Jean, shines as the lovable anti-hero protaganist trying to rekindle his lost memories, while using all his charm and wit along the way. His accomplace Mieli and her modest spaceship, Perhonen, are as mysterious as they are bad-ass and young martian detective Isidore adds intellect and perception to the proceedings, while implementing a cat-and-mouse element to the narrative.

 But what really shines in The Quantum Theif is the words themselves. Literally every chapter has a killer beginning, such as the very first line itself: "As always, before the warmind and I shoot each other, I try to make small talk." and my personal favourite: "It is only a few steps from death back to life.". It's these few words that will drag you in to the story, and an incetive to read "just one more chapter then...".

 Perspective-wise, the book's split in two, as in some is written in third person (when following Mieli or Isidore) and some in first (following Jean). This original style doesn't just keep it fresh, but is a nice touch from an inquisitive readers stand point, getting the best of both worlds with the thought tracking of 1st person and the unbiased views of 3rd.

 Action and drama are handled extremely well, providing a perfect balance of the two. No fight is dragged out too long, no conversation lasts more than it needs to be and the light-romance never gets soppy or awkward, resulting in a superb overall package of all the best novel elements.

  As the story unfolds, there are gob-smacking twists, awe-inspiring mysteries and hell of a lot of awesome ideas. A new race evovled from MMORPG guilds? Futuristic vigilantes? Time as a currency? There's so much here that it's an overwhelming achievement to Rajaniemi that he's crammed it all in, while keeping well developed characters and a clever but somewhat classic story intact. And what with this being the first third of a planned trilogy, you can expect a lot more from this talented new author.

9/10 - The worst part was finishing it.