The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss tells the captivating story of Kvothe, a legendary figure whose life is filled with daring feats, magical discoveries, and tragic losses. From his childhood as a gifted performer to his quest for the mysterious “name of the wind,” Kvothe’s journey takes him through sorrow, survival, and the pursuit of knowledge. After witnessing the brutal murder of his family at the hands of the mythical Chandrian, he embarks on a quest for vengeance, all while seeking meaning and purpose in a world filled with magic, gods, and unsolved mysteries.
Overview of the name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss
My name is Kvothe.
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 moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.
So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature—the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.
Kvothe begins his story during his childhood, when he lived amongst a troupe of highly reputed traveling performers known as Edema Ruh. His loving parents train him from a young age as an actor, singer, and lute player. He does extremely well in all of these as in every other field to which he turns his hand. The troupe acquires the scholar and arcanist Abenthy, who trains Kvothe in science and sympathy: a discipline that creates links from one physical object to allow manipulation of another. Kvothe also witnesses Abenthy calling the wind to fend off suspicious townspeople and vows to discover the titular “name of the wind”, permitting this control.
Kvothe’s father, the famous bard Arliden, starts composing what was to be the greatest of his works—a ballad of the ancient tragic hero Lanre. For this composition, Arliden starts collecting all the various tales of the mythical Chandrian and tries to get at the kernel of truth behind them—without explaining how this is related to Lanre. This inquiry turns out to have fatal consequences. When the troupe makes camp, Kvothe’s mother sends him to gather sage in the surrounding woods. Upon returning, he finds his parents and all members of his troupe dead, and the all-too-real Chandrian seated around the campfire, which has turned blue. They disliked Arliden’s researches and came to silence him and everybody else with whom he might have shared his findings. The eleven-year-old Kvothe is on the point of being killed by the Chandrian named Cinder when their leader, Lord Haliax, pressures them to depart due to the approach of some mysterious enemies of theirs.
The traumatized Kvothe, alive but alone, spends three years in the slums of the city of Tarbean as a beggar and pickpocket. He is nudged out of this life by hearing a storyteller recount a story of how the hero Lanre became a renegade after the death of his beloved wife, went over to the evil forces he had fought and destroyed the cities with whose protection he was charged—and then changed his name and became himself the fearsome Lord Haliax of the Chandrian. Before Kvothe can ask more, the storyteller is arrested by the dominant Church on charges of heresy.
About the Author of The Name of the Wind – Patrick James Rothfuss
Patrick James Rothfuss is an American writer of epic fantasy. He is best known for his projected trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle, which has won him several awards, including the 2007 Quill Award for his debut novel, The Name of the Wind. Its sequel, The Wise Man’s Fear, topped The New York Times Best Seller list.
Patrick Rothfuss had the good fortune to be born in Wisconsin in 1973, where the long winters and lack of cable television encouraged a love of reading and writing. After abandoning his chosen field of chemical engineering, Pat became an itinerant student, wandering through clinical psychology, philosophy, medieval history, theater, and sociology. Nine years later, Pat was forced by university policy to finally complete his undergraduate degree in English. When not reading and writing, he teaches fencing and dabbles with alchemy in his basement.
Information About The Name of the Wind (Amazon)
- Publisher : DAW (March 27, 2007)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 662 pages
- ISBN-10 : 075640407X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0756404079
- Item Weight : 1.99 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.18 x 2.06 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #34,574 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #710 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #730 in Coming of Age Fantasy
- #1,379 in Sword & Sorcery Fantasy (Books)
- Customer Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars 22,290 ratings
Where to buy the Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss Paperback Version
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Major Characters in the Novel “The Name of the Wind”
Kvothe is the main character in the Kingkiller Chronicle- The name of the wind by Patrick Rothfuss. His name is pronounced kəˈvōTH, much like the word quoth but beginning the same as the Yiddish term “Kvetch.”
Alternative name(s): Kote; Reshi; Maedre; Red; …
Full name: Kvothe, Son of Arliden
Residence: Tarbean (past)The University (past): …
Ethnicity: Edema Ruh
Denna
Aliases: Dianne, Dinnah, Dyanae, Dinael, Dinay, Dianah, Donna, Dyane, Alora
Denna is the primary female figure in The Name of the Wind. She appears to be the main romantic interest of Kvothe, who holds an uncanny fascination with her. She is poor, homeless, and prone to wandering, but manages to make a decent living with her voice and charm. Men have a fatal attraction to her, an attraction she can never seem to return. When a man gets too familiar with her, she will often leave town quickly and silently.
Taborlin the Great
Taborlin the Great is a famous wizard of old time, who had become a legend, and is poetically talked about.
Chronicler
Chronicler is a writer, who, being saved by Kvothe from a creature resembling a spider, recognizes Kvothe and asks him to tell the story of his life.
Arliden
Arliden is Kvothe’s father.
Bast
Bast is Kvothe’s assistant in the inn.
10 Minute Interview with The name of the wind author –Patrick Rothfuss (Amazon)
Q: Were you always a fan of fantasy novels?
A: Always. My first non-picture books were the Narnia Chronicles. After that my mom gave me the Hobbit and Dragonriders. I grew up reading about every fantasy and sci-fi book I could find. I used to go to the local bookstore and look at the paperbacks on the shelf. I read non-fantasy stuff too, of course. But fantasy is where my heart lies. Wait… Should that be “where my heart lays?” I always screw that up.
Q: Who are some of your favorite authors? Favorite books?
A: Hmmm…. How about I post that up as a list?
Q: What are you reading now?
A: Right now I’m reading Capacity, by Tony Balantyne. He was nominated for the Philip K Dick award this last year. I heard him read a piece of the first novel, Recursion, out at Norwescon. I picked it up and got pulled right in. Capacity is the second book in the series. Good writing and cool ideas. Everything I’ve like best.
Q: How did Kvothe’s story come to you? Did you always plan on a trilogy?
A: This story started with Kvothe’s character. I knew it was going to be about him from the very beginning. In some ways it’s the simplest story possible: it’s the story of a man’s life. It’s the myth of the Hero seen from backstage. It’s about the exploration and revelation of a world, but it’s also about Kvothe’s desire to uncover the truth hidden underneath the stories in his world. The story is a lot of things, I guess. As you can tell, I’m not very good at describing it. I always tell people, “If I could sum it up in 50 words, I wouldn’t have needed to write a whole novel about it.” I didn’t plan it as a trilogy though. I just wrote it and it got to be so long that it had to be broken up into pieces. There were three natural breaking points in the story…. Hence the Trilogy.
Q: What is next for our hero?
A: Hmm….. I don’t really believe in spoilers. But I think it’s safe to say that Kvothe grows up a little in the second book. He learns more about magic. He learns how to fight, gets tangled up in some court politics, and starts to figure unravel some of the mysteries of romance and relationships, which is really just magic of a different kind,
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