The Name of the Wind

First person features are not often seen from debut novelists, but Patrick Rothfuss was able to thwart any such novice regularities with witty banter, a highly developed and diverse arrangement of characters, intimate settings, and an easy-to-read yet sophisticated writing approach. While many of those characteristics are vital for a good story, the most important aspect may be Rothfuss’s strongest: the ability to tell a provocative story.

The Name of the Wind starts off by introducing Chronicler, a story teller whose path takes him on the search for the characters of tales that are wrapped in legends. On this journey, Chronicler searches for one that is known by many names.

The first glimpse we get of Kvothe is as a small town inn keeper. However, this façade becomes evident with his interaction with Chronicler. After Kvothe agrees to tell Chronicler his tale, he starts off depicting his childhood as a piece of the Edema Ruh, a highly skilled troupe of traveling performers. Even though Kvothe was of a young age (a few years past ten), he was more than capable of entertaining the crowds in a few choice acts. After one such performance, Kvothe met Abenthy, an arcanist that would begin to mold Kvothe for The University. However, life as he knew it would end in an event that would drive him for years to come.

After a stay on the streets of Tarbean, Kvothe made his way to The University, a school for the intellectual to expand their knowledge in an assortment of arts. In order to be accepted into The University, potential students have to take an admittance test. The better they do, the less their tuition will be. This is where the legend of Kvothe began.

The quality of conversation in any story can either detour or attract a reader, and Rothfuss was able to make The Name of the Wind stand out like a ruby rose in a field of dandelions. There are no choppy word exchanges; every statement flows and only adds to the appeal of the story. Throughout The Name of the Wind, there were not a host of physical confrontations, but Rothfuss was able to create an even stronger impression through some powerful dialogue.



Rothfuss introduced readers to an assortment of believable and charming characters without fear of drawing from all corners of the personality plane. One of the first relationships we see is that of Kvothe’s parents. His father is wise and takes pride in his abilities, while his mother is a little more caring and subtle in her approach to the world. Their differences make them individuals, but Rothfuss was able to make their love for one another a personality all its own. He does not even have to mention that they are together; it simply jumps off the page through watching them converse. We later meet a student who cracked under the pressure of schooling and now lives in the tunnels below The University, a flighty woman who does not like being alone, a few teachers who clearly have some empty space in the attic, and a jealous, spiteful, and all together immature antagonist that will go to great lengths to get what he wishes. Well, I suppose we cannot forget Kvothe himself. Rothfuss was able to portray compassion, cockiness, teenage immaturity, adult maturity, cunningness, and wit in a little, red-headed bundle of pure entertainment. All-in-all, Rothfuss does a superb job in keeping his characters grounded in the characteristics that we can relate to, and adding some believable aspects that we would not mind seeing in ourselves.

There are two primary settings: Tarbean and the lands around The University. Tarbean is like many cities of today; it has its good parts, but is always accompanied by the bad. This was made painfully clear to Kvothe on more than one occasion. As the name “The University” implies, it is a school. Rothfuss did not go into expansive detail as to what this place looks like as a whole, but he gave the subtle hints of places Kvothe ventures to to lay the groundwork for the reader to imagine their own university.

Although most of this story is being told by a twenty-something Kvothe, we are seeing through the eyes of a highly advanced child. I thought that because the first-person protagonist was of a younger age that the content would have been childish, but that is not the case here as Rothfuss did an exemplary job of showing respect to his reader by integrating both adult and childlike themes. He clearly knows how to write. It was an extremely fast read and I was not forced to return to previous paragraphs to figure out what had just happened. As a reader, I greatly appreciate Rothfuss’s writing technique.

Some authors are more than capable of describing their worlds, creating new characters, or having incredible dialogue, but for their tale to stand out, they have to master and incorporate all of these things. Rothfuss has done that with The Name of the Wind. Like so many other stories, the main character is a gifted young man who has to overcome adversity. This scenario can seem over played, but when done at such a high level, it can be a gift to the reading public. His approach to this story, parts first-person and parts third-person, adds a lot of intrigue. With Kvothe telling his own story, we are able to see how he becomes the man he is today. Through interactions with Chronicler and other characters, we gain subtle hints of his troubles, but the details are ambiguous. Through those same interactions, we also get to see pieces of what Kvothe was.



The Name of the Wind has incredible dialogue, entertaining supporting characters, and proficient writing. When those attributes are coupled with a stimulating and relatable character such as Kvothe, you have one of the best pieces I have read in several years.


Patrick Bergeron II