This is kind of a difficult review for me to write. The reason? I'm at a loss for words. No, really, stop laughing -- it's true. Yes, I realize such an occurrence is about as rare as a review from me without any sort of parenthetical aside (hey! It could happen!)(errr… just not here, apparently), but it is true. I really liked The Name of the Wind (the first book by first-time author Patrick Rothfuss), and highly recommend it, but am having difficulty figuring out exactly why, let alone putting such reasons into words.

The book starts out as man, nicknamed "The Chronicler" (which is an apt name, yes, but somehow still sounds like a B-list Batman villain), has traveled to a backwater inn, where he finds an innkeeper who is more than he seems. Chronicler realizes that the innkeeper is actually Kvothe, a man of legend who had disappeared previously, and convinces Kvothe to tell him his story. The book is then effectively split into two, with some events in present day at the inn, and the rest Kvothe telling the story of his life. The latter is the focus of the book, as we follow Kvothe's youth growing up in a traveling band of performers, to an "incident" that both left him on his own and became a driving force for the rest of his life, through his time studying a rather scientific form of magic at The University. Mixed into the story, both the present day and the biographic telling, are hints, allusions, and assorted references to demons -- particularly ones involved in the "incident" mentioned above.

On the surface, this plot synopsis does not sound to be anything special. I realize that. It's how the book is written, though, that is where it shines. The Name of the Wind is intriguing, enjoyable, and…real, I suppose I will say. The story is quite compelling, pulling you in quickly and never really letting go. The characters, particularly Kvothe, feel genuine. No one is perfect, and their responses to different situations (for the most part) are believable, even in a fantastical setting. It's a bit long (700+ pages in paperback), so I can't quite say that it was "can't put it down!" (that would have been a long day, even with as fast as I normally read), but it's telling that I didn't want to put it down.

It's also telling that this book seems to have a few of my personal pet peeves with books, such as ending somewhat abruptly and the number of unanswered questions, and I didn't care. Amazing feat, that, as people who know me know I live for nitpicking. And yet here, once the book was finished, my only response was "wow, I enjoyed that", followed immediately by "I gotta read the next one!".

But since I just brought that up (what a great segue!), I do need to mention that from what I've gathered, The Name of the Wind took seven years to write. It is the first book of a trilogy, and it has taken another four years for the second book (The Wise Man's Fear) to come out, being released this past March. My thoughts on long gaps between books are well documented, and there is, indeed, some fretting by me when contemplating how long it's going to be before the final book comes out.

I should also note that being a trilogy, the series is called the "Kingkiller Chronicle", which seems kind of a spoiler-y of a title to me. So to counter that, here's another spoiler (Errr…Spoiler Alert, I guess) -- no kings are killed in this first book. Intrigued? I thought you might be.

Look, just read this book. It's worth it. Trust me It's incredibly well-written and absorbing. The fact that it, despite being both relatively new and from an unknown author, made the NPR Top 100 list that is the basis for this month's reviews (and coming in at number 18! Though I'm not 100% certain that the order on the list is significant) may seem strange at first… up until you read the book. Then you'll understand. So go read it.

And gosh, look at that, despite my being at a loss for words, I still managed to fill in several paragraphs. What can I say… it's a knack! But if you're willing to sit through my ramblings, then you should certainly be willing to read this book. So, really, go read it.

   -- K. Burtt