The Wise Man's Fear
Patrick Rothfuss's (Is that how you do the plural for a double S? It looks like some bad fantasy name. It's probably wrong but I'm too busy to go look up the grammar rule.) sequel to "The Name of the Wind" is a massive brick of a book that you see and say ugh, fantasy. Except then you read it and say, yum, fantasy, and please sir might I have another chapter, and another, and it keeps on coming.
He does tricks with voice, class and culture, descriptions of magic, and side stories that make me very happy. The best part is the narrator, Kvothe, who is a fabulous underdog riffraff with mad skills and drive -- so refreshing from the ubiquitous farm boy who's a secret king.
I've been shacking up with this book for weeks and am not quite done with it, but have that wistful longing of wishing I were still at the beginning of the book.
Being a writer means it's harder for me to fall in love with a book, or to be surprised by its narrative, but Wise Man's Fear does both. My only complaint is that I'm reading the series in real time, rather than discovering it years from now and being able to take in the entire series in a gulp.
If I ever have the pleasure of meeting Rothfuss, I am buying him a pint. Which I assume all of his fans do, all the time, as his "drinking in pubs" scenes are great. Okay, that's another small marvel, because if I ever have to read another damn fantasy scene taking place in a pub I will scream, except if it's written by Rothfuss.
He does tricks with voice, class and culture, descriptions of magic, and side stories that make me very happy. The best part is the narrator, Kvothe, who is a fabulous underdog riffraff with mad skills and drive -- so refreshing from the ubiquitous farm boy who's a secret king.
I've been shacking up with this book for weeks and am not quite done with it, but have that wistful longing of wishing I were still at the beginning of the book.
Being a writer means it's harder for me to fall in love with a book, or to be surprised by its narrative, but Wise Man's Fear does both. My only complaint is that I'm reading the series in real time, rather than discovering it years from now and being able to take in the entire series in a gulp.
If I ever have the pleasure of meeting Rothfuss, I am buying him a pint. Which I assume all of his fans do, all the time, as his "drinking in pubs" scenes are great. Okay, that's another small marvel, because if I ever have to read another damn fantasy scene taking place in a pub I will scream, except if it's written by Rothfuss.