"The Name of the Wind" Book Review

By Seth Wasburn-Moses

“The Name of the Wind” is a truly impressive debut novel, full of confidence and flair. Its epic scope, unique protagonist and fleshed-out world make it stand head and shoulders above similar fantasy novels.

The book opens with our hero, Kvothe, running an inn. However, it quickly becomes apparent that his days of heroism have long since passed. He’s beaten down, and waiting to die. Then, a man arrives to write Kvothe’s biography, and hopefully return him to his former status.

This becomes the framing device for the main events. The entire book is narrated by Kvothe, and it allows the reader to see how his legend was started. Without spoiling too much, the answer is lying, trickery, and a few arcane secrets.

Instead of focusing on Kvothe’s martial or magical prowess, the book prefers to emphasize his cunning and sharp wits. Time and time again, he gets himself into trouble and escapes by the skin of his teeth using nothing more than his quick thinking and charm.

He’s also a more relatable protagonist than is typical, because he has no actual advantages. Nothing is handed to him on a silver platter, and he isn’t a prophesied hero or legendary chosen one. He’s a normal person, doing whatever he can to get by, and often unleashing catastrophic consequences.

Final Score: 9.7/10

This character study on the nature of heroism is a must-read for fantasy fans.