Happy New Year and Updates

Happy New Year everyone. Hope it's filled with cheer and the aftereffects wear off quickly!

Sorry to have been a bit MIA lately, but we'll be back on track shortly. We'll have Top 10 lists for 2010, goals for 2011 and reviews.

I'm currently enjoying The Name of the Wind and excited that I don't have to wait too long for the next installment. I'll also give some updates on the Independent Literary Awards, of which I am participating as a Speculative Fiction judge.

Wishing you a great new year and at least a start to some new year's resolutions. :)

Rothfuss the One Trick Pony?

Every now and then a novel comes along that just blows readers away and The Name of the Wind (2007) by Patrick Rothfuss, was one such novel. It was fresh, exciting and while not flawless, a damn sight better than the competition. To the joy of readers around the world, it was learned that The Name of the Wind was only the first installment of a planned trilogy named the Kingkiller Chronicles.

I was one of those readers.

Now, close to four years and numerous drafts later, we hear from Patrick Rothuss’s blog that we might finally see book two of the Kingkiller Chronicles, The Wise Man’s Fear, hit stores sometime in March, 2011 – “come hell or high water”. Great, you might think, but is it?

Two points that I think are important to keep in mind. First, Pat has openly admitted that the first draft he sent to his editor was “pure crap”. Fair enough, that is part of the writing process, or so I am told. However, it was only until he submitted the third draft of Wise Man’s Fear to his editor that he began to be “proud” of his work. I am, admittedly, not an editor, but how many times are you allowed to submit a manuscript and have it sent back? The point I am trying to make is that a number signs point to Pat being a debut author who bit off more than he can chew. I obviously pray that this isn’t true, that the story of Kovthe will continue in all its glory, and that The Name of the Wind wasn’t just a fluke.

Second, and more subjectively (if that’s even possible), I just finished reading the Kovthe short story (re)published in The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2009. It was frigidly uninspiring for someone who is already familiar and attached to Kovthe– I fear to imagine what it was like for someone without any knowledge of the character. If Wise Man’s Fear is no better, I fear for it, pun intended.

Lastly, I might very well be fabricating this whole anti-Rothfuss narrative to lower my own expectations. I don’t like being disappointed with sequels and their authors, and I desperately want Wise Man’s Fear to carry on the sense of enchantment The Name of The Wind induced.

Am I overacting here, or is four years of rewrites actually a bad thing? That, or Wise Man’s Fear will be such a massively good epic human eyes just won’t be able to look upon it without melting. Let us only hope that the publishers blurb is accurate:

Packed with as much magic, adventure and home-grown drama as The Name of the Wind, this is a sequel in every way the equal to it's predecessor and a must-read for all fantasy fans. Readable, engaging and gripping The Wise Man's Fear is the biggest and the best new fantasy novel out there.

Review: Name of the Wind, by P. Rothfuss

     The Name of the Wind (2007) is Patrick Rothfuss's debut fantasy novel, and is published by DAW. As far as first books go, this is a fantastic start to the Kingkiller Chronicles and a quick and captivating read. On a personal note, I finally took a break from hard/military science fiction and this was the perfect book to do it with. I am fairly certain that I overdosed on Richard K. Morgan, as I went through all of his books in about two weeks, and coming back to fantasy with The Name of the Wind could not have made for a better transition. It is simple, straight forward, and without pretension; exactly what the doctor recommended. That said, I will be deviating from my traditional review format for the sake of... laziness.
     Meet Kovthe, the protagonist and narrator, a brilliant Ender's Game like hero transplanted into an adult version of Harry Potter Land. It is perhaps unjust of me to compare Mr. Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind with these other works, but as a reader I had the definite impression that as archetypes of good science fiction and fantasy, they were front and center in Rothfuss's head when he birthed this book. Not to push matters too far, but I had the definite feeling that he had recently read the Wheel of Time; at a couple points in the book I stopped reading and just thought: "this guy is channeling Robert Jordan". Now that my little insight into our bearded author (its a great pic) is out of the way, lets get down to business.

     Like all decent fantasy books, this one took a little bit to get into. The story starts out with a young innkeeper and his apprentice. As these things tend to go, our innkeeper, Kovthe, is none other that a famous legendary hero hiding out and trying to live the quiet life. One classic turn of events later, he is found by a famous storyteller who has come to collect his story. This, my friends, is where things start to get interesting. Having the protagonist narrate his own story is a pretty ingenious idea if you ask me. It allows Mr. Rothfuss to poke plenty of fun at the classic fantasy story line, and still get away with using some of the most stereotypical plot twists. Cliche or not, Kovthe's story draws you in and keeps you there with its simple yet compelling plot. 

     I don't want to give out too many spoilers here or bore you with excessive details, but this was a really fun read and most definitely worth picking up. If you enjoy... well, any kind of fantasy at all, then this will tickle your literary taste buds plenty. That said, its not a work of art. Mr. Rothfuss clearly still has some work to do on his writing style. I am no expert, obviously, but it felt rough to me at times, as if I had just taken a bite of an apple that was a little too green. However, I can't wait to pick up the next book, The Wise Man's Fear, which should be out in the not to distant future according to a hilarious cominc by Mr. Rothfuss (he apparently has many talents).

     On a quick last note, I had a blast reading A Dribble of Ink's interview with Patrick Rothfuss. If you take a look at his picture you quickly understand how things can get wacky, and quick. I took a brief gander at Mr. Rothfuss's blog and lets just say the word "drugs" comes up pretty often. Most definitely a colorful author if I have ever met one... well I haven't met him, but you know what I mean. Make sure to check out Fantasy Book Critic's review for a more content based post, it seems we share similar ideas good sir!

Ratings

Amazon: 4.25/5

B&N: 4/5

My Rating: 4/5