[paladin]

Xander;234771 said:

I see your point...but my view is different.

I started reading fantasy at a very young age...I picked up the Hobbit and read it when i was 7...and shortly thereafter read the LOTR *yeah that is a young age and I'm not going to claim I completely grasped the entire story*. Ever since then...I can't help but compare authors.

To me, I compare TNotW as a "middle fantasy" in that it is very well written...has an engaging plot...and is enjoyable. yet it doesn't "stretch" me. What I mean by that is that when I got done reading it...there weren't may tangents I could go off on about the book.

So in a sense, i see what you are saying Wolf. Maybe Erikson has spoiled me...but i end up comparing a lot of writers with him. I like to be challenged and I like stories that make me think...as you said.

Erikson is comparable (in my mind) with writers like Bakker because they totally draw you into the world they've created and leave you asking questions.

TNotW didn't do that for me. Don't get me wrong...it's a good read...but as of yet I don't feel compelled to ponder its mysteries.

Sorry for rambling...but that is just my way of dividing it. Maybe I was wrong to say what i said...didn't mean to come off arrogant.

but it doesnt change the fact that it is an entirely different subgenre of fantasy.

malazan, bakker, kay, and cook(all to different extents) focus a lot on gritty fantasy over a sprawling world and storyline(s). so far, rothfuss has given us a more traditional story based only on one primary character/protagonist.. more reminiscent of cyrano de bergerac(a play) or the adventures of huck finn(also told in first person) or something of that sort rather than an lotr decendent. a more modern comparison could be donaldson/thomas covenant, but their writing styles aren't similar

[Optimus Prime]

hehe, i like the snickers reference in your Profile by the way

I love that commercial

Ok so they aren't the same type of story I get that...all i'm saying is i didn't enjoy it as much as I do Erikson, Cook, Bakker.

But again, I stress that I want to see the next volume

[wolf_2099]

Xander;234898 said:

Ok so they aren't the same type of story I get that...all i'm saying is i didn't enjoy it as much as I do Erikson, Cook, Bakker.

Then it seems we just know what type of fantasy you prefer!

I like the fact it is first person without the sprawling epics I seem to have been reading over the last year. Nice, simple and highly entertaining.

It does, however, really bug for the 2 year? wait now we are having between books. As people hae said before, I wouldn't have the read the thing this soon if I knew there was going to be that long of a wait between books.

[pat5150]

Just posted the new cover art for The Name of the Wind on the blog. Some of the books from the 4th printing will have that cover on the jacket, which means that it's time to put Fabio to rest!

Patrick

[Optimus Prime]

pat5150;235919 said:

which means that it's time to put Fabio to rest!

Patrick

I second that. That cover was just silly. The new one looks much better!

[polishgenius]

Not bad. But I think our British one is still better. It fits the tone of the story.

[Optimus Prime]

I think you guys across the pond get wayyyyyyyy better covers than we do in the States....usually ours look like Romance Novels...I mean that Gardens of the Moon Cover with I guess Lorn? in that ridiculous plate mail with Whiskeyjack? Horrible. I almost didn't pick up the book and read the insert because of it...Thank God my mama raised me right and I don't judge books by the cover

[Skywalker]

I started "The Name of the Wind" yesterday... and it drew me in quite nicely. I've read upto the point where Kvothe is living the life of a beggar on the streets... and so far it was very good.

Perfect Christmas Day read (the wife was busy watching TV) with a box of chocolates close at hand

I have to say the style/ story remind me of Ursula K LeGuin and Robin Hobb respectively... both women, which is weird, because Rothfuss is a heavily bearded dude from the jacket photo. Kvothe resonates with FitzChivalry Farseer in some ways, and the naming of things reminded me of Earthsea.

BTW, I ordered the hardcover from Barnes and Noble (USA) and got the new cover... no Fabio.

[Skywalker]

So I'm a bit further along... our man is at university now... and I really loved that scene where he earns his pipes or whatever. Also the first term went off unpredictably. Good writing all round.

[Slum]

@sky_walker -- Yeah, Rothfuss has got a lot of talent and I hope he puts it to good use in further installments. NotW left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied, and I admit to being a little nonplussed at all the rave reviews he's garnered for such a tepid opening.

By the way, I think he's admitted that he's a Hobb fanboy.

Here's to hoping Kvothe kicks some serious ass and beds some hawt ladies 'fore he retires into obscurity.

[Zelech]

I greatly enjoyed NotW. I'd say that because it felt fresh, despite being a medley of clichés and fleshed-out plots. I chalk it up to his writing style/ability in addition to a thoughtful magic-system.

Along with Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy, it seems we have some fresh & creative takes on old plots.

[lundymicron]

I got to page 80 or so, in the Science Fiction Book Club edition, and put it down for boredom. It started out pretty well, then started to drag for me, during the telling of his boyhood.
Does he spend much more time there? Is it worth picking back up?

'Course it was after I put down TNotW that I found "Gardens of the Moon".
Currently in the middle of reading "House of Chains". In between watching American football games, of course.

[Zelech]

lundymicron;238094 said:

I got to page 80 or so, in the Science Fiction Book Club edition, and put it down for boredom. It started out pretty well, then started to drag for me, during the telling of his boyhood.
Does he spend much more time there? Is it worth picking back up?

'Course it was after I put down TNotW that I found "Gardens of the Moon".
Currently in the middle of reading "House of Chains". In between watching American football games, of course.

Yes it spends much more time--the majority of the book is his boyhood.

As for if its worth picking it back up: if you liked how curious & adventuresome Kvothe seemed to be, then yes you should pick it up. There are adventures and twists yet to come.

Obviously it didn't catch your attention. I just leafed open my book to ~80 or so and was reading about how Kvothe uses his magic in an attempt to perform a powerful spell he knows exists, but doesn't know how to call it--and he almost kills himself in the act. Its that kind of curiousity you'll see throughout the book.

[Skywalker]

lundymicron;238094 said:

I got to page 80 or so, in the Science Fiction Book Club edition, and put it down for boredom. It started out pretty well, then started to drag for me, during the telling of his boyhood.
Does he spend much more time there? Is it worth picking back up?

Hmm... you were maybe 20 pages away from a twist in the tale... and a gritty phase of Kvothe's life.

I'm about 450 pages in, and its holding my attention

[lundymicron]

Zelech;238209 said:

Yes it spends much more time--the majority of the book is his boyhood.

Obviously it didn't catch your attention. I just leafed open my book to ~80 or so and was reading about how Kvothe uses his magic in an attempt to perform a powerful spell he knows exists, but doesn't know how to call it--and he almost kills himself in the act. Its that kind of curiousity you'll see throughout the book.

I don't recall that part. Sounds like fun. I'm intrigued by the plot twist in 20 or so pages, as well.
I'll probably pick it back up after I finish with my new Erikson fix.

[Paran]

It was a nice book and a strong debut, but when I finished reading it I didn't feel the compulsion to re-read it! It didn't quite suck me in with the details, and the "baddies" weren't that intimidating or "real". I didn't ponder what all the unresolved details might mean. Perhaps due to the hype I had higher expectations, but I think it's on the level of Lynch/Abercrombie, though Lynch didn't do as well with his 2nd while Abercrombie took it to another level, so I hope Rothfuss can follow in the latter's footsteps.

Will definitely buy the sequel, but not really goona shell for the hardback.

[Optimus Prime]

Lynch to me is fun reading but doesn't really drive me to think too much. But as said earlier in this post by someone...it isn't the same type of fantasy as Erikson obviously.

I haven't read Abercrombie's second novel yet...i need to though.

[wintermute]

I just finished the Blade Itself. Has the second book even come out yet? I quite liked the first. With regards the Name of the Wind, I read it through, then realized that not much happens, the main villains appear only once in the beginning of the novel, and most of the book consists of the main character rambling about at a university. Then I realized that it was still a real good book, even if nothing much happened

[Dag]

wintermute;239383 said:

I just finished the Blade Itself. Has the second book even come out yet? I quite liked the first.

Yes. "Before They are Hanged" came out in March 2007 and if you liked the first book, then you'll probably like this one even more. Part three ("Last Argument of Kings") should be out in 3 months.

[Werthead]

Dag;239413 said:

Yes. "Before They are Hanged" came out in March 2007 and if you liked the first book, then you'll probably like this one even more. Part three ("Last Argument of Kings") should be out in 3 months.

Unless you're in the USA, where Hanged is out in March and Argument in September.

However, you can order both from www.thebookdepository.com and there is no shipping charge, even to the USA.