English around the world

The Kingkiller Chronicle

I am going to talk about the birth of two of my favorite books and its brother, in process. The protagonist of our story is the American writer Patrick Rothfuss. Its gestation begins in 1991, when Patrick got registered in the university.

Originally Rothfuss was planning to study chemical engineering, but he changed to clinical psychology, and he finally got registered as "not declared" after three years studying any subject that attracted his interest. During this period he started to work on an extremely long novel of fantasy called The Song of Flame and Thunder.

He was graduated in 1999 with a degree in English. After taking a teacher's course in the University of Washington, he returned to teach in Stevens Point. After completing The Song of Flame and Thunder, Rothfuss sent it to several publishing houses, but it was rejected. In 2002 he won the competition “Writers of the future” with The Road to Levinshir, an extract of his novel. Then Rothfuss sold his novel to DAW Books.

The Song of Flame and Thunder was divided in a series of three volumes titled The Kingkiller Chronicle. The first volume, The name of the wind, was published in April, 2007. The novel won that year the Award Quill to the best fantasy / science fiction novel and appeared in the list of best sellers of the New York Times. The wise man’s fear, was published in March, 2011 and it debuts the first week of its release. Currently, Patrick Rothfuss is checking the third installment, provisionally titled The doors of stone, and he is an assistant professor of literature and English philology at Wisconsin’s University, where he was born.

This way my two friends arose. Next I am going to tell you a brief summary of everything that they contain.

The name of the wind:

-Synopsis: I have stolen princesses from dying kings. I set fire to the city of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and have woken up living and sanely. They expelled me from the University at an age when they don’t allow the majority to enter yet. I have gone over ways at night that others don’t dare to speak even in the daytime. I have spoken with gods, I have loved women and written songs that make the bards cry.

"My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me. "

-Summary: Kvothe is a legendary character, the hero and the villain of thousands of stories. They all left him for dead, but he lives with a false name in an isolated and humble inn, of which he is proprietary. Now nobody knows who is he. Until one night a traveler, Chronicler, recognizes him and begs him to reveal his real history to him. Finally Kvothe agrees. But there will be much to tell and it will take him three days. This day is the first one… Kvothe is the son of the director of an itinerant company of artists, The Edena Ruh. In this ambience Kvothe, a happy child, learns different arts.

For him, the magic doesn’t exist; he knows that there are tricks. Until one day he meets Abenthy, an old magician who has dominated the arcane knowledge, and knows how to call the wind. From this moment Kvothe only wishes to learn the big magic of knowing the authentic name of the things. But this is a dangerous knowledge and Abenthy, teaches him carefully and prepares him to join the University.

One evening when his father was singing a new song about a few legendary demons, the Chandrian, Kvothe went to take a walk to the forest. When he returns, he discovers the wagons on fire and that everyone, also his parents, have been murdered. A few strangers were sitting near the bonfire, but then they disappear. For months Kvothe roamed frightened by the forest with his lute. When the winter came he went to the big city. He will join the university at his early age and this way he begins the search of The Chandrian.

The wise man's fear:

-Synopsis: The man had disappeared but the myth not. Musician, beggar, thief, student, magician, homeless, hero and killer, Kvothe had erased his track. And not even now when they have found him and the darkness invades the world, he is ready to return. But his story continues, and Kvothe will keep on telling it to reveal the truth behind the legend.

"Every wise man fears three things: the thunderstorm in the sea, the night without moon and the anger of a kind man"

-Summary: Kvothe continues with his studies but due to many problems, his friends advise him to leave the University.

Kvothe leaves the University and goes to Vintas, where a powerful noble needs his services. Trying to gain the favor of the maer Alveron, Kvothe discovers an attempt of murder and helps to court the loved of the maer. Also he runs a group of mercenaries to finish with the bandits who extort the ways where the noble's collectors of taxes travel.

As soon as the group of mercenaries finished, Kvothe discovers Felurian, an ancient and irresistible being, who belongs to innumerable stories. In spite of the fear of his partners, Kvothe chases the mythical woman, entering the kingdom Fata, from which no man has returned. Nevertheless, the ingenious Ruh tricked Felurian so she allowed him to go.

When he came back to Vintas he gets his reward for the services given to Alveron, but due to the hate of the maer’s wife to the Ruh, Kvothe is forced to leave Vintas back to the University where he meets again with all his friends.

Kvothe picked up his studies, and the maer promised him to pay his registrations, so he is for the first time with money and with a series of stories that go on from mouth to mouth. He seems closer to the solution of the mystery of the Chandrian, and his revenge.

Now I am going to speak about my opinion about both books in general because they seem fantastic to me.

It is a story inside a story since on is Kvothe who is telling his own life to Chronicler. Each book corresponds to one of the three days that Kvothe needs to report all his story to Chronicler. But also inside this story there are numerous stories. So many stories are due to the fact that the Edena Ruh, Kvothe’s family, are a nomadic tribe who collect and relate all kinds of stories.

A map from Rothfuss's world

Rothfuss can mix everything in a perfect way. The books have action, reflections, love stories and a big different world. It doesn’t only entertains you and fascinates you but it teaches you many things. He creates his own philosophy and you prosper with him. Its characters are deep and finished. They are Real.

It gives material to daydream months and months and enclose material to extract more books without sinning to stretch the story too much, because as I have already said, these books are full of stories inside stories.

Moreover, Rothfuss published in 2014 The slow regard of silent things, a small novel that goes deep into Auri, a character from this trilogy.

Auri is a girl of the university that went crazy and she lives in the university’s subsoil. She has a relation of strong friendship with Kvothe, who is always trying to take care of her. Talking about her like this seems like she isn’t too much, but she is a beautiful character.

Speaking about character, I am going to describe briefly a pair of very important characters for me:

-Denna: She is the loved one of Kvothe but there are nothing declared between them. Denna goes from man to man and is always changing her name. She never stays much time in the same place and when she goes away she doesn’t notify anybody. She is a very mysterious character.

-Elodin: He is a teacher of the university but he doesn’t teach anybody. Everybody think that he is crazy but in spite of this he is the most important member of the university. Kvothe will discover that he is a teacher of Names, the magic that he wants to dominate. But Elodin makes it very difficult to Kvothe.

-About Kvothe... I can say that he is a quite nice and very crafty red-haired young man. He begins from zero and can be considered a poor person. He loves music and his lute. He always goes for what he wants and commits some stupidity, although in the end it goes out well for him.