Before starting this book I did a bit of research just to test the water and see what I would be up against. To my surprise I discovered a review that stated this was a mixture between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Of course, I delved straight in. In a sense I can see the similarities between the two as it does involve elements of magic and epic adventure, however it has earned it's place as a separate fantasy novel. Patrick Rothfuss has created such an in depth world in a story that has been beautifully written. I did find the first 100 pages to be a bit of a struggle, but it didn't take long for me to realize that the story building was necessary. The Name of the Wind is the first book in the Kingfisher Chronicles with a whopping 661 pages long and an extremely small font size.
The story is an epic adventure which is set in complex world where people train to perform magic at a prestigious university (ring any bells?). It follows the main character Kvothe from childhood through to adulthood and explores the struggles he has along the way. Having watched a number of interviews with Patrick Rothfuss I discovered that the Kingfisher Chronicles were originally written as one lengthy story and separated into individual books after it was completed. This process took over 14 years which is evident when you read the book as everything has been covered in so much detail. Click here to watch an interview with Patrick Rothfuss where he discusses The Name of The Wind. Magic and mythical creatures do feature heavily in the story, however do not let that put you off it is isn't normally your cup of tea.
I received the book as part of the Gollancz 50th Anniversary Fantasy Collection which includes a mixture of science fiction and fantasy books all of which are held in high esteem by a number of successful authors. So far I have only read I Am Legend, The Name of the Wind and I have just started on The Lies of Locke Lamora. This collection has opened my eyes to a whole new genre and has inspired me to give Game of Thrones another go sometime soon.
