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I haven't read Earthsea, but I have seen some of the movie. Enough that I can whisper "Sparrowhawk..." to my room mates as they sleep.
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Feb 21, 2011 23:10
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The movie was pretty pathetic; spitting in the face of the author's blatant attempt to create non-white characters for kids to identify with. Just stating my opinion about the book, not trying to attack people for liking it. The main character seems like your typical socially inept creeper. Interesting way to go and I suppose people like that need heroes too. I guess it kinda works in tying in with the main character being raped in the streets as a child. I suppose someone like that would be skittish with intimacy.
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Feb 22, 2011 01:18
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onefish posted:Okay, so yes, Le Guin's books, complete and utter classics of the genre, validated by decades and a few hundred thousand readers, may be better (though they're different types of books, and it's kind of an apples and oranges situation). But she did not invent the idea of the importance of true names to magic, and Rothfuss is not the first after her to use the idea, either. Yes, the concept of importance and power of "true names" is several thousand years old - Rumpelstiltskin for example, or the kabbalistic idea of God's true name or some thoughts on the idea by Socrates, next to tons of folk lore from many different cultures. And - since we are already talking about Earthsea - Miyazaki also uses the theme in several of his movies over the decades (most prominent in Spirited Away).
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Feb 22, 2011 08:21
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Anyone got any ideas on the origins of that? Anything I can read?
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Feb 22, 2011 20:13
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You know, my problem with the book isn't how Kvothe acts. I actually get that. He was spoilers ahead emotionally stunted at age 11 when everyone he knew was killed after a life of fairy tales, songs, and plays. How he acts is pretty rational given the circumstances. He idolized women as impossible to obtain objects, lashes out often, and displays a lot of social inadequacies common among people who have suffered severe trauma. His perceptions are based around the surreal world in which he was raised and the miserable reality in which he now exists. I actually think Kvothe works as a character, albeit a deeply, emotionally flawed one. He is also an unreliable narrator, and I see a lot of placers where that could be the case in the first book. My real problem, which I have figured out while rereading the book, is how everyone else in the world acts towards him. He polarizes everyone he meets to the point of unbelievability. And other characters have little to no characterization or development. Unless Denna is also fresh off being a bard and having her whole family murdered in her recent past, there is no reason for her to feed into Kvothe's bullshit. A lot of characters function the same way, responding to Kvothe like he is a normal, albeit super smart, guy. Basically, if people called Kvothe out on his bullshit this book would be way more believable. If we see a scene where Chronicler is like, "That's not how it really happened at all," I don't know if the book will be any better, but it will certainly be more believable. Kvothe: I was whipped but I never bled, and everyone whispered in hushed tones about how badass I am. Chronicler: Actually, accounts said you cried out for your dead parents. You must be kind of hosed up still about that whole demons killing your family thing, since you're burying your real memories under layers and layers of lies. Kvothe: (Stunned Silence) Also, Bast is a useless loving character. Since he exists in the present day, we are to believe the things he says are exactly what he says. I think I would be sold on Kvothe as an unreliable narrator if Bast, at least once, was like, "You told that story differently like two weeks ago man."
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Feb 23, 2011 00:44
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Benson Cunningham posted:Also, Bast is a useless loving character. Since he exists in the present day, we are to believe the things he says are exactly what he says. I think I would be sold on Kvothe as an unreliable narrator if Bast, at least once, was like, "You told that story differently like two weeks ago man." I thought the whole point of the epiloge, with Bast basically threatening to murder Chronicler, was that Bast doesn't care if the story is "true" or not (and actually prefers the story to be less than true in certain respects), but that Bast wants Kvothe to tell a story that makes Kvothe feel better about himself so that he'll stop being a whiny puss and get back to being an awesome magician. Also re: Denna I wouldn't be super suprised if it turns out she was Speculation Spoiler one of the Chandrian or at least an agent of the Chandrian.
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Feb 23, 2011 00:59
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Bizob posted:I thought the whole point of the epiloge, with Bast basically threatening to murder Chronicler, was that Bast doesn't care if the story is "true" or not (and actually prefers the story to be less than true in certain respects), but that Bast wants Kvothe to tell a story that makes Kvothe feel better about himself so that he'll stop being a whiny puss and get back to being an awesome magician. That's the impression I got, as well. I also thought that chapter was pretty awesome and it was a nice end to the book.
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Feb 23, 2011 02:04
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Bizob posted:Also re: Denna I wouldn't be super suprised if it turns out she was Speculation Spoiler one of the Chandrian or at least an agent of the Chandrian. One of the Chandrian is named Cinder, Kvothe named Denna's patron Ash (Kvothe picks meaningful names without conscious thought, like that horse).
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Feb 23, 2011 04:39
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I don't know if this is taboo or not, but here is another excerpt (not the one released by Tor) from Wise Man's Fear that appeared ~2008 http://www.zimbio.com/member/pat5150/articles/3711983/Exclusive+excerpt+Patrick+Rothfuss+WISE+MAN
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Feb 23, 2011 07:02
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Neurosis posted:If Patrick subverts the Mary Sue by showing Kvothe as an unreliable narrator with hints as to the inaccuracies, this will become awesome. But imho, the author has already done that by having Bast saying that Diana (or whatever her name is) is not the most beautiful woman in the world, but more of a 'meh'... There was one or two other (short) parts in the story when the reader (or at least me) notices some subtle hints that Kvothe has changed the story a little bit or at least has coloured it in favor of himself...
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Feb 24, 2011 14:04
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Loki Kunti posted:But imho, the author has already done that by having Bast saying that Diana (or whatever her name is) is not the most beautiful woman in the world, but more of a 'meh'... There was one or two other (short) parts in the story when the reader (or at least me) notices some subtle hints that Kvothe has changed the story a little bit or at least has coloured it in favor of himself... Yeah but I'm more willing to believe that in Kvothe's perception she was super hot and his friends were just nice enough about it since they didn't want to hurt his feelings. I doubt she was a sea hag or something. The parts that seem more unreliable to me are how he portrays his parents, his treatment by other students, his three years as a homeless guy, his interactions with the money lender, and basically any "regular" thing he does. I'm far more willing to believe that outrageous parts of the story, like him calling the name of the wind or killing a draccus. Edit: Even if Denna turns out to be some minion of Lanre's crew, she's just so flat as a character. No one would engage with Kvothe in the type of dialog she does, because she is not a character in a play, she is supposedly a human woman. Benson Cunningham fucked around with this message at 16:00 on Feb 24, 2011 |
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Feb 24, 2011 15:58
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I don't think Bast can disprove parts of Kvothe's story, especially the early parts, because Kvothe has never told anyone anything about it before, has he? I swear they mention that it's the first time he's ever told the story to anyone.
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Feb 24, 2011 18:52
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A Nice Boy posted:I don't think Bast can disprove parts of Kvothe's story, especially the early parts, because Kvothe has never told anyone anything about it before, has he? I swear they mention that it's the first time he's ever told the story to anyone. Kvothe is obviously some kind of teacher to Bast, so it's not unbelievable that he has related some stories of his past to him before. That they would exactly synch up is somewhat difficult to believe, not just because of the difference in audience and purpose of telling, but because Kvothe should be lying about some of this awful poo poo he's done. Unless Kvothe is all like, "Tell my tale to those who ask. Tell it truly, the ill deeds along with the good and let me be judged accordingly. The rest is silence." But he is neither Shakespeare nor Dinobot, so that is also difficult to believe.
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Feb 24, 2011 21:16
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Hmm...I need to research this, because I thought at one point Bast even says that he really doesn't know poo poo about Kvothe's past except the same stories and legends that everyone knows about him.
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Feb 24, 2011 23:12
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I'm looking forward to the second book (haven't read any of the excerpts mentioned above). Imho, besides the upfront story about the wonderboy (which I admittedly like) and the easy-to-spot references to music-making there is a hidden plot about storytelling (..., lyrics, poems, lore) inside the first book.
So, a lot of different types of tales stemming from seemingly different time periods are mentioned throughout the story... But perhaps it's wishful thinking and the second book contains nothing of that anymore. I'll see. Soon. P.S. Only guesses and not related to above: Denna is the love interest of one of the Chandrians (or she is one of them, wasn't one of them a woman?). Ash is probably one of the seven.
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Feb 25, 2011 00:02
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When he talks about the machinery beneath the University, I have this fear that we're going to find out that the current world is built on the ruins of a high tech world! Woooo, never heard that story before!
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Feb 25, 2011 00:22
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I for one am excited about seeing a Final Fantasy Kvothe.
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Feb 25, 2011 19:55
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"..."
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Feb 25, 2011 19:55
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Beans posted:I don't know if this is taboo or not, but here is another excerpt (not the one released by Tor) from Wise Man's Fear that appeared ~2008 I think the series would be a bit bitter if the unreliable narrator hypothesis is true. This quote from that excerpt gives me a lot of hope: quote:But between these two extremes lay a great many students. Most minds don’t break when put under the Arcanum’s stresses, they simply crack a little. Sometimes these cracks show themselves in small ways: facial ticks, stuttering. Some students became forgetful, others remembered things that hadn’t happened at all. Some students heard voices, others grew sensitive to light.
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Feb 26, 2011 01:23
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Another very positive review here although I have no idea if this is a credible source. quote:In The Wise Man’s Fear, Kvothe—musician, magician, thief and more—continues to tell the story of his quest to learn more about a group of beings known as the Chandrian (or the Seven) who slaughtered his family when he was still a child. With his second book, Rothfuss proves that his initial success was no fluke. Though in itself longer than many trilogies, The Wise Man’s Fear carries the reader along just as swiftly as its predecessor.
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Feb 27, 2011 18:47
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just one more day.
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Feb 28, 2011 07:38
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Bantaras posted:just one more day. I'm hoping that amazon comes through like it always does and I get my book a day early.
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Feb 28, 2011 08:41
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Benson Cunningham posted:I'm hoping that amazon comes through like it always does and I get my book a day early. Same here. I have yet to get any email about Amazon charging my card, though.
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Feb 28, 2011 09:31
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That's weird. I got the shipping notice for my copy on Saturday.
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Feb 28, 2011 14:56
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Got my shipping notice last night, very pumped. e: drat it, my book is in Hodgkins Illinois. No way it gets to my house in Milwaukee before tomorrow. 
Bizob fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Feb 28, 2011 |
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Feb 28, 2011 16:05
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Just got my copy! Man I love Amazon...
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Feb 28, 2011 22:15
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LoSesMC posted:Just got my copy! Man I love Amazon... Jerk. I'm sure my kindle copy won't load until tomorrow.
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Feb 28, 2011 22:23
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Wow, talk about good timing. I just finished The name of the Wind this morning, having picked it up due to recommendations in this forum. I had no idea that the new book is out tomorrow. Not to beat a dead horse but I had all the same problems with Kvothe that most in this thread have had as well, but still really enjoyed the read.
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Feb 28, 2011 22:33
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Rothfuss put up a summary of Name of the Wind in cartoon form for those who don't want to reread the book before the sequel, but need some kind of memory refresher: http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2011/02/our-story-thus-far/
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Feb 28, 2011 23:26
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Anyone have any clue when audible.com might have this up? Amazon is listing an audiobook so i asume audible is going to get it up for download? I have this week off and i really want to start listening as soon as possible.
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Feb 28, 2011 23:49
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My Amazon copy just shipped! But gently caress it's in Arizona!? Looks like I won't be getting it tonight then.
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Feb 28, 2011 23:59
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Lt. Jebus posted:Not to beat a dead horse but I had all the same problems with Kvothe that most in this thread have had as well, but still really enjoyed the read. You know, first time around, I really enjoyed the book, but I had this "Holy poo poo the author was a theater nerd in high school" vibe from it. So I'm doing a re-read ahead of the new book coming out (should finish tonight with ease) and I have to say, after hearing all the complaints in this thread, and THEN reading the book again... I still feel there's a ton of pent up theater nerd issues behind the main character, and I feel the main character is petty douchey and pretentious at several points during the book, but I also feel that with the backstory he's been given, a lot of it plays off as appropriate. On read two, even keeping an eye out for the things all the haters hate, it just doesn't bother me that much, and I'm looking forward to the second book in the series anyways.
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Mar 1, 2011 00:20
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Mine's on its way, but didn't get here early. Oh well, I still have a decent amount of my previous book to read, so that's probably good. I'm super pumped, though! 
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Mar 1, 2011 04:39
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My pre-order on iTunes just went live, so if your getting it that way, you get an early start tonight!
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Mar 1, 2011 05:28
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I'm about 250 pages in, got my copy around 7 today. I'm enjoying it a lot so far. Minor impressions - Kvothe doesn't seem to be nearly as awesome at EVERYTHING this go around, though he's still ridiculously great at music and sympathy. But at least he's shown to have weaknesses to his peers in other areas.
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Mar 1, 2011 05:41
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onefish posted:Rothfuss put up a summary of Name of the Wind in cartoon form for those who don't want to reread the book before the sequel, but need some kind of memory refresher: http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2011/02/our-story-thus-far/ I like it a lot. Nice to see that he can poke fun on some of the weaknesses of the first book (and Kvothe's Mary-Sueseque qualities).
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Mar 1, 2011 07:43
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It came out a few days early in Australia so I've had it since last week. Just finished it today. Enjoyed it fine, and I think some people who had issues with the first won't have the same problems with this one. That having been said, I can anticipate a whole heap of complaints (which I don't necessarily share) - mild spoilers ahead: If I hadn't heard this was a trilogy and the book was half the length, I would expect this to be a five book series. Kvothe acquires more skills and experience, travels a bit, but there isn't much movement on the main plot front so I expect to hear a lot of people irritated that "nothing happens". I'm not sure the relationships between Kvothe and his friends, teachers, Denna etc. really progress all that much between the first and last page, either. As "Kvothe's Adventures" the book is fine. There is more detail on the world given, particularly as far as other cultures are concerned, and it's easy to read. However, the framing narrative feels particularly superfluous this time as little real information is imparted. This is going to bother some people more than others, I think. Personally, I enjoyed it fine. Kvothe appears as much more of a fallible character. I suspect if I read it more closely there is a lot of pretty negative stuff that could be mined out of it - there are a lot of somewhat facile conclusions regarding sex, women and relationships that could be read as authorial insertion, which is a little bit icky. On the other hand, it's better than the first book, where all these issues were really skirted around. Essentially I'd call it more of the same - don't read it for answers/conclusions. If you go in just looking for some fantasy "day in the life" light entertainment you'll be pleased in what you find. If you want high stakes epic fantasy with twists and the fate of kingdoms hanging in the balance etc. you won't get it from this one. edit: bigger spoilers: After thinking about it a bit more, I think this still falls under the model of the second half of the first book where Kvothe Levels Up every few chapters. In the former book he learns magic and hones his music. In this one he learns kung fu, languages, and fairy sex. He will learn techniques like "Whispering Hand" and you will find it hard to keep straight whether its a martial arts move or something to be used on a "lady's flower". So if you can keep a straight face it will be entertaining. But I think I'd rather not think too hard about it all. Blamestorm fucked around with this message at 09:51 on Mar 1, 2011 |
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Mar 1, 2011 09:46
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Blamestorm posted:He will learn techniques like "Whispering Hand" It's probably a commentary on Rothfuss that I can't tell whether you're joking or not.
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Mar 1, 2011 10:09
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tirinal posted:It's probably a commentary on Rothfuss that I can't tell whether you're joking or not. I'm pretty much not. Take a guess which is which from the book: "Thousand Hands," "Dancing Maiden," "Circling the Moon," "Ivy on the Oak," "Playing Ivy," "Thunder Upward," "Circling Hands". I just grabbed those at random - half are kung fu moves and half are sex moves. Have fun guessing which is which! edit: I just tried "Thunder Upwards" and it really works wonders! Very exhausting though. Blamestorm fucked around with this message at 10:23 on Mar 1, 2011 |
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Mar 1, 2011 10:20
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This goes back to my main complaint with Name of the Wind, which was that, discarding plot entirely and looking solely at the choice and style of words used, it was very, very obvious that here was a man who'd spent most of his formative moments on the internet. And if he hasn't, then nonetheless he still writes like he has.
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Mar 1, 2011 10:34
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