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I actually enjoyed this book quite a bit. I was worried after reading some of this thread but ended up not really having a problem with Kvothe. It seems like Rothfuss is bringing up some interesting questions about what it takes to be a hero and I don't see Kvothe as being too perfect to make it interesting. He's obviously got crazy talent and book smarts but after suffering tragedy in his early life and living alone for so long he seems to have come out totally socially inept which I think is pretty different from how he would have turned out had he finished growing up with his parents. To me, they seemed the opposite. He thinks he's such a badass but is barely kept afloat by talent-not-seen-in-a-generation skillset. He can't hold onto money whatsoever. He can't seem to stop himself from taking dumb risks because, I can only assume, he is so confident in his greatness. He is seriously hopeless when it comes to girls (Sim and Wil are constantly telling how much of a goon he is and he can only connect with Denna who seems to have weird man issues herself). His showmanship seems to be off-putting to almost all of the Masters (his show-off lamp project that Kilvin just wants to melt down). He has a need to constantly battle Ambrose for honor even though his friends routinely advise against it. In turn, it almost costs him his life and seems to get him expelled. He even thinks he's a hero for killing the dragon and saving Trebon when he's almost entirely responsible for it's drug-crazed romp through the village. The examples go on and on. It seems to me that any reasonable social action he makes is due to his training to be on stage, not genuine social graces. While his parents seemed to be truly nice and well adjusted people, he could only act like one. In addition to all of this, knowing that Kvothe ultimately ends up being some washed up has-been in hiding who can't even perform simple magic anymore makes me think that Rothfuss wants you to see him as a goony douche. Eventually he's going to have to face real villains like the Chandrian and not common street criminals or Ambrose and it seems that doesn't quite go so well. After living as a hero due to luck and a legend due mostly to exaggerated stories, as an ordinary innkeeper he's struggling with how his life turned out. At least, that's what I'm getting out of it and I'm going to give Rothfuss the benefit of the doubt going into the second book. I had a lot of fun with this one, really enjoyed his writing style and think the trilogy has a lot of potential going forward.
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Dec 29, 2010 19:29
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