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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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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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Spoiler regarding an interview about writing the series: I read in an interview he added the framing story quite late in development on the first level, and way after he outlined the whole thing. And he also said while he has added stuff, the general outline and ending hasn't really changed. So that to me would imply you're not getting much out of the framing story.
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Mar 24, 2011 08:15
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onefish posted:Dude, to go from that spoiler to "not getting much out of the framing story" is crazy. Structure, the way you tell the story, has a massive effect on the way a reader/listener/viewer experiences the literal one-by-one events of a plot. I suspect that's a major part of what this particular story is about. And THAT is something he as a writer could figure out and decide well after outlining the rise and fall of a "hero" named Kvothe. Sorry, I phrased that poorly and I do agree with you. I didn't mean to say that the framing story wasn't important - it will probably crescendo at nearly the same time as the flashback. It was added for a reason and, I think, adds perspective and reflective depth to the flashback sequences and is definitely an integral part of the main plot. What I meant to infer is that expecting many pages of plot development after that time point is probably not going to happen, based on the author's interview, and that it seems obvious now after the second book that there probably won't be many events or page count devoted to the framing story. That's not to diminish its importance, I was more implying that the flashback is going to be where the narrative spends most of its time and anyone hoping for a volume where Kvothe sighs, picks up his sword, sorts out his problem and goes and has adventures after the time point in the Inn is probably going to be disappointed because that's not where the focus is. (Also, I'm totally fine with that) Blamestorm fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Mar 25, 2011 |
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Mar 25, 2011 00:21
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