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The story of Kvothe, legendary troubadour and occasional magician. His life is so extraordinary that it takes him three days to tell it, transcribed into three volumes…
The Name of the Wind, the first book in the trilogy, recounts the hero’s early years, his happy childhood alongside his parents, as part of a travelling troupe of actors. The story takes a dramatic turn the day a group of mysterious demon-wizards, the Chandrians, appear and massacre everyone. Kvothe is left abruptly alone, living a life of a vagabond for several years, before being admitted to the University. His brilliant but tumultuous academic career would thereafter be motivated by only one thing: learning more about the Chandrians in order to avenge the death of his people.
It had been a very long time since I’d been so gripped from the very first pages. The narrative isn’t particularly spectacular, but it’s so well written; the narrator has such presence that it’s a delight to follow all the vagaries of his life, even the most mundane ones (my favourite passages are those relating to his music - you’d think he was right there in front of us, playing the lute).
This series is reminiscent of Harry Potter and The Farseer Trilogy, but with a more mature tone and a hundred times more style! Plus the cover is lovely, if that tells you anything about this masterpiece.
Update: I must temper my enthusiasm after finishing the second volume. The pace slows down considerably, the hero comes across as rather full of himself for my taste, and the end of the book descends into prolonged erotic melodrama. In my opinion, the author is in the process of ruining what was a promising series.
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The Name of the Wind
Le Nom du vent