Greetings all,

Just finished the second volume of this series and thought I would post my thoughts.

First off, let me say that I felt a bit underwhelmed by The Name of the Wind. So much so that I didn't even post on here about it because I didn't really have much to say. Sure, Kvothe is a compelling protagonist and the use of magic via sympathy and sygaldry, etc seems well-thought out, but there was just a sort of... well... zing (I hate to use that word) missing from book one.

I found volume two much more compelling. As Kvothe matures and starts having experiences with women, combat, and politics I finally felt a sense of struggle that I thought was lacking in the first. Sure, he was poor and homeless, but was really smart and had no trouble learning anything. It's hard to identify with a character who, despite some amazing natural gifts, remains penniless and destitute for months on end.

SPOILERS





Kvothe finally begins to see the fruits of his labors in book two. I enjoyed the change of setting from the University midway through. Kvothe going nuts and killing caravan guards and fake Edema Ruh was as frightening as it was suspenseful. It was good to see his darker side emerge, though he handled the repercussions of it honorably enough. I think this was something of the "missing zing" I was speaking of earlier. In the first book, Kvothe didn't really do anything wrong. Sure, there were immature moments, but he never did anything outright shocking.

When he starts stabbing a corpse and using sympathy to take out a whole slew of guards I was shocked. Same thing for him stalking and killing the fake Ruh... there was a ruthlessness there that I hadn't seen before, but that made sense after reading it. It was well-written character development, though I hadn't thought him capable of it until that point. It was a compelling bit of reading.

The Adem were an interesting lot as well, though they reminded me of the Aiel/Fremin/badass-warrior-tribe-with-alien-ways-that-teaches-hero-to-fight. I guess it's a staple in fantasy, if not a tired one.

I found Kvothe's time in the Fae to be quite a surprise - the author thus far had kept us very much anchored far away from most of the mythical stuff in the Four Corners, then dives us right into it head first for some substantial development.

The interludes were more frequent as well, with Bast displaying a ruthlessness and dark humor that had only been hinted at before. Based on the ending, it's clear he's willing to do anything to get Kvothe back to his former self. I'm assuming this will be a point of contention in book 3, but who knows.

I will say I enjoyed this book. It was a good read and I'm definitely picking up volume 3 when it comes out.

Any thoughts on the book or series?