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HIJK
Nov 25, 2012
in the room where you sleep
You guys read it so I don't have to.

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M_Gargantua
Oct 16, 2006

STOMP'N ON INTO THE POWERLINES

Exciting Lemon
I'm going to get the kindle version because I can spare that meager sum of money for closure.

MrFlibble
Nov 28, 2007

by Jeffrey of YOSPOS
Fallen Rib
I'm not going to read it because it is never coming out.

I would say "If it comes out, I would read it" but it won't so I won't.

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007
You know, I was rereading some of it on a lark and the entire scene with the Chandarian early on just kind of... ruins their whole supposed mystique. And is out of character from everything we're told. Though that seems tobe a constant with their two appearances. It's like Rothfuss heard that to be mysterious you never have to show up... but still included old story fragments where they did and then just acted like generic villians.

Like I think Rothfuss wrote himself into a corner with the whole "They kill anyone who talks about them and destroys all records of their existence" considering this would make it incredibly hard for Kvothe to know who they were. And of course leaving Kvothe alive just... is against their MO.

Evil Fluffy
Jul 13, 2009

Scholars are some of the most pompous and pedantic people I've ever had the joy of meeting.
I like how they had to flee before killing kvothe because the Amyr(?) were on to them, even though the chardrian leader is supposedly unkillable and and insanely powerful Namer on top of that.

anilEhilated
Feb 17, 2014

But I say fuck the rain.

Grimey Drawer
Consistency is clearly not a requirement for Master Worldbuildingtm.

Sham bam bamina!
Nov 6, 2012

ƨtupid cat
Nobody has yet stepped up to Kingkiller's defense in this thread. I cannot take on this task myself, not having read the books, but I can relay the words of those more knowledgeable from Reddit. Please read them as if they were my own.

From "Why do so many people keep recommending The Kingkiller Chronicles?" (formatting in original) posted:

The more literally you read the book, and the more you read specifically for the story-as-written, the less you'll find it a masterpiece. The reason it's a beautiful work is because it's one of symbolism and emotional discourse, and it's not meant to be taken at face value.

And quite honestly, in my experience, some people just don't read in a way that causes the Kingkiller Chronicle to make sense for them. Rothfuss even commented on this phenomenon in The Slow Regard of Silent Things.

Edit: I just want to add this: In many places, the story isn't supposed to make logical sense. It's a story about what people want to believe, not what factually happened. Feel free to ask me questions about what things in this book actually meant in context, and I'll do my best to provide answers given what I remember.

From "Why is The King Killer Chronicle the most popular fantasy series right now?" (OP discounts Ice and Fire for being popular "because of the show") posted:

I think it is because the books are really well written. Actually, 'written' is probably the wrong word for it. These books have been crafted. Nay, shaped.

These books are really some of the best quality writing out there IMO.

Also, it's rare that you find books that reward re-reading as much as re-reading of KKC does.

Same thread posted:

Because other authors wrote less interesting books compared to KKC. Maybe because they were less talented or wrote too quickly not bothering with revisions. Sure there are some things that could be critisized in KKC but there are much more plot holes, not interesting chracters and stupid dialogues in other books. Some authors wrote books for young adults and didnt bother with making their world believable.

Sham bam bamina! fucked around with this message at 23:31 on Oct 19, 2017

Ccs
Feb 25, 2011


One day that last guy is gonna come across a book written for young adults that does have a believably written world and his head is gonna explode.

Evil Fluffy
Jul 13, 2009

Scholars are some of the most pompous and pedantic people I've ever had the joy of meeting.
That first post is either jivjov or Rothfuss himself. The idiotic arguments Rothfuss and his sycophants come up with to defend Slow Regard are truly something else.

And apparently when Kvothe tells Chronicler the 'real story' about himself he's actually lying and saying what Chronicler wants to here! :downs:

Burn reddit to the ground.

the old ceremony
Aug 1, 2017

by FactsAreUseless
tbh if i had a book published i'd go online and rhapsodise about it incognito too

Atlas Hugged
Mar 12, 2007


Put your arms around me,
fiddly digits, itchy britches
I love you all

the old ceremony posted:

tbh if i had a book published i'd go online and rhapsodise about it incognito too

It's that or go the other way and say how awful it is and how you have to read it to believe it.

What I'm saying is that Bravest of the Lamps is Rothfuss and that's why he gets so touchy whenever we go after the man personally rather than the writing specifically.

StonecutterJoe
Mar 29, 2016

quote:

These books have been crafted. Nay, shaped.

Twenty bucks says the guy who wrote this has a broadsword on his bedroom wall, and can tell you at length how European swords are vastly superior to katanas. Nay, will tell you.

Hieronymous Alloy
Jan 30, 2009


Why! Why!! Why must you refuse to accept that Dr. Hieronymous Alloy's Genetically Enhanced Cream Corn Is Superior to the Leading Brand on the Market!?!




Morbid Hound

StonecutterJoe posted:

Twenty bucks says the guy who wrote this has a broadsword on his bedroom wall, and can tell you at length how European swords are vastly superior to katanas. Nay, will tell you.

It's not about superior or inferior, it's about what they were designed to cut! See, Japan is a metal-poor island, so they rarely made metal armors. This meant that weapon edges could be made with sharper, more brittle geometry . . .

Solice Kirsk
Jun 1, 2004

.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, the Bast story is the best thing he's done. I think maybe Rothfuss would be an amazing Stephen King-esque writer, where he just pumps out tons of cool self contained short stories.

Sham bam bamina!
Nov 6, 2012

ƨtupid cat

Evil Fluffy posted:

That first post is either jivjov or Rothfuss himself. The idiotic arguments Rothfuss and his sycophants come up with to defend Slow Regard are truly something else.

And apparently when Kvothe tells Chronicler the 'real story' about himself he's actually lying and saying what Chronicler wants to here! :downs:

Burn reddit to the ground.
Settle down there. I cherry-picked stupid stuff because it's funny. Most of Reddit's appraisals were pretty lukewarm, which I chalk up to Pat's unyielding refusal to goddamn do anything. Of course the fire's gone out by now. Just look at what the old thread here eventually turned into.

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007

Evil Fluffy posted:

I like how they had to flee before killing kvothe because the Amyr(?) were on to them, even though the chardrian leader is supposedly unkillable and and insanely powerful Namer on top of that.

Also the Amyr never show up. And I'd be surprised if the Amyr got word of them killing a bunch of bards in the middle of the woods within like 5 minutes. It's super obviously a "Oh I'd kill you but LOOK AT THE TIME" and they definitely had plenty of time to set him on blue fire before they left.

EDIT: Like he finds them just hanging around the wagon campfire and are like "Sup."

Kchama fucked around with this message at 14:54 on Oct 20, 2017

Solice Kirsk
Jun 1, 2004

.
They didn't kill him because the story couldn't have that. It would have made more sense if he just spotted them from the woods and overheard everything.

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007

Solice Kirsk posted:

They didn't kill him because the story couldn't have that. It would have made more sense if he just spotted them from the woods and overheard everything.

Yeah it's one of those things where it's very obvious poor writing. And then you get to Tarbean where Kvothe forgets he knows magic, Ben stops existing, and Kvothe forgets he has amazing wilderness survival skills and decides to stay in a city that hates him instead of hanging out in the woods like he did before without any trouble.

PJOmega
May 5, 2009
Imgur has weekly shrines to the "Kingkiller Chronicles, best book series I've ever read. Right up there with literary masterpieces like the Sword of Truth and Sword of Shannara series."

PJOmega
May 5, 2009

Kchama posted:

Yeah it's one of those things where it's very obvious poor writing. And then you get to Tarbean where Kvothe forgets he knows magic, Ben stops existing, and Kvothe forgets he has amazing wilderness survival skills and decides to stay in a city that hates him instead of hanging out in the woods like he did before without any trouble.

Tarbean made no sense with its timeline. And I know it fits with the rest of the dreck, but it was so jarring that it stood out against the heavy recommendations I had received for the books.

He has no reason to be in Tarbean for even a week, much less the months (years?) he spends there. It's abject misery, a poor fantasy boy's travelogue adventure that seemed and seems to be from an entirely different series. Much like the bulk of Book 2.

the old ceremony
Aug 1, 2017

by FactsAreUseless
tar bean

TheGreatEvilKing
Mar 28, 2016





I just enjoy how the plot is supposedly the Amyr and Chandrian, but there's so little of that.

Like we ALMOST could have got something with the Mayor in book 2 before Kvothe is too dumb to figure out Meluan's his aunt.

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007

PJOmega posted:

Tarbean made no sense with its timeline. And I know it fits with the rest of the dreck, but it was so jarring that it stood out against the heavy recommendations I had received for the books.

He has no reason to be in Tarbean for even a week, much less the months (years?) he spends there. It's abject misery, a poor fantasy boy's travelogue adventure that seemed and seems to be from an entirely different series. Much like the bulk of Book 2.

THREE YEARS. Three years he was there! And he basically made no attempt to find either of the guys who could or would adopt him.

I've heard theories that it's one of those prewritten stories that he just dropped in, and that's why it didn't fit in at all. Like when he murdered the fake Edema Ruh later on, which is told in an entirely different style and acts like Kvothe is a mysterious molester stranger we've never seen before.

PJOmega
May 5, 2009

TheGreatEvilKing posted:

I just enjoy how the plot is supposedly the Amyr and Chandrian, but there's so little of that.

Like we ALMOST could have got something with the Mayor in book 2 before Kvothe is too dumb to figure out Meluan's his aunt.

I still love what another poster wrote, and it would be the best thing in these books by far. When Chronicler casually mentions he pissed his Aunt off with the Mayor* and Kvothe stops and goes "oh poo poo she was my aunt?"

*Is it really spelled Mayor? I figured it was Meijer or something. Audio book problems.

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007

PJOmega posted:

*Is it really spelled Mayor? I figured it was Meijer or something. Audio book problems.

It's 'Maer', but his job is mayor and he's called 'The Maer' so people out of the books just say 'mayor' because it's easier to remember.

PJOmega
May 5, 2009

Kchama posted:

THREE YEARS. Three years he was there! And he basically made no attempt to find either of the guys who could or would adopt him.

I've heard theories that it's one of those prewritten stories that he just dropped in, and that's why it didn't fit in at all. Like when he murdered the fake Edema Ruh later on, which is told in an entirely different style and acts like Kvothe is a mysterious molester stranger we've never seen before.

Yeah, I think that theory is pretty on the nose. Every writer has random thought pieces they'll jot down. It would explain the lack of magic. The lack of relevance to the world at large. The difference in world feel.

Same with, as you mentioned, the fake not-gypsies. Or world war 1 in the forest. Or sex ninjas. Or sex faery. Or love and war in the time of Go. They're all tonally dissonant and feel like they were written as separate pieces that got round pegged into the square hole that is his "completed three book epic."

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007

PJOmega posted:

Yeah, I think that theory is pretty on the nose. Every writer has random thought pieces they'll jot down. It would explain the lack of magic. The lack of relevance to the world at large. The difference in world feel.

Same with, as you mentioned, the fake not-gypsies. Or world war 1 in the forest. Or sex ninjas. Or sex faery. Or love and war in the time of Go. They're all tonally dissonant and feel like they were written as separate pieces that got round pegged into the square hole that is his "completed three book epic."

So pretty much most of Wise Man's Fear that wasn't a retread of Harry Potter.

TheIncredulousHulk
Sep 3, 2012

Pretty sure I bitched about this in the first thread too, but the Tarbean part not only makes no tonal sense, it directly undermines actual poo poo that happens later. "You don't know what it's like to be truly poor," says Kvothe about how embarrassed he is to not have enough shirts or not being able to afford to go out to eat with his friends... conveniently forgetting that time he beat another kid's brains in with a brick on the corner of Rape Street and Starvation

Lightning Lord
Feb 21, 2013

$200 a day, plus expenses


It really is the worst goddamn name

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007

TheIncredulousHulk posted:

Pretty sure I bitched about this in the first thread too, but the Tarbean part not only makes no tonal sense, it directly undermines actual poo poo that happens later. "You don't know what it's like to be truly poor," says Kvothe about how embarrassed he is to not have enough shirts or not being able to afford to go out to eat with his friends... conveniently forgetting that time he beat another kid's brains in with a brick on the corner of Rape Street and Starvation

He has to retcon part of this in Wise Man's Fear even! Where in Name of the Wind he goes "Yeah I got raped by rapers". But in Wise Man's Fear he makes a big fuss about how he managed to beat them up enough to escape.

He also set a kid on fire, don't forget that. But no, the TRULY POOR can't go out to eat and drink beer every single night with friends.

ZeroCount
Aug 12, 2013


pretty sure rothfuss actually hates poor people. Tarbean is framed as basically a descent into actual factual hell only all the other street urchins are inherently evil and Kvothe doesn't associate with them until his inherent virtue allows him to simply shake off his poverty and rejoin the middle class in about a day. He doesn't deserve to be down here, you see. The horror here isn't even about being poor, it's literally about how Kvothe was poor when he didn't deserve to be.

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007

ZeroCount posted:

pretty sure rothfuss actually hates poor people. Tarbean is framed as basically a descent into actual factual hell only all the other street urchins are inherently evil and Kvothe doesn't associate with them until his inherent virtue allows him to simply shake off his poverty and rejoin the middle class in about a day. He doesn't deserve to be down here, you see. The horror here isn't even about being poor, it's literally about how Kvothe was poor when he didn't deserve to be.

I can't say you're wrong, as I've heard Tarbean's poorer areas described by people as 'supernaturally dangerous' and that's not a wrong description, considering the literal roving bands of child rapists and murderers. Like 99% of Tarbean was just so Kvothe can suffer and look better for it. And LITERALLY the moment he decides to leave, he takes a single bath and suddenly he looks like a proper Rich Person he was destined to be all along.

EDIT: OH and then in the middle of the Tarbean section he goes and visits a local storyteller who tells him the True History of the Chandrian, but the dude doesn't get murdered by blue fire. No, an inquisitor takes him away. Because they exist. And basically are never mentioned again, despite Hogwarts being like a couple days travel away.

Kchama fucked around with this message at 11:02 on Oct 21, 2017

anilEhilated
Feb 17, 2014

But I say fuck the rain.

Grimey Drawer
We totally need a Marxist reading of Kingkiller.

Evil Fluffy
Jul 13, 2009

Scholars are some of the most pompous and pedantic people I've ever had the joy of meeting.

Kchama posted:

EDIT: OH and then in the middle of the Tarbean section he goes and visits a local storyteller who tells him the True History of the Chandrian, but the dude doesn't get murdered by blue fire. No, an inquisitor takes him away. Because they exist. And basically are never mentioned again, despite Hogwarts being like a couple days travel away.

They're headquartered literally right down the road from not-Hogwarts as well aren't they?

I'm sure Rothfuss cares about poor people, just as he's definitely a feminist like his hero Joss Wheaton. :v:

Solice Kirsk
Jun 1, 2004

.

Evil Fluffy posted:

They're headquartered literally right down the road from not-Hogwarts as well aren't they?

Not only that, but have they come up at all in the plot since then? Were they part of the super interesting trial and shipwreck pirate adventure that was skipped over?

Solice Kirsk fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Oct 21, 2017

TheGreatEvilKing
Mar 28, 2016





They were part of the trial, which sounded more interesting than anything to do with Denna, ever.

Kchama
Jul 25, 2007
It's almost impressive how obvious it is that the Tarbean section was just dropped into the Name of the Wind with only adding in the frame-work bits around it. Like, I think this was actually written before his parents were brutally murdered, which is why the story keeps insisting that even three and a half years later he's still completely numb and in shock and unable to think about their deaths when he doesn't act like it 90% of the time. And then the narration suddenly turns third-person to tell us to forgive Kvothe for not TRULY knowing sorrow just yet, despite having your family and everyone you know killed probably being a PRETTY good lesson on sorrow.

And then he gets a bath and bullies some poor people into giving him free stuff like clothes because after a single bath he looks like a super-handsome and perfect rich boy despite having not eaten well for three years (but also homeless enough for a cobbler to realize he's homeless) and literally everything that happened over the last three and a half years just 'washes away' and he becomes cool and suave and able to con anyone and everyone (and suddenly he's afraid of crowds despite having been in them literally hundreds of times over the last three and a half years because blah blah nonsense about never truly being IN the crowd until then because the fragment is over and Rothfuss had to scramble to explain why he's suddenly acting completely differently.

And then he gets to Hogwarts and I'm pretty sure it was suppose to be Literally Hogwarts instead of Hogwarts College age-wise because despite him being several years too young to be admitted into the college by normal measures, literally no one points this out and everyone treats him as the same age as everyone else despite him being like 3-7 years younger then the rest of them.

Sham bam bamina!
Nov 6, 2012

ƨtupid cat
The Kingkiller Chronicles have been planted in rich loam that has been tended by a master weaver of words. Epic fantasy with a mystery about it. A feeling like something vital is just out of reach. Much is revealed but there is something missing, something just around the corner. This feeling that there was a glimpse that we should have caught at outside edge of our vision. J.R.R. Tolkien is not alive, but Patrick Rothfuss is still with us. That means even if it takes many years we are likely to see many, many more tales of Kvothe and the crew from the Arcanum.



Prose that cuts like glass
First of all, The Name of the Wind is a beautifully written novel. Rothfuss spins sentences like a worm spins silk. The pages flip past in a blur, the words practically singing off the page. You can tell just how much work and craft went into the making of this book by the sheer, achingly good rhythm of his chapters, the ups and downs of his sentences, the deliberate words used, and the things that are left unspoken. Rothfuss is so good with his words, he even writes bad poetry at one point, in a great way.



Let’s not beat around the bush. I’ve read arguably just as much fantasy as anyone alive (it’s been my job for the last 20 years) and I have never read anything as so totally immersive – and audaciously innovative – as Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicle (The Name of the Wind and the soon-to-be released The Wise Man's Fear). The saga of Kvothe is a timeless, towering, masterwork. The Kingkiller Chronicle – a projected trilogy – is nothing short of the 21st Century equivalent of The Lord of the Rings and Patrick Rothfuss the next coming of Tolkien.

Think I’m overstating the narrative brilliance and thematic depth of these books? I dare anyone to read this saga and not agree with me 100%.

Rothfuss’s writing style is fluid, rich in detail, and self-controlled; he weaves a labyrinthine plotline effortlessly; his realm-building abilities are subtle and sublime; but the reason I absolutely adore these novels is because in a genre obsessed with size – shelf-bending series spanning eons and featuring a cast of hundreds – Rothfuss has done just the opposite and penned a profoundly intimate story about an unassuming innkeeper recalling the events of his life while working in a tavern. But – trust me – his story rivals that of any epic fantasy adventure…



Firstly, as continuously written throughout the reviews (regardless of rating), Pat's elegant writing compliments the story superbly. It was written numerous times in other reviews that the character lacked depth, was the "sh*t" at "everything," or no emotional connection existed. For these people, and mind you they have their right to feel how they feel, but for these people, I feel tremendously sorry. They clearly lack the emotional depth and intellectual thought required to fully grasp what Mr. Rothfuss has done here. This story has a centralized character from which it extends. If you desire 30 point-of-view characters (which works Very Well for certain storylines ~ GRRM is phenomenal) then this would not be the read for you, at this moment in time. Nonetheless, I would still compel you to Read This Story...Someday. Whether Tomorrow, next year, or in 20, you Must experience what Kvothe has to offer. Frankly, it balances far better than most novels. Many attempt to instigate emotion in the reader whilst a major arc occurs, and unfortunately many fail miserably. This story, which revolves around One man (and his supporting cast mixed throughout), envelopes the reader in his love, his loss, his pain, and overall his passion for the answers he seeks. His drive, though motivated partially by revenge and partially due to his inquisitiveness, will carry the reader from the beginning to the end. If you've ever loved, ever lost, ever suffered, ever smiled, ever Felt something stronger and deeper than "cool story bro," then you must read this book. It's a story of a man, not a glamour show of an army, of a king, or of a country. It's the reality of his world, the severe loss he suffered, and how he manages to survive and overcome it. And simply put, it significantly touches on relevant tribulations in our own lives today. Give it a chance, and you will not regret it. Cheers.



Perhaps one of the greatest reasons for its popularity is that the chronicle itself behaves much like a puzzle for the reader. Now is perhaps the best time to begin reading this series, as the third and final book has not yet surfaced. The sheer amount of detail and mystery wrapped around every element of the story is enough to drive millions of fans to the end of their nerves over the endless theories and possibilities for what has happened in the remainder of Kvothe’s past, and how that has lead to his current, broken present.

Read the books once. Read them again. Look at what people are saying on internet forums, and do some imaginative thinking for yourself. When I began this review, The Kingkiller Chronicle was already my favorite series of books, but it’s doubly moreso now that I’ve begun realizing that this story is more than just a pretty face. There’s something deep and fierce hiding in its characters and narrative. I feel as though I’ve unearthed one of the oldest kept secrets in the world.

If you’re impatient, then wait for the third book before subjecting yourself to this gentle torture. Meet the rest of us at the Doors of Stone. We’ll be waiting to welcome you.

God bless, look for secret things, and always remember to smile.

anilEhilated
Feb 17, 2014

But I say fuck the rain.

Grimey Drawer
jivjov's review?

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Sham bam bamina!
Nov 6, 2012

ƨtupid cat
His entire review would be "BOOK GOOD. LIKE BOOK."

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