The Name of the Wind
85 chapters - View chapters
Characters (6)
| Name | Aliases | Role |
|---|---|---|
Kvothe Legendary figure known as the Kingkiller, the Bloodless, and other names. Telling his own story from behind the bar of a quiet inn. | Kote, Reshi, Dulator, Maedre, E'lir Kvothe | Protagonist |
Ambrose Jakis A wealthy, entitled nobleman and University student. Twelfth in line for the throne of Vintas. Kvothe's persistent rival. | Ambrose | Antagonist |
| Alaxel, Lanre | Antagonist | |
| Bastas | Supporting | |
| Dianne, Dinah, Dinnah, Donna, Dyane, Alora | Supporting | |
Devan Lochees A renowned scribe and author who seeks out Kvothe to record his true story. | The Chronicler | Supporting |
Groups (1)
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| The University | Organisation |
History
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
2007 | Award Won | Quill Award SF/fantasy/horror category |
27 March 2007 | Publication | Published by DAW Books on 27 March 2007. A remarkable debut that arrived with comparisons to Martin, Tolkien, and Robert Jordan from critics who are generally slow to reach for such names. It won the Quill Award, was named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, and sold over a million copies. The prose drew particular praise - Rothfuss's lyrical, almost poetic style was cited by most reviewers as the book's defining strength, carrying even slower passages. The magic system and the frame narrative structure - Kvothe dictating his own legend to a chronicler - were widely admired as fresh takes on familiar fantasy conventions. The main criticism was pacing: at nearly 700 pages, some readers found certain sections self-indulgent and Kvothe himself occasionally insufferably superior. The unresolved wait for the third volume has cast a long shadow over the series' reputation in the years since, but the first book's standing as one of the strongest fantasy debuts of the 21st century remains largely intact. |