Search for characters or series


85 chapters - View chapters
| 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 |
| Name | Type |
|---|---|
| The University | Organisation |
| 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. |
2008 | Award Nominated | Locus Award Fantasy novel category, 17th place |
2008 | Award Nominated | Locus Award First novel category, 2nd place |
2008 | Award Nominated | Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award Best first novel, finalist |
2009 | Award Won | Phantastik Preis Foreign novel category |
2010 | Award Nominated | Xatafi-Cyberdark Award Foreign book category |
Quill Award
SF/fantasy/horror category
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.
Locus Award
Fantasy novel category, 17th place
Locus Award
First novel category, 2nd place
Compton Crook/Stephen Tall Memorial Award
Best first novel, finalist
Phantastik Preis
Foreign novel category
Xatafi-Cyberdark Award
Foreign book category