Patrick Rothfuss

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Royce

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« on: November 30, 2014, 05:06:59 pm »
Is this guy as good as the hype says or what?

reichorn

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« Reply #1 on: November 30, 2014, 09:18:22 pm »
No.  I'm a bit bemused by how much people seem to like his work.  I read (or, well, listened to) the first book.  I enjoyed it enough that I finished it, but I wasn't impressed, and by the end my interest had faded to nothing.  I've never felt the slightest desire to seek out the second book.

I don't remember (off the top of my head, anyway) enough about the story to be more specific.

Royce

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« Reply #2 on: December 01, 2014, 10:41:24 am »
Yeah, I do not like it when authors get to "wordy", and that is precisely what reviewers say about him. I guess Robin Hobb did him a favour by praising him in a review on amazon. I bet thousands of people bought it just because of her review. I kind of like some of her stuff though, but she gets a bit slow and wordy too.

I enjoyed that chapter from your project though, and I wish you well and hope you finish it soon:)

mrganondorf

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« Reply #3 on: December 18, 2014, 11:39:43 am »
Is this guy as good as the hype says or what?

i could not finish the book with "wind" in the title.  it was recommended to me as "dark fantasy" but it did not seem particularly so.  i found the overall narrative boring, but the bits that explained the legends of the world i liked a lot, maybe i'll just read those parts if i try it again

mostly.harmless

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« Reply #4 on: December 18, 2014, 08:57:37 pm »
I loved both books and am eagerly awaiting the third book. I wouldn't say its dark fantasy but its definitely more dark than light.

Royce

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« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2014, 01:58:16 pm »
So he writes grey fantasy then. Not light, not dark.

mrganondorf

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sologdin

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« Reply #7 on: March 11, 2015, 01:30:14 am »
the two and a halfbooks so far are sufficiently enjoyable, and might be summarized as forest gump goes to hogwarts.

Wilshire

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« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2016, 01:01:07 pm »
I'm about halfway through #2, and I really, really enjoyed the books so far.

Definitely a lot more lighthearted than the other fantasy I tend to be reading lately, and its a nice change of pace (disclaimer - that doesn't mean its a happy story). For some reason these books really speak to me. Highly recommended.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2016, 01:09:27 pm by Wilshire »
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Madness

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« Reply #9 on: June 06, 2016, 01:08:05 pm »
I've had a friend's copy upstairs for... years now (Rob, if you ever find yourself here, I'm sorry, it's still in great condition).

Maybe I should read it.
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Redeagl

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« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2016, 02:14:45 pm »
I enjoyed the two books very much, I also read the two short stories and the novella.
“The thoughts of all men arise from the darkness. If you are the movement of your soul, and the cause of that movement precedes you, then how could you ever call your thoughts your own? How could you be anything other than a slave to the darkness that comes before?”

- Chronicler of the Chroniclers

Hogman

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« Reply #11 on: July 15, 2016, 12:25:07 pm »
I can summarise the plot in The Name of the Wind quite easily, without spoilers. It goes as follows:
1. Kvothe gets into some trouble
2. Fortunately, Kvothe is an expert in [insert], and he overcomes the problem
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2

Wilshire

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« Reply #12 on: July 15, 2016, 12:46:42 pm »
I can summarise the plot in The Name of the Wind quite easily, without spoilers. It goes as follows:
1. Kvothe gets into some trouble
2. Fortunately, Kvothe is an expert in [insert], and he overcomes the problem
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2
Haha, I take it from this that you didn't like the book. Care to expand on why?

Kvothe is really not an expert at anything except thinking for most of the books, and that fails him most of the time. Granted, as the hero of the story, he does live ... but nearly dying several times and either failing miserably or suffering (often extreme) collateral damage doesn't qualify him as an 'expert' imo.

I'm fairly certain almost every book could be summarised by:
1. Heroes get into trouble
2. Fortunately, they overcome the problem
3. Repeat.

So, while I'm not disputing your criticism, you'll have to be more specific if you want to have a conversation about it :).
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Hogman

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« Reply #13 on: July 15, 2016, 03:18:37 pm »
I can summarise the plot in The Name of the Wind quite easily, without spoilers. It goes as follows:
1. Kvothe gets into some trouble
2. Fortunately, Kvothe is an expert in [insert], and he overcomes the problem
3. Repeat steps 1 & 2
Haha, I take it from this that you didn't like the book. Care to expand on why?

Kvothe is really not an expert at anything except thinking for most of the books, and that fails him most of the time. Granted, as the hero of the story, he does live ... but nearly dying several times and either failing miserably or suffering (often extreme) collateral damage doesn't qualify him as an 'expert' imo.

I'm fairly certain almost every book could be summarised by:
1. Heroes get into trouble
2. Fortunately, they overcome the problem
3. Repeat.

So, while I'm not disputing your criticism, you'll have to be more specific if you want to have a conversation about it :).

You are correct in your deduction that I didn't like it!

It was a few years ago when I read it, but if I remember correctly he was an expert musician, an expert actor/orator, an expert at whatever lab work he was doing (can't remember what exactly), and without going into too much detail he was unusually gifted at a certain type of magic. It just ground me down in the end. You might say the same of Kellhus, but then I think there's a credible explanation for Kellhus's talents, whereas Kvothe is just an ordinary human boy as far as I can tell.
Of course, if I had liked the book I would have forgiven these flaws, and I'd be on the other side of the argument.  :)

Wilshire

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« Reply #14 on: July 15, 2016, 06:11:45 pm »
Yeah, I can't say it irritated me. He basically says right at the start the he's a genius /plotdevice. I think the reason it didn't bother me was that it seemed like he had to work a lot for the talents he later acquired.

There was a series I read years ago that had a similar situation, smart main character, but it really pissed me off. Salvatore's Cleric Quintet. The main guy, Cadderly, had a special kind of magic that no one else had, and it solved literally every situation without much peril...

So I can see where you're coming from. I was quite taken with Rothfuss' writing and didn't see the particular flaws you pointed out. I have the same problem with Bakker - must be a personal failing of mine ;)

Thanks for expounding on your point of view. This way, next time someone comes around and reads this they'll have some context.
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