The Second Apocalypse

Miscellaneous Chatter => Literature => Topic started by: Royce on November 30, 2014, 05:06:59 pm

Title: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Royce on November 30, 2014, 05:06:59 pm
Is this guy as good as the hype says or what?
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: reichorn 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.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Royce 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:)
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: mrganondorf 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
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: mostly.harmless 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.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Royce on December 19, 2014, 01:58:16 pm
So he writes grey fantasy then. Not light, not dark.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: mrganondorf on December 22, 2014, 09:39:21 pm
So he writes grey fantasy then. Not light, not dark.

Gandalf-fic
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: sologdin 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.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Wilshire 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.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Madness 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.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Redeagl 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.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Hogman 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
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Wilshire 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 :).
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Hogman 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.  :)
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Wilshire 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.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Camlost on July 18, 2016, 09:56:17 pm
I, personally, am a fan of the Kingkiller Chronciles thus far. I think Name of the Wind will be a book people look back on after the series has finished and consider it as something greater than it has been up until now, not considering all the praise it has received thus far. There is a lot of story and world building going on subtextually.  That said, I think my appreciation for the series has been that I identify it as a narrative of narratives. As MG already mentioned, those stories about the world are of interest in and of themselves and I would argue that they are indispensable from the story as a whole. The whole thing is storytelling all the way down. Pat does some really interesting twisting that undermines a lot of the notions that surround first-person narration.

MG also touched on the "dark fantasy" element as well. I absolutely agree with him that it is not dark fantasy persay, but like Wilshire said, it certainly falls into a category of tragedy that belies its almost whimsical, poetic narration.

I'll be the first to say that the second was not as good as the first (I found it to be less cohesive than the first), but I'm holding out for the third to pass final judgment on the middle tome.

Quote
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.
As Wilshire mentioned, it is made evident very early on in the text that Kvothe is something of a prodigy, but aside from that, I think that Rothfuss does a very good job in attributing Kvothe's abilities not only to innate talents but also to his environment. His abilities as a musician, actor, storyteller, and the like are attributed to his native heritage as an Edema Ruh (sp?) as opposed to him simply being a genius child.

In regards to his magical/sympathetic prowess, he was fortunate enough to have Abenthy travel and tutor him during his formative years as a child and then later
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If anything, his ingenuity in later years surpasses his "genius";
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Prediction:
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Fuck, looking at the post preview, the amount of spoiler tags makes this look terrible to read, but I figured better more than less..
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: MSJ on July 18, 2016, 11:34:24 pm
Camlost, your theory on the chest, please?
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Wilshire on July 20, 2016, 03:43:08 pm
I'm quite intrigued by the happenings on in the story.

Spoilers of books 1 and 2. I imagine discussion here in will have many spoilers.
Continue, dear readers, at your own risk.
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Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Camlost on July 22, 2016, 06:55:36 am
Quote
Camlost, your theory on the chest, please?
I have a loose remembrance of what it was and I'm going to reference Wilshire's post as it touches on some important details.
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Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: MSJ on July 24, 2016, 03:22:02 am
Neat theory, Camlost. Though, I've never thought that Kite wasn't Kvothe. I certainly think that whatever is in the chest, certainly has to do with his inability to use Sympathy.
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Jackehehe on January 07, 2017, 11:09:43 am
I think these books are pretty good. Best way to describe them is to actually compare them to Harry Potter, but with a bit more adult touch as well as set and written in a more traditional fantasy setting. The books are light-weight but not shallow. I think the world building etc shows a lot of promise as well. It's just a shame that it takes so long for Rothfuss to write new books, because this series has the 'feels' of one of those longer series. I would recommend these books for someone who is pretty new to fantasy, I think. Especially if it is a younger person (but too old for David Eddings ;) )
Title: Re: Patrick Rothfuss
Post by: Wilshire on January 07, 2017, 06:50:57 pm
If you're looking for an adult harry potter comparison, check out Lev Grossman's The Magicians (Magicians being vastly superior). After that, comparing Rothfuss to HP seems missleading to me... though, not totally off base. I just thinm HP is mediocre story *gasp*, I know  know, get out the lynching rope,   so probably I'm just super biased :)