The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicles, #1)

By Patrick Rothfuss.

Narrated by Rupert Degas.

Image From Goodreads

[Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the 
magically gifted young man who grows to be the 
most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.

The intimate narrative of his childhood in a
troupe of travelling players, his years spent as a
near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his
daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a
legendary school of magic, and his life as a
fugitive after the murder of a king form a 
gripping coming-of-age story unrivalled in recent
literature.

A high-action story written with a poet's hand,
The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that
will transport readers into the body and mind of
a wizard.]

Oh my god, I am loving listening to audiobooks. Why did I not do this sooner?!

I can't believe distributing audiobooks is one of my main tasks at work and it took me a good six months before I even thought about, just maybe, listening to one myself. 

Duh, what an idiot.

The Name of the Wind is a brilliant, intriguing, fascinating read (or listen in my case).

So far, I can determine that it is about a young man's adventure through childhood alone - after an unfortunate, tragic event occurs to his family - and his ambition to get to the university, so that he can finally learn about (and I presume track down) the people that took his family away from him so soon.

It is longggggg (just over 28 hours worth), but it is so worth it. Every detail and minor action is thought of, it is so beautiful.

I did struggle initially to get to grips with it, but I think that's only because of it's quite complex story (to begin with) as you're thrown right into the middle of it and have to learn all these new characters and places and events and terminology that Rothfuss just made up.

I did enjoy Rupert Degas's reading though, he can do a multitude of voices very well and I can clearly tell all of the characters apart from this.

I also absolutely loved the characters. I got so drawn into their lives that - even though there wasn't a whole lot of action action - you're completely intrigued by all of the mundane events that goes on. 

You end up really really rooting for Kvothe as he always seems to get himself into some sticky situations. You also forget that the whole thing is pretty much him telling his story to a scribe, occasionally flitting back to the present day.

The friendships (and even the enemy-relationships) are beautifully done. There is humour and knowledge and disbelief all entwined. And even though Kvothe is meant to be in his mid-teens, I can't help but root for him to get the girl.

It does say in the blurb that he's a wizard and I would just like to clarify for anyone who wants to read this that he isn't a wizard in the sense like Harry Potter, but it is a story that includes an underlying magical theme. 

Basically, whatever you think you know of magical literature, put it aside and be prepared to get something fresh and fantastic. 

I can't believe this was all just one day of him telling his story with the promise overall of three days (obviously within this one day he has told the majority of his childhood and teenage years).

I am definitely hooked on wanting to know what happens next, following his story as he grows into his adult years can only get more interesting I believe! 

(I am currently about 15 hours into the sequel which is an astonishing 43 hours long!!)

Absolutely brilliant.

The City of Mirrors

By Justin Cronin.

My God, I waited 6 months for this.

I pre-ordered it and everything.

And this epic finale has definitely not disappointed.

I even think this trilogy (The Passage and The Twelve also) has just overtaken The Lord of the Rings as my favourite novels.

Really.

[The plague that almost ended humanity
is finally over. For a new generation of
children, the once-feared virals have
begun to seem almost like imaginary
monsters, creatures from a fairy tale they
no longer believe in.

For Alicia, however, the bad dreams can
never be forgotten. And the voice in
those dreams is leading her towards one
of the great cities of The Time Before.
The ruined city of New York.

Ruined but not empty. For this is the
final refuge of Zero, the first and most
terrible product of the viral experiment.
And Alicia knows that the nightmare can
never truly be over until he is destroyed.

But what she finds is not what she's
expecting.

An opponent at once deadlier and
more human than she could ever have
imagined, who takes her on a terrifying
journey into the past to learn how it all
began.

And to find out how it must end.]

Can I just say? Justin Cronin is a God of literature and I am sorely tempted to pick up The Passage once more and start the trilogy all over again.

Seriously, the plot, the characters, the writing style, the imagery, everything = PERFECT.

I loved the backstory of Zero's character. Although the content of his history was almost mundane, boring in a way, the way it's written and just the pure fact you - as a reader - know what's coming is enough to keep you hooked.

The rest of the original characters (that are still alive) are back twenty years or so on. I must admit I was a little disappointed they were all grandparents at this stage. It created a whole new spin on their situation though.

As always, Cronin draws you in, building up for the tension to hit and he sure didn't hold back.

I don't even know what else there is to say that won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't read any of them.

It was a novel of heartbreak, beauty, friendship, love, soul-searching and a new beginning.

I can't suggest you read it enough.

---

Rating:
★★★★★★★★★★



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