The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss is, hands down, the most well-written fantasy I've ever read. And, having worked in a bookstore for 8 years, I've done my fair share of reading. The story is just outstanding and compelling. And the writing is just...perfect.
If you haven't read it, I cannot recommend it highly enough.
If you have read it, join me in loving it.
There should always be a Kingkiller Chronicles thread.
Started by Kaytiii, Feb 07 2013 04:19 PM
11 replies to this topic
#2
Matty_poo
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 04:50 PM
I have not read it, you have 3 seconds to sell me...go! (been looking for a good fantasy story for a bit now, is it really that good?)
Mighty horse rocks, he rocks the fat ass.
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#3
Kaytiii
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 04:59 PM
I have not read it, you have 3 seconds to sell me...go! (been looking for a good fantasy story for a bit now, is it really that good?)
It is really that good. It has the high fantasy feel of LOTR/The Once And Future King/ect. with the coming of age wizard-ness of Harry Potter and a writing style that flows like some kind of natural poetry. It's about a guy named Kvothe. It's basically his life story. Though the actual presentation of the story is set up in such a way that Kvothe, in his middle age, is telling the story of his youth to someone with occasional jumps back to the present of his middle age and the shenanigans that are occurring there.
Just go to your local book store, find the book, and read the back. It will look like any other fantasy novel on the shelf but, make no mistake, it is not. And as for the author himself, the only other person I like as much as Patrick Rothfuss is Brandon Sanderson. And if you've never read Sanderson, go do that too. Specifically the Mistborn series.
#4
Diabolical_Jazz
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 08:56 PM
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It really is impossible to compare the Kingkiller Chronicles to much anything else. It doesn't resemble any other fantasy book I've ever read.
In a genre so entrenched in tropes and traditions, that's no mean feat. It's refreshing without being a deconstruction.
It really is as good as she's saying it is. ~nodnod~ Better, in fact. It's just impossible to express how good it is.
I am now joining in the loving of this book series.
...
..
.
Also, I offer to engage in an honorable bout of fisticuffs with anyone who suggests that the Song of Ice and Fire books are even *approaching* the same level of quality as the Kingkiller Chronicles. That's right! Have at thee, knaves!
It really is impossible to compare the Kingkiller Chronicles to much anything else. It doesn't resemble any other fantasy book I've ever read.
In a genre so entrenched in tropes and traditions, that's no mean feat. It's refreshing without being a deconstruction.
It really is as good as she's saying it is. ~nodnod~ Better, in fact. It's just impossible to express how good it is.
I am now joining in the loving of this book series.
...
..
.
Also, I offer to engage in an honorable bout of fisticuffs with anyone who suggests that the Song of Ice and Fire books are even *approaching* the same level of quality as the Kingkiller Chronicles. That's right! Have at thee, knaves!
I don't think he needs to be immortal. I think all he needs to do is to write the right story. Because some stories do live forever.
#5
Matty_poo
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 10:40 PM
Hey, I haven't read the Kingkiller Chronicles, but I like the song of ice and fire books 
Mighty horse rocks, he rocks the fat ass.
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#6
Diabolical_Jazz
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 10:50 PM
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Wheat thins are good, but strawberry rhubarb pie is incomparably better.
CTRL + Q to Enable/Disable GoPhoto.it
Wheat thins are good, but strawberry rhubarb pie is incomparably better.
I don't think he needs to be immortal. I think all he needs to do is to write the right story. Because some stories do live forever.
#7
Diabolical_Jazz
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 10:50 PM
STOP DOING THAT CTRL Q BLAH BLAH THING, BOARDS! D= GAH!
I don't think he needs to be immortal. I think all he needs to do is to write the right story. Because some stories do live forever.
#8
No-Danico
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Posted 07 February 2013 - 11:32 PM
Jazz is 100% correct, Rothfuss is the best author writing today. The way he switches narratives so seamlessly is amazing, it flows so smooth and slick. To compare the man to anyone nowadays is a disservice to him. Kvoth is one of the most human characters, and yet, he’s so fucking badass! The words to do him justice escape me, it shames me to admit, but they do. So I’ll just leave this:
‘My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.
"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.
"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.
I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.
My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.
But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."
I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.’
I read the first book in a day, letting nothing but ramen and pizza distract me. Oh Matty, if you only do as I suggest once in your life, let it be now, let it be this. Go find The Name of the Wind. (I’m not making a clever joke about chasing the wind like a rosy-cheeked student here, although it did make me chuckle)
‘My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.
"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.
"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.
I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.
My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.
But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."
I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.’
I read the first book in a day, letting nothing but ramen and pizza distract me. Oh Matty, if you only do as I suggest once in your life, let it be now, let it be this. Go find The Name of the Wind. (I’m not making a clever joke about chasing the wind like a rosy-cheeked student here, although it did make me chuckle)
My first novel, Seeds of Magic- Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, Sony Store
#9
Kaytiii
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Posted 08 February 2013 - 08:36 AM
What they said. Patrick Rothfuss is some kind of bearded god from the old world (or perhaps some new world) giving us all gifts in the form of literature. Sadly, those gifts come 7~ years apart.
#10
Bowsette
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Tentacular!
Posted 08 February 2013 - 08:44 AM
I might check it out at some point >.> I'm very picky with fantasy.
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#11
Diabolical_Jazz
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Posted 08 February 2013 - 08:48 AM
I might check it out at some point >.> I'm very picky with fantasy.
That is the best reason to read Rothfuss.
I'm incredibly picky about fantasy. Ridiculously so. Name a popular fantasy series and I probably hated it.
I don't think he needs to be immortal. I think all he needs to do is to write the right story. Because some stories do live forever.
#12
pkmnisgreat
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Posted 24 March 2013 - 05:53 PM
This was posted a while ago... but I'm super excited that I've finally found others who share my devotion to this amazing series.
I love how The Kingkiller Chronicle focuses on stories themselves... the art of storytelling, the hunt for knowledge and the pursuit of truth among tales that have been passed down for generations and embellished upon countless times. And I really like how the protagonist (Kvothe) isn't perfect. He's a bit conceited and, sometimes, self-involved.
The books are full of quotes I absolutely adore. And good humor:
“You can divide infinity an infinite number of times, and the resulting pieces will still be infinitely large,” Uresh said in his odd Lenatti accent. “But if you divide a non-infinite number an infinite number of times the resulting pieces are non-infinitely small. Since they are non-infinitely small, but there are an infinite number of them, if you add them back together, their sum is infinite. This implies any number is, in fact, infinite.”
“Wow,” Elodin said after a long pause. He leveled a serious finger at the Lenatti man. “Uresh. Your next assignment is to have sex. If you do not know how to do this, see me after class.”
I definitely recommend this series. I wish I could make my aSoIaF-obsessed friends see how amazing it is too. Alas, there is not nearly enough sex and gore to keep them entertained.
