Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Thursday 20 November 2014

The Name of the Wind

I have been reading speculative fiction/fantasy novels for well over twenty years, and don't expect to stop any time soon.

I read them for entertainment/amusement/comfort and as an escape.  I have a serious weakness for magic, far-away lands, different societies/cultures and dragons.  One or more of these will always suck me in.

Recently I picked up this book - the first in a series by an author I didn't know.


In my usual restrained fashion I guzzled it, but am in at least two minds about it.  I do hope that someone else in the blogosphere has read it and will tell me what they thought.

In some ways it is formulaic.  Which is not necessarily a bad thing.  A fresh and new slant on a familiar story is often a delight.

The main protagonist is male:  Check.
He was orphaned at an early age by a powerful and evil group:  Check.
He doesn't know why:  Check.
He was taught magic (known as sympathy in this series which intrigued me) by an older and somewhat mysterious figure:  Check.
True names for things have power:  Check.
He finds his way to a place of learning where he can learn more and hone his (already considerable) skills:  Check.
He is desperately poor.  Check.
At that school he find friends - and at least one enemy:  Check.
His aim is to track down (and naturally destroy) the enemy which annihilated his family:  Check.
He is a highly skilled musician.  Check.
He falls in love and the path to true love is anything but smooth:  Check.

There is at least one dragon.  Though I am not entirely comfortable with the concept of a flame-throwing, vegetarian, drug-addicted dragon.  And a dragon without magic strikes me as wrong. 

The writing is clear and evocative.  Even when I suspected I knew where the plot was heading I needed to read more.

I do have some reservations though.  This first novel in the series is over 650 pages long.  And the way it is structured it reads like a 'back story'.  A very, very long back story.  For much of the book we learn what has gone before as our 'hero' tells his story to someone who has stumbled into his life, and insists that it be written down - verbatim.  There are flashes to the present - where conflict and danger lurk, and lots of filling in of times past.

He has friends - but I am not entirely certain why.  They do favours for him, but he (at least in this novel) does little that is positive for anyone else (with the exception of a mentally damaged ex-student who lives in hiding beneath the school).  We get hints that he has done brave things, tremendous things - and dreadful things.  Legends about him abound, and he has largely retired into obscurity.  With a Fae student.  Who is deeply attached to him.   Why?  What is he teaching his student?  Why is he hiding?  Who or what is he hiding from?  Does he still have his powers?  He, and those around him are still in danger.  Probably from the group which slaughtered his family and friends.  Why?  How did they find him?  What do they want of him?

I will track down at least the next in the series - but hope that much more of it is written in the present.  But have my doubts.

Do any of you know this author or the series?   Should I persevere?


And, on a different note.  Thank you to those of you who suggested that since I loved the biography of Dorothea Bate I would also be interested in and enjoy Tracy Chevalier's 'Remarkable Creatures'.  I did.

101 comments:

  1. Interesting hearing the kinds of books you like. I am not into dragons, witches,demons or 'dark occult' subjects.

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    1. Margaret Adamson: There isn't much I won't read. And I have learnt so much from my reading...

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  2. Well, at least there is a plot, though it seems that it needs to be fleshed out.

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    1. Lisa: I am wondering whether part of the problem is that there is too much plot.

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  3. When I last read a book,I was in love with the supernatural, and this one of them. I hope it is anyrate.

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    1. Bob Bushell: We will see. I am so sorry that you lost reading - and so grateful that you still have photography.

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    2. Never mind, but I can read just a bit EC.

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    3. Bob Bushell: I love your attitude - and your photography. How is your new bathroom coming along?

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    4. It is coming together alright, but, he is doing the tiling.

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    5. Bob Bushell: Good. Nearly there.

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  4. Haven't read this particular author, I'll wait for further info. from you before looking into him.
    Have you read any Ursula K. LeGuin? Outwith her Earthsea series, which I enjoyed tremendously, I have loved The Left Hand of Darkness, Four Ways To Forgiveness and, well, nearly everything I've read by her, lol.

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    1. Jaquelineand...: I have indeed read (and enjoyed) Ursula LeGuin. And loved the Earthsee trilogy.

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  5. I'm useless. I can't help you. I've never heard of the author or the book. It's not one that I would normally read...so that's not unusual.

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    1. Lee: Not useless at all. And it seems that few people know of this author.

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  6. No. I have not heard of the book - or the author, for that matter. It does, however, sounds much (and I say that lightly) like Harry Potter.

    And because of that, I'd keep reading it.

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    1. Wendy: It shares some things with Harry Potter - but is very, very different. Not, I think, as well constructed either.
      And yes, I will certainly track down at least the next in the series, and make a final judgement after reading it.

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  7. You like dragons, huh? How 'bout friendly trolls, ogres, and goblins? Sneaks gnomes? I have a series that needs new covers badly...but. You say the word and you can have any of my Black Lake novels. I'm re-editing book 4 right now.

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    1. R. Mac Wheeler: I LOVE dragons. And have a weakness for trolls and ogres as well. Goblins too. And some of the fae. Which of your Black Lake novels do you advise me to start with?

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  8. Shades of Harry Dresden with heavy leanings towards Harry Potter then? I was intrigued at first by your descriptions but then...650 pages of slightly confusing back story? I'll see if any library here has it, but I won't spend money on something I may not enjoy. I've never heard of Patrick Rothfuss

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    1. River: There is nothing wrong with the content - it is the structure I have problems with I think. And yes, see whether the library has it.

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  9. Sorry I haven't read this or know the author. I hadn't thought about it, but a dragon without magic does seem wrong.

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    1. Mason Canyon: Dragons can be good, dragons can be evil. But (in my head) they ARE powerful and magic. And wise.

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  10. Dear EC
    Have you tried the Draykon series by Charlotte English? (She is a friend of mine but that isn't the only reason I suggested her!). She writes about fantasy and other worlds, so you might enjoy the stories. She also has a series called the Malykant Mysteries which is a murder mystery series with an interesting twist, which I really enjoy. The latest Peter Grant (Rivers of London) is also out now although it seems to have had mixed reviews. It's on my wish list!
    Best wishes
    Ellie

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    1. Ellie Foster: A new book in the Rivers of London series? Oooh. It will be on my must have list. Bad reviews or not.
      And thank you for the heads up about Charlotte English. I am always grateful to discover new authors.

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    2. A new Rivers of London?? oh boy! title? I'll have to see if my son is finished with the first three and get them home again.

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    3. River: Foxglove Summer it is. Woo Hoo.

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  11. "Should I persevere?"

    If you need to ask the question, probably not, for every time I have been told to persevere with a book the attempt at perseverance has not achieved the result that the person advising me to persevere thought that it would... which is my long-winded way of saying only you can provide the answer. Thanks for persevering through my comment (if you did).

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    1. Andrew Maclaren-Scott: You are right - only I can make the decision. Only one other blogger has read any of the series - and she loved it. I suspect I will test the waters with at least the next one in the series. And will probably weaken.
      And, of course I perservered through your comment.

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  12. Good review. Dragons may sleep anywhere, and do as they please!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>

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    1. Cloudia: Not really a review. A reaction perhaps? And yes, dragons are even more self-willed than cats.

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  13. I completely agreed with your checklist for The Name of the Wind - too funny! More so because I've read this and the next book in the series and loved them to death. I had no idea they were so formulaic! I do think that Rothfuss did a fabulous job of creating his own version of all those things. Especially the magic and the school. But it might help if you already love this genre.

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    1. mshatch: At last someone else who has read it. You are very right about the development of magic. I found it fascinating. And the school had some real pluses as well. It is the structure of this first novel which I found irritating.
      And I do love the genre. Lord of the Rings might have been the start - but I have never stopped.

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  14. You write such good reviews. I haven't read this genre of novels, but the dreagon sounds intriguing, as well as all the unanswered questions you identified. Hope you enjoy the next one.

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    1. Myrna R.: Thank you. This is a genre I have read for years, and expect to read for many more. And unanswered questions are probably the reason I will read at least the next one in the series.

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  15. Hmmm. I read a lot of speculative fiction, but I haven't heard of this writer. And from your review, I won't be rushing out to look for it!

    I'm about to read the Golem and the Djinni, which I see on your list on the right here. I hope it's good - the reviews I've seen have been excellent.

    Neil Gaiman is on my best ever writers list, for sure!
    :)

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    1. Alexia: I LOVED The Golem and the Djinni. And will read any other book she writes. John Wiswell first waved it past my weak-willed gaze and I really, really don't regret reading it. And will reread it too.
      And yes to Neil Gaiman too.

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  16. http://shelf-life.ew.com/2013/06/11/great-fantasy-patrick-rothfuss-name-of-the-wind/

    Seems to get good reviews and press for the trilogy, some big names endorsing the author and the books. Maybe I'll read them now, then I'll tell you what I think.

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    1. Strayer: I don't usually let celebrity/big name reviews tempt me. I prefer to hear from readers.
      And would love you to read this series and tell me what you think.

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  17. At the beginning, that sounded a LOT like Harry Potter :P

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    1. Michael D'Agostino: There are similarities but he is always a LOT more mature than Harry. And darker...

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  18. I read one type of genre until I get to a book that I feel I could write the middle and end. It is not that it is bad, but rather I I have read enough and it is time to find something else to keep my interest. Maybe you should try something completely different fo awhile and then go back to that series. What you once found predictable might become new again.

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    1. Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe: I read a lot of genres and mix and match. Perhaps you are right and I need a break before I investigate the second in this series. I have read five since The Name of the Wind, and none have been speculative fiction.

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  19. Love your book talks, EC! Not sure about this one but it does seem to have a lot of pluses. I'd want my dragon to be magical, definitely. Must have "powers". About to read the latest Rivers of London, introduced to the series by you, so thank you for that.

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    1. Carol: Despite the fact that I cannot afford it and need to be on an austerity drive I have just odered the latest Ben Aaronovitch. Librarygirl introduced me to the series and I am beyond grateful.

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  20. The Name of the Wind? Mariah. Okay, that is from a song. Do you know it?

    That book sounds like Harry Potter. I loved that series. I like back stories. I write lots of back story when I write.

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    1. Practical Parsimony: I do indeed know of the wind they call Mariah.
      This book has some similarities to Harry Potter - and some very big differences. It is certainly not derivative.
      I like back story myself, but prefer it defined and stable. The format of this novel drifted from back story to current too often for my liking.

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    2. Too much drifting from back story to current usually has me tossing the book back on the shelf. I've recently read Michael Robotham's Life or Death which has a fair bit of drift, but the story line was good enough to keep me reading.

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    3. River: And I don't know why it was written that way - and may be too irritated to perservere.

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  21. I started this a couple of years ago but it didn't hold me. It was a present from a friend. I've less time left to live every day so I need books that hook me, and keep me hooked these days heh.

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    1. All Consuming: Lots of books hook me. Lots and lots of books. And sometimes I wish I could give them up quicker than I do. Sometimes.

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  22. Sorry -- I've never heard of it. Although I have to admit I'd at least give it a shot.

    I recently read one of the Odd Thomas novels. The first one I enjoyed, the next two just annoyed me, so I shan't be reading a fourth. But hey, you gotta give 'em a chance, right?

    :-)

    Pearl

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    1. Pearl: Odd Thomas? Something else for me to check out. And yes, they do deserve a chance. Sometimes several chances.

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  23. That "boycott American women" has even made it to YOUR blog, EC. I have removed him at least four times in the last month. Anyway, I enjoyed reading about this book but think I'll wait since I really enjoyed well structured and well written books. This one doesn't sound quite like my cup of tea. But I always enjoy reading your reviews. :-)

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    1. DJan: The boycott American women bore is a frequent visitor here. Sigh. I wonder whether he has ever thought that perhaps some of his difficulties might relate to the person he is... Nah. He is perfect.

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  24. I enjoyed the review. I think I would probably read at least one more book to see where that one goes.

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    1. DeniseinVA: I probably will. But not immediately.

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  25. You've intrigued me, if I can pick up a copy of this book I shall give it a go. He's apparently a college lecturer as well, that's quite interesting and I'm curious to know more about that as well.

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    1. Karen S.: Time spent exploring books is never wasted is it?

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    2. Never! It's a favorite thing of mine to do!

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  26. So speculative fiction is the same as fantasy?

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    1. Stephanie Faris: Speculatitve fiction is a very broad genre. It covers any fiction with supernatural, fantastical, or futuristic elements.

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  27. I don't mind long stories if they're good. Naming the magic 'sympathy' is kind of cool. And I was nodding about rotten people having friends. How does that happen?? lol

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    1. mail4rosey: I like long books. I am much more likely to complain that a book is too short than the opposite. And yes the sympathy label is one I really like.

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  28. I love long books if they're good! I also like reading sci-fi and fantasy.

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    1. ladyfi: I agree. On all counts. When it comes down to it, I just like reading - and the genre is probably the least important part of it.

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  29. Don't you just love to find a new author that thrills you!!! I don't know this writer but then I don't read much fantasy at all. Think Madeleine L'Engle was about it.

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    1. Bookie: So many books, so little time. A quest that I hope to die continuing.

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  30. I love dragons and got into a few fantasy stories and of course Harry Potter but not much beyond so I am no help...but if you enjoyed it and want to read more ...do it!

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    1. Donna@LivingFromHappiness: I love dragons too. And a powerless vegetarian dragon with some subtance abuse issues is still making me scratch my head.

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  31. Rothfuss is an enormously popular Fantasy novelist, both internationally and among my friends. His novel was not for me, though. Too much goes too well for Kvothe, and too many of the things that are supposed to be terrible don't seem to actually have longstanding effects on him. For instance, if he's been injured as many times as he claims in this book, then the man narrating the story should be a brain in a jar, and a fairly damaged brain.

    I've also had several friends turn violently against Book 2. Something about how good Kvothe is at sex. Him being good at anything is not a surprise to me.

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    1. John Wiswell: Thank you. I needed to hear that. And yes, he recovers from trauma remarkably well. And of course he is good at everything. With minimal or no tuition.

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  32. Let me see if I can lay my hands on this book. Sounds interesting!

    www.volatilespirits.com

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    1. Anumpama K Mazumba: Welcome - and please let me know what you think when you have read it.

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  33. I do not know the title or the author but just from the cover and the fact that it is 650 pages, I would never have picked it up. Good luck.

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    1. Gtannie Annie: I like long books. I have problems holding very heavy books though. Paperbacks all the way for me.

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  34. I don't read much in this genre, so I haven't heard of this book or author. However, I DO like the idea of a "fire-breathing, vegetarian, drug-addicted" dragon. That tickles my funny bone. (Kinda like the dragon Eliot in the old movie "Pete's Dragon": he's all big and scary-looking, but when he screws up his face like he's gonna make this big horrific roar, he breathes a teeny tiny little... boo!) Come to think of it, I may relate a little to the dragon in the book you're reading now. I do eat a lot of vegetables, and some of them make me breathe fire, so to speak. Ergo, an "addiction" of sorts to a prescribed acid-blocker...

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    1. Susan: Nope. Dragons should be powerful, wise and dangerous. And this one didn't qualify. It was big, and inadvertantly dangerous - but wisdom was conspicuous for its absence. And noooo magic.

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  35. You may have read these, I enjoyed them very much,The Dragon riders of Pern, by Anne McCaffrey, it's an easy read good story line. The Sorcerer's Ring by Morgan Rice, they don't get to dragons until book 12. I used to love reading books until double vision from m.s. took it out of reach. Thank's to Google play I have started reading again. It's not the same as holds a book, I really miss curling up with a good book,however it works!

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    1. Mary K Mennenga: I thoroughly enjoyed 'The Dragon Riders of Pern' and still reread them at intervals. Thank you for tipping me off about The Sourcerer's Ring. I am always grateful to have my bookish obsession fed.
      MS only affects my eyesight intermittently. I have had double-vision to the point where I was effectively blind - but it was fortunately very short lived. I am so glad that you have been able to reclaim some of the reading joy.

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  36. Sorry, I'm of no help with this. But I do notice that you recently (at least judging from its position near the top of your list) read The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. Was that your first of hers? I just wanted to say that if you were new to her writing and enjoyed it, you will enjoy all her others as well. It's been years since I read them - maybe it's time to do some re-reading.

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    1. jenny_o: I had read others of her books ( a long time ago) but for some reason not this one. Which was excellent. And yes, I need to do some re-reading. Of her, and of rather a lot of other people.

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  37. There are many Hawaiian names for different winds. But in general, we call the wind KAMAKANI

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    1. Cloudia: But does the wind answer to its name(s)?

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  38. I don't know this author, but I LOVE the illustration on the cover.

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    1. Lynn: I am not terribly visual. Covers are more likely to put me off than draw me in. It is the words which get to me.

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  39. Sounds like an interesting book. You know, I don't read much fiction at all anymore, and it used to be all I read. All I read is non-fiction - humor books or memoir. Strange, huh? Have a great weekend, my friend!

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    1. Dawn@Lighten Up!: I read a lot of memoirs too. And biographies. And autobiographies. And fantasy. And mysteries. And literature. Not much humour though. At the moment anyway.

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  40. "The Hitchhikers' Guide..." Scientific fantasy unparalleled! The move was an imaginative adaptation, too.

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    1. Gordon Barlow: Welcome. Hitchhikers Guide was a classic wasn't it? I have read it several times - and will again.

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  41. I haven't read anything by this author, but I do love fantasy. I hope the second one is written more in the present! It does sound like it has many great aspects to it. Thanks for sharing and can't wait to hear your thoughts on book two!
    ~Jess

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    1. DMS: I will probably get to the second - with some trepidation after John Wiswell's comment. But yes, I am very fond of fantasy as well. In books and in my head...

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  42. Interesting, Sue.
    I read some of your other suggestions, completely out of my genre, but they were GOOD. For example, the one about the female serial killer. OMGgggggosh. I really hated her!

    xxxxx

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    1. My Inner Chick: She was beyond nasty wasn't she? And continues to be evil even in jail.

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  43. Don't know the author and it doesn't sound like my cup of tea at all so will give it a miss. Phil has read The Hobbit and the other books in the series but I either lack imagination (yet I loved Alice in Wonderland and Secret Garden) or find them too difficult to follow. My aged mind needs simpler reading matter these days, i.e. Lee Child and Michael Robotham to name a couple.

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    1. Mimsie: Not a problem. All of our reading tastes/needs are different. And most of them can be met.

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  44. I've read everything by Tracy Chevalier - and she is one of those authors whose books I only put down to eat, work out, or pee.

    I think I'll get the book you are writing about in case I have insomnia.

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    1. Riot Kitty: Remarkable Creatures was fascinating. I will certainly track down more of her work - when my unread tower diminishes a little.
      The Name of the Wind wasn't sleep inducing precisely - but I was certainly irritated. And it has occurred to me that I don't like the main protagonist. I want to know what he did next - but I don't like him...

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  45. Hell there, I'm back to answer your question if Kosher salt tastes different from regular table salt. Not really, the only difference is the size of the grain. Kosher is much larger and so you might get more zip. This is what I got off line for you as I was curious also.

    “Regular” or “table” salt does usually contain an anti-clumping agent, like calcium silicate or sodium ferrocyanide, and iodine. Kosher salt usually doesn’t contain either of these things, though occasionally some manufacturers do put an anti-clumping agent in. But this is rare and even when they do, it’s usually much less than is in table salt.

    Hope that clears it up for you. I started using Kosher salt and sea salt a couple of years ago and don't really use anything else now.

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    1. DeniseinVA: Thank you. I realised I could have googled - but I wanted to hear from someone who has tasted it. And I probably won't try and track any down. I use MUCH more salt to clean than I do to cook.

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