I just finished this audiobook and want to convey a few thoughts.
In general, this seemed like a highly recommended and well rated book, a “quintessential” among fantasy series. I don’t think it lived up to the hype. Certainly, that’s not to say the book was bad, there are many things to like about it, including the writing, but I didn’t think it was *that* good. This review will contain some general spoilers, so please bear that in mind if you have not read the book.
First, almost nothing happens. The entirety of the book is essentially a retelling of things that occurred previously. Within that retelling, very little occurs that seems relevant to what appears to be (or ought to be) the overall plot of the book, (i.e., Kvothe’s revenge against the Chandrian). So much of the book is devoted to intricate tellings of events that don’t appear to serve the overall plot. For example, the fight with the draccus. It’s almost like the author didn’t want to book to end, so he plugged in this whole adventure within an adventure, that, as far as we know in book 1, doesn’t serve the larger story. It’s an excursion and diversion for the sake of it.
Second, the retelling focuses on Kvothe’s youth. I don’t know if it is because of this that the whole book and its themes seem very YA (young adult). I for whatever reason thought this book would be geared more for an adult audience, and it at times felt more juvenile. I’m not sure whether this is because it’s focused mostly on a character in his youth, or if that is more the author’s general style. How many times to we have to observe and hear that Kvothe is inexperienced with women and can’t admit to himself that he has a crush on a girl? I suppose if you’re a 15 year old boy this could be easy to relate to, but if you’re an adult reader it becomes tedious.
Third, Kvothe is a very sympathetic character in some regards given his backstory, but he isn’t all that likeable. Sure, he does great things, but I found his personality a bit grating. For all the immaturity that Kvothe displays with women, he then turns around and tries to act with great authority and often in poor taste (e.g., he threatens to burn down the inn with the barkeep inside it in Trebon unless he gets his way). He is also very stubborn, even with those trying to help him. He is scarred by his past, but he refuses to explain that past to anyone, and rather allows his actions to be interpreted without the proper context and often to his detriment. Kvothe also does tons of things that he knows will get him in trouble. He has zero regard for any rules, so it’s difficult to sympathize when he gets in trouble, a lot of it is his own making (like sneaking into the archives).
There also is a lot of randomness and character’s actions don’t make sense. After the whole draccus incident, Denna makes her way back to Trebon, but just hops on a ship instead taking a couple minutes to stop in the town to check if Kvothe is there? I mean, the guy just saved her life.
Overall, we have no idea after the first book by the series is called the Kingkiller Chronicles. After one book in a three book series (yes, I know it isn’t finished), one would hope we at least have the general contours.
Anyway, I have a few predictions and a few questions to determine whether I will continue with the second book:
1. Denna is not who she seems. I think she is Chandrian. I was suspecting this given her suspicious and inexplicable comings and goings. I feel like it was confirmed when the young girl in Trebon described the woman on the Vase discovered at the Moffen farm.
2. Connected to point 1 above, the Chandrian are somehow “onto” Kvothe. They may not fully understand how or why, but they know someone is looking to cause trouble for them in the future. They are using Denna to get close to him.
3. It wasn’t Ambrose who hired the assassins. I don’t know who did.
Questions:
1. Does the second book pick up right where the first leaves off?
2. Does the second book follow the same format, where it is just a retelling of things that happened previously? Or does it move the plot forward at all in the present day?
3. Do we get any understanding of why this is called the Kingkiller Chronicles? Do we get any understanding of what’s going on in present day or what’s going on with the spider creatures that were randomly introduced and barely mentioned again?
4. Do we get any context around Bast, who he is, and how he fits into any of this?
Please DO NOT include spoilers for book 2. I may yet read it.
Thanks for reading and I’d be interested to hear any of your impressions of the book!
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by BlindTiger86