Publishing Information: Kindle Edition; 1008 pages
Publisher: DAW; 1 March 2011
ISBN 10: 0756404738
ISBN 13: 978-0756404734
ASIN: B00475AYJQ
Series: Kingkiller Chronicles Day 2
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson
Synopsis: "There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."
My name is Kvothe.
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.
So begins the tale of a hero told from his own point of view-a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man's Fear, Day Two of The Kingkiller Chronicle, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King's road.
All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived...until Kvothe.
In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time."
When The Name of the Wind came out a few years ago, I was blown away at the narrative. Rothfuss was able to tell a tale we have already heard countless times and make it original. His characters were gripping, his story was hard to put down, and when I reached the end I wanted nothing more than to continue the story. It has taken a little longer than I wanted, but with great anticipation Wise Man's Fear has finally been released.
In Wise Man's Fear we continue the story of Kvothe and we were hoping that we would learn much more about his life and how he became infamous. Unfortunately, that just is not the case. The novel still manages to capture the imagination; however, it does not advance the story very far. When the second book opens up we pick up right were we left off and a good portion stays with his time at the University. Once we get away from the school of magic, I was hoping for a major advancement to the story instead Kvothe tells of two side quests which do in fact add to his growing legend but fail to really go anywhere when the big picture is taken into account. Wise Man's Fear also felt very padded. While Rothfuss does a great job of storytelling, I felt that more editing would have made the sequel move a little quicker and not felt so repetitious. There was a lot of images and ideas that felt repeated. Even when Kvothe leaves the University and ends up going to a famed Adem mercenary training camp he nearly has the same experiences that he had while he attended school to learn magic. Simply switch out book learning for soul searching, magic for sword and hand to hand combat and you have a nearly identical situation. He is once again shunned by peers and slowly gains the help of his "classmates" while rising the ire of others. Kvothe's education continues to new and epic heights, he never really learns to think to very far into the future. He has an education but has yet to show any real wisdom, this could perhaps could be due to his youth but it still is a little infuriating.
All of the supporting cast from the first novel are present in Wise Man's Fear and many are brought a little closer to the forefront of the story for a good portion of the book which is nice to see. While the first portion of the book is set back at the University, many of his professors are finally given reasons for their actions and it was interesting to see some of the politics that goes on between them. We also have a fair number of new players in the story. Kvothe encounters the Fae as well as gaining some influence with the nobility which add to his growing legend. The portion of the book where Kvothe meets Felurian, was quite good, it also gives us a sneak peek at what we may be encountering in the third novel in the series. Some of the supporting characters lead interesting lives and I would have liked to know more about their backgrounds but that was not to be. Kvothe also gets a little closer to learning more about the Chandrian and his ultimate goal of confronting them.
For the few faults that are present in Wise Man's Fear, Rothfuss proves that he is not a one hit wonder. If you enjoyed The Name of the Wind you will enjoy Wise Man's Fear just as much. There are times when the book feels a little padded or at least repeating itself to a certain degree which is why I gave it an average overall score. Rothfuss still goes to show us how he can weave an interesting tale and since this book did little to advance the story as far as the big picture is concerned it does a great job of building up his legend. I still feel that a portion of the story could have been edited out to ease the repetition but with not much advancement in the story it should make for a quick paced and action packed finale.
Plot 8
Characters 9
Style 10
Overall 7/10
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar