The Wise Man’s Fear
by Patrick Rothfuss
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, 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.
The Wise Man’s Fear is the second novel in The Kingkiller Chronicle, sequel to The Name of the Wind, and is a story I couldn’t have been more eager to read. I finished The Name of the Wind about two months ago and since the exact moment I read the last line, I’d been steadily growing more and more excited and impatient to read The Wise Man’s Fear. I’d expected to read it sooner than I did but I kept pushing it back so I could properly enjoy it without feeling rushed.
It wouldn’t be much of an exaggeration to say two months have never felt so long.
I had no expectations as far as plot goes for this novel, but had rather high expectations for the experience of reading it on the whole. This isn’t a typical fantasy series focused around a pulse-pounding plot that makes it impossible to put down. The Kingkiller Chronicle is impossible to put down, but for reasons more focused on the incredible writing, characters, world and the slow building but intense intrigue around bigger mysteries that reveal themselves as we read about Kvothe’s day to day life.
The Wise Man’s Fear is only 6 pages short of 1,000 and even after spending that much time with Kvothe, I still want more. There’s a seamlessness to the writing, allowing readers to slip right back into the story where The Name of the Wind left off, first at the inn where the story is being told and then right back into the story itself, with young Kvothe at the University. Having not even read the synopsis for this book, I didn’t know to expect so much. I was perfectly content to sit and read for hours about Kvothe’s life at the University. The writing is so fantastic and the world is so fascinating that daily life with Kvothe as he works in the Fishery, plays his lute at Anker’s and takes his classes was enough to keep me enthralled. Much of The Name of the Wind was that way and it’s how The Wise Man’s Fear spent a good while in the beginning, so I was astounded by where this novel ended up going and just how much happened. This truly is the book where Kvothe starts doing the things that earn him the legend we know he’s going to have—and it’s amazing. The story moves flawlessly from location to location, exploit to exploit without it ever feeling disjointed. So much happened in this novel and Kvothe spent significant amounts of time in different locations and I think in another author’s hands, a story like this could’ve easily felt fragmented and cheesy as if it were trying to build up Kvothe’s legend with these happenings in an “Onto the next adventure!” way. However, with Rothfuss’s brilliance, everything unfolded organically and had no sense of trying to build Kvothe’s legend.
The Wise Man’s Fear still feels like The Name of the Wind in that there isn’t a normal sense of an overall plot guiding the story. There are certainly bigger overall questions that need answering and that guide some of Kvothe’s actions but they are woven into the story as a sort of undercurrent, a constant source of interest for Kvothe and readers but not driving the plot in the typical manner. This does not make for a less compelling story and shouldn’t been seen as something this story is lacking—it’s just a different type of story, one that takes its time and fills in all the details to make it the richest reading experience for readers possible. Again, as with The Name of the Wind, there is such a wonderful sense of storytelling to this novel. The current day Kvothe timeline, which is touched on occasionally throughout the novel, only provides more interest and makes readers wonder where young Kvothe’s story could possibly be going—because it certainly isn’t where we might expect it to go. I have my guesses regarding certain aspects of this story but honestly, anything could happen.
It was all terribly interesting and exciting. I didn’t want to put the book down. There constantly were new intriguing threads to follow and the exploration of the world of the Kingkiller Chronicle, The Four Corners of Civilization, was phenomenal. While looking back after finishing the book, we didn’t spend massive amounts of time in any one new place but while we were in a specific place or doing a specific thing, it felt like we could’ve spent the rest of the book there because of the attention every last detail was given. Nothing was brushed over or rushed. This world is fascinating and getting to experience some of the different cultures with Kvothe was enthralling. From the courtly politics of Severen and the importance of rings to life on the road searching for bandits, all the way to the strange but unique culture of the Adem, the Four Corners is a richly detailed world with all the complexity it takes to make a fantasy world feel incredibly real to readers. I love the importance of storytelling and music to Kvothe but also to the world in general (except Adem, of course) and love the inclusion of those things within the novel. Knowing what songs are favorites to hear while drinking in a pub and knowing the stories different groups of people share as they travel is what makes a world feel so real and come to life. I also loved the time spent in the Fae realm, where Felurian’s story about the moon quickly became one of my favorites.
I still love the magic system within this series. It’s inventive and unique but makes complete sense and is perfectly understandable. It almost feels like it should be real because it makes so much sense. More of this magic is seen within The Wise Man’s Fear, but less than I was expecting. I love that it’s not Kvothe’s only strength and that it’s not something he needs to rely on every second of the novel. It’s interesting to have a fantasy series that can use it both heavily and sparingly. Elodin’s classes on Naming were certainly interesting and I really enjoyed his abstract approach to magic and teaching when the rest of it is often more scientific. I also appreciated seeing other cultures’ views of magic and other types of magic, such as Felurian’s. This world just keeps getting richer and richer.
In case I haven’t made it clear already, the writing is fantastic. Phenomenal, descriptive, humorous and as easy to get swept up in as is imaginable. With all the new places and characters we meet, a story this long could get bogged down by details or not give enough details, making the characters and events seem shallow and flimsy. Rothfuss does it all perfectly. Every character felt incredibly real—they became people we know, not secondary characters brought in to fill a role. And the attention given to the different cultures was astounding. Everything felt unique, well fleshed out, and utterly realistic. I can’t praise the writing enough. I just loved it.
Kvothe is still a fantastic character. I love reading his perspective and that the sense of storytelling the novel has is coming from him as an adult. I love that he’s brilliant and self-aware but doesn’t go into either of the boxes readers might expect him to: a showoff everything comes easy to or someone with an “I didn’t ask for this” attitude. I find that the latter is quite common in fantasy and it’s boring. Kvothe is fully aware of his brilliance but is still a completely normal, likable person who has faults that could be expected of anyone as young as he is. And though he is brilliant, it isn’t lucky brilliance that’s there to make him always right or always the best. He puts the work in. And sometimes he’s wrong. He thirsts for knowledge and has a flair for the dramatic and is aware of the reputation he’s building for himself, quietly feeding it with small things like the perfect swish of a cloak. And while he’s genuinely good, he’s also very proud, willing to break rules and mouths off to the wrong people pretty consistently which keeps things interesting. He’s good but he’s not perfect and that makes him and the story compelling—you never quite know what he’s going to do next.
This was a fantastic book. I loved every second of reading it and I’m sad that it’s over. Wishing for a book that was nearly 1,000 pages to be longer is not something I do often, but I’m definitely wishing I had more of Kvothe’s story to read right now. I’m now one of the many, many other readers eagerly awaiting the release of the third novel in the series, The Doors of Stone.
I’m already impatient.
5/5
Have you read The Wise Man’s Fear? Did you love it as much as I did? Let me know what you thought in the comments!
Thanks for reading,
Madison