The Wise Man's Fear
My friends warned me that while The Wise Man's Fear was a good follow-up, it wasn't as good as The Name of the Wind. I'd heard that there were pacing issues, that it was too drawn out and took too long to end.
I must disagree. I liked the sequel even more than the first book. There was more adventure, more heroics, more epic mistakes. I had no issues with pacing, thinking it was perfect pretty much throughout. I liked spending time in Faerie and Ademre. I liked the way the book slowly wound down for the last hundred pages. I liked the way Rothfuss gathered up all the loose threads while still leaving plenty to wonder about for the final installment. I cannot wait to see how this story wraps up.
I'm going to split this up geographically in an effort to organize my thoughts. There was just so much in this book that I want to talk about and gush over. That means that this got a bit long, but that's to be expected given how long the book was.
The University
I was a little surprised that we spent so much time at the University. I guess I didn't really expect any of this book to take place there. I was eager for more adventures (and I'm still waiting for Kvothe to get expelled). But I was happy we spent as much time here as we did. The University is starting to feel like home, and the characters there like a family.
Kvothe's struggles with naming were really entertaining. Especially because he simply doesn't understand something that really should make a lot of sense to him. The subtlety of naming is, as Elodin points out, a lot like the subtlety of Kvothe's music. It's not something you can just explain. The way Elodin dances around the subject is also very similar to the way Kvothe dances around both Denna and Auri as he slowly gains their friendship. In fact, it's Kvothe's relationship with Auri that finally convinces Elodin he's worth teaching. But Kvothe is so blind to this fact. It would be frustrating if it weren't so entertaining. The boy is too clever for his own good.
Kvothe's refusal to tell the details of the trial made me laugh. It seemed a bit meta, like Rothfuss was explaining to the reader that this was his story and he would tell it how he liked. It makes some other parts of the book work better, like Kvothe's lack of detail about his journey to and from Severen, or the way he skips around in time with Felurian and the Adem. Maybe that's just me, though. It could be that this is the passage that convinced me to accept what others called a weird pacing with few complaints. The story worked for me, and I never felt like it was unnecessarily bogged down or drawn out. Rothfuss spent exactly as much time on each piece as he wanted to.
Severen
The time in Severen was lots of fun. Having Kvothe hang out with the nobility as a way of delving into some of the politics and history of the region was really smart. I liked all of the shades of meaning with the rings, how Kvothe managed to secure the Maer's trust, and all the time he spent playing Tak with Bredon. I can't be the only person who assumes that Tak is basically Go.
My favorite part of Severen was all the time Kvothe got to spend with Denna. Up until their disastrous fight, they really seemed to be getting closer. Denna seemed more willing to open up to Kvothe. Alas, it was not to be. She just isn't capable of that level of trust. More even than in the first book, Denna reminds me of the girl in this song:
I'm so curious about Denna. I want to learn about her past almost more than I want to learn the rest of Kvothe's story. She's a complete mystery. The time Kvothe spent tracking and eavesdropping on her helped fill in a few blanks, but it also raised even more questions. Every time I think she's on the verge of making a breakthrough she dashes off the page again and I'm left hoping that it won't be too long before she reappears.
I really hope that she and Kvothe are able to move past their argument about Lanre and become as close as they were in Severen, or maybe even closer. The end of the book doesn't give me much hope for this, but there's a sliver. In the meantime, I really want to go back an compile a list of every seven-word statement Kvothe makes to her. I think this could hold a key to the puzzle that is Denna.
The Eld
Hanging out with the mercenaries in the woods for a few weeks was a lot of fun. Marten was my favorite of the group. But it was great to watch Dedan and Hespe dance around each other and finally fall in love. And the friendship that sprung up between Tempi and Kvothe was a thing of beauty. I liked all of their interactions and the way they taught their languages to each other. I also really liked the idea that the Adem use their hands to add nuance to their language and convey emotions. It builds nicely on the earlier knowledge that they're constantly fidgeting.
The battle with the bandits when Kvothe and company finally find their encampment was probably the most exciting scene in the entire book. It was so great to see Kvothe use his magic. It was even better to see the limits of that magic, and to watch him work around them. Using sympathy to ground the tree and "call down lightning" was brilliant. Plus we got another brief encounter with one of the Chandrian. I'm guessing we'll see Cinder, and maybe even Haliax, again in the next book. I can't wait for that showdown (maybe that's how Kvothe loses his powers).
Fae
Rothfuss just nailed the Fae. He likes to play with tropes, to bend and occasionally break rules (see the dragon in The Name of the Wind as an excellent example of this). But there are some rules you don't break, and he respected that. These rules include things like never telling anyone your true name and never stepping off the path. Rothfuss played directly into my expectations in this section, and it was beautiful.
The Fae don't have anything like what a human would consider morals. In some ways, it seems as though they are pure id. But this isn't exactly the truth Kvothe mentions that they don't have a moral compass comparable to humanity's, and this is reflected in the physical compass of the Faen. Instead of north and south, they have day and night. In place of east and west, future and past. They don't operate in the same dimensions as us, but they doesn't mean they don't follow rules of their own. Bast is a good example of this different, but not absent, moral compass. His commentary during this section helps illuminate some things that even Kvothe didn't know.
I was never terribly worried that Kvothe would get stuck in the Fae, spending years or decades there while the world continues on without him. He tells his friends that he will meet them at the inn in three days. And I knew that he would. That's just how these things work.
Initially I was a little surprised that Kvothe didn't leave after his first night with Felurian. Their battle of wills was epic and exciting, but I really did expect him to leave right after that. When it became clear he wasn't going to, I settled in to enjoy his time in Faerie. It ended up containing some of my favorite passages in the book.
In addition to the battle of wills, I really liked the Cthaeh and the story of the moon. As I said, Rothfuss knows which rules he can't break. As soon as Kvothe stepped off the path, I knew something terrible would happen. He really is too clever for his own good in the passage. For as many stories as he knows, you'd think he would know that you never leave the path when you're in the Fae. No good can come of it. But he's too arrogant for that, too curious about the tree.
I'm really excited to see what comes of the Cthaeh's preditions. Bast's reaction is what drove home how terrible that passage was, how much danger Kvothe created for himself and the world. I'm sure this will end up being important in the next book. And it just serves to reinforce that Kvothe's life is on a tragic trajectory. He's not going to save the world in the end. He probably won't even be able to save himself.
By far my favorite passage in the book is the bit where Felurian is telling Kvothe the story of the moon. The two of them fall into iambic tetrameter and the rhythm of their conversation is just beautiful. Here's an excerpt (with Kvothe's lines italicized):
This passage takes on even more meaning when contrasted with a conversation between Denna and Kvothe towards the end of the book. She begins speaking in iambic pentameter, but when Kvothe tries to match her she breaks the pattern. Here's that bit of their conversation:
Maybe in the next book they'll finally make a connection, but I'm beginning to fear that Denna's story will be even more tragic than Kvothe's
Ademre
The culture that Rothfuss creates for the Adem made me happy in so many ways. They tend more towards the martial arts than being a warrior culture, which I hadn't been expecting initially. But it worked well, The Adem are the best fighters around and because of that they don't have to fight. They are an impressively non-violent culture, given how much of their lives revolve around fighting and training.
What struck me most was the gender reversal. We got early hints of this with Tempi, who was flattered every time someone told him that he "fought like a woman". He also chose to be complimented by the thug who implied that his mom was the kind of woman men would pay to have sex with.
All of this leads up to the rather brilliant reveal that women are considered superior by the Adem. It's the men who are too emotional (specifically too angry) to remain focused during a fight. It's the men who have to work twice as hard to be half as good. And this is just underscored by the fact that everyone Kvothe interacts with in Ademre is female. His teacher, the head of the school, the young girl he spars with, the old woman who names him, the best fighter of all, and the one who holds a grudge and believes he should be killed (but still keeps her cool and trounces him when they fight hand to hand). I loved everything about the time Kvothe spent in Ademre.
Okay, that's not entirely true. I find it hard to believe that a culture as civilized and enlightened as the Adem has failed to make the connection between sex and babies. They even know that this is how plants and animals reproduce. Yet they believe that humans (or at least they) are so far removed from animals that this doesn't hold true for them. This stretched beyond the point of believability. It's implied that this lack of paternity as a concept is what leads to the society in which gender roles are reversed, which I didn't really like. Can't we have a matriarchal society in which men still have some worth? But it's a small detail. For the most part I loved the Adem.
I laughed out loud during the scene where Kvothe receives his sword. It was so similar to Harry choosing his wand that, in my mind, he was suddenly emitting sparks from the ends of the swords when performing the Ketan. I wonder if it was meant to be an homage (I wouldn't be surprised).
Unlike the scenes with Felurian, I was honestly worried for Kvothe's safety for most of his stay in Ademre. I truly believed he would end up needing to flee by night in order to save his own skin. I'm really glad he was able to depart on good terms with everyone. And I hope the Adem show up again in later books.
Home Again
As I said in the beginning, I really like the way this book winds down. We get one last heroic adventure in which Kvothe saves a couple of young girls and adds to his reputation a story that paints him as both a hero and a monster, depending on your point of view. He essentially destroys the relationships he built up in Severen by admitting to being Edema Ruh and makes his way home rich, but not as well off has he had hoped. Kvothe has learned a lot and stoked his reputation quite a bit. My favorite part is that he has friends, Simmon and Wilem and Elodin, who he can tell the whole truth to. He's willing to let them see the facts behind the rumors.
It was nice to see him go home, spend time with his friends, and end the book the happiest he's been since before his parents died. It takes time to gather all these different threads and paint a picture of contentment for Kvothe, but it allowed me to slip into the same contentment. I'm just worried because I know this can't last. He's going to be expelled. He's going to lose all of his friends. He's going to learn as much magic as Taborlin the Great and come to lose it all and his music besides. So I'll take the happiness while I can get it and keep Kvothe preserved in this state of bliss while I wait for the final book to come out.
Other Thoughts
Okay, there's a lot more that I liked, but don't have full coherent thoughts about. Have a list
I must disagree. I liked the sequel even more than the first book. There was more adventure, more heroics, more epic mistakes. I had no issues with pacing, thinking it was perfect pretty much throughout. I liked spending time in Faerie and Ademre. I liked the way the book slowly wound down for the last hundred pages. I liked the way Rothfuss gathered up all the loose threads while still leaving plenty to wonder about for the final installment. I cannot wait to see how this story wraps up.
I'm going to split this up geographically in an effort to organize my thoughts. There was just so much in this book that I want to talk about and gush over. That means that this got a bit long, but that's to be expected given how long the book was.
The University
I was a little surprised that we spent so much time at the University. I guess I didn't really expect any of this book to take place there. I was eager for more adventures (and I'm still waiting for Kvothe to get expelled). But I was happy we spent as much time here as we did. The University is starting to feel like home, and the characters there like a family.
Kvothe's struggles with naming were really entertaining. Especially because he simply doesn't understand something that really should make a lot of sense to him. The subtlety of naming is, as Elodin points out, a lot like the subtlety of Kvothe's music. It's not something you can just explain. The way Elodin dances around the subject is also very similar to the way Kvothe dances around both Denna and Auri as he slowly gains their friendship. In fact, it's Kvothe's relationship with Auri that finally convinces Elodin he's worth teaching. But Kvothe is so blind to this fact. It would be frustrating if it weren't so entertaining. The boy is too clever for his own good.
Kvothe's refusal to tell the details of the trial made me laugh. It seemed a bit meta, like Rothfuss was explaining to the reader that this was his story and he would tell it how he liked. It makes some other parts of the book work better, like Kvothe's lack of detail about his journey to and from Severen, or the way he skips around in time with Felurian and the Adem. Maybe that's just me, though. It could be that this is the passage that convinced me to accept what others called a weird pacing with few complaints. The story worked for me, and I never felt like it was unnecessarily bogged down or drawn out. Rothfuss spent exactly as much time on each piece as he wanted to.
Severen
The time in Severen was lots of fun. Having Kvothe hang out with the nobility as a way of delving into some of the politics and history of the region was really smart. I liked all of the shades of meaning with the rings, how Kvothe managed to secure the Maer's trust, and all the time he spent playing Tak with Bredon. I can't be the only person who assumes that Tak is basically Go.
My favorite part of Severen was all the time Kvothe got to spend with Denna. Up until their disastrous fight, they really seemed to be getting closer. Denna seemed more willing to open up to Kvothe. Alas, it was not to be. She just isn't capable of that level of trust. More even than in the first book, Denna reminds me of the girl in this song:
I'm so curious about Denna. I want to learn about her past almost more than I want to learn the rest of Kvothe's story. She's a complete mystery. The time Kvothe spent tracking and eavesdropping on her helped fill in a few blanks, but it also raised even more questions. Every time I think she's on the verge of making a breakthrough she dashes off the page again and I'm left hoping that it won't be too long before she reappears.
I really hope that she and Kvothe are able to move past their argument about Lanre and become as close as they were in Severen, or maybe even closer. The end of the book doesn't give me much hope for this, but there's a sliver. In the meantime, I really want to go back an compile a list of every seven-word statement Kvothe makes to her. I think this could hold a key to the puzzle that is Denna.
The Eld
Hanging out with the mercenaries in the woods for a few weeks was a lot of fun. Marten was my favorite of the group. But it was great to watch Dedan and Hespe dance around each other and finally fall in love. And the friendship that sprung up between Tempi and Kvothe was a thing of beauty. I liked all of their interactions and the way they taught their languages to each other. I also really liked the idea that the Adem use their hands to add nuance to their language and convey emotions. It builds nicely on the earlier knowledge that they're constantly fidgeting.
The battle with the bandits when Kvothe and company finally find their encampment was probably the most exciting scene in the entire book. It was so great to see Kvothe use his magic. It was even better to see the limits of that magic, and to watch him work around them. Using sympathy to ground the tree and "call down lightning" was brilliant. Plus we got another brief encounter with one of the Chandrian. I'm guessing we'll see Cinder, and maybe even Haliax, again in the next book. I can't wait for that showdown (maybe that's how Kvothe loses his powers).
Fae
Rothfuss just nailed the Fae. He likes to play with tropes, to bend and occasionally break rules (see the dragon in The Name of the Wind as an excellent example of this). But there are some rules you don't break, and he respected that. These rules include things like never telling anyone your true name and never stepping off the path. Rothfuss played directly into my expectations in this section, and it was beautiful.
The Fae don't have anything like what a human would consider morals. In some ways, it seems as though they are pure id. But this isn't exactly the truth Kvothe mentions that they don't have a moral compass comparable to humanity's, and this is reflected in the physical compass of the Faen. Instead of north and south, they have day and night. In place of east and west, future and past. They don't operate in the same dimensions as us, but they doesn't mean they don't follow rules of their own. Bast is a good example of this different, but not absent, moral compass. His commentary during this section helps illuminate some things that even Kvothe didn't know.
I was never terribly worried that Kvothe would get stuck in the Fae, spending years or decades there while the world continues on without him. He tells his friends that he will meet them at the inn in three days. And I knew that he would. That's just how these things work.
Initially I was a little surprised that Kvothe didn't leave after his first night with Felurian. Their battle of wills was epic and exciting, but I really did expect him to leave right after that. When it became clear he wasn't going to, I settled in to enjoy his time in Faerie. It ended up containing some of my favorite passages in the book.
In addition to the battle of wills, I really liked the Cthaeh and the story of the moon. As I said, Rothfuss knows which rules he can't break. As soon as Kvothe stepped off the path, I knew something terrible would happen. He really is too clever for his own good in the passage. For as many stories as he knows, you'd think he would know that you never leave the path when you're in the Fae. No good can come of it. But he's too arrogant for that, too curious about the tree.
I'm really excited to see what comes of the Cthaeh's preditions. Bast's reaction is what drove home how terrible that passage was, how much danger Kvothe created for himself and the world. I'm sure this will end up being important in the next book. And it just serves to reinforce that Kvothe's life is on a tragic trajectory. He's not going to save the world in the end. He probably won't even be able to save himself.
By far my favorite passage in the book is the bit where Felurian is telling Kvothe the story of the moon. The two of them fall into iambic tetrameter and the rhythm of their conversation is just beautiful. Here's an excerpt (with Kvothe's lines italicized):
twas while wandering in the wildIt really shows how in tune they are at this point. They can fall into this banter and play off of each other quite easily. The entire passage (which lasts for about three pages) is just lovely. Felurain plays with the meter, switching between pentameter and tetrameter, and occasionally cutting a line off at seven or nine syllables, while Kvothe holds strictly to tetrameter. She dances around him, linguistically, and he keeps up. It's a beautiful display of what their relationship has evolved into by this point.
you found Felurian, manling child
and this is true of any Fae?
have they the will and know the way
there are a thousand half-cracked doors
that lead between my world and yours
How have I never heard of this?
It seems it would be hard to miss
Fae dancing on the mortal grass
but has not just this come to pass?
the world is wide and time is long
but still you say you heard my song
before you saw me singing there
brushing moonlight through my hair
This passage takes on even more meaning when contrasted with a conversation between Denna and Kvothe towards the end of the book. She begins speaking in iambic pentameter, but when Kvothe tries to match her she breaks the pattern. Here's that bit of their conversation:
Denna: I used to hope they'd disregard the book with ageThey can't seem to get on the same page. He starts mimicking her speech pattern, so she breaks away. When he repeats the meter, she once again refuses to engage and he gives up. This reflects their entire relationship. Any time he meets her halfway she dances just out of reach again, protecting herself by denying him the closeness he craves. Though I wonder what it means that Kvothe increases to twelve syllables per line the second time. I'm not familiar enough with poetry to really do this justice, but I'm sure there's something here.
Instead I've found they've merely turned a page
Now instead of roses they give gold
And in the giving they grow sudden bold
Kvothe: At least you're being bored by men of means
Denna: Who wants a mean man? Little matter if his wealth is above or below the board
Kvothe: You must forgive these men of mercenary thought
These poor, rich men who, seeing that you can't be caught
Attempt to buy a thing they know cannot be bought
Denna: A plea of grace for enemies!
Maybe in the next book they'll finally make a connection, but I'm beginning to fear that Denna's story will be even more tragic than Kvothe's
Ademre
The culture that Rothfuss creates for the Adem made me happy in so many ways. They tend more towards the martial arts than being a warrior culture, which I hadn't been expecting initially. But it worked well, The Adem are the best fighters around and because of that they don't have to fight. They are an impressively non-violent culture, given how much of their lives revolve around fighting and training.
What struck me most was the gender reversal. We got early hints of this with Tempi, who was flattered every time someone told him that he "fought like a woman". He also chose to be complimented by the thug who implied that his mom was the kind of woman men would pay to have sex with.
All of this leads up to the rather brilliant reveal that women are considered superior by the Adem. It's the men who are too emotional (specifically too angry) to remain focused during a fight. It's the men who have to work twice as hard to be half as good. And this is just underscored by the fact that everyone Kvothe interacts with in Ademre is female. His teacher, the head of the school, the young girl he spars with, the old woman who names him, the best fighter of all, and the one who holds a grudge and believes he should be killed (but still keeps her cool and trounces him when they fight hand to hand). I loved everything about the time Kvothe spent in Ademre.
Okay, that's not entirely true. I find it hard to believe that a culture as civilized and enlightened as the Adem has failed to make the connection between sex and babies. They even know that this is how plants and animals reproduce. Yet they believe that humans (or at least they) are so far removed from animals that this doesn't hold true for them. This stretched beyond the point of believability. It's implied that this lack of paternity as a concept is what leads to the society in which gender roles are reversed, which I didn't really like. Can't we have a matriarchal society in which men still have some worth? But it's a small detail. For the most part I loved the Adem.
I laughed out loud during the scene where Kvothe receives his sword. It was so similar to Harry choosing his wand that, in my mind, he was suddenly emitting sparks from the ends of the swords when performing the Ketan. I wonder if it was meant to be an homage (I wouldn't be surprised).
Unlike the scenes with Felurian, I was honestly worried for Kvothe's safety for most of his stay in Ademre. I truly believed he would end up needing to flee by night in order to save his own skin. I'm really glad he was able to depart on good terms with everyone. And I hope the Adem show up again in later books.
Home Again
As I said in the beginning, I really like the way this book winds down. We get one last heroic adventure in which Kvothe saves a couple of young girls and adds to his reputation a story that paints him as both a hero and a monster, depending on your point of view. He essentially destroys the relationships he built up in Severen by admitting to being Edema Ruh and makes his way home rich, but not as well off has he had hoped. Kvothe has learned a lot and stoked his reputation quite a bit. My favorite part is that he has friends, Simmon and Wilem and Elodin, who he can tell the whole truth to. He's willing to let them see the facts behind the rumors.
It was nice to see him go home, spend time with his friends, and end the book the happiest he's been since before his parents died. It takes time to gather all these different threads and paint a picture of contentment for Kvothe, but it allowed me to slip into the same contentment. I'm just worried because I know this can't last. He's going to be expelled. He's going to lose all of his friends. He's going to learn as much magic as Taborlin the Great and come to lose it all and his music besides. So I'll take the happiness while I can get it and keep Kvothe preserved in this state of bliss while I wait for the final book to come out.
Other Thoughts
Okay, there's a lot more that I liked, but don't have full coherent thoughts about. Have a list
- The sword tree in Ademre was so cool
- So was the way the Kvothe ended up passing the test
- I can't wait to see what else he finds the name of. The poem about his rings implies a lot, but I bet it'll be different from what I expect
- I want to know more about the Yllish knot language
- I love Denna's method of expressing herself using braids. Where did she learn Yllish?
- Nothing good can come of Kvothe blackmailing Ambrose. Why doesn't he just drop it?
- I hope we get to find out what's in the Lockless box
- That plant Marten pointed out also seems like it will be important
- Kvothe takes birth control? This is weird
- How does he finally get expelled from the University? I must know
- Fela and Simmon are the cutest ever. I love the moment when she begins to fall in love with him
- Devi is frightening when she's angry
- I hope Devi and Kvothe can maintain a relationship when he isn't indebted to her
- I wonder if we'll see Felurian again. If Kvothe (or Kote) really wants to disappear, it seems likely that he would have returned to her at some point. What better place to disappear to than the Fae? But I'm guessing something happened to her
- Why did Bast set those soldiers on Kote? Is he trying to reawaken his fighting skills? Or is there something more sinister going on? Was Kvothe practicing the Ketan at the end? Might he get his skills back?
- What happened to the music?
- What's in that heavy wooden box in Kote's room? Will we ever find out?
- I almost miss carting around that 2 pound book. I feel so light now.
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