"There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."
— Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind)
I apologize if my infrequent posting frustrates or angers any of my gentle readers. I realize of course that my blog here has had an inauspicious start, falling far short of the post-a-day I had intended. All of the blame falls squarely upon my shoulders. My idle laziness knows no bounds.
Still, I am half-tempted to point some blame to Patrick Rothfuss. Opening one of his books can send me into an out of body experience for hours at a time while my imagination frolics among his stories, characters, and style. I have recently purchased his second book "The Wise Man's Fear" and setting it down becomes more difficult every time I turn a page.
I read a lot of fantasy books. No, more than that. I own a few hundred, I've absorbed the contents of library shelves from Illinois to California. I've been known to go to a Borders or Barnes and Noble on my day off and read until they close. So when I say things like "Patrick Rothfuss has written the best books to hit shelves in the past ten years." it may not be a fact since such things are subjective, but it is an educated guess that certainly feels true in my heart. His first book "The Name of the Wind" sits proudly on my bookshelf between The Silmarillion and The Once and Future King.
This is not just a great fantasy story, it is simply a great story. A story of loss and love, music and magic; but mostly this is a story about stories. I think that Rothfuss is attempting to show how events give rise to rumors and speculation which can eventually become legends and myths that have only a small kernel of truth at their core. How the difference between heroes and villains depends mainly upon your point of view. It is a tall order, delivered well.
In short, read these books.
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