Rothfussians discussion

Before I got to Kvothe's family being killed by the Chandrian, I had put the book down and read another book before picking NotW up again. And even when I read that horrible scene I wasn't hooked yet. I actually wasn't hooked until midway through the book. When Kvothe found his Aloine was Denna was exact spot. Because to me, this meeting is when I began to grasp that some sort of greater magic to the story was happening. In other words, I started to believe it wasn't just some strange coincidence; that something more behind the scenes was happening.
It's why I love Denna's character too. Because she represents mystery to me.

(Okay, also because she's Kvothe's romance interest and I love a good romance sub-plot:))

hard to say. before I started the series, I heard an interview with Rothfuss on NPR. when they discussed the art of naming and sympathy I HAD to check the series out.

I was hooked a little earlier than that. Like you mentioned the scene where his troupe is murdered pricked my interest, but at the same time, I wasn't hooked in yet because I was still on the verge of deciding if that was too cliche for my tastes.

However, when Kvothe finds Skarpi in Tarbean and hears the story of Lanre, I was sucked in. Couldn't stop after that. I was dying to learn more about Haliax - which sadly has been vague since...I think that's also a reason I keep reading it over and over again. LOL.

I find it hard to remember. I love reading, as in I LOVE it. I enjoy reading a text message or some throw away news article just to read. So I enjoyed the book for it's writing style. I think I was hooked by the time his troupe were murdered. I remember feeling really emotional.

I started to bite at the hook when the troupe was murdered/massacred. The real moment I had taken the "bait" was the moment when Young Kvothe is in Tarbean. It was such a twist, at least for me. The novels I had been reading, up to this point, the hero always wins and everything is just handed to him/her. There were never any signs of struggle, inner turmoil, danger, or questions of morals in those books. So for me, to have Kvothe not only lose his family/safety, but also go through hell in Tarbean...I was hooked. I felt like I had could respect a hero for once. It wasn't the "I Win" game that was being written about. This was a story of a man's survival not just physically but mentally.

The next hook was the couple who give him the coin, which other people have mentioned in another thread. I still want to know so much more about who they were.

OH the guy dressed as Encanis? With his lady friend?

Yah, I still keep thinking they have some importance, that scene really did stick out to a lot of people.

I was hooked early due to the comfort of his writing style and use of words. Probably the scene where Chronicler shows up while Kvothe is taking care of the scrael would be where the hook was set. That is where I started to understand the humor that would be inherent in the book I think.

“Tehlu anyway, have you had bad luck your whole life, or have you been saving it all up for tonight?”

The prologue did a fantastic job of grabbing my attention. But it did meander for a bit after that. The prose was excellent and I was loving the songs but I still couldn't see what's so great. I kept reading and did enjoy the concepts of Alar and Sympathy taught by Abenthy and also enjoyed the first appearance of The Chandrian. But what really hooked me was Kvothe's time in Tarbean. That guy in the Encanis mask and the story of Tehlu and Encanis told by Trapis. Encanis pretty much became a too cool guy not to read more about. And I couldn't put the book down since.

I really fell in love with Pat's writing style at nearly the same point as I mentioned before... when Kvothe was telling us how he felt about seeing Denna again. It was the description of the frozen lake cracking underfoot.

@Rahul - how much have you considered the idea that Encanis and Haliax are the same person? I always liked that story from Trapis too, but on my first read I didn't even realize that they were so similar.

(probably shouldn't admit that...)

I guess for me it was the moment i hear the legend told about the Chandrian by Skarpi. I like to believe that his depiction of the conflict holds the most truth. Hence the epic battle between the Candrian and the Amyr was born. What can i say i am a sucker for epic battles.

Having said this,and i know it's not much of a plot twist,but i was pretty hooked starting when Kvothe arrived at the University. I guess i missed Harry Potter that much (though this ofcource is a different sort of cookie).

Felix wrote: "I guess for me it was the moment i hear the legend told about the Chandrian by Skarpi. I like to believe that his depiction of the conflict holds the most truth. Hence the epic battle between the C..."

That was another great moment for me too. I had just come off my "Potter high", and craved more magic. I found it interesting how the magic is described in the series. It has a scientific/mathematical feel to it. I wanted to go outside and try to prove it was real.

You know when I was reading it, I never thought of Harry Potter - It'd been a while since I'd read it.

But the more it comes up and I think about it there are a good amount of similarities.

I got hooked on chapter two. Gabe from Penny Arcade wrote:

"Tycho told me to read a book the other day... he opened the book to chapter near the beginning and told me to read just that chapter, only about four pages."

mistlepong picked it up from the library and took a crack at it, but, having too much other reading to do, handed it to me. "Just read this one chapter."

So it was love at first read.

BAHAHA.

Now I'm wanting to read chapter two of NOTW really bad...why or why did I agree to loan that book out?!?

Yeah i like the approach to "Magic" in the books. The more scientific approach really appealed to me. Its also kind of nice to read that this permeate the role that religion and god(s) play.

Amber wrote: "So it was love at first read.

BAHAHA.

Now I'm wanting to read chapter two of NOTW really bad...why or why did I agree to loan that book out?!?"

You don't have multiple copies, Amber? And you call yourself a fan!

LOL - I totally don't.

Well, I have the audio version...I guess I could probably navigate to chapter two on there, thats not all that difficult.

I had every INTENTION of purchasing the Ebook when I lent it out but well...ya know how that can go...

I have two. But it was accidental. But one on my kindle and a solid book version on my shelf.

Amber wrote: "So it was love at first read."


“I never said I was in love,” I interjected. “I never said that. She confuses me, and I’m fond of her. But it doesn’t go further than that. How could it? I don’t know her well enough to make any earnest claim of love. How can I love something I don’t understand?”

::appreciation, agreement::

These comments need like buttons...

You guys are wonderful.

For me, it was Kvothe's summer playing the lute in the woods.

I have three. Two paperback and one hardback.

for me it was when abenathy came along and started teaching sympathy..the whole feel of the book and the way its written just reeled me in.

@Gavin - some might say that's a bit much, but I think that's actually a good set up. One loaner, one paperback to mark up and fold pages in, and the hardback to keep nice.

A little jealous, I must say...

exactly :) all signed too! even the loaner, which I'm not even sure is a good loaner anymore since i high-lighted nearly everything in the first 100 pages.

Gavin wrote: "exactly :) all signed too! even the loaner, which I'm not even sure is a good loaner anymore since i high-lighted nearly everything in the first 100 pages."

/sneaks over to try and grab one. DANG IT! Got caught.

haha. even the one i always loan comes back. i dont think anyone notices that its signed

Really not into the whole signed phenom. I guess there worth more but i really never really understood the extra appeal of a man's autograph. The work should speak for itself.

Then again i am really into sports and i never understood the appeal of asking autographs of player or fighters either. Did it once, with a true legend of the game when i was smaller but quickly lost the taste for it really.

Probably right away, when Kvothe killed the scrail in the woods....I was deeply curious.

Everyone posts good moments! Everytime I read one, I have to second debate mine.

When he first meets Denna, but I was falling in and out from the time his family/troupe were killed. After the love story, as I am a sucker for that, anytime he talks music is a strong second favorite part of the books. As someone never able to get the knack of producing music on my own its definitely a magic of its own.

Gavin wrote: "exactly :) all signed too! even the loaner, which I'm not even sure is a good loaner anymore since i high-lighted nearly everything in the first 100 pages."

OH man - did you get them signed in person as well?

I have my map signed, but I admit, I bought it that way. I've been hoping to catch Pat at Comic-Con though, I have a first edition paperback WMF I really want him to sign. It has a couple discrepencies in it, and I've already marked the page I'm dying to get a signature on.

He signed my Kindle DX and The Adventure of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed. And gave me a hug. I recently got a beat up NotW hardcover so I could mark in it or remove pages.

*all of which I'd trade for your gold pipes

I liked it from the very beginning. The "silence of three parts" was really intriguing and I couldn't help but wonder if there was a hidden meaning behind it. But what really hooked me was Kvothe's time in Tarbean. It was a really interesting part of the book, beautifully written and moving.

Since I'm terrible at reading descriptions and The Wise Man's Fear has two parts in my edition, I stared reading it from the middle. And it was THAT GOOD that I didn't even notice it until, like, 150 pages? and I just thought, woah, if I can like this book so much not knowing what really happened in the previous one...
"I fell in love with this book the way you fall asleep" ;)

Well said Ivanesca! I can tell you're going to be a welcome addition to the group.

Yeah that is pretty poetic. God i like the book a lot but i kind of wish i loved the book as much as you do Ivanesca.