The Name of the Wind discussion

Mine is Elodin. What's yours? :)

Bast - I'm intrigued by him. I think there is more to him than meets the eye and certainly more of him to come (the story so far indicates this anyway). I think he could have his own book.

Don't think that i can run from the fact that Kvothe is my favorite character. The second one, i think, is either Simmon, the funny sidekick-type, or Ambrose, the somewhat harmless villain - i always find his and Kvothe's verbal (and physical) sparring matches very entertaining :)

Kvothe is certainly my favourite too, I was just looking outside of him. I hate Ambrose and think he is more than harmless. I dread their confrontations as Kvothe normally comes off second best. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of Bast. He seems to be very loyal to Kvothe and has his own mysteries about him.

Agreed. Bast was always a bit of a mystery, and even more so after book two. A have a suspicion that he has an added agenda of his own, apart from merely wanting to see Kvothe as his old self. But i completely trust that Rothfuss will reveal the truth about him when the story calls for it :)

You cannot read this novel and have any other favorite besides Kvothe. He is just too interesting and the story ultimately is his.
Now, the second place holder is more difficult to pin down... Bast is definately on the list, then theres Denna-her elusive but unforgettable character means so much to Kvothe; and you want a happy ending for them. All the while you sense that likely it will we anything but. Master Elodin is facinating to me for not only his power of Nameing but also for his madness. But the way their magic works, splitting ones mind into parts and all...it seems that madness is never far off from any practitioner.
I just hope that Rothfuss doesn't lose the pace and focus of the plot as he continues the next book. Honestly, it should pick up a bit now that the background has been layed out. thats what I would do, anyway.

On the other hand, though, if Rothfuss has a sort of second trilogy planned post-depressive-kvothe then he can spend all of the third book on the remaining years up until Kote the innkeeper. I really like the background stuff and the various "interludes", but it would be pretty great if there were three more books devoted to present-day kvothe :)

I know this discussion is about characters we like - but I dislike Denna in the first book. She's someone you want but can't have. She may be beautiful but she is for everyone else except Kvothe... And Alex, yes a 2nd trilogy would be a dream. A post-chronicler would work well.

Elodin, hands down.

Now that I'm further into "The Wise Man's Fear", I've taken a liking to a couple of other characters.

Auri - She's just precious. Gotta' love her. Every time she shows up in a passage, I find myself chuckling at her oddness.

Devi - After a certain passage in the second book, Devi soared all the way up my list of favorite characters and managed to stay there.

Puppet - I couldn't keep myself from laughing when he was finally introduced. It also seems that I have a thing for the crazies.

Bast also intrigues me a lot. He's joyful and funny when Kvothe is around, but in the end of the first book, his attitude towards Chronicler disappointed me. I'm now reading the second book - maybe the character of Bast will surprise me after this book? :)

For me Elodin is like shunshine after a storm. Everytime he appears in the book, I can't stop smiling :)

Obviously I also like Kvothe, but I don't feel very excited about him as I feel about Elodin.

Denna... I like Denna. I'm liking her more in the second book than in the first one.

I hate Ambrose, how can he be harmless? He's causing so much serious trouble to Kvothe all the time :/

Oh and Auri!!! I LOVE HER!

Alexander wrote: "On the other hand, though, if Rothfuss has a sort of second trilogy planned post-depressive-kvothe then he can spend all of the third book on the remaining years up until Kote the innkeeper. I real..."

3 more books could be 'dangerous'. There are many great stories that lost their spark because the author tried to prolong the story and write more books than what it's recommendable. I agree with Jamie, a post-chronicler would be the best option. Or other series of books?
Like for example, David Eddings wrote The Belgariad and The Malloreon. Both are connected but the stories are somehow, independent.

Are you serious? This entire book is about Kvothe, he's on every frakin' page! How can your favorite character be anyone else?

Good point, Sofia, but Ruthfuss has been working on Kingkiller for 15 years or so, if not more, so i'm pretty sure that if there are going to be three more books then they will a part of his design for the story, and i have complete faith in the man as a good story teller :)

Oh, well, he is a good story teller :)
Sometimes it feels like I'm reading pure poetry, and other times, I can really feel the musicality of the words in my core. Rothfuss is a master in story-telling! :)

But you know, in my case, I like when stories have a constant original and exciting plot. Don't you think that after some time, Kvothe can become a tad 'boring'? with nothing new to tell?
Of course that, Rothfuss could invent new characters and adventures, but, after knowing Kvothe's story, will he be able to surprise us?

Auri. No contest.

Jamie wrote: "I know this discussion is about characters we like - but I dislike Denna in the first book. She's someone you want but can't have. She may be beautiful but she is for everyone else except Kvothe......"
I can understand your feeling about her but I personally love strong, interesting, and realistic female characters; and Denna definately fits the bill. Plus, her will-o-the-wisp interactions in and out of Kvothe's life add an emotional layer to the overall plot that helps sell the whole thing.
Denna doesn't need help. She is a force of nature in woman's form. Her presence both in the story and in Kvothe's life is...pure poetry. But that's just my opinion.

Sue wrote: "Are you serious? This entire book is about Kvothe, he's on every frakin' page! How can your favorite character be anyone else?"

Alexander wrote: "Good point, Sofia, but Ruthfuss has been working on Kingkiller for 15 years or so, if not more, so i'm pretty sure that if there are going to be three more books then they will a part of his design..."

Sue, you and I are on the same page--Kvothe is the one. Everyone else plays seconds.

Alexander and Sofia: I would hesitate to compare Rothfuss to Eddings since style-wise they are as different as apples and oranges... But come on. Kvothe is a hero that can fight with any weapon, sing and play so sweetly as to make you cry, and is some sort of genius to boot, and has a fantastic history waiting to be unpeeled like the layers of an onion! What characters does the Belgariad have to compare?

Sofia wrote: "Oh, well, he is a good story teller :)
Sometimes it feels like I'm reading pure poetry, and other times, I can really feel the musicality of the words in my core. Rothfuss is a master in story-tel..."

We will just have to see how he grows.

Alfred wrote: "Sue wrote: "Are you serious? This entire book is about Kvothe, he's on every frakin' page! How can your favorite character be anyone else?"

Alexander wrote: "Good point, Sofia, but Ruthfuss has be..."

I never compared David Eddings with Patrick Rothfuss, Alfred. What I wanted to say is that Eddings wrote two independent series with the same characters. And that's something that Rothfuss could do. Once he's finished with the Kingskiller Chronicle, he could write a different series of books with other adventures, but the same characters.

As far as I know (I'm still reading the second book), The Kingskiller Chronicle is just about how Kvothe became the Legendary Kvothe, and how he ended up in the little town where he lives now. I also noticed that the author makes little references that Kvothe is expecting death... And we know that his head has a price. Probably in the third book, after finishing his story, he will have to fight for his survival. After that everything will be open...
But these are just conjectures, of course. What I'm trying to say is, to prolongue this saga could be dangerous. The best would be to start a new one, independent from this one.

My appologies, Sofia. I agree with your assessment. This chronicle shouldn't continue overlong else Rothfuss will lose his audience. this is an excellent start to a promising career for him I think.

My favorite of course is Kvothe, but my favorite non-main character is Devi.

Alfred wrote: "My appologies, Sofia. I agree with your assessment. This chronicle shouldn't continue overlong else Rothfuss will lose his audience. this is an excellent start to a promising career for him I think."

I dunno, Rowling managed to captivate her audience for 7 pretty lengthy books. And both Jordan and Goodkind have gone beyond 10. I think Rothfuss is every bit as good as any of them, better even, and I definately believe that he could hold an audience for the duration of 6 books :)

Auri deserves a book of her own

Well when we are having a discussion about your favorite character in the Kingkiller Chronicles I guess it's safe to assume that we are talking about someone other than Kvothe !! :D Or Ambrose. I mean I don't know about you guys but that guy is very hard to 'like'. But I guess that was the whole point of him being a villain and all.
I have several favorite characters in both the books. Most of you guys mentioned Bast. He's very interesting. But since there isn't much said about him. He is as interesting as, say the Cthaeh.

But guys none of you mentioned the most pivotal group of characters in the whole trilogy. We have been told some information about them. We know their names and signs but whether they are good or evil. Why they do what they do and how they will effect the rest of the story is greatly interesting. They are of course Haliax and his Chandrian. Maybe the Amyr too but hardly any information about them so far. Much like Bast.

One of the things that I disliked in the two books is the lack of information about Bast. Always so mysterious and also a bit creepy.
Like in the end of "the wise man's fear", when he and Chronicler talk about Ctaeth... so many questions popped in my mind and there are no answers... we know so little about that malicious tree. Even the whole Fae world... it's very unknown for us. There must be more than what we learn when Kvothe spends that time with Felurian.

Kvothe followed by Denna. I can't wait for the third installment and I hope the second trilogy is going to happen.

my favorite character, I think there's more to what Chronicler is doing and i wouldn't be surprised, at this point, if he was hired by someone to track down Kvothe. He intrigues me. That said, My favorite would have to be Kvothe, second is Bast, Third is a tie between Fela and Auri, then Wil and Sim. I hate Ambrose the way I should because of his entitlement, and Denna because she doesnt quite seem real.

Bast. I really want to know more about him. And he has some of the killer lines. I'm ambivalent towards Denna - there's definitely more than meets the eye there. I like Devi - but most of the women are drawn better than I normally expect in a fantasy written by men. Obvs Kvothe...

Alexander wrote: "Don't think that i can run from the fact that Kvothe is my favorite character. The second one, i think, is either Simmon, the funny sidekick-type, or Ambrose, the somewhat harmless villain - i alwa..."

I highly doubt Ambrose will remain harmless...

Sim is hands down my favorite, though Auri is a close second! Sim is just such a great friend and a hidden gem. I feel like Fela HAHA he just was a nice forgettable side character and then, as I made my way through The Wise Man's Fear, suddenly he is so much more like complete and 3D as his wholesomeness is fleshed out more. He and Wil are just amazing friends to Kvothe and Sim in particular has a lot of hidden and precious qualities!

first is kvothe 2nd is wil

Auri! She is just such an interesting character, and I can relate to her in ways that I’m NEVER able to relate to other characters. I also love Bast, as I always like apprentice characters. And of course Kvothe, musician that I am.

HARD TO CHOOSE JUST ONE. Patrick Rothfuss I love your characters ;n; so much
Kinda in love with Kvothe.
Elodin makes me laugh out loud.
I love Kvothe's friend dynamic, also. So Wil and Sim are up there (Wil first, though).
Also love Auri, of course. She's magical.
And somehow I love Ambrose as a character (not as a person - he's a jerk). He's a well written rival character, hateful, frustrating, stuck-up and rude.
Loveee this book series *o*