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A review by madmadmaddymad
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really enjoyed this book!
My favorite sequence is the time Kvothe spent with Felurian. (What can you expect? I’m faerie trash.) I did not enjoy the Ademre sequence - even though the women are badasses, I still found it somehow misogynistic. Maybe it’s because of Kvothe, and how he tainted the time he spent there by talking about how it’s not proper for women to fight, women where he comes from do not fight, and bemoaning that he was paired to spar with a little girl. I just found that that part of the book really dragged, and even though we spent a lot of time there, I didn’t get close to any of the women, and I didn’t get the feeling that Kvothe really respected any of the women? I was waiting for it to be over, and him to go back to the Maer. Even though I didn’t care much for the court politics and the Maer, I still felt like there was more life in that part of the story than the piece in the Ademre.
But aside from that portion of the book… this was such a captivating and excellent story. I still love the parts with Bast, the Chronicler, and Kvothe-the-tavernkeep the most. It feels so fresh to read a fantasy story this way - to have the days laid out this way, and the story told from the hero’s perspective while a perfect stranger and truly good friend listen in.
Bast is obviously still my favorite
I love a scary faerie man
My favorite sequence is the time Kvothe spent with Felurian. (What can you expect? I’m faerie trash.) I did not enjoy the Ademre sequence - even though the women are badasses, I still found it somehow misogynistic. Maybe it’s because of Kvothe, and how he tainted the time he spent there by talking about how it’s not proper for women to fight, women where he comes from do not fight, and bemoaning that he was paired to spar with a little girl. I just found that that part of the book really dragged, and even though we spent a lot of time there, I didn’t get close to any of the women, and I didn’t get the feeling that Kvothe really respected any of the women? I was waiting for it to be over, and him to go back to the Maer. Even though I didn’t care much for the court politics and the Maer, I still felt like there was more life in that part of the story than the piece in the Ademre.
But aside from that portion of the book… this was such a captivating and excellent story. I still love the parts with Bast, the Chronicler, and Kvothe-the-tavernkeep the most. It feels so fresh to read a fantasy story this way - to have the days laid out this way, and the story told from the hero’s perspective while a perfect stranger and truly good friend listen in.
Bast is obviously still my favorite
I love a scary faerie man
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Sexual violence
Minor: Sexual content