Source: Goodreads
Kvothe Kingkiller is known far and wide for his deeds, but few know that he runs a small town inn and pretends none of his past actually happened. That’s why The Chronicler came to Newarre, to write down the notorious and enlightening history of the greatest man who ever lived. Kvothe has agreed to give the Chronicler three days to write his story, of which The Wise Man’s Fear comprises the second. Mysteries abound as faeries work their magic, kings and mages construct doomed plans, and Kvothe learns to trust more than just himself.
I may have picked the first book because of a guy I liked, but I picked up its sequel because I couldn’t get the first volume out of my head. Again, the books in this series are enormous. The first was 662 pages, and this tome clocks in at 994. Is it safe to guess the final installment will be 1326 pages? It wouldn’t surprise me. I checked The Wise Man’s Fear out of the library and read it sporadically over the month, finally taking it on a trip up the coast, where I again finished the last half in three days. Maybe it’s because I keep cramming these books in, but there’s so much going on that it is hard to keep track. That being said, there are still plenty of slow parts that I wish I could rush through. There was a lot more action in this volume, probably due to the added 332 pages compared with the first novel. The world building continues to be fantastic, and the Chandrian story arch, while taking a seat slightly further back in this volume, is still extremely interesting to follow.
Kvothe travels a lot in The Wise Man’s Fear, resulting in the book feeling almost like a series published as a compilation, but since he is trying to fit his entire life into three days the idea makes perfect sense. We are also given more information about what’s happening in present day, which is pretty exciting! Overall I loved this book even more than the first, and I can’t wait for Rothfuss to publish The Doors of Stone, if that’s what he indeed decides to name the third book.
HHC Rating: 4.5 Stars
Other reviews in this series: Book #1 – The Name of the Wind