The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles, Book 1/2, ongoing [?]) by Patrick Rothfuss
Kote is a simple innkeeper, but when monsters start showing up he starts recounting his life story to a chronicler. He grew up as a travelling performer named Kvothe when disaster strikes and he is forced to make his own way in the world, so he attempts to get into an esteemed magical Academy as the youngest student ever to attend.
One of this book’s strongest points is its prose. The wording is beautiful and poetic and I’ve rarely read anything of comparative quality. The magic system is somewhat rooted in science and well explained and therefore never feels like a cheap plot device. There’s more than one kind of magic and especially the later one is a fascinating concept and fun to read and speculate about. Countless theories have been crafted regarding this series, especially based on its many easily missed easter eggs. I’ve spent quite some time watching video essays on youtube and still haven’t gotten bored of it.
The world’s economy is particularly well thought out and realistic, the world building fantastic and every character feels real and alive.
The main character Kvothe is both the most intelligent man on the planet and the stupidest idiot to ever live. Prepare to be entranced by his intellect and frustrated by his choices.
The focus doesn’t lie on progression so it’s not strictly speaking Progression Fantasy, but it’s fantasy and the MC is progressing, so maybe people here would enjoy it.
Note: It’s been 10 years since the release of book two so don’t go into it expecting a finished series (now or possibly ever). While this deters some and angers many, I feel like both books are worth reading on their own and clock in at around 1800 pages total. We don’t have all the answers, but each book is somewhat self-contained without major cliffhangers.
9/10
Sconnie Books 