The Wise Man's Fear
Second volume of The Kingkiller Chronicle fantasy series.
The Wise Man's Fear is a fantasy novel by American author Patrick Rothfuss, the second volume in The Kingkiller Chronicle. Published on March 1, 2011, by DAW Books, it is the sequel to 2007's The Name of the Wind.
Quick Facts
- Author
- Patrick Rothfuss
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Cover artist
- Matthias Clamer and Ed Freeman
- Series
- The Kingkiller Chronicle
- Genre
- Heroic fantasy
- Publisher
- DAW Books Hardcover
- Released
- March 1, 2011
Facts from the source article.
Plot
On the second day of recounting his life to Chronicler at the Waystone Inn, Kvothe continues the story from The Name of the Wind, focusing on his education at the university. There, his feud with fellow student Ambrose leads to Ambrose having Kvothe charged with Consortation with Demonic Powers, a capital crime, for calling the Name of the Wind. Following advice from friends and teachers, he takes a term off to chase the wind. To delay paying his debt to loan shark Devi, he uses prized possessions as collateral and departs. Count Threpe arranges for Kvothe to travel by ship to Severen in Vintas to help the Maershon Lerand Alveron court Meluan Lackless, hoping for a writ of patronage. Kvothe writes songs and letters that successfully woo the Maer's bride, and he inadvertently discovers and thwarts a plot to kill the Maer, earning the Maer's trust. He also finds Denna in Severen and learns the song she is working on, but its lyrics conflict with Kvothe's knowledge of the fall of Myr Tariniel. Unable to share his history, he argues with Denna about the song's meaning, and they part after an ugly fight.
Release
Before the full novel came out, a preview called "The Road to Levinshir" was published as a standalone story and earned the Writers of the Future prize in 2002. Rothfuss turned in his first complete draft to his editor on May 11, 2009, and the book hit shelves in 2011. In the US, Brilliance Audio produced audiobook editions read by Nick Podehl, while Orion Audio handled the UK and other regions with Rupert Degas as narrator. The fictional board game Tak, featured in the story, was later turned into a real commercial product by Rothfuss and James Ernest in 2016.
Reception
The Wise Man's Fear was a critical and commercial success, debuting at the top of the New York Times Fantasy list and reaching the top of the New York Times Hardcover Fiction list about three weeks after release. Author George R.R. Martin called it the best fantasy book he had read in 2011, stating he gulped it down in a day and was eager for the next volume. Locus remarked that the book "fairly leaps off the page, whatever the setting and circumstances." Publishers Weekly gave a glowing review, describing it as "as seamless and lyrical as a song from the lute-playing adventurer and arcanist Kvothe" and a "towering work of fantasy." The San Diego Union Tribune, however, opined that Rothfuss "lingers too long in subplots, resorts occasionally to coincidences to advance his story, and relies heavily on cliches and anachronisms," noting that despite "brilliant moments," there is little movement forward in Kvothe's search for the Chandrian. Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson praised the book, saying, "They’re beautiful. [...] Masterful prose, a sense of cohesion to the storytelling, a wonderful sense of pacing." Indianapolis metalcore band The Wise Man's Fear was named after the book's title.
Elsewhere in The Kingkiller
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