Short Book Reviews: The Kingkiller Chronicle Books 1 and 2 by Patrick Rothfuss

The Kingkiller Chronicle is a planned trilogy by an American author Patrick Rothfuss whose independent work The Slow Regard of Silent Things is one of my favourite fantasy books. As the third book is still pending, I suppose I should review the two existing ones individually but as it's also likely the trilogy will never be completed, and I don't really have that much to say about The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, I decided to bundle them together.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is about Kvothe, a famous musician and adventurer who has retired to a desolate village where no one knows him to work as an innkeeper. The perspective shifts between the third and the first person. The "present-day" parts are told in the third person whereas Kvothe's legend which he rehearses to the Chronicler, is in the first person.

I listened to The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear as audiobooks, and a good thing that I did for I don't think I could've finished even the first book had I chosen to read it. I'm not saying TNOTW and TWMF are bad books -well, The Wise Man's Fear is partially, if not bad, at least highly frustrating- but they are slow-paced to the point of tediousness. Also, the MC has too many similarities with Harry Potter (loses his family, enters a school of magic, makes an enemy of a well-off fellow student and so on) to make me take him seriously.

Yet, I kind of enjoyed The Name of the Wind. It hooked me with its deep insight into humanity. I might've loved it if the set-up was different and the story-telling a little faster-paced. The Wise Man's Fear, however... I still can't figure out why I finished listening to it. Mainly because I had paid for it and didn't have anything more intriguing on my TBR list at the moment, I suppose. 

In the second book, Kvothe becomes even more burdensome a character than he is in TNOTW, making me suspect his fame is largely a soap bubble. His stubborn devotion to his flimsy school-time sweetheart Denna made me want to hit something, and the elongated description of his visit to the fairyland would work better an an independent publication. In the end, Bast, Kvothe's non-human servant/friend became my favourite character of whom I would've loved to learn more.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is one of the fantasy series whose popularity and high overall rating remain a mystery to me. I would give The Name of the Wind three stars out of five, and The Wise Man's Fear not even that many. However, you don't need to take my word for it. Read or listen to the books for yourself and form your opinion based on them.

(Also, I am willing to admit that my opinion might change if the third book was published. It could yet salvage the series.)

The Heirs of Duty Advent calendar

This autumn has been gruesome, to put it mildly, and I have a hunch, it hasn't been that only for me. So, to cheer people up, I've decided to publish The Heirs of Duty as an Advent calendar.

One to three chapters a day will appear on my website (a Wordpress site) where you can read them for FREE without an obligation to sign up or subscribe for anything. The calendar opens on the 1st of December, the last chapter will become readable on Christmas Day, and the files will disappear on the 31st of December.

A pretty fair deal, eh? You get to read a book without needing to give anything in return. Merry Xmas in advance!

Meet the Characters

Arron Grethsen, a soldier of Her Majesty's Army, is the main character of Braenduir Chronicles. He was raised by an independent mother and chose the military career because it is an easy option for a youth who doesn't know what to do with his life.

Arron's kind and sociable nature has made him popular in and outside the garrison but unlike many other young men his age, he is yet to encounter his significant other. He isn't in a rush to find a relationship and when he meets a reserved warrior mage, Jan Cattilsen in his favourite tavern, he cannot guess he's found more than a new friend.

Though Arron joined the army largely because Aenerhjelm going to war is unlikely, he volunteers for the battles in the Westerner kingdoms, sharing the road to the front with Jan whose interest in the peculiar birthmark on his chest should pique his curiosity. Yet, Arron ignores the strange token implanted under his skin just as he always has, clinging to the conception that there's nothing extraordinary about him.

Meet the Characters // Hahmoesittelyt

Sir Rikhar is one of the significant minor characters of The Heirs of Duty. He is a member of Princess Irana's Chamber Guard, a young man who dreamed about knighthood already as a child. He was born in a brothel, so his dream was unlikely ever to come true. However, the Fortunes favoured him, and he was picked up as a squire by an elderly knight of the Emerald Knighthood. Through another fortunate coincidence, he became the youngest knight ever to serve in the Chamber Guard. 

Rikhar is as dutiful and honourable as a knight can be. He always tries to do the right thing and remain true to his vow. Yet, when it comes to choosing where his loyalties truly lie, he finds picking a side more difficult than he expected.

Though Rikhar's origins seem straightforward enough, he was born in a brothel and lived in the streets for a while after his mother's death, a wimple of mystery veils his past. Who is the Grey Lady who charges him with the quest of discovering the counterpart to an ancient Token? Is she really his mother as she claims to Buck, or does the Northerner pass on the Token to the wrong person?

Rikhar on yksi Riimuin kirotun merkittävimmistä sivuhenkilöistä. Hän kuuluu prinsessa Iranan Kamarikaartiin ja on haaveillut ritariudesta pikkupojasta saakka siitä huolimatta, ettei hänellä alhaisen syntyperänsä vuoksi ollut juurikaan toivoa unelman toteutumisesta. Onnettaret kuitenkin suosivat häntä ja yksi Vihreän ritarikunnan vanhimmista jäsenistä valitsi hänet aseenkantajakseen. Toisen onnekkaan sattuman kautta hänestä tuli nuorin koskaan Kamarikaartissa palvellut ritari.

Rikhar on niin kunniallinen ja velvollisuudentuntoinen kuin ritari vain voi olla. Hän yrittää aina toimia oikein ja pitäytyä valassaan. Silti puolen valitseminen osoittautuu vaikeammaksi kuin hän osasi kuvitella, kun hän joutuu päättämään, kenelle pysyä uskollisena.

Vaikka Rikharin syntyperä vaikuttaa selkeältä-hän syntyi porttolassa ja eli kaduilla jonkin aikaa äitinsä kuoleman jälkeen-hänen menneisyyttään verhoaa salaperäisyyden huntu. Kuka on Harmaa rouva, joka antaa hänelle tehtäväksi etsiä vastakappaleen ikivanhalle poletille? Onko hän todella Rikharin äiti, kuten hän väittää Pukille vai välittääkö pohjanmies poletin väärälle henkilölle?

Meet the Characters // Hahmoesittelyt

Tiemderech, known as Tim, is one of the significant characters of Braenduir Chronicles. He is a slave in the court of Girania until Toren Eddesen liberates him. In The Heirs of Duty, he is a minor character but he becomes more visible as the story progresses.

Tim has been in Octower so long that he barely remembers his motherland, Willowshill. Due to his experiences during slavery, he is a timid fellow and trusting strangers isn't easy for him. Yet, he puts his faith in the Hjelmen mercenary, wishing he would be the way out of the palace.

Once Tim finds his way to the stables, he wouldn't want to spend his time elsewhere. Horses turn out to be better than people in so many ways, especially Toren's magnificent destrier Dathreir.

Tim is one of the characters of Braenduir Chronicles who has more in them than it seems at first sight. A former slave who becomes a punctilious groom we meet in the first book has the potential to grow into pretty much anything.

Tiemderech, joka tunnetaan paremmin nimellä Tim, on yksi Jumalrummun tärkeimmistä hahmoista. Hän on orja Giranian hovissa, kunnes Toren Eddesen vapauttaa hänet. Riimuin kirotussa hänellä on vain pieni sivurooli, mutta hänen osansa kasvaa merkittävämmäksi tarinan edetessä.

Tim on ollut Kastornessa niin kauan, että hän tuskin muistaa synnyinmaataan Pajusmäkeä. Asiat, jotka hän on kokenut orjuudessa, ovat muokanneet hänestä varovaisen uusien ihmisten suhteen, mutta hän uskaltautuu luottamaan palkkasoturiin, jonka toivoo olevan tie pois palatsista.

Sen jälkeen, kun Tim pääsee ensi kertaa talleille, hän ei tahtoisi olla sieltä lainkaan pois. Hevoset, Torenin upea sotaratsu Dathreir erityisesti, ovat niin monessa suhteessa ihmisiä parempaa seuraa.

Tim on yksi niistä Jumalrummun hahmoista, joista löytyy useampia tasoja kuin äkkiseltään vaikuttaa. Ensimmäisessä kirjassa esiintyvällä entisellä orjalla, josta sukeutuu mitä taitavin tallirenki, on edellytykset kehittyä melkeinpä mihin tahansa suuntaan.

Meet the Characters // Hahmoesittelyt

 Lady Irana Stemraon is the eldest daughter of Waldhark Rofinnar, the ruler of Girania. She is married to Helbar Stemraon, the crown prince of Erephonia, and leads a privileged life in Emerald Point, pulling the strings of her young husband as she pleases. 

Though Irana has secured herself as many freedoms as a Westerner highborn woman can have, she isn't happy. She finds the demands and requirements of her standing oppressive and overwhelming, dreaming about the independence the women of the North enjoy. On the other hand, she has revolutionary plans for the time she ascends to the throne as the queen of Erephonia.

As the king approaches her with her concern about her and the prince not being with a child yet, upsetting her with his solution for the problem, Irana decides to follow the call of freedom. Finding a mysterious Hjelmen mercenary she's met in a dream on a slaver's platform establishes her decision and she sets out to arrange her departure from the court, giving a hoot to the future of the Kingdoms.

Irana Stemraon on vanhin Giranian hallitsija Waldhark Rofinnarin kolmesta tyttärestä. Hän on naimisissa Erefonian kruununprinssi Helbar Stemraonin kanssa ja elää etuoikeutettua elämää Viherkärjessä, nuori aviomies tiukasti pikkusormensa ympärille kiedottuna.

Vaikka Irana on hankkinut itselleen niin paljon vapauksia kuin länteinen aatelisnainen voi saada, hän ei ole onnellinen. Hän kokee asemansa tuomat vaatimukset ja edellytykset ahdistavina ja liiallisina ja haaveilee itsenäisestä elämästä. Samaan aikaan, hänellä on kumouksellisia suunnitelmia tulevan hallintokautensa varalle.

Kun kuningas ilmaisee hänelle huolensa siitä, että hän ja Helbar ovat yhä lapsettomia ja esittää kyseenalaisen suunnitelmansa tilanteen korjaamiseksi, Irana päättää vastata vapauden kutsuun. Päätös vahvistuu, kun hän löytää unessa kohtaamansa salaperäisen palkkasoturin orjakauppiaan näytöslavalta ja hän ryhtyy järjestelemään lähtöä hovista piittaamatta enää vähääkään Kuningaskuntien tulevaisuudesta.

A Free Reviewer Copy Available

My posts are short, irregular, and jump from one subject to another like drunken grasshoppers, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that instead of a review or a character presentation, I'm advertising my book today. Not sure whether this could be called an ad, though, for I'm not asking anyone to buy The Heirs of Duty; I'm offering it for free. Alas, there's a catch. It's only available through Indie Story Geek.

So, if you are a verified book blogger on ISG and would like to read and maybe review my debut, it's possible now. The Heirs of Duty, the first book of Braenduir Chronicles, is a character-based, multi-POV,  epic adventure fantasy story for adults. 

At this point, I should add that it's a magnificent book you must read, but because I am so honest it's comparable to idiocy, I state that it divides opinions. The book has both five and one-star reviews on LibraryThing and Goodreads. Though in its defence, I must point out that the person who gave it one star isn't offering any explanation for their verdict. As an author, I find that quite frustrating. A bad rating doesn't bother me, I am well aware that my book isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I yearn for constructive feedback because I can't become better if I don't know what I'm doing wrong. So, as a humble request to anyone who reads The Heirs of Duty; if you decide on rating it, please, include a few words of explanation. If you have time to read a book of around 150,000 words, you can spare a couple of minutes to give a reason why you liked/disliked it.

In case fellow authors happen to read this post, I'd like to point out that for a writer like myself who doesn't have a vast social network in which to find reviewers, LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program is the surest way to get your book read and reviewed for free. I regret I can't make my book available there anymore as I already offered it as a giveaway twice under the original title (and I don't want to cheat by offering it again under the new name). 

Have I rambled enough for what was intended as a short announcement? I suppose, so without further ado, have a lovely rest of the week and thank you to everyone who so much as puts The Heirs of Duty on their TBR-list.