The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is the first of an ongoing trilogy, The Kingkiller Chronicle.

The series takes fantasy to a whole new level with an extraordinary amount of detail, astonishing characters, and a complex yet easy-to-follow plot. Rothfuss creates an entire world within the book largely oblivious to the fact that it’s filled with treacherous creatures and scientific magic called apathy. Few people hear of the University that teaches this magic, let alone attend to master its strict set of rules. One of those rare people is a street-smart orphan who not only wants to avenge his dead family, but also aims to find the name of the wind. Although both tasks could easily kill him if he makes the wrong move.

It begins with Kote, an average innkeeper who actively blends in with a rural town. More and more travelers slowly pass through with tales of being attacked by magicians and mythical beings.

Peace is disturbed when Kote has no choice but to save a traveling scribe from seemingly indestructible arachnid monsters. This act of heroism reveals he is Kvothe the bloodless, the man who supposedly killed a king and started the land’s current war. Eventually the scribe convinces Kvothe to retell his life story, though it’ll take three days.

Each book is one of the days he spends talking to the scribe, though the majority of each book focuses on Kvothe’s past.

Patrick Rothfuss spent the majority of his college years with his major marked as “undecided,” focusing on writing while there. Eventually he made the switch from English literature to teaching,

leaving the school in 2002 with a master’s degree. After a lucky break, Rothfuss’ first book of the trilogy was published as Name of the Wind. The book quickly gained several awards and was released in 26 foreign countries, allowing Rothfuss to continue writing while teaching.

Check out The Name of the Wind and other books in the series from Yankton Community Library.

The third book in the series, The Doors of Stone, is set to be published in 2020.