Discover #1 New York Times-bestselling Patrick Rothfuss’ epic fantasy series, The Kingkiller Chronicle. “I just love the world of Patrick Rothfuss.” —Lin-Manuel Miranda • “He’s bloody good, this Rothfuss guy.” —George R. R. Martin • “Rothfuss has real talent.” —Terry Brooks DAY TWO: THE WISE MAN’S FEAR “There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and … wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.”
My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me.
So begins a tale told from his own point of view—a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man’s Fear, Day Two of The Kingkiller Chronicle, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.
Praise for The Kingkiller Chronicle:
“The best epic fantasy I read last year…. He’s bloody good, this Rothfuss guy.”
—George R. R. Martin, New York Times-bestselling author of A Song of Ice and Fire
“Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous.”
—Terry Brooks, New York Times-bestselling author of Shannara
“It is a rare and great pleasure to find a fantasist writing…with true music in the words.”
—Ursula K. Le Guin, award-winning author of Earthsea
“The characters are real and the magic is true.”
—Robin Hobb, New York Times-bestselling author of Assassin’s Apprentice
“Masterful…. There is a beauty to Pat’s writing that defies description.”
—Brandon Sanderson, New York Times-bestselling author of Mistborn
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May be one of the best first novels in a trilogy ever. Rothfus can flat out write.
This is my favorite. Book. Of all time. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who ever mentions that they enjoy reading. Many people comment on Patrick Rothfuss’s way with words and world-building — they are correct; this is a very entrancing universe full of possibilities. But what sets this book and this author apart, for me at least, is his thoughtfulness and introspection when it comes to the world around us, both in the book and after you’ve turned the last page. I have re-read this book at least a dozen times, I have a paperback copy full of dog-ears and highlighted passages. I find something new out of it each time. Please read it.
Ah Patrick! This didn’t disappoint, and how sad that I have to wait for the next one! The hero continues to mature, to show his virtues and faults, both of which you love him for, and the developing romances (including with his first), intrigue, friendships and enemies really add suspense to the story. This is a world that is brilliant in its depth, and for me is the equivalent of a new LOTR, but an easier read, despite its length. Don’t miss this sequel!
When I write, I can see a mountain range from my window. In January, of course, that range has its tops white some days … some days, not every day. So, when I saw the whiteness for the third day in 2021’s January, I said I wanted to go there. So, my partner for life, being just as a cool-YA-hero-kind-of man as he is, stopped whatever he was doing and said, ‘ok, let’s go’. So we went. I thought it will be 20 or max 30-min-drive there. Still, I took Wise Man’s Fear with me. And thank god I did.
On a good, traffic-free day, it’s a two-hour drive from where I live, says Google. And since snow in California is a miracle, everyone is going there. Overall, the 5hr drive for being in the snow for 10 minutes and get 100+ bad photoshoots to get those 5 perfect photos turned out more enjoyable because I remembered to take The Wise Man’s Fear. I couldn’t read it after the sunset, of course, so during the later 5-hr-drive back home, I had nothing to do–so there goes my 12 hours.
So basically, I read up to 60 pages in a single sitting without much interest to pause (watching mountains once a while doesn’t count). And everyone knows Rothfuss’s 60 page is actually most book’s 120 page.
Since I didn’t finish even a tenth of the book yet, (I never got to read it after that day), all I can say for now is, I got past the ‘proud cats’ and ‘horses meant in good sense’, and I’m still as much interested about Kvothe as I was in The Name of the Wind, and I can’t stop gleaming when he plays the lute.
I have to mention here, during my teenage years I read a thriller-series book written in Bengali where the scientist-archaeologist-vigilante hero/anti-hero while he does all the cool things he does, (I’ll say later what cool things he does) he also plays Sarod–a seventeen string instrument that has no note marks. I’m still not over him. No wonder Kvothe stole my heart too.
This book is a work of art. I loved it just as much as the first novel in the series. I will be re-reading again and again until the final book in the series is released. I could not recommend this enough!
I give very few books five stars. This one was perfect in every aspect. Loved the prose.
This is actually a re-read. I love this series. I fell in love with the first book and the second book does not disappoint, just as good as the first. As fans, we have been patiently waiting for book three for how many years now… Oh yeah, 8. Hopefully it’s true that book 3 will be out next year.
Such an amazing sequel! It takes everything from Name of the Wind and ups it to 100!
I love it. Now, where’s the next one?
The continuing story another fine book
Even better than the first in the series. The world is so thoroughly developed and clearly rendered, this book lives and breathes even as it changes settings, characters and stakes over and over. I kept reading, eagerly.
Great writing.
One of my favorite authors…epic story telling, great worldbuilding, characters to love, empathize with, and/or hate, depending on the situation. Fantastic sequel…waiting for the grand finale!
Do you know what I love about Patrick Rothfuss’ books? He writes to the very last page. His writing is pure magic. Pat’s ability to project Kvothe’s world into my brain is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. This is the best 994 pages I’ve ever read. Pat’s ability to build a world is astounding. This second book in the story of Kvothe was nothing short of brilliant. I enjoyed getting to know more about Kvothe and how he came to be the Inn keeper Kote. I am left with so many unanswered questions and fully expect another 200+ page increase in book 3!
WOW !!!! This story just keeps getting better!! WOW !!!!! I CAN NOT WAIT for #3!!!!
You need to read Name of the Wind before this book, but it is very good, and different. It may be a little hard to follow at times.
One of my all time favorite books! Now if he would just write the last book in the trilogy!
First two books amazingly exciting and pulls you into the story. But he has never completed the last volume which has made me and many of my friends
pretty angry. So, the story is amazing but such a let down not knowing the end of the adventure.
Great, fast-paced story-telling. A very worthy sequel.
A great epic fantasy continues.
This tale and the telling of it are remarkable. Rothfuss is a phenomenal writer. The book is fun and compelling, contains intricate storytelling, gripping plot, and a sense of humor. As in Book 1, Kvothe relates his past to a scribe. A good portion of Book 2 takes place outside the University, which gives you a view of the rest of the world, even though I mostly enjoyed the parts of the story when he was at the school. Like any good fantasy, not everything goes the way you expect, and there are plenty of hints dropped about what might come.
I look forward to the next book in the series. If you love fantasy, you will love this series.
Now to the not-so-good stuff. While I adored The Name of the Wind, this book didn’t live up to the first. The plot was interesting, and the characters well-developed with excellent writing… everything you want in a good story. But nothing of major importance happened in Book 2. The story seemed to drift aimlessly in many places, and I became frustrated with the love relationship between Kvothe and Denna. The time Kvothe spent with the fae Felurian seemed to go on forever. And we learn little more about the Chandrian than we learned in the first book.
Overall, A Wise Man’s Fear was better than most fantasy books I’ve read. Read it. I’m sure you will agree.