King Killer Chronicles The Name of the Wind Review

The King Killer Chronicles is a series written by Patrick Rothfuss that started back in 2007 almost 20 years ago with the Name of the Wind. Since that time, there has been the release of 2 novellas the sequel to The Name of the Wind titled The Wise Mans Fear.

It’s no secret that fans of the King Killer Chronicles have been waiting to almost a point of giving up for the third and final planned book in the King Killer Chronicles trilogy called the Door of Stone. Especially when the Patrick Rothfuss has stated himself that he is just refining the book and has chapters completed. Even willing to read them for charity and failing to do so.

So the trilogy remains out of reach of completion with no expectation for it’s actual release. The most recent release was The Narrow Road between Desires. A novella that is technically book 2.2 in the series and released in 2023.

So here we are in 2026 and I decided after going to a goodwill and finding a copy of The Name of the Wind to give it a try. I have heard a lot of good things about the series and was finally ready to give it a try. Especially cause unlike other series I have read, this one is currently not that long of a series.

It could also be that I have a feeling that the release of Doors of Stone might just actually be around the corner. I know, I am falling for what every other hopeful is saying. But after reading the The Name of the Wind, I can understand why it’s a beloved series.

The book takes place in the four corners of civilization. A fantasy world where magic is described as sympathy and wielded by arcanists.

We start in The Waystone Inn, a sleepy tavern run by our main protagonist who is posing as a barkeep. But there are mysteries afoot as demons come out of the woods and stir up questions and panic in the town.

The barkeeps name is Kvothe, but he goes by the name of Kote. And it’s during the course of this story that we get to learn that Kvothe is a renowned figure in the world now in hiding.

A chronicler finds himself meeting Kvothe and asks to record his story. Because of this, the majority of the book is told as if we are the chronicler listening to this barkeep tell his life story.

The overall story covers Kvothe’s journey as a child and the trauma that he ends up facing as he works to survive in the world with no help but his own. An obsession to solve a mystery to an event that occured when he was a child.

It also spends a great deal of time in a school like setting for magic. I can understand the parallels almost to that of the Harry Potter series when people try to explain this book. I don’t really agree with that myself as this has a different feel of hardship and for adult undertones while also not being written as much for a child audience. It’s also not to say that this book is overly suggestive or overly sexual in anyway, but written more for the adult that can relate back on a child growing up and making something of themselves.

There was not really slow pacing to this book either, I found myself wanting to keep reading the book as all the events flowed nicely from cover to cover. For those that finish this book, there is good payoff that leads to the desire to read the next book in the series.

Some of the side characters are interesting however, you can tell the important side characters and the characters that are there to fill in the plot. Denna is a mysterious girl that Kvothe meets on his travels that interweaves in his life.

There are also the masters of the university that are interesting characters that I am sure will have some more character exploration in later books in the series.

If you are looking for a book that has a rags to riches tale of growing up in a fantasy world and has mysteries of magic and dark forces, this book is for you. I am excited to pick up the second book in the series to continue reading what the King Killer Chronicles have to offer.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in fantasy. You can purchase this book on amazon using the link here!

Have you read The Name of the Wind or the entire series of the King Killer Chronicles? let us know below and be sure to check back here for the review of The Wise Man’s Fear.

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