The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day Two)

by Patrick Rothfuss
(2011 | 994 p)

"There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man."

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Kvothe is a trouper, a thief, and a brilliant student whose lifetime of achievements and failures have become the stuff of legend. Most believe that death has finally caught up with him. Kvothe values the privacy that such beliefs bring too much to argue.

In Patrick Rothfuss' stunning debut novel, "The Name of the Wind," the great scribe Chronicler has found Kvothe still alive if not altogether well. Kvothe is quietly passing his time as Kote, a humble innkeeper in the middle of Newarre. Chronicler collects personal histories and no story in the four corners of civilization is more prized than Kvothe's. None too pleased at being discovered, Kvothe does his best to discourage the scribe. Chronicler, however, will not be turned away. Reluctantly, Kvothe agrees to share the true story of his life. It will take him three days to give a full recounting. "The Wise Man's Fear" is day two.

Kvothe's story is fraught with peril, tangled in desire, and hilariously funny in nearly equal parts. But that's all I'll say on it. Kvothe tells his story much better than I ever could. When asked to describe his book Rothfuss himself simply says, "It's a story about how stories grow." Seven truer words were never spoken.