The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

The Wise Man's Fear (Kingkiller Chronicles, #2)

by Patrick Rothfuss

Sequel to the extraordinary THE NAME OF THE WIND, THE WISE MAN'S FEAR is the second instalment of this superb fantasy trilogy from Patrick Rothfuss. This is the most exciting fantasy series since George R. R. Martin's A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, and a must-read for all fans of HBO's GAME OF THRONES.

Picking up the tale of Kvothe Kingkiller once again, we follow him into exile, into political intrigue, courtship, adventure, love and magic ...and further along the path that has turned Kvothe, the mightiest magician of his age, a legend in his own time, into Kote, the unassuming pub landlord.

Packed with as much magic, adventure and home-grown drama as THE NAME OF THE WIND, this is a sequel in every way the equal to its predecessor and a must-read for all fantasy fans. Readable, engaging and gripping THE WISE MAN'S FEAR is the biggest and the best new fantasy novel out there.

Reviewed by Amber (The Literary Phoenix) on

4 of 5 stars

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Right off, while The Wise Man's Fear isn't as good as The Name of the Wind, it's still entrancing. I LOVE Rothfuss's storytelling. His world building is incredible, and since Kvothe is on the road again, we get to see so much of the world and different cultures and peoples. The world itself continues to impress.

At the end of The Name of the Wind, the plot followed Kvothe's vengeance quest to find the Chandrian. Even when he adventures seemed disconnected, the Chandrian tied it all together. In the second novel, it doesn't feel like Kvothe is looking that hard. He's switched tactics, but the depth of his search is a single missed encounter, a lot of unsuccessful dialogue, and wandering. If Rothfuss's writing wasn't so clever and his world gorgeous, I would have lost interest.

But. The worldbuilding is incredible. The pacing is trying, all my favorite characters were absent for 60% of the book... but I didn't put it down. I wasn't even tempted.

This is such a long book, but between the worldbuilding and my unanswered questions and the excellent narration by Nick Podehl, I'll be here for Doors of Stone when it's released.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 April, 2019: Finished reading
  • 1 April, 2019: Reviewed