I first discovered Patrick Rothfuss in the Summer of 2009 when a long haul flight prompted me to buy some books to read for the duration:
The Name of the Wind (The 'King Killer Chronicles') - Patrick Rothfuss
"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
My name is Kvothe. You may have heard of me."
The Lies of Locke Lamora (The 'Gentlemen Bastard' Sequence) - Scott Lynch
'The Thorn of Camorr is said to be an unbeatable swordsman, a master thief, a ghost that walks through walls. Half the city believes him to be a legendary champion of the poor. The other half believe him to be a foolish myth. Nobody has it quite right.
Slightly built, unlucky in love, and barely competent with a sword, Locke Lamora is, much to his annoyance, the fabled Thorn. He certainly didn't invite the rumors that swirl around his exploits, which are actually confidence games of the most intricate sort. And while Locke does indeed steal from the rich (who else, pray tell, would be worth stealing from?), the poor never see a penny of it. All of Locke's gains are strictly for himself and his tight-knit band of thieves, the Gentlemen Bastards.
Locke and company are con artists in an age where con artistry, as we understand it, is a new and unknown style of crime. The less attention anyone pays to them, the better! But a deadly mystery has begun to haunt the ancient city of Camorr, and a clandestine war is threatening to tear the city's underworld, the only home the Gentlemen Bastards have ever known, to bloody shreds. Caught up in a murderous game, Locke and his friends will find both their loyalty and their ingenuity tested to the breaking point as they struggle to stay alive...'
The Way of Shadows (The 'Night Angel Trilogy') - Brent Weeks
'The perfect killer has no friends. Only targets. For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art. And he is the city's most accomplished artist, his talents required from alleyway to courtly boudoir. For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned the hard way to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint. But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death.'
To be fair, all of the books were fantastic in different ways and I continue to follow all of them (except the 'Night Angel Trilogy' which I have already finished). However, it was Patrick Rothfuss who really caught my imagination. So like any rabid devoted fan I eagerly awaited the next instalment, 'The Wise Man's Fear' .... and waited.... and waited! until finally my lovely pre-ordered hardback arrived at my door.
Anyone who has waited a long time for a book will know that when it does eventually arrive, it is almost like meeting a lover thats been away for a long time! There is the initial surge of euphoria when you realise that they are on their way, the anxious wait for them to arrive and the strange pain in your stomach when you realise you don't know what to do when you do finally see them, that no words or actions will ever be enough to show them how much you have missed having them in your life.
So here I am, at my front door, vacantly looking at the heavy book in my hands with no idea about how to feel! Thus with the skill of one well versed in art of procrastination I tuck it away in a convenient corner telling myself that reading a book like this one is a brilliant BAD idea a few days before my exams. Valid excuses FTW!
A week later my exams are over and without any further excuses I move onto 'Tactic No. 2'... Avoidance..... unfortunately... as it always is when it comes to avoiding things I enjoy... I fail miserably. I held out for a few days, only glancing at it as I passed, a few sneaky touches.... but to no avail.... it finally came to the final showdown.... I gathered my courage and snatched the book into my room to read.
The fear of reading a long awaited book is a strange thing.... will it meet my expectations? Am I prepared to lose myself in that world again? Will I be ready for the events (bad and good) that I know the author will put the characters through?
The funny thing is, after all that worrying, I read all of 7 pages and fell in love all over again! So I absolutely had to blog about it! haha ... so you'll have to excuse me for the next week or so.... I will be locked in a haze of Kvothe vs the world.
I bid you goodnight
Love to you all
Sophie
