This is the final part of an ongoing
series about humans and aliens and the possibilities around their interaction. Over
this series, the author has endeavoured to put forward several grand ideas and has
postulated how our civilisation may evolve and the dangers we may encounter because
of humanities reach into the unknown. The final book goes even further than the
others, all the way to Death’s End to explore a possible conclusion (or is it?)
to the story he has woven so skilfully.
‘Half
a century after the Doomsday Battle, the uneasy balance of Dark Forest
Deterrence keeps the Trisolaran invaders at bay.
Earth
enjoys unprecedented prosperity due to the infusion of Trisolaran knowledge
and, with human science advancing and the Trisolarans adopting Earth culture,
it seems that the two civilizations can co-exist peacefully as equals without
the terrible threat of mutually assured annihilation. But peace has made
humanity complacent.
Cheng
Xin, an aerospace engineer from the 21st century, awakens from hibernation in
this new age. She brings knowledge of a long-forgotten program dating from the
start of the Trisolar Crisis, and her presence may upset the delicate balance
between two worlds. Will humanity reach for the stars or die in its cradle?’
This was a book given to me by a friend,
which is the first in the Kingkiller Chronicle. As the first book in a planned
trilogy, the author spends a lot of time developing the main character,
explaining his origins and motivations that will guide his actions in the
future. This could be a slow and drawn out process but he is a skilled writer
who paints a detailed and intriguing world without giving away all its secrets,
leaving you wanting more.
‘My
name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are
important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names
than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how
it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.
"The
Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I
had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned
as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it
sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.
"The
Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage
training at an early age.
I've
never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in
retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.
My
first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real
lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called
Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless,
Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and
paid for them.
But
I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to
know."
I
have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although
very few were unearned.
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.
You
may have heard of me.
So
begins the tale of Kvothe—from his childhood in a troupe of traveling players,
to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-riddled city, to his daringly
brazen yet successful bid to enter a difficult and dangerous school of magic.
In these pages you will come to know Kvothe as a notorious magician, an
accomplished thief, a masterful musician, and an infamous assassin. But The
Name of the Wind is so much more—for the story it tells reveals the truth
behind Kvothe's legend.’
