Note – This is my first audio book review.

Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Title: Name of the Wind – Book 1 Kingkiller Chronicles

Genre: Fantasy

Type: Audio

Length: TOO LONG! 28 hours

Narrator: Rupert Degas

Blurb:

Told in Kvothe’s own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.

First Impressions:

I chose The Name of the Wind as my first audio book as I really wanted to read it, but couldn’t face a book of that magnitude for the few hours I have set aside for reading.

My husband dubbed the book ‘Long of the Wind’ this should have been an indication of what was to come.

Narration style:

For me it was hard listening to a man doing a woman’s voice, though so far there has only been one woman in the book – Kvothe’s mother. Rupert Degas softens his voice for this role, and also to make his voice sound younger for Kvothe as a child. It sort of worked, but as the story dragged on, I became annoyed listening to it.

Summary:

It is a very long book… but nothing happens. It is brilliantly written with lots of details, but I want a book to go somewhere and this did not. I guess Patrick Rothfuss’s slow writing style is not for me.

Final Thoughts:

I did not listen to the whole book, though I really tried. I stopped at chapter 19. It was so boring I kept leaving the room forgetting I was listening to it. I have no inclination to pick up the book to find out what happened. I’m sorry to say that I just didn’t care for the main character or what happened in his past.

Recommend to: Insomniacs and readers who enjoy slow building epics.

Rating: 2 stars.

***

I really wanted to give audio books a try, maybe starting with this one was a mistake. Or maybe audio books are just not for me and I am being unfair to the author. I shall be listening to ‘Girl on a Train’ next and will post a review on that soon.

Has anyone got any suggestions for a good audio book?