Line #17 YMMV/TheKingkillerChronicle


1	Watch out! here there be '''SPOILERS!'''
2
3	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
4	** Is Kvothe right about the Edema Ruh being unjustly stereotyped as thieves and criminals, or is he being an UnreliableNarrator who either consciously or unconsciously only tries to make them look good, especially considering he ''is'' literally a thief and a criminal himself?
5	** Kvothe's behaviour towards Auri. Is he trying to be gentle and considerate of a cracked person, or is he subjecting her to CondescendingCompassion and treating her like a skittish animal?
6	** With ''The Slow Regard of Silent Things'' we have Auri: is she aware of the true nature of the world on a level beyond normal people, is her behavior simply crazy and obsessive-compulsive, or both?
7	** Similarly with Elodin: How much of his behaviour is ObfuscatingInsanity, and how much is him being genuinely bonkers? Certainly some of his more eccentric actions are designed to teach Kvothe a lesson, but it's also highly probable that he's still one or two crayons short of a box.
8	* AwesomenessWithdrawal:
9	** Book 1 was published in 2007. The second book was published in 2011, which isn't so bad. A couple short stories and a novella were again published a few years later, in 2013/2014. As of 2024, however, it's been over a decade since those were released and there's still no word on when ''The Doors of Stone'' will come out, which is especially frustrating for some readers considering that it'll contain all the payoff for the first two books' set-up.
10	** To show the extent of the withdrawal, it eventually [[https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2020/jul/29/first-george-rr-martin-now-patrick-rothfuss-the-curse-of-sequel-hungry-fans reached]] Rothfuss' own editor Betsy Wollheim, who engaged in controversial Facebook rants about her belief that Rothfuss hadn't written anything in six years and her opinion he was screwing both his fans and his publishers with the delay. While she later added that she would be "instantly forgiving" if she ever saw a draft for the third book, the feeling was common to many fans, among which some even vowed openly to pirate the book when it finally comes out to avoid giving Rothfuss any money.
11	** The release of another novella, ''The Narrow Road Between Desires'' in late 2023 has alleviated this a little, reassuring readers that Rothfuss is still writing, but there's still a bit of apathy.
12	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Denna comes off as TheScrappy to many, who often find her annoying and unsympathetic for what they perceive as knowingly toying with Kvothe to pass her free time while she is not luring rich guys to make a living. Conversely, many people like her for being a rare three-dimensional LoveInterest who provides both conflict and respite (alternatively) to the story thanks to how much she matters to Kvothe.
13	* BrokenBase:
14	** The announcement that Rothfuss would be releasing a novella centered on minor character Auri, ''Literature/TheSlowRegardOfSilentThings'', had fans either excited to see a new perspective of the Kingkiller world, especially that of an enigmatic character, or disappointed that he wasn't devoting his attention to the much-anticipated third book. Upon release there was further split, as some found it an uninteresting and irrelevant story (instead of something giving background to Auri, as many expected the novella would be about) and criticized Rothfuss for disappointing them and wasting their time, while others praised the unconventional story and its exploration of Auri's character. The controversial note by Rothfuss and Vi Hart at the end of the book only worsened things.
15	** Kvothe's time spent in the fae realm in ''The Wise Man's Fear'' has also divided the fandom. Many found it a fascinating and increasingly dark high point of the novel, as Kvothe interacts with two demigods of [[AmbiguouslyEvil questionable alignment]] and [[ShroudedInMyth mystery]], while exploring a unique side of the world and separating fact from fiction regarding some of the series' more fantastical history. Others believe it dragged on for too long, and found our hero's interaction with Felurian [[spoiler:(along with his defeat of her and subsequent escape)]] to be testing their suspension of disbelief.
16	** Similarly, the time spent in Ademre. It's either a very interesting subplot that enriches the story by showing a different culture of ProudWarriorRaceGuys, with an interesting philosophy in the Lethani. Or they are a country of [[CantArgueWithElves pretentious]], [[IRejectYourReality anti-intellectual]], [[WomenAreWiser sexist]], [[ArrogantKungfuGuy arrogant kung-fu guys]] who belittle everyone else for their perceived shortcomings while [[{{Hypocrite}} ignoring their own backward and strange taboos]], not to mention that the entire time there doesn't advance the MythArc barring a short conversation at the end.
17	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
18	** Elodin is by far one of the most popular characters in the series due to his CloudCuckoolander teacher, being a hilarious source of comedy, his charismatic personality and being a surprisingly good mentor to Kvothe.
19	** Auri is beloved by the fans for her innocent, childlike nature coupled with her mysterious past and character. So much so that she received her own novella spinoff.
20	** Devi is well-liked for her playful and flirty personality with Kvothe, as well as being one of the more morally grey characters in the series.
21	* HilariousInHindsight: "Kote" was a caravan guard [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim until he took an arrow to the knee.]]
22	* HoYay:
23	** Bast is really, really devoted to Kvothe--devoted to the point of staying in a boring human town for his sake, checking on him when he's asleep, and [[spoiler: [[BreadEggsMilkSquick threatening to torture Chronicler if he doesn't help Kvothe get back to being his old self]]]]. Some of their interaction can also come off as LikeAnOldMarriedCouple, at least from Bast's side:
24	--->'''Bast:''' [angrily waving a note Kvothe left him] What am I, some dockside whore?
25	** Also, re-read Kvothe and Tempi's interactions in light of subsequent explanations about Ademre culture. While Tempi's tendency to get up close and personal physically is just a reflection of Ademre norms, his reaction to Kvothe singing in front of him and his subsequent eagerness to keep spending time with Kvothe after their mission for the Maer is over could be signs that Tempi was romantically attracted to Kvothe.
26	* HypeBacklash: When ''The Name of the Wind'' was published in 2007, it got lots of positive hype for being a fresh take on the fantasy genre with a compelling protagonist, with even Creator/GeorgeRRMartin praising it for a healthy boost in popularity. However, by the late 2010's backlash had started to kick in for readers, not only due to the frustration over the increasingly long wait-time for the trilogy to be concluded, but also because the trilogy's started being reevaluated following the release of the second book, a ContestedSequel that arguably did little to advance the main story (and the same could further be said of the novellas). Kvothe himself, who had been previously praised as a main character, was increasingly seen as an UnintentionallyUnsympathetic protagonist whose actions became more and more questionable, while other characters like Denna and Auri either evoked similar views or felt underdeveloped for all their interest. Even if the series isn't usually considered bad, its flaws are much more visible and commented on now, with some readers reserving their final judgement for when the story is finished and/or fearing the third book will simply never be able to meet the lofty expectations regardless of quality.
27	* {{Moe}}: Auri, an earnest, eccentric and homeless girl who quickly develops a puppy dog-like relationship with Kvothe.
28	* {{Narm}}
29	** It can be hard for British readers to take "Lord Haliax" seriously when his name is one letter off being a bank.
30	** In medical jargon, [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edema edema]] refers to fluid retention in a body part, which is most commonly caused by poor circulation. Understandably, many in the medical profession who read about the Edema Ruh have a hard time not thinking of people with heart failure or leaving a dent in someone's leg after pressing a finger into it. The term for the condition is the same in several other languages, and so some translations, such as the Spanish one, have opted to change the ethnicity's name to "Edena" to avoid such associations.
31	* RomanticPlotTumor: Some readers think Kvothe's very slowly developing romance with Denna takes up too much time. In the second book, Kvothe acknowledges that he has to dedicate a lot of time to their story on the saying it will be important in the future.
32	* SpiritualSuccessor: The series is a good fantasy update of Mika Waltari's classic historical novel ''Literature/TheEgyptian'': a retired main character who is telling his life story, in which he was a boy who lost his parents early and in a dramatic way, met a sexy girl who lures men for a living, became a physician, travelled through several cultures and countries, clashed with his school's academia, gained wealth only to lose it several times, got involved in wars and courtly matters, met a supernatural being which supposedly brings death to those who see it, killed a king, and finally paid the consequences. Similarities between Sinuhe and Kvothe just increase with the hints that the latter [[spoiler:might be unknowingly related to royalty]] just like the former.
33	* StrawmanHasAPoint: For all that Ambrose is exceedingly prejudiced against the Edema Ruh and abusing his influence to attack him, by the end of the first book Kvothe has in fact robbed him and committed an act of extreme malfeasance against him. Even if it can be charitably considered a SelfFulfillingProphecy, the irony is not lost.
34	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
35	** Kvothe. While he does acknowledge having committed mistakes through his life and considers his past self a bit of a cocky prick, it's also noticeable that he has also done (and still does) a lot of questionable things that his present self does not condemn at all, neither explicitly nor implicitly. His enmity with Ambrose, for instance, is surprisingly one-sided and he has no trouble painting it as such, even claiming it's Ambrose's fault for getting on his way. He makes a lot of idiotic decisions, like trying to use improperly the University's goods, annoying masters by hardheadness or pedantry, and even literally assaulting underworld figures with little premeditation, yet his narration usually [[NeverMyFault puts the fault on circumstances or everybody except him]]. He indulges in petty thievery, bribery and even literal embezzlement, some of them against people and institutions that had previously been nice to him, all while criticizing Ambrose and other wealthy characters for doing similar things. He also falls in violent vigilantism once he becomes a martial artist, even though he supposedly abhors whenever someone abuses his authority or power. Finally, he even threatens a chronicler for trying to do his job of writing down the objective truth and not the way the story's protagonist wants it! While the story might be making the point that you cannot get away with so many things and that you will pay for them sooner or later, it's hard to take it when the character that is supposed to be TheAtoner is overlooking most of his past misdoings.
36	** There is also Kvothe being deeply susceptible about the Edema Ruh being popularly stereotyped as thieves and con men... only for Kvothe to lie, cheat and steal (among many other amoral actions) on-page with little to no remorse, ''just how the popular belief assumes he would do''. It's difficult to agree with his tracts on this topic when he is validating himself all the negative stereotypes of his people, without even dedicating a single thought to this or merely realizing it. The sheer BrokenAesop resultant from this incoherence makes his stance even worse, as it fuels further the already existent implications (see AlternateCharacterInterpretation above) that Kvothe is an UnreliableNarrator painting the Edena Ruh in a positive light not backed up by reality.
37	** Denna too; the book desperately wants you to feel sorry for her because she has to live from the kindness of strangers, but since we don't know ''why'' Denna wanders around scamming random men, plus the fact that she seems to greatly enjoy doing it and toying with everyone around her, including Kvothe, it's hard to see her as anything but a self-righteous GoldDigger. What's more, she often acts condescending and snarky towards Kvothe, behaving as if she were morally superior to him only for having lived through a (slightly) harder life, despite many moments in the story showing her as being surprisingly conceited, petty, and not any slower to manipulate and cheat than Kvothe himself (and this extends also to Denna generally acting as if she is a genius, just because she somehow can always see through him when he's lying, when all she is during their adventure together is TheLoad, and not a very pleasant one). Kvothe also gives her endless CharacterShilling over how beautiful and amazing she is, but considering she's the only female character in the plot that gets any attention by him, it kind of comes of like Kvothe praises her because she's the girl he loves, not because she's special in any way. Bast even lampshades the last of this by pointing out she's not as beautiful and perfect as Kvothe thinks she is.
38	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Devi is easily one of the most interesting women in the books (though granted [[ChromosomeCasting she doesn't have lots of competition]]), being a witty, cute LoanShark who uses blood magic to seal the loyalty of her clients. Kvothe balks at the notion of giving her any of his blood so she's only used a couple of times in ''The Name of the Wind'' despite having a really interesting job and personality. She does, however, get a larger role in the second book.
39	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: For some, the [[spoiler:Fake Edema Ruh]] arc late in the second book had shades of this. Kvothe runs into another troupe of Edema Ruh, the first he's encountered since his childhood. He spends the evening in their company, but a feeling of gradual unease begins to creep up on him as the night goes on, cemented by the appearance of two teenage girls the troupe had abducted and made into sex slaves. Kvothe is reasonably disturbed and appalled by this, and retires in order to plot what to do about it. [[spoiler:Faced with proof that corruption and atrocity are present in even the apparently flawless Edema Ruh, you'd think this would be a huge blow to Kvothe's romanticized bias toward his people; but of course, it turns out they were bandits merely impersonating the Ruh, which Kvothe had quickly twigged right from the start due to the various minor holes in their Ruh knowledge.]] While still given a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge relatively satisfying conclusion]], TheReveal removed some of the emotional depth the text was [[RedHerring seemingly]] building up to and reinforced the Ruh's {{Utopia}} characterization.
40	* TheWoobie: Auri, due to her homelessness and implied DarkAndTroubledPast. Kvothe after his parents' death manages to surpass Auri; the Tarbean chapters are downright painful to read. In ''The Wise Man's Fear," the two girls enslaved by the [[spoiler: fake Edema Ruh]].

Context YMMV / TheKingkillerChronicle