Patrick Rothfuss - The Wise Man's Fear

The Wise Man's Fear, written by Patrick Rothfuss, continues the recounting of Kvothe's adventures where The Name of the Wind left off.

WARNING THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST BOOK

Kvothe is adjusting to life at the University, his spreading notoriety, his strange new studies to learn Names, and is always complicated relationship with Denna.  But disaster and mischief are always drawn to Kvothe as he continues to make his impact on the world and gets closer to his answers about the Chandrian who killed his family.

Rothfuss takes no steps back in his second book, continuing to show his dazzling ability at storytelling.  The tale-with-in-a-tale style is great though I found myself wanting to jump back to the current time more often and learn more about Kvothe in his current age.  At points I did find the book lingered around some of the stories a bit longer than I would have hoped, but otherwise a great book for any who enjoyed the first.  I give this book 4/5 bookmarks.

Brent Weeks - The Blinding Knife

The Blinding Knife, written by Brent Weeks, picks up the tales of Kip and Gavin Guile where The Black Prism left off.

WARNING THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST BOOK

Kip, adjusting to being the bastard son of the most powerful man in the world, must face the challenges that come with being the son of the Prism as well as a monochrome drafter (a person who uses the various spectrums of light as a power source).  Kip must learn to accept his place in the Chromeria (school for drafters), attempt to join the legendary Blackguard (guardians of the Prism), all while trying to prevent his new grandfather Andross from destroying his chances at making his father proud.

Gavin always thought he knew when he would die, but now his time is coming to a close much sooner.  As he copes with starting to lose some of his colors Gavin must continue to protect the people of Garriston and the rest of the world from the army the Lord Omnichrome is using to conquer the land.  All of this while trying to protect his greatest secret from the world and the love of his life Karris.

Weeks continues to dazzle the readers with the vivid descriptions and imaginative use of the spectrum splitting magic system. Top that with the compelling characters and constantly twisting and evolving story and you have a great book that will be hard to put down.  The only issues, the next in the series isn't out for me to read (as of this writing).  5/5 bookmarks

Brent Weeks - The Black Prism

The Black Prism, written by Brent Weeks, is a great fantasy book that tells the story of characters sixteen years after a war nearly consumed their world.

Kip, a poor boy living in a town all but destroyed by war must adapt to his world being torn away from him and replaced with greater challenges, enemies, and his newly discovered father.

Gavin Guile, the Prism, emperor and religious leader of all the land, must keep the delicate peace in balance, handle discovery of a bastard son, and fulfill his great purposes all before he dies. A death that he knows exactly when will take place.

In this amazing world that Weeks creates for the reader, light is the source of magic.  Certain people can manipulate red, green, blue, or any other color of the rainbow while Gavin as Prism can manipulate them all.  These people will the colors to mainfest itself in the form of buildings, boats, even weapons. Weeks does a great job of explaining this imaginative idea but does an even better job describing its use.

While the concept of magic is a great aspect of this book the characters drive the story and keep you coming back for more.  I found myself laughing, angry, embarrassed and sad along with each character as they faced their many perils.  Overall I'd give this book 5/5 bookmarks.

Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind, written by Patrick Rothfuss, is about the journey of a man named Kvothe.  Kvothes journey takes you through joy and sorrow, cruelty and kindness, love and heartbreak, triumph and shame, and just about any other emotion that a person can experience in their life, and all before he has left his youth. Along the way you see the depth of the world Rothfuss has created in the diverse cultures, vivid poetry and song, powerful magic and horrible demons. Rothfuss describes the coming-of-age tale of Kvothe in such a manner that you won't want to put the book down, that after maybe one more chapter you'll be able to postpone the rest of Kvothe's journey, that all of your questions will be answered, that all of your rooting for Kvothe will finally pay off, and then you realize that you've read another hundred pages.

I'd recommend this book to any fan of the fantasy genre or great coming-of-age tales. But have the sequels ready!  I give this book 4.5/ 5 bookmarks.