THE WISE MAN S FEAR (SERIES: KINGKILLER CHRONICLE, BK. 2)

de ROTHFUSS, PATRICK

Sinopsis:

«There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man.»

My name is Kvothe.

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 a hero told from his own point of view-a story unequaled in fantasy literature. Now in The Wise Man’s Fear, Day Two of The Kingkiller Chronicle, an escalating rivalry with a powerful member of the nobility forces Kvothe to leave the University and seek his fortune abroad. Adrift, penniless, and alone, he travels to Vintas, where he quickly becomes entangled in the politics of courtly society. While attempting to curry favor with a powerful noble, Kvothe uncovers an assassination attempt, comes into conflict with a rival arcanist, and leads a group of mercenaries into the wild, in an attempt to solve the mystery of who (or what) is waylaying travelers on the King’s road.

All the while, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, is forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived…until Kvothe.

In The Wise Man’s Fear, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time.

Opinión Personal.

Terminé hace unos días esta segunda parte de las crónicas del «asesino de reyes» (kingskiller chronicles). Se puede traducir como «El temor de un hombre sabio»,  aunque yo lo traduciría como «Los miedos de un hombre sabio» porque como se indica en el propio libro; hay tres cosas que todo hombre sabio debe temer: una tormenta en alta mar, la ira de un caballero y una noche sin luna. (Además de ser una traducción libre lo estoy haciendo de memoria, pero la idea es la que he puesto).

Dicho esto, esta segunda entrega parte con una ventaja esencial con respecto a la primera: ya conocemos a Kvote, y solo con esto ya estamos deseando empezarla. Routhfuss sigue escribiendo magistralmente, con algunas coletillas propias como «a matter-of-fact» que me hicieron sonreír. En general el libro es tan bueno o mejor que el primero, salvo algunas partes que se me hicieron un pelín pesadas, como la estancia del protagonista en el Bosque de Felurian. Salvando esto, puede decir que a quien le haya gustado «El nombre del Viento» seguirá disfrutando con «The Wiseman’s fear».

Una cosa más antes de finalizar la reseña: me ha recordado mucho a D. Quijote, en el sentido de que la novela no es una historia, sino muchas historias transversales a la principal… muy curioso.

Valoración: Muy buena.

The Name of the Wind de ROTHFUSS, PATRICK

Sinopsis

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.

Opinión Personal

Desde luego, es diferente. Y así he de empezar esta pequeña reseña. No es el típico libro de fantasía, de hecho, a veces uno duda de si es fantasía o no, pues las memorias del protagonista son muy cercanas al lector.

Intriga, pellizcos de magia, emoción, acción, amor… todo lo que un buen lector puede desear encontrar en un libro. No sé como será la traducción, pero el original es original -valga la redundancia- hasta en la forma de contar la historia. Bueno, muy bueno.

Algo en los que no es original es en que es el primero de una saga que se aventura larga, pues apenas si tenemos, en esta primera novela, «the foundations of a good real story».

En fin, un libro muy recomendable, especialmente si lo puedes leer en versión original.

Valoración: Sobresaliente.