Everything I read was just people going "anyway here is why I hate you" and also him pushing his grandma into a pond
Oh yeah. There's reasons for all of that and it makes sense if you just keep going but I can understand that making someone uncomfortable enough to not continue.
It's not like the book turns into happy fun time later.
I have Small Angry Planet. Maybe I'll read that next.
It's one of my favorite sci-fi books from the last couple years. It's a great, chill read.
Yea, I just finished reading this and I clearly read them out of order but aside from stuff at the very beginning I don't think it really hurt either. Also Small Angry Planet is the better book but they're both quite good.
What's the deal with the artillery man in War of the Worlds? Sure, he's got ambition bigger than his ability but the guy condemning him has been doing even less than he has. So what makes his failure so bad? How has he 'betrayed' humankind?
JedocIn the scupperswith the staggers and jagsRegistered Userregular
I don't have a copy handy, so I'm not sure what's happening after fifty pages. I will say that I didn't really like the framing device, so if you're still in the inn the story hasn't started yet.
After that, his childhood is pretty harrowing, but then he has a pretty satisfying arc of learning to be a wizard and a person.
If you like flawed characters, bail out now, because he's pretty great all of the time. If you were okay with characters like Harry Potter and Corran Horn, it's an enjoyable Bildungsroman in an interesting fantasy world.
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masterofmetroidHave you ever looked at a worldand seen it as a kind of challenge?Registered Userregular
I don't have a copy handy, so I'm not sure what's happening after fifty pages. I will say that I didn't really like the framing device, so if you're still in the inn the story hasn't started yet.
After that, his childhood is pretty harrowing, but then he has a pretty satisfying arc of learning to be a wizard and a person.
If you like flawed characters, bail out now, because he's pretty great all of the time. If you were okay with characters like Harry Potter and Corran Horn, it's an enjoyable Bildungsroman in an interesting fantasy world.
He's got flaws. The problem is they're mostly about his arrogance.
I don't know who he is, but he's no George Sanders.
Anyways, I'm reading The Name of the Wind. I'm about fifty pages in. Does it. . . How do I phrase this? Does it get good at some point?
IMO, yes, on the first read through the intro bit can seem a bit like waiting for the real story to start, but when the narrative device picks up it finds it's stride. Kingkiller Chronicles is also a series that improves with multiple readings
I don't know who he is, but he's no George Sanders.
Anyways, I'm reading The Name of the Wind. I'm about fifty pages in. Does it. . . How do I phrase this? Does it get good at some point?
Oh buddy, if you're aren't enjoying it now it's not going to get any better
I think at 50 pages they're still in the framing device, because the first chunk of that is looong and pretty different grin the main story. So I'd say give it until the first chapter of the real story before deciding. If you so don't dig it at that point, yeah, totally bail.
I don't have a copy handy, so I'm not sure what's happening after fifty pages. I will say that I didn't really like the framing device, so if you're still in the inn the story hasn't started yet.
After that, his childhood is pretty harrowing, but then he has a pretty satisfying arc of learning to be a wizard and a person.
If you like flawed characters, bail out now, because he's pretty great all of the time. If you were okay with characters like Harry Potter and Corran Horn, it's an enjoyable Bildungsroman in an interesting fantasy world.
He's got flaws. The problem is they're mostly about his arrogance.
It's one of those things that I missed on the first readthrough was how Kvothe, telling the story, is also telling more than the surface level suggests.
The surface level story is about a kid who is great at everything, seeks vengeance on his enemies, and becomes a great narrative hero of his world.
The second level is about a kid who avoids situations where he has to really apply himself, alienates people for petty reasons that worsen his lot in life, and completely fails at learning to be a normal person or how to question his life enough to improve it, which his older self greatly regrets.
I missed a lot of the reactions everyone has to Kvothe's kind of inability to cope with everyday life the first time through.
There's also tons of third level story stuff where you get a feel for the world and more backstory into Kvothe. Especially in Wise Man's Fear, but also in Name of the Wind, there's a lot of information in the narrative to let you know just how dumb he is. Like how he was in the same room with his aunt, who is a powerful noble, and didn't have a clue.
Friends, I know you are dying for an update on how my reading of Infinite Jest is going (1)
I am here to give that to you
I am 700 pages in and still enjoying it (2)
You're welcome (3)
Sarcasm, of course. BFL frequently deploys sarcasm, often though not always with self-deprecation implied, in an attempt to endear himself to others. He has, in the past, gone too far with this, and still recalls with some shame the time in college where he was talking to a nice woman about the essays due in the class they shared, who, exasperated with his refusal to take her compliments of his writing, told him, not unkindly, that he needed to learn to take a compliment. BFL, made even more self-questioning than usual by this remark, was unsure of whether or not it would be rude to end the conversation, and so followed her to a cafe, where she asked him if he wanted a snack, and he had no idea whether or not she earnestly meant it or was just trying to be polite. He ate a grilled cheese sandwich. Years later, he is still somewhat embarrassed by this incident, and is also unsure of why he had ordered a grilled cheese, a sandwich which he does not dislike but does not have all that much fondness for.
He usually reads the book on the subway, where it brings some enjoyment to an otherwise dull commute. He made the mistake of not reading it on Sunday night, when he had a ride that really needed some brightening, because the little girl on the seat across from the pole he was holding kept calling him "Fat Patty" and asking if he wanted a Big Mac, which was a bit surprising, not least because this girl was blatantly and undeniably obese, and while BFL would never say that he is skinny, his BMI is not that far off from healthy. The girl alternated between asking him if he wanted a Big Mac and harassing the man standing perpendicular to him with his girlfriend. She called out "Hey, Mr. Big Nose!" and the man, not turning to look at her, gamely said to his female companion, probably his girfriend based on the body language they shared that betrayed affection, that it wasn't untrue, in a spirit of sportsmanship that was tested severely when the girl attempted to gain his attention by pounding on the pole he was hanging onto and, when that failed, loudly questioning if he was deaf, and, when that failed, asking the same of his girlfriend. The little girl was accompanied by an older woman, presumably her grandma, who occasionally voiced disapproval of her young charge's behavior in a way that was somehow at once fierce and lackadaisical, such that the girl knew that the threats of punishment would not be followed up upon and was not at all dissuaded from continuing her activities. BFL really should have read the book at this time instead of paying attention to the child's antics while pretending that he wasn't, so as not to give her what she wanted.
Facetious, of course. BFL learned the word facetious by 3rd grade, but did not know how to spell it until he was in probably high school, and is still unsure of whether or not he pronounces it correctly.
I don't have a copy handy, so I'm not sure what's happening after fifty pages. I will say that I didn't really like the framing device, so if you're still in the inn the story hasn't started yet.
After that, his childhood is pretty harrowing, but then he has a pretty satisfying arc of learning to be a wizard and a person.
If you like flawed characters, bail out now, because he's pretty great all of the time. If you were okay with characters like Harry Potter and Corran Horn, it's an enjoyable Bildungsroman in an interesting fantasy world.
He's got flaws. The problem is they're mostly about his arrogance.
It's one of those things that I missed on the first readthrough was how Kvothe, telling the story, is also telling more than the surface level suggests.
The surface level story is about a kid who is great at everything, seeks vengeance on his enemies, and becomes a great narrative hero of his world.
The second level is about a kid who avoids situations where he has to really apply himself, alienates people for petty reasons that worsen his lot in life, and completely fails at learning to be a normal person or how to question his life enough to improve it, which his older self greatly regrets.
I missed a lot of the reactions everyone has to Kvothe's kind of inability to cope with everyday life the first time through.
There's also tons of third level story stuff where you get a feel for the world and more backstory into Kvothe. Especially in Wise Man's Fear, but also in Name of the Wind, there's a lot of information in the narrative to let you know just how dumb he is. Like how he was in the same room with his aunt, who is a powerful noble, and didn't have a clue.
I'm excited for a reread when the 3rd one comes out. It wasn't as multileveled as GoT but I could tell there was stuff I would pick up better on a second reading.
Friends, I know you are dying for an update on how my reading of Infinite Jest is going
I am here to give that to you
I am 700 pages in and still enjoying it
You're welcome
This post needs some footnotes, maybe i/r/t how one defines "enjoyment" in an era of unlimited entertainment
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Shortytouching the meatIntergalactic Cool CourtRegistered Userregular
literally every time someone posts about infinite jest I have to stop myself from making a post that's just one really long run-on sentence with three notes that ends with "no matter what the fuck you do"
I don't have a copy handy, so I'm not sure what's happening after fifty pages. I will say that I didn't really like the framing device, so if you're still in the inn the story hasn't started yet.
After that, his childhood is pretty harrowing, but then he has a pretty satisfying arc of learning to be a wizard and a person.
If you like flawed characters, bail out now, because he's pretty great all of the time. If you were okay with characters like Harry Potter and Corran Horn, it's an enjoyable Bildungsroman in an interesting fantasy world.
He's got flaws. The problem is they're mostly about his arrogance.
It's one of those things that I missed on the first readthrough was how Kvothe, telling the story, is also telling more than the surface level suggests.
The surface level story is about a kid who is great at everything, seeks vengeance on his enemies, and becomes a great narrative hero of his world.
The second level is about a kid who avoids situations where he has to really apply himself, alienates people for petty reasons that worsen his lot in life, and completely fails at learning to be a normal person or how to question his life enough to improve it, which his older self greatly regrets.
I missed a lot of the reactions everyone has to Kvothe's kind of inability to cope with everyday life the first time through.
There's also tons of third level story stuff where you get a feel for the world and more backstory into Kvothe. Especially in Wise Man's Fear, but also in Name of the Wind, there's a lot of information in the narrative to let you know just how dumb he is. Like how he was in the same room with his aunt, who is a powerful noble, and didn't have a clue.
I'm excited for a reread when the 3rd one comes out. It wasn't as multileveled as GoT but I could tell there was stuff I would pick up better on a second reading.
Me too, now that everyone's mentioned it. I missed a whole bunch, apparently
There are three books already, though. One is a week in the life of Auri and depending on your outlook it's either infuriating or a masterpiece in immersing yourself in an environment
The one about the fucking space hairdresser and the cowboy. He's got a tinfoil pal and a pedal bin
I have never read any Conan the Barbarian books and want to rectify that. Where should I start and are there any particularly highly recommended ones?
They're all mostly short stories (or at least the originals are). I would recommend "The Tower of the Elephant." That's pretty much THE Conan story.
But, if you want to read a few or if you want access to a wide selection of stories, I'd pick up a copy of this book. It's a collection of all of the original short stories. I read it in high school and I remember it being some real grade-A stuff. It's got a murder mystery, a giant ape, and a pirate story. So, you've got a variety to choose from.
Conan is pretty dope, yo. . . Just as long as you're also willing to deal with Anglophilic American racism circa 1930.
I have taken up reading translations of chinese & japanese web novels.
A lot of them are plagued with edgelord protagonists, embarrassing harems, and uninteresting plots regarding essentially dbz power leveling.
There's been a couple stories I rather like though.
My favorite so far is the Chinese web novel Release That Witch!.
The plot starts with a overworked mechanical engineer, abruptly reincarnated in the body of a tossed aside prince, who's being asked to judge an medieval execution.
It's a largely a slice of life story, of building towards a modern society, in a small town on the outskirts of a wasteland in a primitive era.
There's lots of cute misunderstandings regarding the rough inventions brought out by the engineer.
I found the humor and shared confusion of all the characters, made the story a enjoyable page turner.
It's probably the most recommended, webnovel, I've read?
There's a good deal of diverse perspectives throughout the webnovel, from plotting kings, to young witches, theater troops, alchemists, priests, and revolutionaries.
Beyond the exploration of the introduction of chemistry and physics inserted into a medieval western society, there's also a story of a modern leftist government being introduced to solve problems of feudal neglect.
It's setting features the worldbuilding of warring states, and a systemic shown distrust for the prevailing religion that advocates witchhunts.
It ultimately feels like media that wouldn't be found in the perspective of a westerner. The Author, Er Mu, is also fairly prolific with their chapters (something like 700+ serial web pages of Chinese writing with updates faster than translation efforts every week)
It's currently being translated into English by a small but growing translation company called Volare Novels, they are currently at 291/722 chapter pages translated, with updates of +5 new chapters of the series a week.
If you're bored, and interested in some fluffy, serialized, light fantasy, reading from a chinese author, the first chapter can be read in English here.
It might be a bit too fluffy for some, as it's a first work lacking some polish around the edges (the official artwork/cover of the author is a generic royalty free fantasy lady, that was basically to satisfy a submission requirement by the publisher)
I'd be interested if any other folk had webnovel suggestions,
or fun traditional books regarding time travel, sciences & society building.
Virgil_Leads_You on
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knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
I finished up The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.
It feels very Expanse-y, or Firefly-ish, with a bit of Culture thrown in for good measure.
Will be picking up the sequel posthaste
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
I have never read any Conan the Barbarian books and want to rectify that. Where should I start and are there any particularly highly recommended ones?
They're all mostly short stories (or at least the originals are). I would recommend "The Tower of the Elephant." That's pretty much THE Conan story.
But, if you want to read a few or if you want access to a wide selection of stories, I'd pick up a copy of this book. It's a collection of all of the original short stories. I read it in high school and I remember it being some real grade-A stuff. It's got a murder mystery, a giant ape, and a pirate story. So, you've got a variety to choose from.
Conan is pretty dope, yo. . . Just as long as you're also willing to deal with Anglophilic American racism circa 1930.
And the sexism, of course.
I have the sf masterworks collection, which includes the tower of the elephant. You can probably pick it up 2nd hand on Amazon pretty easily.
Alright, nuts to this Wind book. I'm going to read Cormac McCarthy's first novel. I've got two more after that and then I've read them all.
(Before you ask, it's Cities on the Plain and The Outer Dark.)
Fair enough! Just for my own librarian curiosity, have you read any books that succeeded in doing what Name of the Wind was trying to do? Is it this general kind of fantasy hero narrative that you don't like, or was it something about this book specifically?
I ask mostly because I get a lot of people finishing Game of Thrones and looking for more epic fantasy, and this series and Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards novels are two of my immediate recommendations.
Alright, nuts to this Wind book. I'm going to read Cormac McCarthy's first novel. I've got two more after that and then I've read them all.
(Before you ask, it's Cities on the Plain and The Outer Dark.)
Fair enough! Just for my own librarian curiosity, have you read any books that succeeded in doing what Name of the Wind was trying to do? Is it this general kind of fantasy hero narrative that you don't like, or was it something about this book specifically?
I ask mostly because I get a lot of people finishing Game of Thrones and looking for more epic fantasy, and this series and Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards novels are two of my immediate recommendations.
The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham might be a good fit there too. Daniel writes in a very similar style to GRRM.
I'm also kinda curious where Penguin tapped out in Wind.
Alright, nuts to this Wind book. I'm going to read Cormac McCarthy's first novel. I've got two more after that and then I've read them all.
(Before you ask, it's Cities on the Plain and The Outer Dark.)
Fair enough! Just for my own librarian curiosity, have you read any books that succeeded in doing what Name of the Wind was trying to do? Is it this general kind of fantasy hero narrative that you don't like, or was it something about this book specifically?
I ask mostly because I get a lot of people finishing Game of Thrones and looking for more epic fantasy, and this series and Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards novels are two of my immediate recommendations.
If you liked Game of Thrones, Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook and Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy (and the books that come after it) are solid and in the same flavor. The Malazan series is fucking aces but also really intimidating so that'll depend on your reader.
If you liked Name of the Wind, or at least what it was trying to do, Robin Hobbs' Farseer trilogy is another good hero's journey fantasy series.
Alright, nuts to this Wind book. I'm going to read Cormac McCarthy's first novel. I've got two more after that and then I've read them all.
(Before you ask, it's Cities on the Plain and The Outer Dark.)
Cities on the Plain is fantastic. Outer Dark is...something. I've read everything of him and don't regret a single one, though the Crossing Trilogy, The Road and Blood Meridian are ones I will return to. Blood Meridian is one I know I will reread over and over and always be fucking devastated and amazed every time.
Alright, nuts to this Wind book. I'm going to read Cormac McCarthy's first novel. I've got two more after that and then I've read them all.
(Before you ask, it's Cities on the Plain and The Outer Dark.)
Fair enough! Just for my own librarian curiosity, have you read any books that succeeded in doing what Name of the Wind was trying to do? Is it this general kind of fantasy hero narrative that you don't like, or was it something about this book specifically?
I ask mostly because I get a lot of people finishing Game of Thrones and looking for more epic fantasy, and this series and Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards novels are two of my immediate recommendations.
My specific problems with The Name of the Wind have to do mostly with the phrasing and the setting. I don't know. It's very hard for me to parse or to pick out specifically, but it didn't feel like it was in a world with weight. It read like somebody was writing a fantasy novel. It felt like somebody was checking boxes more than writing a story. I'm having a hard time being specific with this, but I guess I just didn't buy it. My tastes tend to run towards realism and, even when there's dragons and wizards and bullshit like that, if it isn't weighted in something real (even if that's a made up reality), I will bounce right the fuck off of it.
Also, I just don't think I liked Rothfuss' writing enough to look past it and get into the story ("sleep took him like a lover in an empty bed" was an especially offensive line to me).
I'm also very particular about fantasy. I have very specific tastes when it comes to this sort of thing, because I don't like Tolkien and I feel there's way too many people trying to ape what he did and I can smell them coming a mile away. Not that Rothfuss is guilty of that (I don't think that he is), it just didn't float my boat.
That said, I do love ASOFAI (ASOIAF?) and I've really wanted to read a good, unique fantasy novel for a while now. The Name of the Wind just wasn't it for me.
I'll check out the other one you recommend, but it's going to be a while. I picked up The Name of the Wind because one of my friends went blind and he was cleaning out his room of all of his old novels. So, lucky me.
I want to like ASOIAF so much more than I actually do. I love the overall setting and big picture stuff but I find GRRM's writing to be absolutely unendurable.
Posts
Probably why I liked it so much.
Oh yeah. There's reasons for all of that and it makes sense if you just keep going but I can understand that making someone uncomfortable enough to not continue.
It's not like the book turns into happy fun time later.
Yea, I just finished reading this and I clearly read them out of order but aside from stuff at the very beginning I don't think it really hurt either. Also Small Angry Planet is the better book but they're both quite good.
I just saw this, and I can't decide if it's more or less weird than the thing they did with Conan O'Brien dumping milk down a sink.
I'm thinking more, because at least you have the connection of Conan being a comedian.
George Saunders writes satire.
Anyways, I'm reading The Name of the Wind. I'm about fifty pages in. Does it. . . How do I phrase this? Does it get good at some point?
No it doesn't
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Some people really like it -- but for me it was like nails on a chalkboard, forever.
After that, his childhood is pretty harrowing, but then he has a pretty satisfying arc of learning to be a wizard and a person.
If you like flawed characters, bail out now, because he's pretty great all of the time. If you were okay with characters like Harry Potter and Corran Horn, it's an enjoyable Bildungsroman in an interesting fantasy world.
He's got flaws. The problem is they're mostly about his arrogance.
IMO, yes, on the first read through the intro bit can seem a bit like waiting for the real story to start, but when the narrative device picks up it finds it's stride. Kingkiller Chronicles is also a series that improves with multiple readings
I think at 50 pages they're still in the framing device, because the first chunk of that is looong and pretty different grin the main story. So I'd say give it until the first chapter of the real story before deciding. If you so don't dig it at that point, yeah, totally bail.
It's one of those things that I missed on the first readthrough was how Kvothe, telling the story, is also telling more than the surface level suggests.
The second level is about a kid who avoids situations where he has to really apply himself, alienates people for petty reasons that worsen his lot in life, and completely fails at learning to be a normal person or how to question his life enough to improve it, which his older self greatly regrets.
I missed a lot of the reactions everyone has to Kvothe's kind of inability to cope with everyday life the first time through.
There's also tons of third level story stuff where you get a feel for the world and more backstory into Kvothe. Especially in Wise Man's Fear, but also in Name of the Wind, there's a lot of information in the narrative to let you know just how dumb he is. Like how he was in the same room with his aunt, who is a powerful noble, and didn't have a clue.
I am here to give that to you
I am 700 pages in and still enjoying it (2)
You're welcome (3)
I'm excited for a reread when the 3rd one comes out. It wasn't as multileveled as GoT but I could tell there was stuff I would pick up better on a second reading.
This post needs some footnotes, maybe i/r/t how one defines "enjoyment" in an era of unlimited entertainment
sorry for the omission, I have edited the post to fix it
Me too, now that everyone's mentioned it. I missed a whole bunch, apparently
There are three books already, though. One is a week in the life of Auri and depending on your outlook it's either infuriating or a masterpiece in immersing yourself in an environment
I'm just trying to figure out if this is one of those things where it's just me.
But, if you want to read a few or if you want access to a wide selection of stories, I'd pick up a copy of this book. It's a collection of all of the original short stories. I read it in high school and I remember it being some real grade-A stuff. It's got a murder mystery, a giant ape, and a pirate story. So, you've got a variety to choose from.
Conan is pretty dope, yo. . . Just as long as you're also willing to deal with Anglophilic American racism circa 1930.
A lot of them are plagued with edgelord protagonists, embarrassing harems, and uninteresting plots regarding essentially dbz power leveling.
There's been a couple stories I rather like though.
My favorite so far is the Chinese web novel Release That Witch!.
The plot starts with a overworked mechanical engineer, abruptly reincarnated in the body of a tossed aside prince, who's being asked to judge an medieval execution.
It's a largely a slice of life story, of building towards a modern society, in a small town on the outskirts of a wasteland in a primitive era.
There's lots of cute misunderstandings regarding the rough inventions brought out by the engineer.
I found the humor and shared confusion of all the characters, made the story a enjoyable page turner.
It's probably the most recommended, webnovel, I've read?
There's a good deal of diverse perspectives throughout the webnovel, from plotting kings, to young witches, theater troops, alchemists, priests, and revolutionaries.
Beyond the exploration of the introduction of chemistry and physics inserted into a medieval western society, there's also a story of a modern leftist government being introduced to solve problems of feudal neglect.
It's setting features the worldbuilding of warring states, and a systemic shown distrust for the prevailing religion that advocates witchhunts.
It ultimately feels like media that wouldn't be found in the perspective of a westerner. The Author, Er Mu, is also fairly prolific with their chapters (something like 700+ serial web pages of Chinese writing with updates faster than translation efforts every week)
It's currently being translated into English by a small but growing translation company called Volare Novels, they are currently at 291/722 chapter pages translated, with updates of +5 new chapters of the series a week.
If you're bored, and interested in some fluffy, serialized, light fantasy, reading from a chinese author, the first chapter can be read in English here.
It might be a bit too fluffy for some, as it's a first work lacking some polish around the edges (the official artwork/cover of the author is a generic royalty free fantasy lady, that was basically to satisfy a submission requirement by the publisher)
I'd be interested if any other folk had webnovel suggestions,
or fun traditional books regarding time travel, sciences & society building.
It feels very Expanse-y, or Firefly-ish, with a bit of Culture thrown in for good measure.
Will be picking up the sequel posthaste
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
And the sexism, of course.
I have the sf masterworks collection, which includes the tower of the elephant. You can probably pick it up 2nd hand on Amazon pretty easily.
(Before you ask, it's Cities on the Plain and The Outer Dark.)
Fair enough! Just for my own librarian curiosity, have you read any books that succeeded in doing what Name of the Wind was trying to do? Is it this general kind of fantasy hero narrative that you don't like, or was it something about this book specifically?
I ask mostly because I get a lot of people finishing Game of Thrones and looking for more epic fantasy, and this series and Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastards novels are two of my immediate recommendations.
The Dagger and the Coin series by Daniel Abraham might be a good fit there too. Daniel writes in a very similar style to GRRM.
I'm also kinda curious where Penguin tapped out in Wind.
If you liked Game of Thrones, Chronicles of the Black Company by Glen Cook and Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy (and the books that come after it) are solid and in the same flavor. The Malazan series is fucking aces but also really intimidating so that'll depend on your reader.
If you liked Name of the Wind, or at least what it was trying to do, Robin Hobbs' Farseer trilogy is another good hero's journey fantasy series.
I could keep going but I won't!
Cities on the Plain is fantastic. Outer Dark is...something. I've read everything of him and don't regret a single one, though the Crossing Trilogy, The Road and Blood Meridian are ones I will return to. Blood Meridian is one I know I will reread over and over and always be fucking devastated and amazed every time.
Also, I just don't think I liked Rothfuss' writing enough to look past it and get into the story ("sleep took him like a lover in an empty bed" was an especially offensive line to me).
I'm also very particular about fantasy. I have very specific tastes when it comes to this sort of thing, because I don't like Tolkien and I feel there's way too many people trying to ape what he did and I can smell them coming a mile away. Not that Rothfuss is guilty of that (I don't think that he is), it just didn't float my boat.
That said, I do love ASOFAI (ASOIAF?) and I've really wanted to read a good, unique fantasy novel for a while now. The Name of the Wind just wasn't it for me.
I'll check out the other one you recommend, but it's going to be a while. I picked up The Name of the Wind because one of my friends went blind and he was cleaning out his room of all of his old novels. So, lucky me.