I had put off reading The Kingkiller Chronicles for years: partly because everyone raved about it, partly because there was a million and a half forums discussing it already, and partly because I don’t like reading unfinished series. I had multiple friends recommend it at completely different times, and I always made an excuse to put it off.

One day in early September I was carpooling with a friend to a concert, and he put on this audiobook and was like, “I think you’ll really like this.” But he didn’t tell me what it was. It was more than an hour-long drive, but I was hooked after the first twenty minutes.

It would be an understatement to say that Patrick Rothfuss knows how to put words together. His prose in The Name of the Wind may very well be the most beautiful I have ever read.

His worldbuilding is deep and intricate without feeling monotonous or like an info-dump. Every descriptor feels deliberate and vital to the story. It is the most real-feeling fantasy I’ve ever read, and it makes me want to write like he does.

Frankly I was disppointed with some of his characters and plots, but I would listen to his stories on repeat because they sound so good.

My favorite and the most thrilling scene in the first book comes about two-thirds of the way into the story. The protagonist Qvothe is playing a song to earn the coveted silver pipes of the true musicians. For me it was the climax of the story, despite not having any stereotypical action or adventure. The song is the adventure, and the stakes are as high as ever, and this early in the story it is equally likely that he will fail as succeed.

It was beautifully told. Rothfuss’ way of making each song its own story is astounding and inspiring. It is the sole reason why I have chosen this book as a direct inspiration for my current project for NaNoWriMo.

Music haunts and inspires my writing. I always have a playlist tuned to each of my novels and for most of my other projects as well. To literally put the song into words though is a whole other skill, one which I would gladly take. So even if my NaNoWriMo Project never sees the golden light of publishing, I’m very excited to use the opportunity to try something new and to practice something that will likely haunt me for a long while to come.

What stories haunt you in a good way? And why?