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January 15th, 2023
Collected on: January 15th 2023
- Book written by Patrick Rothfuss
- Published in 2007
The Name of the Wind tells the story of how a boy called Kvothe came to be one of the great legends of his time.
Welcome to this in-depth, spoiler-free discussion of The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss, a heroic fantasy trilogy of which the third installment is yet to be released. Our curator Robin added The Kingkiller Chronicles to the Escape Velocity Collection, a series of items that we believe represent the absolute peak of what the speculative genre has to offer.
Jop challenged Robin to defend her addition to the Collection – why is The Kingkiller Chronicles one of the best stories in the fantasy genre?
Defended By
ROBIN
Semi-opposed by
Jop
For years, I had heard a lot of praise for The Name of the Wind (the first installment in The Kingkiller Chronicles) before I finally came down to reading it. In fact, I believe you were one of the book’s fiercest champions and one of the main reasons I finally put it on the top of my list! I’m curious – how did you first stumble upon The Kingkiller Chronicles and why did it make such an impact on you?
To be honest, I don’t really remember who recommended it to me. I may have simply come across it on the internet when I was just starting to get back into fantasy a couple of years ago. The series has been a favorite with fantasy-lovers for years, and I have no trouble understanding why: it has an interesting set-up, detailed worldbuilding and many great characters.
Characters and Plot
I would indeed say that one of The Kingkiller Chronicles best selling points, are its characters. Though I can’t say I like all of Rothfuss’ characters, I think most of them are compelling, even if I don’t necessarily like them. For example, I’m quite on the fence when it comes to how much I like both Kvothe and Denna, arguable the main characters of this story, but I’m very invested in their adventures.
Do you group Kvothe and Denna among your favorites? If not, can you name some of the great characters you had in mind and how their roles contribute to your enjoyment of the story?
I understand what you mean when you say you are on the fence about liking Kvothe, as his actions don’t always speak for him. He makes some very questionable decisions throughout the books and to call him arrogant would not be an exaggeration. However, if I look very deep within myself I find that I have a soft spot for him despite all of that. Deep down he is a good guy, and most of the time his arrogance stays just on the right side of cocky, so it doesn’t bother me too much. Denna is quite a different story I’m afraid: I mostly find her very annoying and have not really been able to find any reasons to look past that.
For me, the real strength of the books lies in some of the side characters, such as Elodin and Auri. They are interesting and unique characters who really spice up the book and make it a joy to read. You never know what you are going to get with them, and the scenes in which they appear are my favorite parts of the story.
There are indeed some good ‘spicy’ side-characters in this series. The story, however, revolves around Kvothe, and the reader is a fly on the wall of his life and his legend. While there is an overarching mystery, we mostly follow Kvothe’s day to day life. And – although he has many admirable traits – one could argue that most of his struggles come from his own character flaws. He creates most of his own challenges, thus driving the plot onwards, thus making The Kingkiller Chronicles a character-driven story. Do you agree with this perspective? Is this perhaps one of the reasons you enjoy these books? Or would you say there’s more to how the plot is structured than I paint in my picture?
I definitely agree that a lot of Kvothe’s problems are caused by his own stupid choices, which might make it a bit of a frustrating story to read for some. However, the way in which he manages to get himself out of these situations is never less than spectacular. Rothfuss has cleverly set up the story in such a manner as to ensure that these escapades do not become too unbelievable: we know from the start that we are getting the story of how one of the biggest legends of their world was created, and so as a reader you are more willing to accept whatever ridiculous adventures Kvothe gets up to. I personally really enjoyed this method of driving the plot.
Worldbuilding
The world in which the Kingkiller Chronicles is set probably won’t make it to the top of my all-time favorite fantasy worlds, mostly because in some ways it is quite a standard fantasy setting. However, it is clear that the worldbuilding is quite extensive, at least where the world’s mythology is concerned. As someone who enjoys worldbuilding yourself, what is your take on the world that Rothfuss has created?
I agree with you that the setting of The Kingkiller Chronicles in many ways isn’t very remarkable. Big medieval cities with taverns and castles are some of the staples, for example. However, I really liked what Rothfuss did with his multiple magic systems. Though most of them are derived from well-known depictions of magic, Rothfuss cleverly incorporates them into his own world and puts a new spin on them. Every scene involving Sygaldry or Naming was a delight to read. Another thing I like, is Rothfuss’s take on Fae, but this might just be because I like the concept of fey in general.
Also, like you said, the mythology of this world is very extensive, with a lot of myths, legends and folk stories, full of parallels and little hints to the future plot. Though some of this lore tends to be a little too long winding for my taste, I appreciate how Rothfuss uses this worldbuilding to tell his story. Which brings us to the next point.
Storytelling
Something that especially stood out to me while reading The Kingkiller Chronicles, is the unconventional way Patrick Rothfuss tells the stories of Kvothe and his world. He freely plays with different narrative techniques, such as framing stories, and at times even throws any traditional structuring rules completely out of the window.
Would you say this style of storytelling is one of this trilogy’s strengths, or perhaps something that makes it less accessible to readers?
Personally, I think this is one of the aspects that sets this trilogy apart from most other fantasy (in a good way). The love of storytelling is woven so masterfully through both the content and the form of the story, that these two come to strengthen each other. Perhaps the laborious structure might be a little too much for some readers, but in general I think that anyone who is willing to start a book of 600+ pages has to have a love of stories themselves.
The Doors of Stone
I’m somewhat hesitant to adress this point – Rothfuss receives more than enough disproportionate hate on this regard as it is – but The Kingkiller Chronicles is currently incomplete. A Wise Man’s Fear was released in 2011 and the final installment The Doors of Stone is yet to receive a release date.
Do you think the lack of its third installment does the trilogy a disservice? Or is it possible to enjoy the first two books regardless?
The story is definitely not finished, but I feel like we left it at a relatively good place. Even if the final part should never be published, I still think that the first two books are worth reading. They contain so much interesting material that I felt they were absolutely worth my time.
If I remember correctly, this is also what I told you when I encouraged you to read these first two books now, despite the open ending. Do you think I was right to tell you so, or would you have preferred to wait until the final part is released (if ever)?
I don’t feel you’ve misled me with that advice. Actually, I didn’t even read the ending of A Wise Man’s Fear as a (jarringly) open ending. Sure, you are left with quite a lot of questions, but it’s not a literal cliffhanger. Though I hope The Doors of Stone will one day be released, I could live with what we’ve already got. I think most people might feel the same way, if they start the series with the same disclaimer.
Conclusion
Alright, let’s summarize. The Kingkiller Chronicles is an – as of yet – unfinished trilogy that is still very much worth the read. It is a character-driven story about how a flawed character grew to be a legend. If you read this trilogy, expect to be charmed by unique side-characters and enthralling prose and narrative structures. Something to add?
No, well put!
Okay okay, that’s it for this collection post! Curious about the real name of the wind? Or what every wise man fears? Or just looking for a new fantasy trilogy to read? Pick up The Kingkiller Chronicles!
- Novel written by Patrick Rothfuss
- Published March 2007
- Part one of the Kingkiller Chonicles
Review of The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
The Name of the Wind tells the story of how a boy called Kvothe came to be one of the great legends of his time.
It probably won’t come as a surprise that I like this book a lot, since I am the one who added it to the Collection. I have already read both books in the series twice, and I strongly suspect this will not be the last time I return to them.
Is The Name of the Wind a perfect book? No, by no means. And yet, I love the characters so much that I am willing to look past its flaws. For a more extensive review of this series, read in our Collection Post why I think it deserves to be added to the Collection.
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- Novel written by N. K. Jemisin
- Published 04 August 2015
- Part one of the Broken Earth Trilogy
Review of the Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin.
The world is ending, but not for the first time. It was ended many times before, by earthquakes and volcanoes and famine. Seismic events can be controlled by Orogenes, people who can manipulate the kinetic and thermal forces of the earth to still quakes and bend the earth’s energy to their will.
In this world, a woman finds out that her husband has killed her son and kidnapped her daughter. A young girl is discovered to be an orogene and is taken to a place where she can learn to control it, and two powerful orogenes undertake a routine journey to help out a town in need.
I got this series as a present from my dad. I’d never heard of it, despite it being awarded a Hugo award and getting very good reviews on Goodreads. It took a good couple of pages to truly get into it. However, the writing style really helped me to stay invested even though I’d landed in the middle of a world that is unlike any I’d read about before. I’ve been trying to think of ways to recommend it to my friends, but I find it incredibly difficult to describe this book. Often fantasy can be easily compared to similar works, and very often it’s strongly based on European medieval history. This isn’t the case for The Fifth Season.
This novel features a couple of main characters. There’s Essun, who is an orogene from a small town, whose chapters are told in second person. This may not be some people’s cup of tea, but I found that it worked quite well and it really didn’t bother me. Damaya is a young orogene who really allows us a glimpse into how the world works. She doesn’t understand her powers yet, and neither do we at the start. Then we have Syenite and Alabaster, whose dynamic I found super interesting to read.
Of course, Orogeny is basically magic, and those who cannot use it fear it and the people who wield it. However, what really strikes me about Orogeny as a system, is that it never seems to go down the Elemental magic road. That isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with that, but I feel like lately, a lot of magic systems tend to be elemental. Ok – maybe I’m mostly just still pissed about Fate: the Winx Saga.
What I’m trying to say is that magic in this book isn’t particularly thoroughly explained. We know where it is drawn from, but we don’t know its limits. Still, this doesn’t (so far, at least) lead to it being used to solve each and every problem the characters encounter. Rather, it ties in with the fact that the world as a whole is unfamiliar. We don’t know the limits of orogeny, because we don’t know the limits of the world that spawned it.
I’d really recommend this book if you’re looking for some non-western fantasy, with a dystopian edge to it. The writing is very fast-paced, and the characters are intriguing. This may be more of a difficult read for people who don’t like seeing lots of unfamiliar terminology, as it is used a lot in the Fifth Season. I’m not usually a huge fan of this, but because of the pacing and the fact that you don’t have to understand everything at the beginning, I easily got through it.
The Fifth Season is a clear example of a fantasy book that’s very different from other books in this genre, in a good way. Lotte explains this quite well in her review. This trilogy introduces the reader to a grimdark setting and magic system that can be overwhelming at first, but is compelling enough to pull you through this rough start.
The workings of orogeny – basically the magic system of this world that forms a red thread in the narrative – is explained via three different point of view characters, each in a different stage of life and highlighting different aspects of the setting. Without getting into detail, I can share that each character is interesting to read about. I could never quite predict what would happen, and suspicions I had were occasionally way off. There were two twists in particular that completely took me by surprise, even though I should have probably seen at least one of them coming.
One of the characters is written in second person, and this might have been one of the first times I encountered this perspective in a novel. It worked extremely well, though, and didn’t take much time to get used to. In fact, it inspired me to try it myself one day in my own writings. It was very informative.
The Fifth Season is in many ways just a set-up to a larger story, and an introduction to characters that have yet to show their full charm at the end of the book. I have no clue about what is going to happen next. Still, I’m curious to find out! Definitely worth the read.
I have heard only good things about this trilogy for years, so I don’t know why I’ve waited so long to pick it up. I am happy to say it lives up to the hype: although I have not yet finished the entire trilogy, so far I am enjoying it very much. The main thing that stands out is the fascinating worldbuilding. The story contains some really interesting speculations about the kinds of choices that have to be made in a world where apocalypses occur so regularly that the entirety of civilation has to be adapted for survival.
The book has a cast of varied and unique characters, who are definitely worth getting to know. My only quibble with the first book was that I sometimes felt a bit disconnected from them: while they were interesting, I didn’t immediately fall in love with them the way I hoped to. This did not stop me from enjoying the book however, and much of it was solved in the second book. Definitely recommended to people who are looking for something a little out of the ordinary!
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Time to get to know our Curators better! How? By asking them the questions that really matter! This time with a second special New Year edition!
2023 is upon us, and we are once again trying to be better versions of ourselves! Let’s set goals and resolutions and reduce the piles of media that are still waiting to be consumed! That’s how it works, right?
In the spirit of the New Year, we asked ourselves:
What are your 2023 to read/watch/listen/play resolutions?
1. I, Robot – Isaac Asimov
Peter is determined to make a sci-fi lover out of me, and has given me some homework for my education. Alas, in 2022 I’ve neglected my training. But in 2023 I will make it up to my mentor and read the classic I, Robot!
2. Harrow the Ninth – Tamsyn Muir
One of my resolutions for the new year is to read more books. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Harrow the Ninth and already purchased a physical copy. So, what am I waiting for? Very excited to dive into it.
3.Dragon Age: Dreadwolf – Bioware
Some might say I’m dreaming too big. That 8 years of waiting isn’t enough, and it might still take a few more years before Dragon Age: Dreadwolf releases. Well, people who think this might very well be right. Maybe I’m too naive. But I choose to have hope. I’ll place a (risky) safe bet that Dragon Age: Dreadwolf will release at the end of this year, and it is my ambition to then disappear from the face of the earth to play it!
Jop
Jasmijn
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
We only had the teaser trailer, but The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be released on May 12th 2023. Had I known what it was about, I could have been more hyped, but even if it turns out to be more of the same, I’m going to play it. Breath of the Wild was just THAT good.
2. Lampje/ Lampie and the Children of the Sea Television Adaptation
Lampje/ Lampie and the Children of the Sea has been made into a television series. Although I am always a bit apprehensive when it comes to book-to-screen adaptations, I can’t not watch this. I’ll keep you guys posted.
3. Disney's 100th anniversary
2023 is the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company, which means a lot of wild things I’m looking forward to! From new updates and characters in the videogame Dreamlight Valley to a special line-up of LEGO minifigs. I can’t wait for the new movie Wish starring Ariana DeBose, which will bring back hand-drawn animation. And I’m probably going to throw all my money at their new Trading Card Game, Lorcana. Add in the live action Little Mermaid and the Tiana series, I’m going to consume a lot of Disney-media the coming year.
1.Babel - R. F. Kuang
I am in the mood to read some Fantasy books with unconventional settings or that are unusual in some other way. Several people have recommended Babel to me, so I am excited to give it a try! Kuang’s The Poppy War was not an absolute favourite for me (I did not end up continuing with the rest of the trilogy), but I did like the writing style. The description of Babel also very much appeals to me, so I’m happy to give her another chance.
2. Finish the final season of The Walking Dead
Jop and I have been watching this show together for what seems like most of our lives now, so I don’t know what we’ll do with ourselves when we have finished the final episode. Luckily our ‘weekly’ watching sessions are frequently more of a monthly event, so at this pace we still have a couple of months’ worth of episodes left before we will finally run out.
3. Paint my HeroForge models
Since Peter has been kind enough to print the models I designed on HeroForge, I guess that means I’ll have to paint them as well… Luckily I’m quite looking forward to this. Look out for the results on Instagram!
Robin
Peter
1. The Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
People have been pushing me to read The Wheel of Time for ages, and I have always resisted because I felt that I could probably get more enjoyment out of reading 14 other fantasy books. But a friend offered to let me listen to her audiobooks, so I’ll give them a shot this year – though I won’t promise to get through them all before 2024!
2. Get back to painting minis
Painting miniatures was one of my favourite things to do for years, but because of some personal circumstances I haven’t really painted a single model for over nine months. But I have a 3D-printer now, and over the past weeks, I’ve picked up a brush again for the first time in a long while (thank you for helping me Robin!) In 2023, I’m set on trying to re-discover the joy of painting.
3. Restart my roleplaying games
For much the same reason as I’ve stopped painting minis, I’ve also stopped playing in and DMing several RPG-groups. I’m hoping to have the creative energy to get back to another hobby that I really loved in 2023!
1. Finish The Fitz and the Fool trilogy
I started the first novel in December last year. This isn’t really much of a challenge, because Robin Hobb’s books are very addictive and very easy to read. Still, it would be a bit of a milestone to finally finish the Farseer series.
2. Do more fanart
This past year, I’ve been working hard on a fantasy web comic (Phreia). Because I’ve spent all that time drawing my own stuff, I haven’t been able to do any fanart, which I usually really enjoy. Next year I’d like to spend more time drawing for fun.
3. Finish Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey
I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I still haven’t finished this game. I will do it this year. I swear!
Lotte
Happy New Year, folks!
Check out the reviews of related media here:
We survived another one! Another year done, with highs and lows for everyone.
Our curators look back at their 2022 in speculative fiction, by evaluating their resolutions for the year and highlighting their favourite media/reviews of the past twelve months.
How successful were you in fulfilling your 2022 resolutions? And, when it comes to speculative fiction, what were your favourites, disappointments and surprises this year?
2022 resolutions
2022 has been a tough year for me, and I’m afraid it is visible in my resolutions – I managed to live up to exactly none of them!
I wanted to watch Blade Runner, and though I’ve now read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, for some reason I haven’t gotten round to actually watching the movie(s). I’ll get round to it this year, I promise!
I wanted to get started on a Quest of the Ringbearer-campaign in the Middle-Earth Strategy Battle Game, and though I’ve made a number of relevant model purchases, I really haven’t gotten much closer (ahh, the classic: spending money instead of time on your hobbies…) – I’ll chalk it up to having a terrible year all round and get cracking in 2023.
And let’s not talk about The Winds of Winter…
favourite
My favourite read for this year is probably Gibson’s Neuromancer, which I finally got round to. It’s one of those foundational classics that I live for, and it did not disappoint – though it is closely followed by one of the revelations of the year.
Biggest Surprise
For my surprise of the year, I’m torn between two entries: on the one hand, we have Shelley Parker-Chan’s She Who Became the Sun, a historical fantasy that came completely out of nowhere for me and completely enthralled me – I’m looking forward to reading the second part! On the other hand, we have Luca Galante’s Vampire Survivors, an indie game developed by a single guy that costs as much as a beer on an Amsterdam terrace but kept me entertained for dozens of hours. If that’s not a surprise hit, then I don’t know what is.
Biggest Disappointment
For my disappointment of the year, the obvious answer is Amazon’s The Rings of Power. It’s one of the most-hyped pieces of entertainment of the decade in a franchise that I’m obsessed with – and I could hardly be bothered to finish the season. It’s not the worst thing I’ve spent time on this year, but it is so much worse than it could have been. (and on a side note, the author of one of my favourite blogs on the internet seems to have come to exactly the same conclusions as I did) I would add James Cameron’s Avatar II: the Way of Water, but to say that I was disappointed would suggest that I had expectations to begin with.
Peter
Jasmijn
2022 resolutions
In 2022, watching series was definitely a way to cope with the lemons life threw at us. So in 2023 I have a lot of catching up on reviews to do!
Kirby and the Forgotten Land was the perfect game for a lazy Sunday afternoon. The different powers were fun to explore and I can collect cute figurines to put on my digital mantlepiece! I haven’t finished the game yet, though. A goal for 2023 perhaps?
The Legend of Vox Machina lived up to all the expectations! We watched it all and I just want more of it. Luckily, in just a few weeks season two will release. Aaah!
As for The Umbrella Academy, I definitely needed the recaps before binging the new season. I would say this is the way to go for The Umbrella Academy because A LOT is happening ALL THE TIME. They make it a comfortable watch though, because they never lose sight of the characters. I couldn’t tell you what happened in season 3, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
favourite
This movie may have a slight advantage because it was recently released, but Matilda the Musical did not disappoint. They made a beautiful homage to both the movie from 1996 and the stage musical by Tim Minchin. Even though it was quite dark, I really liked it.
Biggest Surprise
Wednesday was definitely a teen-drama, but relatively well executed. I didn’t have a lot of nostalgic feelings surrounding the Addams Family, and I thought it would be more horror-y than it turned out to be. So I was surprised that I was amused by this series.
Biggest Disappointment
I had been looking forward to Disenchanted for years! When it finally released, I couldn’t help but feel every part of the movie was strained. The music, although written by Alan Menken, felt like a wet copy of the first movie. The storylines for all the main characters felt very forced and mainly written to give the Big Stars enough screentime.I have to say, I was disenchanted by Disenchanted.
2022 resolutions
All in all, 2022 wasn’t the best year for me, but I managed to consume a decent amount of speculative fiction. I also succeeded in living up to my resolutions. That is, in the resolutions that the universe allowed me to be successful in.
I’ve finally read The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin and was very pleased by the unique setting and story. One of my resolutions for 2023 would be to also write a review for it. I’m planning to ask Lotte if I can borrow her physical copy of the sequel, The Obelisk Gate, but maybe I should first return the first instalment to her…
I also watched the second season of The Witcher! Though, honestly, I was a little disappointed with it. I felt the quality of the writing took quite a dip compared to the first season, losing much of his focus and unsuccessfully diverting from the other Witcher media (poor Eskel, for example). I’ll have to review this one also…
As for the sequel to The Legend of Zelda – Breath of the Wild, I fear I dreamt too big. It should be arriving this year though! It even has a name: The Legend of Zelda – Tears of the Kingdom, cleverly foreshadowing the despair of my foes when I’m going to swoop down from the heavens to vanquish them! Mwhuahahahaha!
favourite
My favourite piece of media in 2022 might actually be the same as Jasmijn’s: the very recently released Matilda the Musical on Netflix. I already had a weak spot for the musical, but this adaptation succeeded in making me weep multiple times. Lashana Lynch was sublime as Miss Honey, and the children’s performance of the choreography… just wow.
Biggest Surprise
The biggest surprise of 2022 for me was certainly Dragon Age: Absolution. Did I expect an animated series set in Thedas? Certainly not. Was I entertained, even though it was flawed? Yes. Did it revive my overwhelming hype for the upcoming Dragon Age: Dreadwolf game? Absolutely…
Biggest Disappointment
I already spoiled my disappointment of the year, earlier in this post: the second season of The Witcher. It just didn’t scratch my Witcher itch, I’m afraid. A honourable mention would probably be The Rings of Power, though I handled my expectation management so well in that regard, that I wasn’t terribly let down by what we got.
Jop
Lotte
2022 resolutions
2022 was quite a busy year for me, more so in creating than it was in consuming content. I’ll be mentioning a couple of things I haven’t written about yet, so you can expect reviews coming your way in the near future!
I started the year by watching Pacific Rim: Uprising, which was, as expected, not good. This year I also wanted to finally play The Witcher 3. I did not. Will I play it next year? I can’t honestly guarantee it.
Peter ended up getting Amazon Prime Video, so I could finally watch the Legend of Vox Machina. Though to be fully honest I haven’t quite finished it yet. I’m enjoying it, but it’s definitely not as good as the experience of watching the cast play D&D in real time.
favourite
I absolutely loved Dimension 20’s A Court of Fey and Flowers, this year. This Bridgerton & A Court of Thorns and Roses inspired campaign was ALL about the drama. Shenanigans only, and I loved it.
Biggest Surprise
My biggest surprise of the year was probably the couple of Korean dramas I watched. I watched Memories of the Alhambra (Sci-Fi) and The King: Eternal Monarch (Fantasy), and I really, really enjoyed them. You can expect reviews of those soon as well!
Biggest Disappointment
My biggest disappointment was probably The Rings of Power. Mostly because it was hugely hyped up. It might have been Disenchanted if only for the fact that I was saved from watching it thanks to the scathing reviews of others. I’ll still watch it eventually, though.
2022 resolutions
I didn’t remember what I put on my list for this year, but looking at it now, I did pretty well. I finished both Exhalation and the first Sandman season, and enjoyed both. The final His Dark Materials season was released a couple of months later than anticipated so I have not finished the season yet, but I have no major complaints about it so far.
favourite
Overall I would say 2022 was an okay reading/watching year. It’s always hard to pick a favourite, especially across different genres, but since I have to choose I think I will say Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. The book takes the concept ‘atmospheric’ to a whole new level, and every time I think about it part of me wants to return to that world.
Biggest Surprise
A real surprise for me this year was the Murderbot series. As I said in my review, the cover very much gave me the wrong impression, but after I was persuaded to start the series I went through all six in very quick succession.
Biggest Disappointment
And as for biggest disappointment… there are a couple that come to mind (looking at you, The Rings of Power), but the biggest let down compared to how much I was expecting from it was probably the TV adaptation of Station Eleven. I loved that book so much, and I truly believe that a more faithful adaption would have done it far more justice.
Robin
Happy New Year, folks!
Check out some of the reviews of related media here:
- Movie directed by James Cameron
- Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Steven Lang, Sigourney Weaver, Kate Winslet and others
- Released December 2022
- Runtime: 192 minutes
- Part two in the Avatar series
Inevitably, the Sky People return to Pandora after the events of Avatar. Jake Sully, the human marine gone native who became Toruk Makto, the great war leader, organises the native Na’vi resistance – but he can’t prevent the humans from gaining a foothold. When he finds out an old enemy has returned, and the humans are specifically targeting him and the family he has built in their absence, he is faced with another choice. Jake decides that the best way to protect his family and the clan that adopted him is to move far away, to where the human’s can’t find them. Or can they?
We went to see Avatar II: The Way of Water in cinema having just re-watched the first instalment. We knew what to expect: visual spectacle over a paper-thin story, some cool worldbuilding and utterly forgettable characters. We knew where the bar was set. Unfortunately, Avatar II still managed to disappoint.
Avatar II does deliver on the visual spectacle. The CGI is amazing (markedly improved from 2009), and the art department outdid itself with beautiful designs on both the (sea) creatures of Pandora and the human (naval) technology. As with Avatar, Avatar II has breathtaking establishing shots of the jungles, floating mountains, and oceans of Pandora. Especially the first half of the runtime at times feels like a nature documentary – all that is missing is David Attenborough narrating the behaviour of the Pandoran wildlife. And I mean that in a positive sense – I actually think the moments introducing the marine ecosystem of Pandora are the movie’s high point. I would probably have preferred that imagined Attenborough documentary over the movie we got.
Where Avatar could still be saved by its originality, this time we know what to expect when we sit down. The sense of wonder is gone. The second instalment needs to go beyond to achieve the same result as the first movie – and instead, it feels like we got a really similar (worse?) movie. Because where the story and characters of Avatar were thin but functional, the plot and characters of The Way of Water are just plain bad – there’s no sugarcoating it. Utterly predictable, jarring in juxtaposition and horribly paced, Avatar II at times was a chore to sit through, even in cinema.
I feel like this movie’s script writers were asleep at the wheel. For some reason, Avatar II combines a ‘settling into a new community’-type plotline with kids getting into petty fights and bullying one another (such as would be fit for pre-teens) on the one hand with a brutal, gruelling, hour-long fight at the end on the other. If I’m not mistaken, some of Jake’s kids get captured and are freed no less than four times over the movie – leading to multiple deja vus, and in my case, eyerolls.
There is no catharsis at the end, because this movie drips the need to set up an Avatar-cinematic universe, so literally no plotlines are resolved whatsoever, and the world – and characters – are in exactly the same place before the movie as they are after. Whatever part three will be, I am sure we could have fit the events of this movie into a ten-minute montage at the start of it.
So, why still 2 stars? That seems pretty high for an over-three-hour-watch with a plot this bad. Well, the first thing I would say is, don’t shell out 15 bucks to go see it in cinema – it’s not worth it and I think we shouldn’t encourage this kind of filmmaking.
On the other hand, I think the movie probably does what it intends to do: it delivers a string of mindless action sequences that look amazing, glued together by a semblance of a plot that nobody is expected to care about. And it is really good at that! I am convinced there is an audience for this. Surprisingly, it’s just not me. I can usually stomach a movie with a lot of emphasis on the action, but in Avatar II: The Way of Water, the balance has tipped in the favour of pretty pictures and violence a bit too much.
In a way it doesn’t really feel fair to review this movie, because I pretty much knew going in that it wouldn’t be my kind of thing. While watching the first Avatar movie I fell asleep right as the action started, which should tell you something about my level of investment.
Let’s start with the positive: the underwater scenes were quite breath-taking. Especially on the big cinema screen they completely mesmerized me. If the movie would have been 3,5 hours of just beautiful shots of fishlike creatures floating by, I think I would have given this movie 5 stars.
Unfortunately, I suspect that the makers did not consider this an adequate recipe for a major box office succes, and so they had to slap a thin layer of clichés over it that is meant to pass as plot. Not to mention a lot of shooting and explosions.
Of course this was what I expected, but on top of this the movie was also quite sad and did not really come to a satisfying resolution. Which meant that I didn’t even get to feel good when the bad guys were defeated.
All in all, I did not have a terrible time, but it could definitely have been better. Which is what I would have predicted when I went to see the movie, so who’s fault is it really?
Beautiful visuals, weak story. That would be my brief judgment of this movie. More or less the same opinion as my fellow curators. Still, I’ll try to elaborate a little.
One of my beefs with this movie would be the atrocious pacing. Usually, I have quite a admirable attention span – if I might say so myself – but I couldn’t bring myself to watch the entire movie in one go. After two hours, arguably the point at which the climax is somewhat beginning, I paused the movie to save the rest for later.
Another thing I didn’t really like? Well, that would be the fact that this movie follows Jake Sully again. Not only that, other characters from the first movie also get te reappear, even when they had no real business to do so (yes, I’m talking at you, antagonist). Familiar faces can be joy in stories, but only when they contribute something. Otherwise they can severely weaken a narrative, also retroactively.
Jake Sully wasn’t a very compelling character to begin with. A run-of-the-mill white male “chosen one” who saved the planet and became a leader of the culture he initially colonized. It was not an original story, but at least it came to an ending you might expect. However, The Way of the Water wipes the slate clean, effectively making all Jake’s achievements in the first movie meaningless. And why? So we can be introduced to another part of the Avatar universe, again saddled with Jake’s boringness. But that’s still not enough. Neytiri’s character also needs to be dragged along, getting forced to leave the home and people she is a leader of. And she hardly objected?
Honestly, I think this story would have had more potential if the writers had dared to distance themselves from the protagonists of the first movie. Usually, I have a weak spot for stories that focus on the legacy and descendants of familiar characters, but in this case it had little value. Any family could have fled the humans (by the way, aren’t we the worst?) and wound up at a different culture, forced to learn new ways and assimilate. We didn’t need Jake for this. Alas, it seems we’ll be stuck with him for the forseeable future of this franchise…
Tuk was cute, though. I loved watching her bounce around. And Payakan deserves an award.
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Collected: The Kingkilller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss
COLLECTION: The Name of the Wind tells the story of how a boy called Kvothe came to be one of the great legends of his time.
Review: The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss
Book 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicles – The Name of the Wind tells the story of how a boy called Kvothe came to be
Review: The Fifth Season – N. K. Jemisin
The world is ending, but not for the first time. It was ended many times before, by earthquakes and volcanoes and famine. Seismic events can be controlled by Orogenes, people who can manipulate the kinetic and thermal forces of the earth to still quakes and bend the earth’s energy to their will.
Curator Question: 2023 Resolutions
Our Curators discuss their 2023 New Year’s Resolutions – what is on their to be read/watch/listen/play list for the coming year?
Yearly Wrap-up: 2022 in Review
At the start of 2022, our curators chose some resolutions for themselves? Which media on their to be read/watch/listen/play piles did get their attention? And what else did the year bring?
Review: Avatar II: The Way of Water – James Cameron
Inevitably, the Sky People return to Pandora. Jake Sully organises the Na’vi resistance. But when he finds out the humans are specifically targeting him and the family he has built in their absence, he decides that the best way to protect his family and the clan that adopted him is to move far away, to where the human’s can’t find them. Right?
