Name of the Wind 55 - 57

Chapter 55

Kote waits to see how the crowd responds. They loved it.

Looks like Kote will be getting his pipes after all.

Chapter 56

Kote gets his pipes from Stanchion. He has a celebratory drink with his friends. Stanchion gives him a congratulatory drink of something called metheglin. The others talk about how Ambrose left suddenly during his song with shaking chills, and Kote realizes he used sympathy to break the string. A patron comes over and donates 7 talents to him, so now he is out of financial straits. Kote looks all over the room but can't find the woman who helped him by singing the part of Aloine. He's about to give up we he sees her ...

Okay, Kote's coming off a little naive for not immediately suspecting Ambrose of breaking his string. I'm sure a reckoning is coming between those two. Enjoyed him finally getting to celebrate with his friends and getting some money to keep him in school and out of debt for a little bit. 

Chapter 57

 Back at the inn, Bast and Kote go back and forth about how to describe the mystery woman. Bast, it turns out, has met her. Bast points out that some of her features were not perfect, but both agree she is more than the sum of her parts. Kote tries to describe her, is dissatisfied, and ends up tearing out the bit Chronicler had written and describes her more quickly with less flowery speech. Dark hair, oval face, beautiful.

Come oooooonnnn! Could we draw it out any more? Was fun to get Bast's input on the situation here - one senses he's getting as impatient as we are, even though he's met the mystery lady.

Name of the Wind 58 - 60

Chapter 58

Kote searches through the inn, and it looks like he will be disappointed in his search for Aloine. Just before he quits, he runs into Denna, and realizes it was her. She is there on a date with , of all people, Sovoy. She doesn't remember Kote but flirts with him nonetheless. Oh, and she goes by the name Dianne now.

Well, not sure I buy that she wouldn't remember him. He did make a big impression when he played on the lute back then. Is she just playing dumb? Seems like Kote will be able to learn more about her from Sovoy.

Chapter 59

The boys walk home drunk and carefree.

This looks suspiciously like its setting up a tragic event?

Chapter 60

Kote goes to lottery for admission exam slots. He gets a good (later) one, but, thinking that since he can't study in the Archives, it does him no good he tries to sell his slot. He embarrasses Ambrose publicly when he tries to buy the slot, and ends up selling for a reasonable price to another student. He goes back to pick up the lute he left behind with Stanchion. Duke Threpe is there, and they talk. Threpe would like to be his patron but already has too many performers in his stable. He says he'll try to find someone for him. No one at the inn can tell him more about the mysterious Denna. He goes to Devi and pays interest on his loan. She tells him he can use her small library if he needs to. He goes to see Kilvin, who assumes he will quit now that he is a musician with pipes. He is pleasantly surprised when Kote says he wants to keep working there.  Next he goes to a nearby inn and negotiates room and board and a deal to be an entertainer at the inn, to keep the money coming in.

Whoa lots of info in this chapter. Unfortunately not much on Denna's background, although Deoch lets drop that she travels often and is a bit of a heartbreaker. Threpe would have solved all his money problems, but unfortunately artists are like jealous wives and wouldn't tolerate it if he was taken in, but sounds promising that he will get a patron soon. In the meantime, looks like his deal with the inn solves a lot of his problems.

Deal Breakers

Are there any settings, character types, or tropes that you find a complete turn-off when reading sci-fi or fantasy? As in, you will stop reading and put the book down (or never pick it up in the first place?)

Personally, I don't think I can read another fantasy novel with a young protagonist coming of age while discovering they have amazing hidden powers. I guess I've just read this trope to many times and don't have patience to see it play out again. Chances are Robert Jordan, Lloyd Alexander, and JK Rowling did it better, anyway.