Kvothe

Kvothe is the legendary figure at the center of Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles, a gifted young man who narrates his own rise and fall.

Kvothe is the protagonist of Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles. The story is structured as a frame narrative: in the present day, Kvothe is a seemingly ordinary innkeeper going by the name Kote. When a scribe called Chronicler tracks him down, Kvothe agrees to tell the true story of his life over three days, one day per book.

As Kvothe tells it, he grew up among the Edema Ruh, a traveling troupe of performers, where he developed his talent for music and learned quickly. After a tragedy destroyed his family, he survived as a street urchin before gaining admission to the University, where he studied naming and sympathy (forms of magic in his world). His intelligence and skill are matched by his recklessness, and the gap between the legend others tell about him and the truth he reveals is one of the central tensions of the series.

Reading Order

See the complete Kingkiller Chronicles reading order for all books in the series.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Kvothe?

Kvothe is the main character of Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicles. He is a gifted musician, arcanist, and adventurer whose exploits have made him a figure of legend. The series presents his life story as told in his own words to a scribe called Chronicler.

What series is Kvothe in?

Kvothe is the protagonist of the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. The series includes The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, plus the novella The Slow Regard of Silent Things.

Why does Kvothe go by the name Kote?

In the frame story, Kvothe lives under the name Kote, running a quiet inn called the Waystone in a small town. He appears to have given up his former life and abilities, though the reasons for this are not fully explained in the published books.

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