I was taken aback by the name too. I'm glad it was preceded by paragraphs of Fay squee. I'm going to go check it out from the library this weekend.
You know, Anne McCaffrey never did decide how to pronounce Menolly.
My heart expands / 'tis grown a bulge in't / inspired by / your beauty effulgent.
William ,'Conversations with Dead People'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Laga - Jan 02, 2009 9:23:32 am PST #8235 of 28431
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.
Barb - Jan 02, 2009 9:26:59 am PST #8236 of 28431
“Not dead yet!”
I was taken aback by the name too.
Heh-- when I blogged earlier today about choosing your favored reading by genre or by author, one of my main complaints about fantasy and sci-fi as a whole has to do with the whole extensive world-building and unusual naming practices.
Not knowing how to pronounce a name is the sort of thing that would drive me SO barmy that I wouldn't be able to enjoy any of the rest of the book.
Which is probably more a failing on my part as a reader than on the author, but it's just one of those quirks, I guess.
Connie Neil - Jan 02, 2009 9:27:22 am PST #8237 of 28431
brillig
How do you pronounce "Kvothe"?
I was thinking "Kee-vothe", or assuming an apostrophe between the K and vothe.
Jessica - Jan 02, 2009 9:29:55 am PST #8238 of 28431
And then Ortus came and said "It's Ortin' time" and they all Orted off into the sunset
Kuh-vothe. Same way it's spelled.
Connie Neil - Jan 02, 2009 9:30:16 am PST #8239 of 28431
brillig
Of course, I also tend to read in a sort of hieroglyphic way, where a word doesn't represent a sound but the shape of the letters represents the thing, so the pronunciation of a name never bothers me. The character is the shape of the word that is his name.
Toddson - Jan 02, 2009 9:32:59 am PST #8240 of 28431
Friends don't let friends read "Atlas Shrugged"
One of the things that will put me off a book is when it has a long section either at the front or back explaining a convoluted pronunciation guide. Seriously people, either spell it out phonetically or name everyone things like John and Mary. Almost as annoying is when someone does spell the names with long versions of easily pronouncible names complicated with silent letters or - shades of SG1! - added apostrophes or something.
Laga - Jan 02, 2009 9:34:17 am PST #8241 of 28431
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.
maybe it rhymes with Goethe
DavidS - Jan 02, 2009 9:36:53 am PST #8242 of 28431
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
Almost as annoying is when someone does spell the names with long versions of easily pronouncible names complicated with silent letters or - shades of SG1! - added apostrophes or something.
I dislike the added apostrophes approach. It's roughly equivalent in my brain to purposeful misspellings in advertising to catch your attention. Cheap and cheesy. T'leac, your faux exoticism is tiresome! I hereby redub you: Bob.
Barb - Jan 02, 2009 9:39:54 am PST #8243 of 28431
“Not dead yet!”
T'leac, your faux exoticism is tiresome! I hereby redub you: Bob.
Hec owes me a roll of paper towels and a fresh Diet Coke.
sumi - Jan 02, 2009 9:49:11 am PST #8244 of 28431
Art Crawl!!!
Chicago or original German pronunciation?