The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

"I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep."

Well that's a summary and a half right?! Despite the somewhat cheesy cover, this is a book that grabbed my attention from the shelf on numerous occasions. I didn't finally get around to reading it until a close friend had read and recommended it, and kindly lent me his copy. As you might imagine from the summary, this was a book that one can get sucked into very quickly and very easily.

The Name of the Wind is Book 1 of the Kingkiller Chronicles, a proposed trilogy, Book 2 of which, Wise Man's Fears, has just been published. This is Kvothe's story, as dictated to a scribe by the man himself, while he lives in hiding in a small backwater town with his assistant and friend, Bast, who has a story of his own. The arrival of the scribe prompts Kvothe to recount his life from childhood, as a record of his experiences - the truths, not the legends.

The story then takes us to Kvothe's childhood, recounting his life as he tells it, from happy memories as a child with his family, to shocking tragedy and finally to Kvothe's experiences at the famous University. Kvothe recounts these events, allowing the reader to become completely immersed in his life and the characters he meets along his journey, following his trials and tribulations as he attempts to survive the University and uncover the truth of his childhood tragedy. Kvothe's story is entirely gripping, as he makes both friends and enemies, finds romance, and narrowly escapes death on more than one occasion.

The success of this book for me was that although there were enough characters to keep the story interesting and drive the narrative along, I never felt overwhelmed or confused by the number of names and personalities introduced during the story, unlike others I have read recently. Kvothe is an intriguing character, both passionate and reckless, while struggling with his own ambition and desires, yet always seeking answers to his past. Definitely a character you can root for, though also be frustrated with when he makes a rash decision. I was also particularly taken by the mysterious, powerful yet somewhat odd Master Namer Elodin, and his riddles and strange sense of humour, and Kvothe's loyal yet mysterious assistant Bast. I look forward to unravelling their stories in the next instalment of the trilogy.

Although this tale had elements of your usual fantasy series, with its magics and musics, at no point did the tale feel clichéd or overly familiar. A truly excellent début Mr Rothfuss!