The Name of the Wind is a delightfully well-written fantasy. It was easily one of the best reads I've had in some time. No spoilers: On the plus side of the book, the prose is fantastic. Rothfuss' descriptive capabilities are engrossing and while the pace is meandering, it is so in an enjoyable way. There are enough things to potentially cause danger, and most of them DO cause trouble, but Kvothe is within the realms of what is still expectable from a clever young man. The characters are interesting and intriguing, and you often can't quite pinpoint what an encounter will produce in the long run. Also, this is by far one of the best original worlds I've ever read. Everything from the concept of naming, to magic, fables, songs, currency, professions... it's all beautiful, well-done, realistic, and just generally intricate and wonderful. It's mysterious and enthralling all at once.
The downfall of the story, in my opinion, can only be described with the word masturbatory. Kvothe, in theory (as of the first book) is too powerful. He's too talented. He's too good at too big a range of everything. He's accomplished too much, and though it's never expressly stated his age, I think the estimate was around 25 - young. Too young. At one point he claims to have played colors to a blind man on the lute and it feels like too much success for one person at such a young age. First person narrative also has the potential to be played with, and it never is. Kvothe is telling his biography and he never lies, and while he could be embelishing a bit, he never expresses human flaws, like lying or saying something happened to him that actually happened to someone else. His memory is also entirely too flawless. He can recall every speck of dust that obscured his view on any day of the year going as far back as his childhood. All-in-all, it does read a bit like a fanfiction. Like the author was thinking, "What is the COOLEST person I could ever design, and how can I make him realistic?" He's a little bit of a stereotypical broody/mysterious emo anime hero on top of all that.
That being said, very little of the wankiness is expressed in this first book. It's mostly small things that he recollects, not major plot points, that seem to be too much. Kvothe still has flaws, and he does get his ass handed to him from time to time, enough that he's not overly perfect. In the end though, the story is wildly captivating. Kvothe is still a likeable character that you genuinely root for to succeed, and you can't wait to flip to the next page while you're in it. It is nearly impossible to put down. Also, it works beautifully as a stand-alone book. Enough is concluded to leave you satisfied, but it leaves you with a sense of, "I could never pick up another book in this series... but why would I want to do that? I'll just go fetch the next one right now."
To summarize, the book definitely has its flaws, but it's a spectacular read, definitely worth checking out.
