Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

Go read this book right now. I'll wait.

Done? Wasn't that great? Best read I've had in a long time. It's a book with a lot of subtitles. It's the Kingkiller Chronicles. It's Day one. Unfortunately, it is day one and there are still two more days. Day two commences in July of 2008. Grr.

It's the story of young man who grows up to be the most powerful wizard of his generation. It's the story of his years at school and his interactions with his mates. The place is called Hogwarts. No, it's better than that. It's called the Aracanum.

But the story doesn't start there. It's starts in a little tavern with a guy called Koth. Dangerous things are afoot in the land and they seem to be after the unassuming bartender. He's got a friend student in the bar who could possibly be a demon. There are a lot of hints of bad things in the story, but they aren't brought to the fore just yet.

It's a jumble of a story. It's a story about storytelling, truth and legend. I had to finish it immediately. At the time, I thought the second book was out. But I was mistaken. Now , I will just suffer until next July. He better not pull a George RR Martin on me. Good thing the next Donaldson is due in October.

[The Queen]

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical, because some times when I'm given a "must read" it winds up being something loaded with dozens of characters with fourteen syllable names talking about their family history for the first 27 chapters, none of which turns out to have any actual relevance to the so-called "story."

This was a GREAT book. Despite the fact that all of the character names are readily pronounceable, it has depth and it's just a plain, fun read. It's a great story and I'm really looking forward to the sequel!