THE NAME tells
What you can infer about life from this story ?
Innkeepers abound in fantasy novels.Very rarely, though, do we get to see things from their point of view.THE NAME OF THE WIND tells two stories at the same time. In the present, there is the innkeeper named Kote, our main character who is asked to share his past with another who is willing to write it down, word for word.The vast majority of the book takes place in the past, covering Kote's youth and education at the University--as told by Kote himself.One of the first things you will notice about this book (besides how thick it is) is the insane amount of praise that has been heaped upon it by other famous authors. Is this book worthy of such praise? Will it chase Lord of the Rings off your bookshelf?No, it won't. But it IS a good book.Good, not great.Here's why:PROS:Interesting characters: The character of Kote/Kvothe is really mysterious. Just what sort of things has he done in his past that he has to take up the occupation of innkeeper in the middle of nowhere? Denna is also interesting since she is so unpredictable--like the wind itself.The University scenes remind me heavily of the White Tower scenes in Jordan's WHEEL OF TIME series. A University is not an action-packed setting, but it was fun to read about Kvothe's education nonetheless. It was just as entertaining as reading about Hogwarts.The author's style is eloquent without being florid. He won't beat you over the head with the customs of a dozen different nations and how every bolt of cloth looks.Dragons. Again. Like we haven't seen that before! But I found the dragon scene very refreshing, believable and even humorous. Easily one of the best dragon scenes I've read, next to Bilbo's talk with Smaug in THE HOBBIT.CONS:Kote's recollection of his past is really long-winded. I found it hard to believe that someone would listen to that much dialogue in one day, much less write it down.The map is pointless. If you're going to bother putting a map of the land in your book you should at least populate it with most (if not all) of the places mentioned in the book.OVERALL: If you like the "youth goes to magic school" storyline, then this is definitely a book for you! Easily one of the best in this vein, right next to HARRY POTTER, although a bit more mature and adult. 