The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen. From his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, to years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime- ridden city, to his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that transports readers into the body and mind of a wizard. It is a high-action novel written with a poet's hand, a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through his eyes: to read this book is to be the hero.

"The debut of a writer we would all do well to watch. Patrick Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous."
-Terry Brooks

"The great new fantasy writer we've all been waiting for."
-Orson Scott Card

"The type of assured, rich first novel most writers can only dream of producing. THE FANTASY WORLD HAS A NEW STAR."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"REFRESHINGLY NIMBLE AND OF-BEAT...a finely-tuned coming-of-age story, full of humor, action and the occasional dose of magic."
-San Francisco Chronicle

"One of the best stories told in any medium in a decade."
-The Onion

"A rare and great pleasure."
-Ursula K. LeGuin

"Elegantly told."
-Library Journal (starred review)

A high-action novel written with a poet's hand, this brilliant debut fantasy by Patrick Rothfuss is a powerful coming-of-age story of a magically gifted young man, told through a riveting first-person narrative that allows the reader to "become" the hero.