Customer Comments

Patrick Rothfuss' first novel is amazing. While being a fantasy tale set in an imaginary land, the telling of the story is very concrete. You can almost feel the stones on your own feet as Rothfuss describes Kvothe running through the streets of town barefoot. This is a fantastic example of character development. While some of the periphery characters may seem two-dimensional, Kvothe almost steps out of the pages of the book, sits down next to you, and continues some long-halted conversation with you. And while it plays out like a memoir, you never feel like you're being let down, never bored by what's happening, even when the action is the seaming doldrums of day-to-day life. And this is just book one! Highly recommended!

Right smack dab in the middle of the Harry Potter saga, J.K. Rowling does a magnificent job of keeping the innocence of school years well in place, while at the same time continuing to wrench up the danger and intrigue elements, making it an incredibly balanced tale. We get to see all of these characters at their best and also at their most vulnerable. We get even better perspective as to just what lengths bad guy Voldemort will go to in his pursuit of immortality. A nearly perfect story.