Book Review - The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

Just finished up reading The Name of the Wind - The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One by Patrick Rothfuss. I got this book on a recommendation and I didn't read this with too high of an expectation as this is a new author starting a new series. New authors have been hit or miss with me but Patrick Rothfuss provide a very entertaining novel in his first effort. I didn't know what to expect but what I got was a touch of influence from a whole bunch of authors I really enjoy. The whole wizard-in-the-making-but-did-not-know-it side of the story reeks of David Eddings and Terry Brooks, not that it is a bad thing but that thread is in here. I read A LOT of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series in here as well. The main character, Kvothe, winds up in the Arcanum University (a grown-up version of Hogwarts) and struggles in his first year there and even ends up with an arch-rival (can you say Malfoy). Even though this book reads as an homage to these other great fantasy authors, Rothfuss maintains a sense of identity enough to make the story his own. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next installment this summer. This was a great and fun way to start 2009. Now I'm off to read World War Z. Till next time.