TALES OF THE INNKEEPER
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.

Simply the finest book I've ever read
I don't see how I can describe this book. It is, without any doubt, the finest book I've ever read. It is fantasy at it's finest, an original story in a field of hacks. I love fantasy novels, and I don't even particularly care if they're original or not. But then this book came along, and it destroyed my conceptions of what fantasy should be. Ironically, from a person who read primarily fantasy, my two favorite books before I picked this one up were Dune and Neuromancer. This one is so much better than either of those that it's hard to compare them. Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

sure, I liked it
I chose this book off of a bookstore's recommended reads shelf. The title grabbed me, and after reading the back cover comparing it to "Arabian Nights," "Harry Potter" series, and "Lord of the Rings," I decided to give it a try. Perhaps it was too much like the Harry Potter rivalry, and perhaps the exposition was too long and confusing, but I enjoyed it start to finish. I'm irritated that I have to wait until the Spring to read the next book.

Absolutely Brilliant...
I am not usually one to write reviews on here, but this novel is just too good to not write about.

This is one of the best novels I have ever read. The plot was paced well, the characters were human and non-cliched, the story was completely engrossing, and the humor was actually humorous.

Though, this book is a bit longer than most I read, I found myself unable to put it down. I read it, to the end, in just one day. I found myself shutting off the television, radio, and other devices and just getting lost in this book.

If you are trying to decide what book to read next, I would recommend this over any other. (Even for non-fantasy novel fans)

A bit of a warning though: The next volume doesn't come out for quite awhile. I can't wait for it to come out!

Excellent
The Name of the Wind is one of the best new fantasy novels I've read in years, its as good as anything GRRM has written, and hopefully published in a more timely manner.