The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
In this first installment of The Kingkiller Chronicle, the protagonist Kvothe is introduced. Kvothe's past adventures are rumored to have led to the ongoing war. He is currently hiding in a town as the innkeeper Kote with his assistant Bast. The story is divided into two timelines, the present and the past which is narrated by the main character himself to Chronicler. Kvothe met the scribe Chronicler when he saved the latter from an attack of the creatures called Scrael. Kvothe agreed in a later meeting to tell his story. The novel is recollection of Kvothe's early life, a refreshing approach to an epic tale of a hero. The series is not without some cliche. Like most heroes in epic myths, the young Kvothe had a knack for many things usually only adults with vast experience and education are capable of understanding. He also had to undergo severe psychological and physical trauma, a bitter-sweet first encounter at romance, and has a talent for getting into troubl...