"You see, when taken objectively, without currently reading the book, Kvothe is a Mary Sue. While you read it, it doesn't matter." Wrong. It's better to say that when taken objectively, with only a superficial clue as to what "Mary Sue" means, he's a Mary Sue. But, put simply, he messes up too much, and his messes end up driving the plot, for that to be the case. His mistakes have consequences. Does the world revolve around him to depict him as awesome and diminish his flaws? That is always the first question that must be asked about a potential Mary Sue, as it is infinitely more important than their hair colour or any talents and abilities they have. What is critical is how they behave and impact the story, the narrative.
Sound review otherwise, though.
Yeah, looking back, I wish I made my points a bit better.
Funnily enough, in The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe falls off the line he was toeing and square into Mary Sue territory. It's horrible.
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Why you will probably love The Name Of The Wind, Unless you hate it.
The book is awesome if you have a working knowledge of fantasy to the point where you can enjoy good writing for it's own sake. The main character can be considered a Mary Sue, but is both a) A special case- he's a hero of legend, what do you expect? b) saved by his Rothfuss's cleverness and the lack of attention his sueishness is given.You see, when taken objectively, without currently reading the book, Kvothe is a Mary Sue. While you read it, it doesn't matter. In The Warded Man, for example, Leesha Paper starts out threatening to become so and does in the second book upon learning to ward like magic. Everyone loves her, she has no faults and picks things up immediately, becoming better than the expert main character Arlen in a month or two.(Note before continuing, The Warded Man still kicks ungodly amounts of ass.) Kvothe, on the other hand is not overly recognized for his Badassery, and is improved further by narrating in his depressed present voice. In regards to his "obnoxious personality" I would put forward it makes it more entertaining, and makes you feel like he is more flawed than he is, which is good. Secondly, this book is beautifully written, but especially in the university sections of the second book, nothing much happens other than teases and foreshadowing. Most of this could be excised, but it shouldn't be, as it is wonderful and funny. However, if you demand action, this is not the book for you. If you like the Fellowship of The Ring, including the beginning, you will like this. If you found that boring, read the Night Angel trilogy— it's where the action at.
But seriously, if you aren't an action junkie, READ THIS BOOK 4.7 out of five.