The Name of the Wind

An extremely well written fantasy novel that steers clear of most of your standard fantasy fiction clichés. Sure, there is magic and mythical beasts, but the story is all told with such plain spoken realism and believability that you never feel totally nerded out. In many ways it is like Harry Potter for grown ups—you’ve got your “Snape” character and “Malfoy” character—sans the “anything goes” magic system (Batman… er… Potter, use your handy shark repellant spray…er…I mean wand).