Kvothe recounts his life story, telling the Chronicler it will take no less than three days for the truth behind the legend to be put to paper. From his childhood growing up with his family’s troupe of performers, to his studies at the University Arcanum, The Name of the Wind tells the first third of Kvoth’s tale.

The book’s story flows well and the characters have a realistic quality that together make it hard to stop reading for the night. I more than once stayed awake reading far longer than I intended.

The Name of the Wind is one of the best epic fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time, and I look forward to reading the second book. (I don’t know what I’m going to do while waiting for the third book in the trilogy…) It’s really a prime example of the genre, and one anyone who considers themselves a “fantasy fan” should definitely read.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is a post from Fantasy Folder

The stakes are high, and there are a couple of plot twists that should catch you off guard. For instance, the identity of the LaGuardia shooters from the previous book is revealed. Hint: “no more coincidences.”

Harbingers is one of the most dramatic and action-packed installments in the series. The primary “fix-it” in this book isn’t just a job. This time, it’s personal.

Harbingers by F. Paul Wilson is a post from Fantasy Folder

Infernal breaks the usual formula of “fix it” jobs with a larger encounter with something related to the Otherness. This book is a bit more personal, dealing with some of Jack’s family, but there’s still plenty of supernatural adversity going on. It sets up a major plot twist for the next book, which is even darker…

If you haven’t read any of the Repairman Jack books, do yourself a favor and start with one of the earlier books. (The Tomb, Legacies or All the Rage are good choices.) Infernal one may be important stepping stone in the series, but you don’t really see Jack at his best.

Infernal by F. Paul Wilson is a post from Fantasy Folder

Whereas the first book introduced the enigmatic Jack and his childhood friends, as well as some of the supernatural oddities of the town he grew up in, Secret Circles and Secret Vengeance show clear signs of his path toward being the vigilante he will become. (Readers who are already familiar with the Repairman Jack series will enjoy the prequels for the references to the other books. Don’t worry about them being “YA” novels; they’re solid stories that just happen to have younger characters.) The third book, especially, has the key elements of a Repairman Jack novel: vengeance, through cunning subtlety, rather than simple violence.

The prequel trilogy is definitely worth reading if you’re already an RJ fan, and it makes a great entry point for younger readers, as it was no doubt intended.

Secret Histories, Secret Circles and Secret Vengeance by F. Paul Wilson is a post from Fantasy Folder

Ladies and gentlemen, A Memory of Light–the final book in The Wheel of Time–has been finished.

— Brandon Sanderson (@BrandSanderson) December 21, 2011

Brandon Sanderson Finishes the Final Wheel of Time Book is a post from Fantasy Folder

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer Posted is a post from Fantasy Folder

Dorrin is an Order wizard who grew up in Recluce, learning to heal and to smith iron. When he expresses interest in building steam-powered machines, the council of Recluce, who ignorantly think them “chaotic,” sends him away from the island nation on the infamous dangergeld. Dorrin, of course, has a more developed sense of the balance between the forces of Order and Chaos, and sets out to build his steam engine. After time spent apprenticed to a blacksmith in distant Spidlar, he eventually sets up his own shop and builds an ironclad steamboat that is just the thing Recluce needs to break Fairhaven’s blockade of the island. Though not before years of setbacks, and attacks on Spidlar from the Chaos wizards.

The Magic Engineer is the most different from the other Recluse novels that I have finished, though it still suffers from some of Modesitt’s writing quirks. Like onomatopoeia. But, really, when was the last time you read a (non-steampunk) fantasy novel with steam engines in it?

The Magic Engineer by L. E. Modesitt is a post from Fantasy Folder

Lord Waxillium Ladrian was a gun-slinging Misting lawman out in the frontier lands, until his uncle died in a carriage accident. Wax has to hang up his guns and take on the responsibilities of the Lord of House Ladrian.

After only a short period of going about the tiresome business of handling House Ladrian’s accounts and dealing with the aristocracy, a series of kidnappings and train robberies (not to mention a visit from a wisecracking colleague) is just the excuse to come out of retirement and bring his law-keeping talents to the big city…

The Alloy of Law has the same riveting action sequences of the original Mistborn trilogy, but with a fresh new twist. Between firearms and the existence of metal everywhere, combat is quite different. The lack of Mistborn (they’re now a legend of the past) and the rise of “Twinborn” Mistings with one Allomantic and one Feruchemical power also nerfs the magic side of things and makes gunfights less one-sided than they would be otherwise.

Overall, it’s a solid book that fits right in with the rest of the series, while adding a bit more humor to the equation. Sanderson has mentioned that his original plan for the Mistborn series was to have a trilogy with a medieval-type setting, one set in a time period like the present day, and one in the future. The Alloy of Law ended up being an impulsive side project that fits somewhere between the first two trilogies. I do hope he decides to write another book or two continuing this storyline, though. It turned out rather well.

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson is a post from Fantasy Folder

Snuff reminds me a bit of Thud! and it fits right in with the other Vimes books, which are one of my favorite branches of the Discworld series. It has the usual humor characteristic of Pratchett and Vimes, though the book is slightly more serious than some of Sir Pratchett’s earlier works, but that goes with the police procedural territory. The other Watch books were like that as well.

If you’re already familiar with Commander Vimes and the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, you’ll definitely enjoy Snuff. And if you’re not, it’s still not a bad place to start. (Though if you’re the sort who insists on reading books in order, you may want to read Guards! Guards! instead.)

Snuff by Terry Pratchett is a post from Fantasy Folder

NG: The Watch fascinate me. You get to do hardboiled police procedurals while still writing funny smart books set in a fantastic world.

TP: On a point of order, Mister Gaiman, the world in which Sam Vimes finds himself is hardly fantastic. Okay, there are goblins, but the overall ambience is that of the shires of Middle England. It’s all about the commonality of humankind. Shove Sam Vimes into a situation that has gone toxic and away he goes, as realistic as any other policeman and thinking in the very same ways and being Sam Vimes, questioning his motives and procedures all the way through.

Neil Gaiman Interviews Terry Pratchett on BoingBoing.net is a post from Fantasy Folder