Okay, I'm going to change the topic just slightly.
Has anyone else read Patrick Rothfuss? I've read
The Name of the Wind and was quite entranced by it. There's travelling players with a wry, robust sense of the world, a school of magic, wizards, an orphan coming of age, strange mythology and legends, the spell of music, layers of narrative, a shrewd look at an heroic age--all well and tightly written--and very clear homage to Tolkien (without being derivative at all).
You can read an excerpt here if you're a wee bit curious:
Chapter Eight
The sequel (and second book in a projected trilogy),
The Wise Man's Fear, came out last March but I haven't had a chance to look at it yet.
Anyone interested?