The author is a good writer, not great; he relies too much on clichés but sure knows which ones to deploy for maximum effect. He reminds me of King or Crichton - pulpy, yet still substantial and addictive.
The pacing of the books (especially the second) are shot to all hell. It's like he wrote four separate 250 page novels and strung them together with the barest of connective tissue.
Lotta sex in book 2! Lotta sex.
I like the University setting and its focus on money and busking over magic and adventure. I liked the court intrigue with the Maer, too ... the Adem bored me. I called them a "Mary Suetopia" only to discover via TV Tropes I was not the first to come up with such a
bon mot. The most boring section for me was killing the dragon in Book 1. I can't exactly say why I'd rather read about grinding out deck lamps in the Fishery than killing mythical beasts.
Sympathy is
very similar to the magic system used in Emily Short's Savoir-Faire:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoir-FaireReally enjoy the sharp change in tone between the frame story sections and the flashbacks. I'm willing to forgive some of the rip-roaring "and then I was awesome and the best ever and fucked all the ladies" tone of the narrative because I don't really trust Kvothe as a narrator - between the frame story and the Edema Ruh background, I'm certain he's telling the
best story he can, not the most true one.
Auri is mai waifu, Denna is decidedly NOT.
Looking forward to book 3! Not looking forward to books 4 and 5, should that come to pass.