The Name of the Wind — Patrick Rothfuss

Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicle (beginning with The Name of the Wind, 2007) introduced a new standard of literary quality to epic fantasy: a protagonist who is simultaneously the most accomplished magician, musician, and fighter of his age, narrating his own legend with the self-awareness that he is mythologising himself even as he speaks. The prose quality and emotional depth set it apart from virtually all contemporary epic fantasy.