His writing is beautiful and smooth, the pages turn almost of their own accord, and there is more subtlety in the story than I've perhaps ever seen in a commercial blockbuster of a series.

It is fair to say, however, that it's not entirely your typical fantasy series. Almost everything contains something that is important to the overall narrative, but parts of the story that would be big episodes and climaxes in most fantasy books are nearly skipped altogether in favour of things that play into the story that the narrator (who is also the main character) is trying to tell. There are also criticisms of the main character being a Gary Stu, being too perfect and such, though I don't completely buy those. Yes, he learns lots of awesome things and does lots of awesome stuff and is cleverer than anything, but he also makes a ton of dunderheaded mistakes, can't win the only girl he really wants, and is probably going to end up being accidentally responsible for the end of the world.

It's a fantasy series about fantasy series, in a way. It's a conglomeration of episodic storytelling, epic fantasy, deconstructionism, mythmaking, subtlety, and the everyday details of life as a legendary hero who isn't as legendary as people think.

Personally I highly recommend it. It's one of my favourite ongoing series, especially after the incredibly well-written second novel, which sheds acres of new light on things that didn't seem the slightest bit important in the first novel. But I know that there are a number of people here who do not appreciate it quite as much as I do.