Fantasy author and lifelong Dungeons & Dragons fan Patrick Rothfuss was recently on the Barnes & Noble Podcast, chatting with B&N Science Fiction and Fantasy Blog editor Joel Cunningham about everything from the sweet parental moment he fought to keep in his new comic Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons to being a good collaborator in comics and television adaptations. He also gave a small status update on The Doors of Stone, the long-awaited third installment in his Kingkiller Chronicle epic fantasy series, and his slow but steady progress.
“Kingkiller, my work on the books, is—again, it might seem strange for people to hear—but nobody laments the lack of tangible progress more than me, in terms of the next Kingkiller book,” Rothfuss told Cunningham. “But things are moving forward, if not fast—again, I’ve never promised fast, ever since I knew what I was good at professionally. I made promises very early on in interviews where I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do these books one a year.’ But I was an idiot. I had just been published for like two months, I had no idea what I was talking about.”
He discussed how, yes, he had completed a draft of the entire Kingkiller Chronicle back in 2000 but described this early version as “a book you would not have liked, because it was just discernibly bad” and emphasized the changes that he had made to it in the nearly twenty years since then.
“But I am moving forward,” he said. “More importantly, I’m finally getting my life sorted out so that I can go back and approach my writing and my craft with the joy that I used to feel back in the day, when I was just an idiot kid playing D&D or working on my unpublishable fantasy novel.”
Speaking of moving forward, Rothfuss also briefly discussed picking up a back-burnered graphic novel project with collaborator Nate Taylor set in the Kingkiller Chronicle world, and his delight with the Kingkiller Chronicle TV series. Listen below!
And because it’s B&N, of course they asked what he’s reading. Turns out Patrick Rothfuss is a big fan of Murderbot! “It was fun, and funny, and witty, and clever,” he said of Martha Wells’ Tor.com Publishing series. “It broke my heart and I cried a ton… Honestly, I think I’ve related more to Murderbot than I have maybe any other character in my life.” He also praised Mary Robinette Kowal’s The Calculating Stars and Naomi Novik’s Spinning Silver, saying of all three Hugo-nominated works, “If you read, you should read those books, and you will be delighted.”
Patrick Rothfuss photo credit: Alvintrusty under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license
Maybe there’s hope . . . maybe?
I have two theories.
1. He pantsed his way through the first two books, and is now stuck tying everything up for book three.
2. Every time someone asks him about book 3, he puts it on the back burner.
I suggest fans do the same. Forget about the Kingkiller Chronicle. Get rid of the first 2 books, like I did, and don’t give anymore thought to it. It is what it is.
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Taking Wagers on which will come out first: Kingkiller 3 or ASoIaF 6…
I don’t understand the entitlement mentality that makes readers say “If you don’t give it to me NOW then I’ll never read you again.”
It’s truly baffling.
I read the first two books and the side book about Auri, and I’m perfectly content to go on with my life waiting for the third book. If he publishes it, I’m happy to buy it and read it. If he doesn’t, then I enjoyed those three books and I haven’t lost anything.
So stoked for book 3. Yeah it sucks its taking forever but I don’t control Rothfuss and if it’s as good as books 1 and 2 he can take as much damn time as he pleases. In the meantime I’m about to start my 10th re-read of the first two books, I think they are that freaking good and enjoy reading them that much.
I mean this in the least condescending way possible, but I do feel bad for him. I think he got in over his head and the anxiety/stress/perfectionism is probably killing his drive.
@8 RE: entitlement mentality
Well, it was emotionally wrenching to be *promised* that the third book would appear soon, just to be left on tenterhooks without even the sop of further communication. At least he has finally had the grace to say “But I was an idiot. I had just been published for like two months, I had no idea what I was talking about.”
I am now content to wait.
I think I’ve reached the stage where I agree with #3. There are so many good books and series that are finished or see frequent updates that I’ve moved on. Maybe I’ll pick it up when it comes out, though it’s a bit doubtful, but I no longer have that burning desire to finish it. It’s not an “entitlement mentality” but just accepting that the excitement and buildup just diminished and faded over the past 8 years. The same thing happened for me with Martin’s SoIaF and Barker’s Abarat series.
#7 – I heartily refuse your offer – there’s no winner here, sir.
5,271,009 quatloos on The Winds of Winter.
Between Kingkiller Chronicles 3, ASoIaF6, Half-Life 3, and Borderlands 3, I just glad we’re getting one of those as soon as September this year.
Brandon Sanderson and how he pumps out awesome novels on a regular basis is the (wonderful) exception, not the rule.
“I’m finally getting my life sorted out so that I can go back and approach my writing and my craft with the joy that I used to feel …”
Seems to read like an admission that he hasn’t been working on book 3. He lost that lovin’ feeling as the price of success, replaced by paralysis.
As others have said, he doesn’t owe me anything. I’ll likely read the third volume when in comes out. In the meantime, my interest is mostly cooling in the single digit percentages. May even go to zero if these “updates” go on much longer. Shrug.
This is the least disagreeable statement on book three I have heard from him. An ounce of humility is good enough for me. I’ll wait for him and perhaps stop telling people not to read the others at all
I have a theory about book 3. I think it’s finished, or nearly finished. It’ll come out shortly after the release of season 1 of the TV series, or the movie. With a major television/ movie deal in the works there’s a lot of studio money riding on the success of this series. If book 3 underperforms or bombs it could really hurt their bottom line. I think as soon as he was approached about a media deal, he stopped being able to talk about book 3. I think that’s why he dodges questions and seems so frustrated by everyone hounding him. It’s done, and he can’t tell anyone. Can you imagine how frustrating that would be?
My understanding from various other interviews I read over the years was that, before those original manuscripts were purchased, that an agent had him move some of the better bits from books two and three up to book one.
If so, I can see how irrelevant it is that he had written an ending 20 years ago — everything has changed since then.
It might serve him well to set aside Doors of Stone and write some standalone novels not connected toto th series. Maybe writing some other endings will give him the experience and momentum needed to end this series at the quality he desires.
You’d have to follow Rothfuss’ blog to know the personal issues he’s been working through, and their impact. I won’t try to summarize them.
I bought the first book in paperback and shelved it, to wait for the series to complete. It’s on the verge of yellowing now I think, lol. Haven’t bought the second yet just to treat it the same way, but I’m hanging in there.
I started reading these books because it was to be a complete story in three books. So, yes, he owes me that. I’ve invested time and money.
The whole question of “is GRRM/Rothfuss/Whomever your bitch?” rather depends on whether you consider the novel in question art or a commodity. It’s perfectly understandable when authors approach things from the perspective that they are creating art, and go from there. But they’re kind of shooting themselves in the foot, because the majority of readers consider the novels to be commodities. The money the paid for early books was not a contribution towards the author’s lifestyle, so that he can create art as the inspiration strikes — those were installment payments on an unfinished product, and there’s an implicit expectation that the author will then act like the rest of us who slog to work and sit there doing something we might not be excited about doing for eight hours every day, in order to complete and ship the unfinished product in a timely manner.
There are good arguments on either side. Writing is certainly an artistic process, and novels can certainly be art. And there’s absolutely value in treating them as such. But, on the other hand, novels are a commodity. Some are better than others, yes, and people may feel more of a connection to some than others. But, at the end of the day, there’s no shortage of good books out there, and time and attention are limited resources.
Personally, I fall into the commodity camp, more for practical reasons than on principle. I can only go two or three years between installments before I forget too many of the details of a series to be able to read the next book without re-reading the previous ones. And re-reading can be a crap-shoot. If the previous books were doorstoppers, I tend to have a hard time justifying the time spent on the re-read, when I’ve got a huge backlog of other books that are either brand new, or where I still know what’s going on. And if that’s the case… why would I bother buying the next book when (if) it comes out?
This body of work evokes passionate responses from the readers of the Kingkiller series. I too have been looking forward to the next volume promised. However I am not making it about me. Our favored author’s need for a truly organic heartfelt progression takes time.
As the mother of a writer I have first hand experience with the life of their creative process. Take a deep breath and dive into a new author’s body of work. Once you have devoured all of their works, the promised text by Patrick may be completed.
Personally, I think 2008 and 2019 are just very different places for me as a reader. In 2008, the book I needed to read to reinvigorate my love of the fantasy genre was Rothfuss’s. The problem is we are kinda living in a golden age of fantasy and science fiction though and there are so many great authors releasing books all the time that weren’t around back when Rothfuss’s last book came out and honestly, they treat their fans better than Rothfuss does and I’ll support them before I pick up Doors of Stone, whenever it might come out. I also don’t think the books have aged all that well but that’s a sort of unrelated point.
My initial try at commenting on this never posted – I’m not sure what I said that might have been objectionable. I was just pointing out that if you were reading a suspenseful story to a bunch of kids and when you got to a particular page, you just hopped up, grabbed your car keys, and drove away; never to be seen again – that would quite rightly be seen as rude and mean. Nobody likes being told 2/3 of a story and then abandoned.
I’ve got all the sympathy in the world for writer’s block – but those kids deserve some sympathy, too. Writers that have a “how dare you complain about this” attitude towards the normal human response to what they did just baffle me.
Moving forwards is better than bakcwards! (most of the time)
In the internet era, when synopses and summaries of varying degrees are available in mere moments, I strongly disagree with using “I have to re-read the books” as a valid reason for hounding an author to release a new book.
@22–A commodity mentality doesn’t dictate that you are owed a future book. Buying a published book is not a Kickstarter. If you buy a published book that’s the first, or second, or ninth in a series, you are entitled to the ownership of that book: no more, no less. To look at this another way, I’ve bought plenty of series starters that I just didn’t like. It would be ridiculous of me to say, “I bought this book, therefore I am entitled to enjoy the whole series.” Buying a book carries risks, like buying any commodity.
Now if there was a Kickstarter for Doors of Stone, and you and I had already put money into it, the story would be entirely different. That would be an investment on a future product.
Anyway, for me personally, I’ll be happy if Doors of Stone comes out. But even if it doesn’t, there’s plenty more great fantasy out there to read, and I’ll always have the happy hours I spent reading the first two (and rereading the first one many, many times). I’m not holding my breath for the third.
@27: Writers that have a “how dare you complain about this” attitude towards the normal human response to what they did just baffle me.
I have no knowledge of Rothfuss expressing an attitude like this. The problem is the other fans/readers/nonreaders who try to say that the impatience or even expressions of “betrayal” by some fans are in invalid. None of us likes to be told that our feelings are invalid.
@20 -Cecrow, Do you mean you are going to wait until the third book comes out before you read any of them? That’s impressive restraint.
And while the rest of us are waiting, don’t forget you can reread Jo Walton’s excellent Patrick Rothfuss reread on this very site (which is how I found these books in the first place).
I loved the first two books, and have been waiting patiently (without moaning or feeling entitled) for the final book since the second I finished The Wise Mans Fear, however now I feel I have run out of momentum.
When a book series is published, between books there is excitement for the next one, a count down (everyone can probably remember the momentum with Harry Potter) but I think it’s run out for me with the King Killer books at the moment.
8 years is a long time, and the likelyhood is it will be at least 10 years before book 3 is published. Fans that loved the first two books are in completey different places with their lives now and will be further on the longer the wait (people who didn’t have children when book 2 was released msy have kids in high school by the time book 3 comes out).
I’m not moaning, but I think a lot of the fan base will be lost not because of any fault of the authors, not because of the quality of his work, but because people will have moved on.
I think it’s a shame that in trying to make the book as brilliant as possible he is likely alienating and loosing fans.
I don’t feel he owes us anything and if he chooses never to publish again so be it, he seems a lovely guy, but a donkey will only follow a carrot on a stick so long
My plan is not to read them again until there is a release date for book 3, then reread them and hopefully rebuild my excitement again. I’m just not sure if it will happen
@28 Ryamano:
Unless of course, you are going the wrong way/on the wrong path. Then backwards is best… temporarily. :)
I am excited for this book when(if) it comes out.
I’m going to heartily agree with @22 tarod45 said.
And I think the commodity argument is even more true for novels in a series. When you present me book 1/3 (or 1/X) I’ll buy it fully expecting you’ll also be delivering the rest. In a way it is a contract between the author and the reader / potential fan.
Now, if you outright told me this is book 1/3 but I might never get book 3, I would seriously reconsider buying the book. Because if it is not a complete story (or at least the promise of a timely completion) then why bother. I can just wait until / if you finish all 3 and buy your books then. Of course, you, as an author would suffer for this, since your first books might not earn enough money to allow you to live comfortably so that you’re able to write the next ones.
So we compromise, I choose to trust you to finish the books and therefore pay for an unfinished product, and you promise that you will finish said product in a timely manner (and hopefully with the same quality).
I could go on and on about selling out and getting TV series done because of the books and then completely neglecting the fans that got you those deals in the first place :) but that’s not really on topic.
I’m happy I’ll see the book, I absolutely loved the first two. Would I have been MUCH happier if it was released 6 years ago, damn straight. Will I buy it now, or next year? Maybe. I don’t like supporting this sort of attitude from authors when there are other amazing ones like Brandon Sanderson that can write great books and give them to their fans on a decent schedule.
Finally, as a qualification, I speak solely for myself. I perfectly realize that are people who will happily pay for book 1/X just on the merit of that one book. And that’s fine. I’m just not one of them :)
I’m glad he’s taking his time. The first one took him ten years to write. The second one got much less time and it showed. For all that there were some great moments, there was some real tripe in there too.
Just finishing The Wise Man’s Fear – and I have to admit, I would LOVE to keep this party going… After almost 3 yrs of reading mostly Forgotten Realms, I have to admit I am having a blast with Kvothe and friends… what a fantastic adventure I have been on… much appreciation to the author!
In a vacuum, ‘Wise Mans Fear’ is a good book, but doesn’t quite live up to ‘Name of the Wind’. I say take all the time he wants and if it doesn’t happen I’ll just read #1 and make up a my own ending.
ok, I love “The Name of the Wind” in so many ways. Enjoyed “The Wise Man’s Fear,” too, although not quite as much, but hey, I still enjoyed it hugely. These are great books. Take your time, Mr. Rothfuss. Ignore the haters.
Listen to me. Hello. As a fellow writer, having a first unpublished novel, I vehemently think that you must understand how a writer knows exactly when the final part could be released, but that is a spontaneous ending not to be rushed. Imagine having to match TWO 800 PAGE VOLUMES and ALL THEIR ELEMENTS with a THIRD volume, for a grand finale…it is immense work. Wait for it! It’s gonna rock :)
Forget about making it all about a trilogy. Just face the fact that this tale is just too big for that to happen. Just write four or even five books or more to get the story out the way it needs to be done.
@54. That’s what the ancillary projects, like movie, TV, and games is supposed to do. Expand the world. But asking for more books is asking for trouble. GRR Martin had a story originally planned as a trilogy. Expanding it has led to multiple year gaps between volumes with no end in sight. A similar approach would just prolong the agony of anyone waiting for Kvothe’s story to wrap up.
If I have to wait then I wait. I was in prison when I first picked up book one…it took me to a better place! So then came book two…followed by Auri’s side story…i fell in love with Auri…she kept me sane in there…lol. Rothfuss is truly talented. And so I’ll wait. But if by chance PDog is reading these…”you need to hurry up!!!” (If you were locked up ‘PDog’ would be your prison name) lol
Well, book one and two were so good, I don’t really care how long it takes for the last of this series… These characters are alive in my mind and they are doing well. When they move again, I’ll gladly buy book 3 to find out what this brilliant and warm author has in store for me. Patrick Rothfuss is a joy to read and reread. It’s the only book that I’ve ever reread so many times.. I grow more intimate with the characters each reread and it’s still a better experience for me than reading or trying to get into many other fantasy series that are complete. It’s odd, but true. I’m still wondering if his mom is/was a Lockless? Or if he will ever resolve his issues with Denna?.. or why he can’t open that chest at the foot of his bed? Or if he’ll ever get his powers back or wish to pick up his lute again? But I am content to wonder what comes next indefinitely. I am so enchanted with Patrick’s heart as I read and reread his prose. It’s still an adventure too, and the best money I’ve ever spent on two novels and one novella.. I admire Patrick’s father who gave him the advise that if he sets out to do something that he should do it well. So far he’s made his father proud.
The first two books and the novella on Auri were so good and gave me such pleasure that all I can feel is grateful to the artist. He owes me nothing and all I owe him is thanks for the gifts of his writing. A third book would be langiappe.
@0. Jedi: “lanny-yap” is a wonderful word, but the coming tome will be something more than little…
From Mark Twain: “We picked up one excellent word—a word worth travelling to New Orleans to get; a nice limber, expressive, handy word—”lagniappe.” They pronounce it lanny-yap. It is Spanish—so they said…”
My post wasn’t meant to be derogatory. It’s how it’s pronounced in New Orleans.
i generally check on Sunday mornings to see if there has been any movement on DoS. I started reading The Name of the Wind when I was just a wee lad of 47. Now I’m all grown up and hope to experience the full tale of Kvothe before I die. That’s my goal…
I hate him for making us wait so long, but I love him for his talent.
I will continue to check every Sunday morning…
Dudes.
It’s art. He hasn’t written it because you CAN’T just write a stone cold banger on demand.
If you rush it, it sucks. So settle down, or just write it yourself.
I loved PR’s first two in the trilogy – Auri’s was a great way to give insights into her world. It also reminded me of how much I love the story and his writing style, AND it has me excited for the final book. Remember how excited everyone was for the Game of Thrones finale? Oh, and how disappointed everyone was and how rushed it felt? Let’s learn from that… Let the alchemists and authors do what they do best on their own time. It will be worth the wait.
I absolutely understand anyone’s frustration. And I am only less frustrated now after learning the mental trick to block out certain ideas, like cake, cigarettes, book 3 and book 6, until they are pretty much forgotten. To be fair, both Martin and Patrick are on the far-side of the spectrum, in terms of slow delivery.
I think it’s also understandable that some people feel they are owed a 3rd book. All authors should understand. Good stories make promises and deliver, with things much more subtle than explicit contracts. It’s just how it works emotionally for human beings.
Now, I choose to believe that Patrick is doing the best for the story, for himself and for all of us. Over the years as I have heard more of his talks and seen his other works, I gained more interests of him as a person as well. That kind of perspective really helps with the waiting.
What also helped a lot with the waiting, if I were to be totally honest, was Brandon Sanderson ;)
I think this is so sad! the first two books were excellent, but it’s been years. I have not thought about this series for quite awhile…perhaps the author found it impossible to match the excellence of the first two?
Welllll, I’m here to apologize. Not that he’d ever read it, but I wrote some scathing assessments (about both Mr. Rothfuss and Mr. Martin’s unfinished epics). But I can’t get away from the fact that TNOTW is a near masterpiece, and came to me at a time when it really “helped” me. His other books don’t work for me. BUT–I think it’s time I just appreciated what he’s created and be a little bit less of a fan-boy jackass. Life is very brief, and I wish I hadn’t vented so much bitter spleen at a man I don’t know about giving me what I want. I paid for the book and I own it. We’re square. Plus, after several years of bitching I now realize it’s fall, and it might be nice to read TNOTW again and simply enjoy it.
You should know that I realize my comment will not change minds. You might also want to know I’m a hopeful person, past all reason.
Having first read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear eight years ago, I’ve worn my copies down to almost nothing. A chronic re-reader of all things, I make my way through various series in a great unending cycle. Not once have I found an unfinished story which did not elicit grunts of frustration and gnashing of teeth…and yet, I continue reading these two stories in the midst of my cycle. One gets what one pays for, and I paid for two books. Two pices of Rothfuss’s marvelous, intriguing story. I can’t bring myself to stop.
It seems to me that those who feel owed the third and final piece are not wrong to feel that way, but are wrong to react in such a manner. If you cannot be appreciative of the joy and wonder an author imparts to you through fragments of a story because you are overwhelmed with wanting all of it wrapped up in a neat little package, you are no better than a child wailing for another cookie. More’s the pity.
My point, to be more concise, is this: You paid for a piece, and received a piece. He does not owe you anything more than the excitement and intrigue he’s already given you. Come off it and let the man write. It’s his own world he’s shaping for you and letting you see. That’s his mind and his heart. He doesn’t have to give that piece of himself away on your terms, regardless of the very real impact on his fan base this pause is having.
And now I keep breathing and watch leaves spin, waiting for whatever comes next.
This is the best series I’ve ever read so it’s worth to wait for even more than a decade ;) I read it 2 times and then read it to my unborn daughter and each time I enjoyed it even more! I read a lot but never multiple times the same books, always thought it is a waste of time… But it is not for this particular series :)