Patrick Rothfuss held a Q&A for his fans via Twitch livestream late today, as one of the stretch goals for helping his charity Worldbuilders reach $2 million in donations. During the two-plus-hour chat, he did answer some (non-spoiler) questions about The Doors of Stone, the highly anticipated third book in the Kingkiller Chronicle, as well as the forthcoming television and movie adaptations with Hamilton‘s Lin-Manuel Miranda. He also showed off a prototype of the replica Saicere sword, which will be on sale soon; and he got permission from his editor to make a very special announcement.
“The Name of the Wind came out in 2007,” Rothfuss began during this, the final part of the chat. “It is now 2017.” Which means… tenth anniversary edition! “It gives us the opportunity […] to include a couple of cool things,” he explained—to adjust the text and fix any errors or inconsistencies, as well as including at least 20 illustrations and other cool extras. Here’s what you can expect to find in the new edition, which will be released in 2017:
- an “extensive” author’s note
- appendices discussing the calendar and the currency systems
- a pronunciation guide
- at least 20 illustrations
- “a better map”
“The book that I would love to have ready to give you is book 3,” Rothfuss said. “I hope you all know that.” He did address a number of questions about The Doors of Stone and the multimedia adaptation of The Kingkiller Chronicle earlier in the Q&A. We’ve collected them (plus a few other tidbits) below!
Is there a publication date for book 3? No:
I would share it if I had it.
The same audiobook narrators from The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear will be used for book 3, if possible.
How does he feel the writing is going on book 3 today (as opposed to two years ago, when he jokingly rated it 3.5 stars out of 5 on Goodreads)?
It’s at best a star and a half because I dismantled a big piece of it and haven’t quite put it back together.
Rothfuss also explained that his writing process is a lot different than other writers in that he works on the story fluidly and piecemeal and often deconstructs and reconstructs until over time it coheres. That’s also why he can’t really post a “percentage done” like Sanderson can.
Where does the name “Edema Ruh” come from?
Like most of the names in the book I make it up. It comes from my head. I make it up. Sorry that’s not a satisfying answer!
(Ruh means “soul” in Turkish, hence the question about its possible origination.)
Lyndon Hardy’s 1980 novel Master of the Five Magics has a similar magic system to Kingkiller Chronicle if readers are looking for more along those lines: a system inspired by hermetic magic, Doctrine of Signatures, natural scientists, and Newton’s alchemy beliefs.
Describe book 3 in one word:
SOON.
And then I’ll follow that up with the Aslan quote: “I call all times soon.”
Book 3 will not be longer than The Wise Man’s Fear.
Will book 3 will be the last in the series?
Yes and no. Book 3 closes this arc of story. Book 3 will not be the final book set in this world. Big distinction there!
But will he wrap everything up?
Think of any series that was wrapped up. Think of The Lord of the Rings, which has a pretty solid ending: Was everything wrapped up at the end of the third book of Lord of the Rings? No. That’s what happens in any sort of realistic world, in any sort of realistic story with realistic characters. There was some good closure in that book, but what happened with Aragorn, and Minas Tirith, and now that he was back? […] And what about Sam and his kids? What really happened to the Grey Havens? Did Frodo every bounce back from that? What did Gandalf talk to Tom Bombadil about? There’s a ton of unanswered questions—so yeah, that’s actually the mark of a good story, and so I won’t be answering everything, but the truth is, you don’t want me to. You might think you want me to, but you don’t. And even if you really do, I still won’t. Just because it’s impossible.
Will book 3 make readers cry?
Depends on if you’re an easy crier. But I kinda hope to hit you hard emotionally; that’s my job.
What’s his biggest fear in releasing book 3?
I don’t really have a big fear about releasing book 3. I’m really looking forward to releasing book 3. Any fears that I have about releasing the book are extraordinarily metatextual and ephemeral. Because I work until I am really certain that the book is as good as I can make it, and so my fear of releasing any book is what is the effect—it’s not like “will they enjoy it?” because I wouldn’t release it unless I was pretty sure it was as good as I could make it and that people would enjoy it. My fear is, what is the larger effect of my book on the world and on the minds of the people who take the time to consume it? Am I contributing in a positive way to the overall kind of collective consciousness of people in the world? I worry about that.
Did he always know that book 3 would be called The Doors of Stone?
I did not always know that the third book would be called The Doors of Stone, but once I thought of that in terms of a title I realized it was the best title. Betsy wasn’t convinced at first and I actually agreed to not talk about it in public, but it was already out in a few places, and so people kept sharing it around, and so now it has sort of by popular consensus become the de facto title of the book.
How will the books be divided into the TV series and movie?
That is a great question that I cannot publicly discuss.
Does he have any input on casting?
Maybe a little bit, but only a very little bit. There’s a good reason for that; it’s that I am not a casting director. What I would do is [say], “I love Nathan Fillion!” But that’s not casting, that’s just liking an actor. That’s not how it should work. I am very much involved in the production of the movie and TV [series]. I’ve been out in LA twice this month to sit in on writers’ rooms and meet with people and talk with people, and talk with people and meet with people. And actually, it’s been fun. I was kinda fearing this process, but I’ve been very much enjoying it. It won’t always be this fun, because there will be times I’m disappointed or have to give ground, but it’s been delightful so far.
Would he have a cameo?
Maybe I might cameo in a little bit. They might put me in the background or something. But in terms of casting, I should either be Manet or Stanchion.
To what extent is Lin-Manuel Miranda contributing to the music of the film and TV adaptations?
You cannot hope for a more amazing musical person, musical talent than Lin-Manuel Miranda. And the fact is, no matter what music gets put into the movie or TV series, there will be some people who say, “That’s not what I imagined at all!” That’s the downside to any movie or TV anything—it will not be exactly what you imagined. Which is why I suggest that you all get ready to do what I am doing, and in my head say, “This is like a B canon; this is an interpretation.” It’s the reason why I can look at one hundred fan art pictures of Kvothe and like them all even though they don’t look like each other. […] They don’t have to be the perfect one, and they don’t have to be what’s in my head, to look good.
I could not be more excited to have Lin as part of the team, both creatively and story wise and as a musical collaborator. […] As much as he wants! I literally told him, “There is no degree to which you could participate in this project that would be too much for me. Please come in to the fullest extent of your desire and be a part of this.”
Rap battle: Kvothe versus Alexander Hamilton. Who would win?
Fictional Hamilton [i.e., from Miranda’s Hamilton] would beat Kvothe. Real Hamilton would lose.
I have to applaud Patrick. Breaking story down and rebuilding is likely the hardest aspect of writing. The desire to get the story past the finish line is a constant temptation to just keep it going. I love hearing about the craft trumping anything else in this process. I can’t wait to see how this arc ends.
Lindsey Stirlingas Marie @@@@@ the Eolian?
Rothfuss is worrried about the impact his book will have on the “collective consciousness” his book 3 will have on the world. Holy shit, no damn wonder we’ll be waiting until 2020 to read book 3. I give up. Wake me up when the 20th anniv edition of NoTW is released. Perhaps Patrick will have figured out by then we just want a damn story, not a soul cleansing life changing epiphany from his words. Good frickin grief it’s just so self-indulgently absurd.
Might I offer a kind correction? His first response to how Doors of Stone is compared to 2013 is: “It’s better.” He then says it’s 1.5 stars, but only because it’s currently dismantled and being fixed. I feel this is an important distinction to make.
Eddie Redmayne as Kvothe. The obvious choice.
It’s good for Patrick that he doesn’t have to produce more material to support himself, and he doesn’t “owe us” anything. 10 to 15 years to finish a good series is not uncommon, we’re generally spoiled by the rapid output of many genre writers. However, it is disappointing that there are not other ideas he’s had in the last 10 years that he’s felt comfortable putting out there. One increasingly gets the impression that he is not necessarily a font of great ideas, but someone who struggles mightily to perfect the one exceptional semi-autobiographical story he has to tell and is afraid or unable to expand beyond it. He’s more in the mold of Joseph Heller than Ray Bradbury.
@6
I think this is exactly right. Once he finishes this trilogy, I suspect WorldBuilders will become his primary focus (if it is not already). He will have said all that he can say.
Back to the QA, Master of the Five Magics is the last thing that I think of when I think about Rothfuss’ magic. That book is one of the first examples of “hard magic”, which is now synonymous with Sanderson, not Rothfuss.
Wow, Rothfuss said, out loud and in public, that someone would be better than Kvothe at something? Kvothe, the virgin who impressed the goddess of sex with his sexing? I’m shocked.
Hey, Pat. Dunno if you read these, but please just keep doing what you’re doing. Forget about all of the entitled jerks that keep demanding “a story.” It’s as if they haven’t even read your books, as they surely don’t understand them.
Sure, I would love to slide up your skirts and take a peek at your Doors of Stone, but then I (and those others who appreciate you) would be just like all of the others. Your art is an expression of something wild and free, and those of us who understand delayed gratification are eager to see what kind of writer you will be in thirty years if these jerks don’t poison your love ofnthe craft. You are special. Thank you for your books and for your contribution to writing and philanthropy.
@10 – Unfortunately Rothfuss is not immortal. Neither are we. Kinda the downfall of “art” wouldn’t you say?
“…am I contributing to the positive overall collective consciousness of the world?…” Ugh, how pretentious can you get? IMO it is ridiculous that there is a movie and tv show in the making when the third book isn’t even out yet. Maybe if he spent less time making Denna’s ring and selling talent pipes and working on a movie, and more time, I don’t know, actually WRITING we would have the third book by now. Seriously Pat, one writer to another, nothing ever gets done if all you do is procrastinate and put things off. The longer we wait for the third book the more people are getting bitter and resentful. And I swear to all that is holy that if they cast Eddie fucking Remayne as Kvothe I am completely done with the series. I won’t even care about the third book anymore. Ugh. Just stop fucking talking about the third book and write it, damn it!
To those mocking his aim to “contribute to the positive overall collective consciousness of the world” and wishing instead he would just get down to work and entertain you: I pity you. Go and see what the Heifer Project does for those who need a way out of third world poverty and not simply more entertainment, and see something more wonderful than any book. Thank you, Pat Rothfuss, for your art, but more than that, thank you for what you have done with the good fortune it brought you.
@6 – that may be true, and I think some authors just have that one story they have a driving need to tell and perfect (Tolkien may be another example of this kind of thing). As much as I would like it now, I can appreciate the effort (and humility) it must take to realize you have to rip up and start again for the sake of the story.
@9 – I was shocked too, haha
@3 yup thanks for saying what I want to say even better than I did and I laugh at those who think I should care more about what he does with his life. I am paying for what I buy which is the story. A story without an end is worthless people like him are why I hardly ever buy incomplete series any more. The last thing I need is to get invested into a series where the author dies before it is completed again. Books were good – but not that good. This is what happens when people don’t have to work to live.
Pat is an amazing artist and he should take as much time as he needs to finish the book and ensure that the movie/series stay true to its message and educational value. It was from Kvothe struggle to finance his education at the university that I actually understand what students from not-so-wealthy families in the US have to endure to get an academic degree. And the books also make clear it is worth to follow in Kvoths footsteps. This is just one example on how Pats books may motivate people to forge their fate.
What I do not get is, why he recently tries to convince readers, who do not have cash left over at the end of the month, to rather invest their funds in his table-top game than into their future. Honestly, this advice is not only on his blog, but it is even in one of the Tak You Tube videos. Someone who collects money to give third world farmers a kick-start into a sustainable future should realize that this advice leads down the path to the dark side.
I really don’t care for the new trend of “accept and get the TV or movie dollars rolling while I’m still trying to get this thing written”. Harry Potter was an early example, and thank goodness Rowling stayed ahead of it. But then we have Martin’s problem, and the Expanse, and now this. As someone who prefers waiting to see the series all in print before diving in, this kind of approach pretty much seals the tomb. I’ll have seen the whole thing before reading the first, so I can easily choose to not bother and focus my reading time elsewhere. There might be some nice bits in what was left out, or nice writing, but not really worth the overlap time-wise.
I wouldn’t worry about the expanse. There are already enough books out there (and more on the way) that it would be a miracle if the show lasted long enough to ever overtake them.
I’ve got better things to do with my time and energy than to stress and complain about when his next book comes out. I’ve got plenty of other books to read, and my free time does not revolve around Mr. Rothfuss or any other author.
That said, based on his track record, what are the odds that the 10th anniversary version of Name of the Wind ends up being released late?
“The same audiobook narrators from The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear will be used for book 3, if possible.”
If possible being the key words. The narrators will probably be dead by the time the book is finished.
i would hate to be this guy’s publisher. Good Lord.
The truly important thing is that Pat has figured out a way to suck more money out of his fans on a new edition of Book 1 (hard cover collector’s edition, anyone?) and even grab him some Hollywood cash, while the readers wait slavishly for Book 3 (a decade hence) and continue to White Knight for him, even as it’s obvious how little time he’s putting into it.
Greetings!!!, It is year 2017 and come August 28, I will be 55!! So cool!!! So tell me is it true that the Doors of Stone won’t come out till 2020? That’s a long time to get the job done!! I know you want him to do a GREAT job, nothing wrong with that, but…doesn’t he work for you??!!
It’s nice to hear Patrick is still trying to write the third part of his trilogy, which, according to him, was already finished 10 years ago.
This joke has turned into an inverted race with Martin… who is able to delay publishing longer?
I’d rather wait a little longer and get a well edited, decent book, to be honest. To all those complaining about having to wait for the latest book, I have two words for you : Melanie Rawn. ..
@25:
In Melanie Rawn’s case, its not really entirely her fault. Her publisher demanded she move on to a new series, and set aside The Captal’s Tower, because sales of The Mageborn Traitor were not good, and sales in series always decline. You can’t blame her for wanting to be able to pay her mortgage.
I used to be a don’t pick up a series until its finished person. Then I got sucked into Name of the Wind and Game of Thrones. And I was pleasantly surprised to realize an incomplete series is fine. I enjoyed what I read, its okay with me if the rest of the series is never published. It’s opened up a whole new world of me reading the first couple of books of a series – which are usually the best – and then dropping the series and moving on without regret.
Hi
My first comment on this website, and for Pat’ (Will you let me call you Pat’?): I am French, and not very good in english (probably as you can see here). But after reading Name of wind (in french) I though: “I miss a lot by the traduction…” So I start reading it in english…. 1st time I read a full book in an other language than mine! SO i continue with the second part… And now I’m ready to get my mind blown — because your books completly blow my mind — with the TV show (if I understand all the things i read, this will comming ”soon”) and with the third book.
I only can guess how hard it’s for you to be satisfied of your work (not sure of the grammar of this sentence…. sorry^^) But, for me, you are THE author I recommand to all my friends, and I can wait 20 years more – please, don’t wait that much – to follow your next work.
So, to finish this comment : I love your books :D
@@@@@ 5, plz God no. Damian Lewis as old Kvothe for sure though.
To those who think book 3 is taking a long time I have three words for you — Door Into Starlight. The conclusion to a series wherein the most recent book was written in 1992.
People who seem to think that an artist owes them something always give me a mental image of someone standing in the Sistine Chapel watching Michelangelo paint and repeating “Are we there yet?” endlessly.
And no, I am not comparing Pat to Michelangelo, but seriously people!
Is there any info on publishing the anniversary edition outside of the US? It would be great if these improvements (like the map!) made it into the translated editions.
@31 – I don’t know – Michelangelo had patrons as well so I am assuming they at least wanted him to be making progress.
I have no real interest in hassling Rothfuss or rushing him – creativity takes time and sometimes that’s how it is. There are lots of other books to read in the meantime. Some authors are really good at the pre-planning/outliers and are able to, once they start writing, churn things out, and others labor their whole lives over just a few works. It’s fine. Tolkien probably drove his publishers nuts too, but we didn’t have the internet to harp on it back then. But I think saying that an artist ‘owes’ somebody nothing is a little ingenious since, in a way, it is their profession, so they at the very least owe their agency/publisher something. And the fans are part of what makes it possible. So while I don’t particularly care to get up in arms over the book not coming out as fast as I’d like, it does also irritate me when people act like wanting the next book to come out (in a reasonable way) is some horrible character trait. People want to know – when you’re in the business of crafting something for consumption that people enjoy, people are going to want more!
(That said, I met Patrick Rothfuss once about 6 years ago and I found him to be a very pleasant and personable guy. The reason I know it was 6 years ago is because I was heavily pregnant with my first child whose birthday is coming up. My group of friends and I were the last in line for a signing, he took one look at me and said I looked tired/hungry and gave me some of the cookie the staff had just brought him. So there’s my Rothfuss story ;) )
So it’s great that more information is coming out about book 3 and I am sure that anyone who just started his “trilogy” is super excited. It’s also nice to hear that, although Doors of Stone will close this particular tale, there will be more stories in his world. UNFORTUNATELY, as someone who began reading Name of the Wind back in 2007/2008, once (if) this third book is completed I am done with Rothfuss.
Either he is not a great writer or his ego is so massive that he feels this is good business practice because he won an award and let’s face it, the first two were good but they were not any better then Brandon Sanderson for example, who can release great books consistently and in a timely manner.
Why anyone would get excited about future books in his world is beyond me, sure he can release a novella in quick order that is fairly disappointing and was obviously done so he could stroke his ego, but who has the time to wait out another trilogy and/or story sequence from him. His track record for publications is very short and horrible.
If he began writing this thing before he had any idea were it was going, how long it would be, what would happen and how it would end, or at least some idea then that’s pretty disappointing considering it was intended to be a 3 book series. Hearing that the story had to be deconstructed and reviewed is alarming and should throw warning flags up for any newly interested readers.
Lastly, the TV show, seriously? I am all for more sci-fi/fantasy on tv as it is sorely lacking but your (Rothfuss’) first and only trilogy isn’t even completed yet, at least is wasn’t a month ago, you don’t even know how it’s going to end so what are you doing messing around with a production? Must be the thought of more money then the books produce.
What this all seems like is that Rothfuss hit his 10 minutes of fame with Name of the Wind, loved it and is desperately trying to hold onto it. Does he fear the thought of rejection with releasing his 3rd book, which will move that spotlight away? He says no but that’s hard to believe.
Will people watch his show, yes of course they will. Will his reader count go up, yes as previously uninterested people will flock to the books just like Game of Thrones. Will the readers he created his mini empire on and has now disappointed greatly remain, probably not.
My opinions are mine and are freely shared, feel free to fire all the negative comments at this but it’s the truth and/or the perception of the situation, which is all people have to go on with PR.
Every year or so I go looking for information about when the next book will come out. It’s become pretty comical at this point. I understand he’s an excellent writer (subjectively, NOTW was one of the most well written fantasy books I’ve ever read). So I get the people defending the huge amount of time it’s taken so far, but I want to be clear about my complaints: if if was just an issue of waiting for the trilogy, I wouldn’t complain. But if someone sells me something…. let’s say part 1 of a two part game, with the promise that the second part will come out next year, then I f#@King expect it the next year. If they never said anything, that’s one thing…. but if they tell you it’s coming out next year, then they have made a commitment.
Rothfuss boasted about how the books were already written when the first one was published, and so they’d come out one a year. If he’d said NOTHING, I’d shrug and move along, but when you’re told something like that, you cannot complain about the people complaining he did not live up to what he said.
In any event, it’s become as comical in the book publishing industry as Duke Nukem in the gaming industry… I hope the results aren’t the same. After waiting this long it needs to be damn good. Maybe that’s his problem – he’s having problems living up to his own hype.
Happy he’s got time for TV, Movies, and other books, though.
@Luke Yes and a million times yes. For me to die peacefully, my two wishes would be for the third book to be released and for Eddie Redmayne to be cast as Kvothe.
Being told that DoS will be shorter than WMF pretty much immediately tells you that Rothfuss will not have the space to do justice to the remaining incidents from Kvothe’s life which have been strongly hinted at. I didn’t especially mind it in NotW when something which was foreshadowed as very impressive – Kvothe on trial for malfeasance – was totally skipped over, but this is more of an issue.
After WMF spent a disproportionate amount of time (relative to its significance in the established ‘legend’ of Kvothe) on his latest misadventures at the university and only covered Felurian and the Adem from the major elements of his life, I knew DoS would have a job and a half covering things like Kvothe’s expulsion from the university, the incident where he supposedly killed an angel, the regicide that named him, and the overarching storyline of his hunt for the Chandrian, as well as a few other things. All of those are really more significant than his inability to start a relationship with Denna, who is a tantalising construct of perfection specifically written to never be achievable and has basically become a projection of Kvothe’s emotional and romantic immaturity rather than an actual character at this point.
Parts of this interview seem like Rothfuss admitting he’s not going to have the space to actually deliver on what he promised, especially because of his later attempts to rationalise it by misappropriating LotR as an example of something that also had ‘a ton of unanswered questions’. The difference here is the significance of the questions. This has been, from the start, the chronicle of Kvothe’s life and it has promised to reveal the truth of that life. To omit or pass over significant incidents and mysteries such as his expulsion from the university, the killing of an angel, how he came to have the legendary rings, the origin of the thrice-locked chest, the mystery of the Amyr, his confrontation with the Chandrian, the times he allegedly “talked to Gods”, his coming confrontation with Denna’s patron, whatever he did which has caused some sort of slow-moving apocalypse in his world, and of course how and why he killed the king, would be an unacceptable failure to deliver on promises and foreshadowing which has no parallel in LotR.
This is all clearly too much to fit into a book shorter than The Wise Man’s Fear. Less time spent on the not-especially-interesting machinations of a foreign court and clumsy attempts at burglary during his university stint and more time spent on these things would have been a blessing. Looks like the series is ultimately going to be a failure in delivering on its promises, judging by how Rothfuss is now making his excuses and attempting to re-frame omissions of critical incidents from Kvothe’s life (in a series that just chronicles Kvothe’s life) as equivalent to not explaining what Gandalf talked to Tom Bombadil about. I hope no-one’s buying it.
Maybe if he focused less on tv deals and special editions he’d have this book finished 2 years ago…
And I’m sorry guys, if I am a consumer then YES he does owe it to me and every other fan to get this third book out. You can’t bring a starving man to a 3 course meal but deny him the main course.
Crazy how many folks get so upset about the delay. Standard instant gratification, reactionary world. What a shame. We’re lucky he’s given us what he has already. They’re books in the rotation that are read every few years, and I’ll happily read them again prior to the next release. They’re good, and Rothfuss has given us that. There must have been a time when folks were capable big-picture thinking. Not everything is about YOU. Feel like I’m speaking to my kids…
Rothfuss does owe us. I bought the first book with the reasonable expectation that the rest of the story would follow shortly afterward (backed by Rothfuss’s comments). Given its one story split over three books, it should have always been a major professional focus to have the books follow one another in fairly quick succession. Tolkien, for example, published all three books of the LOTR in little over a year. Unfortunately, Rothfuss appears to have lost himself in all the fame and various pet projects vying for his fickle attention. Rothfuss may be an artist but he’s also a professional writer, yet his standards of professionalism are sorely lacking. To top it all off it looks like he’s transcending both artist and professional and ascending into the realms of a puppet master of world consciousness. You’re a great writer Rothfuss but please tone down the pretentiousness and ego.
@28 Your English is better than some of the people on here who, I presume, are native English speakers.
@6 It is fair to point out that he did release The Slow Regard of Silent Things. I guess that can’t be called a different idea, but it was a sign, to me at least, that he could still write and that it was worth waiting patiently for Book 3.
I check a couple of times a year to see if there is any news, but not with the anger that others on here have (not directed @6), but out anticipation of the completion of a story that I enjoy. It’s disappointing that there is no timetable, but I doubt that getting angry and writing nasty screeds, like some have done above, has any value.
@39 You may have identified the struggle that Rothfuss is having with the story, but I think it’s a bit premature to declare that he can’t answer the important questions. Perhaps he wasn’t misappropriating LOTR, but actually making the same point that you are making about focusing on answering the important questions and letting the others remain unanswered. It’s impossible for us to know until we actually read the book. I get the fear that you have, but there’s no guarantee that it will turn out that way.
@42 We paid for books 1 and 2, but there was no contract for book 3 implicit or explicit. Pat may be pretentious and egotistical, but I think you might want to be careful of that mirror that you and your fellow complainers are looking into. What’s more egotistical than the idea that you all are entitled to control Pat’s time and life, because you paid $40 for two books a few years ago? To be fair, it is may also be egotistical for an author to assume that his fans will wait forever for a promised book, and that they won’t get upset when the delay extends without a goal in sight. However, he’s been careful to manage expectations, so it’s not like he’s missed self-imposed deadlines.
He has every right to be interested in other things and to make TV and movie deals, and you have every right to decide not to watch the TV show and movie, or read the third book when it comes out. I, for one, am going to do all three.
@43 Agreed. There is one big upside for me with the time between books 2 and 3. Prior to reading Doors of Stone, I will get to reread the first two books. I am looking forward to that with great anticipation.
I do not think he will ever release the book. I am going crazy longing for the completion but it never comes. I need this book and it is killing me. I have issues and should have never been introduced to a series that is not completed. I am having issues sleeping at night and other problems because of this book. I saw a site that the release date will be in 2020. I may not make it that long.
Rothfuss owes us nothing.
He presumably has a contract with his publisher, owes them a manuscript, and there is usually a due date for manuscript submission. But for a best-selling author…? Probably some leeway.I mean, what are they going to do — drop him and say go publish elsewhere?
It took him a long time to write the first two books. Should we expect less for a third book? Would you rather have waited until it was all done for the first two books to be published?
On the commercial end of things, any first time author is going to jump at an offer from a publisher. If you don’t know if your work will be viable within a market, no better way to be sure than getting it out there. At that point, a book will be published on the publisher’s timetable, not the author’s. Maybe Penguin Random House / DAW should have paid out an advance and not expected to show a return on that investment until the third book manuscript was complete?
Would y’all have been better off if they had delayed publication of the first two books until they had the complete series in-hand?
Same thing with TV / Movie deals — you take them when they come along. “Hey, we want to get your work out to a much wider audience! And incidentally pay you a lot of money and make you famous.” “Nah, I got this book I’m working on because I owe some impatient readers…” lolz
Like with any favorite author, I’ll read the next installment when it comes out. In the meantime, there’s plenty of other great fiction to hold my attention. It will be a sweet surprise to find out that the Doors is finally published and available. Can’t wait. …or rather, I can certainly wait for it and continue to look forward to publication.
Mike, I think many (maybe most) Rothfuss readers would probably agree with your arguments in principle EXCEPT that there were originally claims made…whether by the publisher or the author or both, I don’t remember…that falsely estimated a release window for D3, a release window that was postponed again and again. *That’s* what has led, I believe, to the disillusionment and negativity.
Rothfuss technically owes his readers nothing. The purchase of a book does not grant a reader a right over the author’s life. But neither do his readers, myself among them, owe Rothfuss anything. I bought Name of the Wind in 2007 and was very excited about it, especially because Rothfuss marketed the series as being complete to the point that books 2 and 3 would be released the next year and the year after.
Book 1 was released in 2007. Book 2 in 2011. It is 2017 today. In 2007, I loved the Name of the Wind. In 2011, I loved A Wise Man’s Fear. Today, I am just disappointed. I’ll buy the book. But my enthusiasm for Rothfuss’ side projects is gone. The younger me would have bought the board game, Tak, that Rothfuss had created. But now…
To return to the question of what Rothfuss owes his readers, well technically, nothing. But we owe him nothing either. Younger me bought Name of the Wind for friends and family and talked about how great this book was. But these days, when book 3 comes out? Perhaps I’ll just check it out from the library.
Just throwing in some context.
Wheel of time, the epic saga that dwarfs this.
Book 1 came out in 1990.
Book 9 came out in 2000.
All up 15 books took just shy of 23 years, and that includes the prequel released in the middle.
Each were similar lengths to NoTW and WMF.
Goes to show if an author actually cares enough it’s entirely possible to complete a series in ample time.
In comparison to The Wheel of Time… There’s something to be said for trimming down the story, as mentioned in several of the other Rothfuss posts. Frankly, Kingkiller is a much tighter story because Rothfuss doesn’t just story-vomit out every little adventure he conceives for Kvothe to go on. If we also had PoV chapters from Bast, Denna, Elodin, Skarpi, Ambrose, Devi, Meluan, Ash, The Chandrian, etc. there probably would end up being 14 books in ~20 years (given that Jordan started writing in 1984 and A Memory of Light was published in 2013). But the beauty of Rothfuss’s writing is that we don’t hear what else is going on, it goes us something to wonder about. With the Wheel of Time, and many of Sanderson’s books, you often know what’s going to happen before you read it. Maybe it’s just me, but I have no real idea what’s going to happen in Doors of Stone. It’s a different kind of story. The narrative tension in WoT comes from knowing that Rand and co are going to walk right into the trouble the baddies planned for them in the previous chapter. It’s a much different scale in Kingkiller since Kvothe/Kote is an unreliable narrator.
Did any of that ramble make sense?
I’ve reached the point where I’m in a similar position to CCJ @50. I don’t recommend the books to my friends, and if we talk about them, I point out the massive delay there’s been (and since my friends/family, like me, hate being stuck in the middle of series unnecessarily, they mostly thank me and steer clear). I don’t press my copies of books one and two on people, telling them they must read them, as I do with other series, because I don’t want people I like to be stuck in this frustrating limbo. And yes, as a reader, it is frustrating! I haven’t read The Slow Regard of Silent Things, and I won’t buy it, because that’s not the story I want to read.
If book 3 comes out, I will read it – and maybe change my position and start recommending the series again! In the meantime – well, Rothfuss doesn’t owe me a book, no, but I don’t owe him unquestioning loyalty and undying enthusiasm either.
Richard Madden for Kvothe?
(Robb Stark in Game of Thrones)
Would love to have book 3 asap but l realise that Rome wasn’t built in a day an anything worthwhile is worth waiting for. In stating this has anyone any idea how long it takes a book to be recorded into a audiobook after it been published please
I just have to say that i was a great fan of the 1st 2 instalments but after waiting so long for the doors of stone and constantly disappointed by the lack of definative details that i have lost interest. I will probebly still read the book but that it all it will be ” just another book”. The story has been held to ransom and i disagree that the readers are owed nothing. I have the greatest respect for anyone with the ability to tell a story but when someone starts to read a so called trilogy they should expect the final instalement in a reasonable timescale…. the gap from book 2 to book 3 is unreasonable and i think the magic has been lost
@19, I just came over from the post revealing details about the 10th anniversary edition of Name of the Wind, and still no release date for book 3 yet.
I think it’s kind of funny that Rothfuss thinks about the effects his books might have on the “collective consciousness”. It is so unrealistic for any fantasy author to expect their book(s) to have any kind of effect on the culture at large, within the fantasy genre, sure, Kingkiller Chronicles is an fresh and innovative series and he has a great prose style. But when I think about fantasy books that have entered and made an impact on the “collective consciousness”, I think Lord of the Rings (and maybe Harry Potter) and that’s it.
This has taught me to listen to my father in law. Never start a book series when it’s not complete. Have I lost interest? No, not really. I occasionally check online for updates for when he’ll get around to finishing this book. But I’ll never start another series by any author that isn’t completed yet. When it’s over like 3000 pages I think the author even looses interest in finishing it up.
@45, I disagree, I think it both implicit and explicit that in publishing part of one book (which is really what it is), that you go on to publish the rest in a reasonable timeframe i.e. within a few years.
If Rothfuss was to turn around and say “Hey, I’m bored with this, I’ve decided not to bother with book three”, are you really going to say “fair enough, he has no obligation to us”. I highly doubt it.
When I paid $20 for the first book I was also paying for the promise of a full story, which I’ve yet to see.
Look, if Rothfuss was hamstrung by writer’s block, mental\family\health issues, etc. I wouldn’t have a problem with the delays. This hasn’t been the case though, he’s clearly spent a significant amount of time on side projects, meanwhile neglecting the professional obligation that was the catalyst for all these new opportunities in the first place. We even have Rothfuss putting the ‘collective consciousness of the world’, whatever the hell that means, ahead of coming through for the people who paid him for a story.
I am a bit confused by a couple of comments. Rothfuss doesn’t owe us anything? Really??
I think, he owes us – his readers and fans – everything. He would not stand where he is today if we had not bought, loved, and recommended his books.
By promising back in 2007, then again in 2011, the third book would be published in due course, he committed himself and drew lots of readers to his books. I myself, having been pissed by GRRM’s constant delays since ASOS, was more than happy to have found a new and promising fantasy author who seemingly would be able to stick to his timeline.
Man, how wrong I was.
And for those of you who talk about great art needing its time here is something to relate to: Michelangelo painted one of the greatest pieces of art, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, within four years!
Loved books 1 and 2; that being said we were just laughing about how long it’s been since these books were written and the 3rd book was not. Looked it up and came across the “10th anniversary” announcement and we laughed our collective rear ends off.
The synopsis amongst this group of friends is “who ****ing cares anymore?” This ship has sailed. Hope it’s good for the generation of fans that comes along in 20 years. We won’t be amongst them at this point.
Good luck to his future writing.
To all those that call the first 2 books as art…sorry..but without the third it isnt anything but an unfinished piece. I was so excited to have found a new author worth reading….only to be sorely disappointed and left hanging for 10 yrs now. As good as the books have been…..might as well use em to start my next bbq…bc as a 2 book series…which it is until God knows when…its a colossal waste of time and the biggest tease imaginable.. Unless…we actually get a conclusion
Will read it when it comes out if I am still breathing. I will not be buying anything else from him, just that one book.
Like others, I remember when NoTW came out and articles reported the other two books were completed, just required editing. We were either lied to or 12-15 years to edit and publish two books that are supposedly already written is ridiculous. Take your pick. Either way I find it difficult to understand.
ALl these comments disgust me. I was made from a Tolkien childhood. Do you remember the “leaf of Niggle”? Do you realize he took his full life to write his true masterpiece “the Silmarillion”? If you have the attention of a fly and the instantaneity of internet has ruined you, it’s fine to me. Rothfuss doesn’t owe you anything. Yes, he shpuldn’t have promised that they were near completion. But just that.
Rothfuss doesn’t owe me anything and vice versa.
I loved these books when I discovered them several years ago but my enthusiasm for recommending them was diminished substantially. I can forgive him struggling with writers block, put it’s clear his numerous side projects are a large part of why this book hasn’t been released.
If I met the author in real life, I would absolutely ask him why he believes dedicating such a large part of his time to anything other than finishing his debut trilogy is a good idea. Especially when some of the projects seem completely self indulgent in comparison. (I’ve tried asking him several times on twitter and he’s not replied)
I’ll read the next book. No doubt about it. Am I as excited for it as I was when I first found the series around 6 years ago? No, sadly not.
In regards he ‘collective consciousness’ comment – chill out mate, you’re not curing cancer.
It may be bad timing on my part but every time I look for an update on the third book, I find the Patrick is doing something other than writing it… FFS man finish the book. Once this is done I can safely say I’ll never read another series by him. Well I won’t start another one until he has finished it…
Would I like to have the third book in hand? Yes. But everybody has their own process. Some people have only ever written one great book. Some people put out multiple books a year and the style and stories are repetitive. Some people write lots of books that are solid. And some people write books that could be better but they don’t have time. While I write shorter pieces, there are certainly things I have written that would be better if I’d had more time. The reality is that he is much more of a perfectionist than a lot of genre writers. That we know. I think if he wrote like King or Nora Roberts you’d be irritated with the outcome. So just calm down. Let him write the best book he can. Read it or don’t. But when it’s your name on something that is out there forever, it’s more important that it be the best thing it can be than that it be done (if you have the luxury of making such creative choices). If he never writes anything else other than this one brilliant fantasy series, that’s ok.
He doesn’t owe us readers anything but it’s been a long time coming. I read the first book just 5 years ago. How anyone can wait a effin book for a decade and still be pissed of about it is beyond me. When its published it’ll be a dissapointment anyway because nothing you expect so much for so long is ever worth it once you get it. Remember when you where a kid and waited to be a grown up and get to “making my own money”. I’d give anything to be of that age again but still I really wanted to older then.
Was just wondering if you got a writer in mind to finish book 3 if you pass away, Robert Jordan’s widow, had to gather the cliff notes and get someone to finish it up, just saying hope you got some one pick out in case you die of old age before book 3 gets published, or maybe you will end up like George and the movie ending will be done before your book ending, and you can describe how you put input in it
At this point I’d be happy just reading a decent fanfiction to close out the series and be done.
Seriously thinking of running a Kick Starter campaign to raise enough money to get Brandon Sanderson to finish the third book.
I’m not going to buy any other of his books till the third is released. Said that, Pat can release one million edition of the 2 past books but he won’t see my money untill the third book comes out.
I’ve been waiting for yeeeeeears now!!! and I really hope we all can have that book before 2020, nobody is getting younger so please hurry up!!!
I’d be interested to know how much the story has changed for Pat as he’s aged. Writing a story over two decades is going to affect everything. Did you know your eye lenses yellow with age? Have one replaced and see for yourself! The way we see the world changes, and maybe Pats tint on this story have become dingy.
I agree with CCJ @50 and Sarah @53.
I loved books one and two. I recommended them to friends.
But that’s over. I will most likely buy book three. But I never recommend the series to friends anymore, and I will not buy anything else by Rothfuss. The tenth anniversary special edition book is actually insulting. I can’t believe anyone would spend money on it.
any one whose read the slow regard of silent things will probably get why the book is taking its own time to be written and although I’m impatient I kind of understand.
In the meantime I’ll just re read again the other books and my favourite book of all time TSR of ST for the fourth time!
i go along with the kickstarter campaign-let sanderson or another WORKING writer to finish it.He should never have claimed that it was all done when he released the first one.Sort of like ordering fish and chips, and they bring you the chips and mushy peas,but no fish.Yes he does owe his readers(who have allowed him to live a very comfortable life) the third book-as promised
Just please dont do another eragon. Make a crapy movie and by the time you release the book. All your reader have lost intrest and are realy anoyed enough not to by the book.
I picture Kvothe as a younger and generally sexier Geralt from the Witcher series.
I will admit first that i just finished TWMF two days ago, and only started NoTW a week and a half ago.. I devoured them! I stumbled across this author looking for news of A song of ice and fire and was so excited to find a story so enthralling and original!! and before I knew it, I was back in the same boat of having to wait for the rest of the story. I feel so sorry for the fans of Patrick that have been waiting for 10 years!! i have been waiting 6 for Winds of Winter and genuinely hope I can read Doors of Stone before television does what they did to Martin’s work. Or rather what he allowed them to do. I hope Patrick will put his art before these hasty opportunities. They will want him just as much when the story is complete. Or is this just a new marketing ploy?? Hi-Jack their story before its finished by offering them absurd amounts of money and then distract them to build tension?
I am just sad that D3 is delayed as part of a promotion strategy. Guess nobody will be surprised when the book is released exactly around the time the TV/movie is promoted. That may be very clever commercial-wise, but it is totally anti-geek.
At this point I am willing to believe that DoS will be drivel. It has been my experience (think Jean Auel) that the longer you have to wait for subsequent books in a series the worse they are. I will not spend another cent on Patrick Rothfuss offerings.
Dear pat,
writing in comments like this in the hopes of you seeing it is usually pointless; however the name of the wind was withought a doubt the best 2 books I have ever read. It’s more than just books, it’s literally magic. If your looking for a good book you can go to any library and check out hundreds of them out. If you want something more than just words and pages, more than a story with some cool characters and a good plot line, and an evil bad guy, if you want real magic than this is it. I hate waiting for book 3 as much as anyone but the reason I hate waiting is simply because i got 2 tastes of purest gold and I want more. The wait is long and frustrating but what’s gonna come whenever it comes will be worth it. I wouldn’t want you to put it out until your ready. Thanks for just being you and putting all that you are into something that people in the world who are looking for something more in a book, something almost forgotten some would say. You describe the eolian as the ultimate stop on your musical quest well the name of the wind is the eolian of books