Patrick Rothfuss is partnering with One Shot podcast to produce a new mini-series set in the same world as his popular Kingkiller Chronicles epic fantasy series. The series, which dropped its first episode yesterday, is an improvised story from a playtest of a currently-in-development game based on Rothfuss’s world, and marks his the latest addition to the world of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear.
OneShot is one of the podcasts from the OneShot Podcast Network, which features dramatized roleplaying game sessions hosted by James D’Amato and guest performers.
D’Amato notes that he’s developing the Kingkiller Chronicles RPG with Rothfuss, and that last year, Rothfuss promised fans that the two would collaborate on a long-form podcast set in the world, following the successes of the 2019 Worldbuilders Campaign. This project, D’Amato says, is an experiment before they launch that project, as a way to test out the RPG as they develop it, and to give fans a peak behind the curtain of game development.
This particular podcast follows a quartet of students from the The University’s Arcanum, voiced by Rothfuss, Bee Zelda, Satine Phoenix, and Liz Anderson as they “get unlucky draws for their tuition interviews with the masters and have to reckon with the possibility of taking a semester off.” The first episode runs for an hour and 17 minutes, and new episodes will drop every Monday.
In the podcast’s announcement, Rothfuss explains that this project goes back to the original roots of Temerant, in that he cut his teeth with roleplaying games.
“Telling stories like this will give me a chance to show off corners of my world that don’t appear in my novels, and it’s playful and collaborative in a way that I really miss. Most importantly, these are stories that will let people spend time in my world sooner rather than later, while they’re waiting for the next book to come out.”
Sighs… I can’t stand listening to books or stories…. I rather read them as they come alive better for me in my mind…
I want to be clear that I’m not the sort of demanding, entitled, angry fab who’s mad at Rothfuss for not finishing Doors of Stone. I’d love to see the end of that story, but not at the expense of the writer’s physical or mental health, or indeed if he’s simply not happy with it. As someone who’s written zero books, I’m not going to get angry with someone who’s not written three.
All that said, I am extremely impressed with the list of things Patrick Rothfuss has found to announce in the last nine years that aren’t The Doors of Stone.
@1: At first I wanted to point out that an alternative to an improved audio story would be a play-by-post, but in all reality that could actually be a fun thing to experience.
i’ve enjoyed his playing in acquisitions inc, and his guest spots on critical role. so might be worth checking out.
@2 Agreed. The thing that really irks me is not the fact that Rothfuss over promised and under delivered on the time frame of the release but as far as I know neither he nor the publisher have made any apologies for being so wildly over optimistic. Instead it’s been more of a shrug and nod along the lines of “whatever man, these things happen”.
@2 completely agree. I have no intention of paying for anything he does unless it’s Doors of Stone (and even then, might not). I know that comes across as being entitled, but I actually realize he owes me nothing and I’m ok with that. As a consumer, I don’t owe him anything either, and at this point, I’m not even sure I’ll read Doors of Stone if/when it does come out because I’ve simply lost interest in the story after such a long period of time. Good for him for living the life he wants, but to me, there are other things to read.
He seems compelled to do anything but finish his book.
Bee Zelda and Satine Phoenix sound like they could be characters in his world. Are they RPG avatars?
@8: Satine Phoenix is basically the Queen of D&D at this point and I’m not entirely certain she isn’t an Elf in disguise.
@@@@@ #7 exactly how I feel.
@2, 5, 6: I relate to all of your posts!
I’m aware that I do not have the right to be angry or feel entitled to this third book, but calling an ‘apple’, an ‘orange’, will not make it so. I am super annoyed with what I assume has to be the commercialism/capitalism of the whole publishing business- it just takes over everything nowadays! But I’m with 6- I’m not interested in, donating to or supporting all of these extra projects- hard pass. I think I’ll just finish the writing the series myself, “And everyone lives tragically, happily ever after”. It is not nearly as satisfying but it will have to do. I am done waiting and over rereading.
It feels like the first book he published was the “one”, for instance I have written the book that I dream about, I do not know how many times.
He is still showing us the world he created and please correct me if I am wrong, but published his dream child first.
I have not tried to publish any of my stories because I am still creating short stories and myths about the main world.
Here comes the big problem for me. A writer has a basic duty after releasing more than one story. We can die at any time that is why I am finishing my books before trying to publish.
He kind of breaks faith with his readers. And that is not something that can be taken lightly.
I have actually started/finished a PhD, published several papers and a several hundred page dissertation in the time between publication of Wise man’s fear and Doors of stone. At this point he can run through excuses but I am not interested in them or his side projects. I don’t know if I will supporting any of his future endeavors at this point. No story at all is better than a story never finished.
Agree with both points made by 14. To bad they were deleted by moderator.
Perhaps he is waiting for HBO to buy the rights and make a series. We might finally see how the story ends.
Ha! What a guy, revisiting the unfinished storyline, from a new perspective? I’m not interested in starting to engaging in another massive fantasy world that will remain unfinished, thanks.
Well, I’m curious about this. I can see that people are as upset as always, but this should add some variety to my walks.
@5:
He apologised for the delay back in 2008: “In summary, I suck and I’m sorry.” He made a few more of these posts over the years, though rarely talks about the last book.
I love hearing about all the things he and GRRM are doing that aren’t their next books.
Unfortunately, I just won’t drop any money into anything behind Patrick Rothfuss.
I don’t mean to come of snarky when I say this: I just can’t trust him to finish anything. So why invest in any other side stories that may or may not get a completion? Why buy into this RPG game that could be abandoned at any point?
It isn’t just Rothfuss. From companies that constantly release bad products or abandon products to other authors who just stop writing as well. If I just stop investing in them, then I don’t get disappointed.
I did enjoy his two books. They were very entertaining. And, that said, there are other authors who create some awesome fantasy books and whom keep writing. For me, I’ll vote with my dollar and avoid contributing to Ruthfuss funds and put my funds elsewhere for greater returns in entertainment.
This sounds really lame. I would love to read doors of stone. I could even do with some other book set in the same world if that is all that is possible. I do not however want to listen to some stories set in a world where the book I want to read takes place. I likewise don’t want to be forced to listen to it because it might contain some clue that helps explain some aspect of the books.
I think Rothfuss can basically no longer finish the story as he doesn’t have an ending in mind that he can condense into one book, especially after all the useless side tracking in book 2. All he has given us are excusss. I am unimpressed. He has done nothing but attack his fans through the process on trying to pressure him. Any good will he had, has long since faded away.
I’m sure there are some people who are completely inappropriate in their demands. However, Rothfuss too feels entitled to this fan worship and constant support. You’d think he’s the only one who has ever written a book and, good though it is, his prima Donna attitude is such that you’d think he’s the greatest writer to have walked the earth. To me, he comes across as ungrateful.
In the interim, this had made me value writers such as Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson (though I’m not a fan of the writings of the latter) for their dedication to their fans in finishing their stories. Sanderson, his incredible writing speed aside, represents the peak of fan engagement in my view which buys him good will.
The name of the Wind is one of my favourite books, but I am disappointed how longwlong it takes him to write a book.
I understand that he wants the perfect book – you publish just once but books will take glory or criticism forever. But he should get some help – somebody who will guide him and keep him on track while making systematic progress. I would love to see more series from him, this is just waste of talent (maybe he put the bar too high and can’t keep with it).
If this is getting him into writing again, that is good. This is much better than him trying to make a career off of Worldbuilders (for which there have been several allegations that the administrative costs are too high for what it does).
It has been so long since Name of the Wind that he may be a different enough person that he simply cannot finish the book the way he originally wanted to. And that is okay. He just needs to understand that this means he is like a writer starting over (the way some writers do when they adopt new pen names).
I understand that writing great books takes time as does editing and everything else that goes into publishing books. But 9 years?? No… I’m sorry…there is no good reason to wait 9 years between books unless he is doing it on purpose to create demand or he has not been able to come up with ideas on how to finish the book, in which case we will probably get a mashed up mess of a thing.
Then add on top all the podcasts, games and TV shows he is supposedly involved in, it looks like he is going to turn into the next George R.R. Martin.
Personally I am done with this series and Patrick Rothfuss in general. There are authors out there who are just as good or better that actually finish their books in a respectable time frame.
I’m sort of amused that despite all the angry, entitled negativity, nobody actually seems to be familiar with what Rothfuss himself has said about Doors of Stone – namely, that a draft of it was finished BEFORE Name of the Wind was published, because he wrote the whole trilogy as one story, and that the rounds of revisions are both about his own satisfaction and his editor’s.
What an author owes you is what you have paid for. If you haven’t laid down folding money on a pre-order of the third book, you are owed prescisely nada.
@28 – Everyone here is very aware of that very old, outdated story. Rothfuss himself has said that what was published is vastly different than the story that he initially wrote. In other words, there never was a finished story. Rothfuss basically scrapped it, pulled different pieces together, and wove a new tale. For instance, Devi and Auri were not originally in the story and those are pretty important characters.
So, there is no third book that’s just sitting there, collecting dust. Rothfuss’ issue seems to be that he’s paralyzed with fear, or maybe indecision. I’ve heard various things that seem to indicate a level of perfectionism that is not conducive to publishing. For instance—and I can’t remember if Rothfuss said it or I heard a story somewhere—he once hunted throughout his manuscript for one particular word that he no longer liked. I honestly don’t think we will ever see the 3rd book, personally. And I gave up on him and his series a long time ago.
I am disappointed like most…think this is another distraction. However….Rothfuss is the man. He is the single greatest fantasy writer of our generation. Book 3 will be epic given the time he’s put into it. I have a feeling you will all be changing your tunes when it finally comes out. In the meantime ill be checking out this podcast.
I’m now positive Rothfuss has zero idea how to complete the series. This stuff happens though. There are musical artists who create magical first albums then nothing afterwards. Same for movie directors and script writers and authors. Rothfuss isn’t the first author to create the beginning of something magical only to find they don’t know how to see it through; nor will he be the last author to do it.
But good for him for making a living off something he created. He’s living the good life.
Rothfuss even had a character ( the female merc in Wise man’s Fear, ) who said she hated to not hear the end of a story. I feel the same way. That’s why I read books, they tell me a story.
If Rothfuss should by some chance read this:
If you find you need to expand out to a day 4 and a day 5 in addition to a day 3 – I am totally cool with that, and I bet I’m not alone. I promise to buy all three, :D
I personally don’t see what the big deal is. I have plenty of other things to read until Doors of Stone is released, and if it isn’t ever, then I am happy with the two thirds that I have been given. Rothfuss has admitted to an unhealthy perfectionism and I don’t see how anyone could ever read Slow Regard without getting a sense of what he puts himself through. Do any of the people complaining think that they are being any harder on him than he must be on himself?
Now I just need a Scott Lynch post saying anything but news about Thorn of Emberlain and the trifecta of series I once loved (Martin/Rothfuss/Lynch) will be complete.
If anyone wants to read an epic, finished six-book series, Check out Christian (AKA Miles) Cameron’s The Long War. It’s so good. Greece v Persia.
I am not going to listen. Why invest any more time in that universe when we can’t be sure the story has an ending.
JoR,
Or read anything else by Christian (Miles) Cameron. It’s all very good IMO.
@40 Scott Lynch has some serious issues and hasn’t let the fact he’s a great author get to his head. That’s why you don’t hear all these side projects of his.
@39 I wasn’t a fan of Slow Regards. It didn’t really give any insight on anything and was a pretty bad story.
Interesting listen. As charismatic as Chet is I do not see him fitting in this world. Southern Drawal come on. Great character but please use it for a different campaign. Is that the preferred pronunciation of Elodin? I listen to the the audiobooks frequently, they are like old friends during this difficult time, and the pronunciation of Elodin is completely different.
Ok so here is the deal I love Patrick Rothfuss’s kingkiller Chronicles the name of the wind and wise man’s fear are two of my favorite titles what I can’t stand is waiting 10 years in between books good Lord chances are I’ll be dead before that book comes out that’s really going to make me mad 😡😠
I am totally uninterested in anything Rothfuss does until he finishes the chronicles.
Finish the series, that is the only thing I will pay any attention to.
…….or he could finish Book 3.
If Doors of Stone were out already, I would be thrilled about this. Instead, I’m just disappointed. I know not every writer can be as transparent and forthright as Brandon Sanderson, but despite all Rothfuss’s claims that he doesn’t “owe anybody” book three, he actually does, as we readers have made a financial investment into his series under the expectation that it be finished. This seems more like a slap in the face than anything, which is disappointing because, once upon a time, Rothfuss was one of my favorite writers of all time. After seeing the way he treats his fans, I can’t even recommend his books to my friends in good faith anymore. Nowadays, my squad is rereading Stormlight with me. I suggest anybody that wants books that actually come out as projected– with an author that updates his fanbase periodically and in detail, aside from just being an all-around fantastic and kind person to everyone he meets– do the same.
Whats the update on the next installation of the actual series, chomping at the bit for book three!!
It’s his ball, he gets to bounce it. It’s my time an money. Not one dime nor a single minute more will I invest in his endeavors until the trilogy is finished. As it stands I will probably die a natural death first.
If there is one lesson I learned from the Kingkiller trilogy it is NEVER, under any circumstance, invest my time or money unless I know 100% the trilogy has been completed.
It is frustrating to see yet another side project being started when the series that started it all remains unfinished. The first two books are exceptional and I absolutely support his right to take as long as he needs to finish the story properly. I can understand the delays for GRRM, juggling a vast cast of characters and interlocking plots across two continents. It’s very complex technically and I can see how hard it must be to fit it all together. I don’t get what the problem is for Doors of Stone, other than it’s too long for one book. There aren’t lots of characters and he shouldn’t have written himself into a corner with lots of world building or detailed maps – there should be no Meerenese knot here. And with a potentially unreliable narrator like Kvothe it should be possible to retconn the first two books to some degree. All this delay can’t be good for the side projects either. Who will want to commit major money developing TV shows and films with a creator who can’t get his shit together to deliver it.
I feel like an asshole for moaning – I probably am – but I would love to see this book while I can still enjoy it. I hope he and his family are well – no book is worth more than that. And I hope he can share what he has with his publisher soon. He might find it’s better than he thinks and closer to the end than be hopes.
I think it’s going to be worth the wait. I guess I’ll need to keep being patient. I recommend the audio books (I listen to the English narrator) to keep you going. They show he’s an even better writer than you thought.
Love you Pat. Sorry to be cranky – got a teething baby.
David
To me, the problem isn’t so much Patrick Rothfuss taking so long to finish the trilogy. Writer block happens. Inspiration to work on a different project happens.
The problem is that he seems to derive an unholy amount of glee and satisfaction from not working on finishing the trilogy. A few years ago he did a fundraiser, where you could either donate money to watch him livestreaming playing a video game, or him livestreaming working on finishing the trilogy… and the satisfaction of mocking fans who wanted the third book was part of the lure to drum up donations. Was the fundraiser for a worthy cause? Yes. But, monetizing your fans’ frustration and disappointment of that frustration? That’s shady. I have no desire to buy into a franchise which is partially based on the concept of “lol look at the funny disappointed people who like my books” to draw in new sources of revenue.
If he ever releases the third book, I would be happy to go back and pay for other things he has released. If he ever adopts a Brandon Sanderson esque, here’s what I worked on this year, here’s why I didn’t get around to working on thing people want, attitude that also involves apologizing for mocking his fans, because seriously that was not cool, I might consider spending money on his works, even without the third book. But I am not giving money to someone who delights in mocking people who like him for a project that is, as yet, unfinished.
I listened to the first episode on my commute. While I am not the prime audience for this podcast, having no interest in RPGs, I had fun and Chet made me laugh out loud a few times, made the drive to work more enjoyable. I loved the first 2 books in the series, and would love to read the third book as much as any of my fellow commenters but folks, get a life! I heard Patrick Rothfuss talk about the goals that he has for writing this series and it sounds incredibly complex. He isn’t churning out the same old fantasy product like other authors mentioned in this thread. He’s going for a masterpiece and those don’t happen quickly. The podcast is free, no one is going after your dimes. The Doors of Stone will happen when it happens whether you listen to this podcast or not, in the meantime there are lots of other great fantasy novels out there to read, and who knows, you might enjoy a different look at Rothfuss’ world.
Wow, news (of a sort) from both GRRM and Rothfuss on the same day. That’s 2020 for you :)