Patrick Rothfuss hints that 'The Doors of Stone' may not be the last we read of his world

Anyone who has read the first two books in The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss will know that the series is simply outstanding. It is easily one of the best works of fantasy being published at the moment and, in much the same manner as GRRM is struggling to finish The Winds of Winter, Rothfuss is still far from finishing its third and final instalment - The Doors of Stone. In fact, the novel doesn't even have a release date yet and Rothfuss is reluctant to even give us a general idea of when we can expect the date to be set. It's frustrating waiting, especially since the second book in the trilogy came out way back in 2011! I'm not inclined to rush Rothfuss though and in the end, we'll get the book he wants us read and deserve as fans . . .

That doesn't mean that Rothfuss is completely quiet on the matter, however, and, although he's just confirmed in an interview that The Doors of Stone will be the last instalment of the trilogy that resolves the story arc, he has hinted that this will not be the last book he rights in that world! I suppose there's always a silver lining in everything, afterall!

The Kingkiller Chronicle Book 2.5 is announced!

Okay, so this isn't the big news I was hoping for (i.e. the soon-to-be release date of The Doors of Stone), but Patrick Rothfuss has announced that he'll soon be publishing a companion novella to The Kingkiller Chronicle! The book, which will be released on 28th October 2014, is called The Slow Regard of Silent Things and effectively forms book 2.5 in the series!

From what I've read about the novella, it doesn't actually feature around Kvothe, but Auri - a character that anyone who's read the series will be familiar with. Going from my experience with Rothuss' beautiful prose writing and masterful story-telling, The Slow Regard of Silent Things should prove to be one of the year's best reads and will certainly wet any fan's appetite for the upcoming end to his critically acclaimed series!

Fox has 'The Kingkiller Chronicle' all set for a TV series!

Yesterday evening, the most epic thing happened to me since I discovered A Song of Ice and Fire in my second year of uni - I learnt that Fox has optioned Patrick Rothfuss's stunning Kingkiller Chronicle for a TV series!

Teaming up with New Regent Productions, Fox are considering dramatising The Kingkiller Chronicle into a television series. There is very little information about this plan available so far (both companies seem to have surprisingly little news on their sites), but Eric Heisserer's* name has been thrown around as a possible executive producer for the show, which suggests that it might be portrayed in a dark style similar to that of the books.

The Kingkiller Chronicle is definitely one of my favourite series of all time so, despite my excitement, I have mixed feelings about this whole idea. Will Fox deviate too much from the books? Will they cast a rubbish Kvothe? Or, more importantly, will there be a repeat of the whole Firefly incident (which, yes, I doubt I'll ever stop whining about or forgive them for)?

I'm sure that there'll be many critics who ask these questions, but I'm hopeful that they won't make an absolute hash of it. I think that HBO's dramatisation of A Song of Ice and Fire has shown just how good a series can be by staying as true to a book's story as possible, while really growing the loyalty of a dedicated fan base behind it. If we're lucky, Fox will have twigged and we can expect a show that is as epic as the books and, like the books, one that is good enough to rival Game of Thrones itself!


* most known for The Thing (2011) and A Nightmare of Elm's Street (2010)

The Daylight War - Peter V. Brett

RATING: FOUR STARS

In The Daylight War, Brett continues the story of humanity's struggle against the vicious demons that rise from the Core in night in epic detail. Even as Ahmann am’Jardir am'Kaji, now hailed as the Second Deliverer, increases his stranglehold on the lives and minds of his territories in the north, Arlen Bales begins to realise that the free-folk of Cutter’s Hollow will never view him as anything except their own Deliverer. 

But while each man struggles to organise their own bloating armies, the demons are not idle. The demon princes have finally begun to see the organisation of humans around the deliverers as a threat. Worse still, they have learnt that the ancient fighting wards of Kaji have been found. The first of their brothers to have risen from the Core have not returned and more demons are dying since the time of the first Daylight War. They know that they must strike now - if they can kill the deliverers, then the unity of humanity will crumble once again…

The Good

For the most part The Daylight War is exciting, being packed with sprays of blood and demon ichor. Brett continues telling the current story in graphic detail, while delving into the originals of Inevera; revealing how she rose from the shackles of a common birth to becoming leader of the Damaji'ting and the First Wife of Ahmann. Her story is every bit as interesting to read about as the current events of those struggling against the demons and really brings her character to life.

Brett also begins to show that the demons are organising themselves to resist the newfound strength of humans. This leads to much more brutal, epic battles than what we have read about in the previous books and begins to show that demons are still dangerous. I think that this was something Brett had begun to lose since the battle wards were discovered, as Arlen and those with the weapons could kill them too easily – an author’s heroes are only as good as their villains, so it’s nice to read about the demons stepping up to become feared again.

The Bad

Sex. The middle section of the book was full of it and it was really, really boring. I’ll admit that I understand why Brett has included it, since he’s mainly using it to develop certain characters, but he’s just overdone it. The sex is not graphically described like in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire or smut books, but there are enough ‘scenes’ to really distract from the story and Brett really hasn't done them well. Furthermore, Brett gets carried away with his PoV characters love life, which I understand is important to them in the story, but it just sounds cheesy and faked in the book. Many authors manage to pull relationships and love off well in their writing, with Patrick Rothfuss writing about Kvothe’s love for Denna being an obvious example, but, sadly, Brett isn't one of them and he should have just left most of it out. 

Secondly, I thought the pace of the book was grossly out. The first third was okay and read well, but after that Brett kind of lost it a bit. There were pages and pages in which nothing at all really happened expect for his characters’ having sex or whining about their respective relationship issues, before the ending of the book suddenly rushed in from nowhere. Obviously I won’t spoil the book’s ending, but I think Brett should have spent more time developing the events underlying it and really should have made more of an effort to link some of the choices made to the personalities of his main characters.

My Thoughts

Despite my qualms with The Daylight War, I still really enjoyed it. Brett has continued the Demon Cycle with his most epic story yet and has really set the scene for his next book. Once again, I recommend that Brett’s books are a must read for any fan of fantasy.

The Wise Man's Fear - Patrick Rothfuss

RATING: FIVE STARS

I must confess that this review has been behind the scenes as a half-finished draft for a while now. But, after recently watching an interview with Patrick Rothfuss, I've finally been motivated to sit down and finish it! In fact, I'm finding it slightly odd that I haven't already posted the review as I write this - The Wise Man's Fear has, after all, become one of my favorite books!

Anyway, enough of the stuff you don't really care about and let's begin. After the spectacular grandeur of The Name of the Wind, I picked up The Wise Man's Fear with a mixture of anxious excitement and trepidation. As much as I was looking forward to reading it, I was thinking that it couldn't possibly fill the shoes of its predecessor. How could Patrick Rothfuss possibly have it in him to write another book to that standard?

Luckily, I was wrong. He could and he did. The Wise Man's Fear is every bit as gripping and beautifully written as its younger brother - continuing the story of Kvothe the Arcane in an installment that is all but impossible to put down!

The Wise Man's Fear is very similar to The Name of the Wind and is predominantly told in the first person as Kvothe narrates more of his life story to the renown scribe, Chronicler. This main 'flashback' story is again broken up with intermissions set in the current time, which are just as interesting as they are in the first novel. I think that they are more important in this book though and really begin to set the scene for the third and final installment, painting a picture of a world in dire straights (hinting somehow that it's all Kvothe's fault) and showing how Kvothe has become a broken shell of a man. This contrasts sharply with his character in his early life, adding a bleak sense of tragedy over Kvothe's autobiography as we now that (by the end of the coming book), it doesn't end well.

In fact, the young Kvothe is very happy as he continues telling his tale, resuming with his time at the University. Here, Kvothe describes hows his powers grew to frightening degrees even as he struggled to escape his poverty and his vendetta with Ambrose intensified. As his autobiography progresses, Kvothe decides (rather reluctantly) to take a hiatus from his studies and more of his legend unfolds as he travels the world. Ranging from how he was taught to love by Felurian herself to the time he spent living with the legendary Adem warriors, Kvothe's story is nothing short of epic and, by the end, will leave you desperate for more.

I have to say that The Wise Man's Fear is one of the best novel's I've ever read. It's a must read for any fan of the fantasy genre and, with both of the books released so far being beautifully written and heartfelt, The Kingkiller Chronicle is a one of those rare series that few (if any) people won't enjoy. It is a series that has made it to my 'Shelf of Fame' and, for your own fantasy education, is one that you should invest in - I guarantee you won't be disappointed!

Watch an interview with Patrick Rothfuss

Earlier today, I was lucky enough to have stumbled across an interview with the master word-smith Patrick Rothfuss. The interview - which is available at: http://twit.tv/tri/99 - is fascinating (albeit rather long) and sees Rothfuss get probed about his inspiration for The Kingkiller Chronicle, his motivation for writing it and how he has managed to develop such real and distinctive names (among other things of course).

It's definitely something to check out if you are a fan of the series!

The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss

RATING: FIVE STARS 

The Name of the Wind is a beautifully written epic fantasy by Patrick Rothfuss, who uses the English language almost like an art to craft a linguistically stunning novel of vivid, fast-flowing prose as he tells the tale of Kvothe the Arcane - the most notorious wizard to have ever lived. 

Packed full of imagination, heartbreak and adventure, The Name of the Wind is the remarkable first instalment of The Kingkiller Chronicle and, I must say, became one of my favourite books ever before I had even finished reading it! 

In The Name of the Wind, Rothfuss tells of the misfortunes that befall Kvothe as a child, when the tragic loss of his family and the troupe of Edema Ruh that they travelled with leaves him homeless and alone on the streets of Tarbean - a ruthless and cut-throat city where only the cruel survive. As Kvothe plots his revenge on the Chandrian, a group of terrors from ancient legend that he knows are very real, he decides that he must find a way to escape the city before it claims his life and sets his sights on attending the greatest university that has ever been built, where he fully intends on dedicating his life to the practice and pursuit of magic. 

This basic plot line is enough to put The Name of the Wind in a league above most other novels just by itself, but Rothfuss manages to make the story even better by telling it in a rather unique manner, which greatly added to my enjoyment of the novel. In the book, Rothfuss writes in the first person from the perspective of Kvothe himself as he tells his life’s story to a scribe, called Chronicler, who is writing a biography on the infamous wizard. 

Although this might not sound all that impressive, it added to my enjoyment of the book for two main reasons. Firstly, this first person narrative provides Rothfuss with a huge amount of creative freedom to describe Kvothe's emotions and underlying thought processes behind his decisions, which Rothfuss uses well to create a very realistic and believable character! 

And secondly, because it has allowed Rothfuss to add another plot line to the book, in which the King’s realm is on the verge of war to combat demons that have suddenly started appearing and preying upon outlying villages and towns. This story is set in the ‘current time’ and is told during the intermissions of Kvothe’s autobiography, which Rothfuss uses masterfully to control the pace of his main story. 

And so, after reading the Name of the Wind, I dare say that it's one of the best novels that I've ever read and I could actually feel myself falling more and more in love with The Kingkiller Chronicle with each turn of the page (well, I read it on Kindle, so ‘with each press of a button’ rather). Basically, The Name of the Wind and the second book in the series, The Wise Man’s Fear, are must read novels for any fan of fantasy – it’s as simple as that!