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The Kingkiller Chronicle

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The Kingkiller Chronicle
AuthorPatrick Rothfuss
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreHeroic fantasy
PublisherDAW/Penguin Books
Published27 March 2007 – present
Media typeprint (hardcover & paperback)
audiobook

The Kingkiller Chronicle is a planned fantasy trilogy by the American writer Patrick Rothfuss.[1] The first two books, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, were released in 2007 and 2011. The books released in the series have sold over 10 million copies.[2]

The series centers on a man named Kvothe, an infamous adventurer and musician telling his life story to a scribe. The book is told in a "story-within-a-story" format: a frame narrative relates the present day in which Kvothe runs an inn under an assumed name and is told in omniscient third person. The main plot, making up the majority of the books and concerning the actual details of Kvothe's life, is told in the first person. The series also contains metafictional stories within stories from varying perspectives that tie to the main plot in various ways.

Synopsis

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The Kingkiller Chronicle tells the life story of a man named Kvothe. In the present day, Kvothe is a rural innkeeper, living under a pseudonym. In the past, he was a wandering trouper and musician who grew to be a notorious arcanist (wizard), known as the infamous "Kingkiller."

The series is framed as the transcription of his three-day-long oral autobiography, where he "trouped, traveled, loved, lost, trusted and was betrayed". Present-day "interludes" concern his life as an innkeeper, with each present day depicted in a separate book.

The series is a secondary world fantasy; the setting is named Temerant. It has its own magic system, mixing alchemy, sympathetic magic, sygaldry (a form of runic magic combined with medieval engineering), and naming (a type of magic that allows the user to command the classical elements and objects), plus others.

Writing and publishing history

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The Kingkiller Chronicle is intended to be a trilogy. The books are set in a fictional world referred to as the Four Corners in-universe;[3] the world's official name, Temerant, was revealed in 2014.[4]

Rothfuss began writing the series in 1994.[5] He was inspired by the French writer Edmond Rostand's 19th century play Cyrano de Bergerac, calling it "staggering", adding: "It destroyed me emotionally. Cyrano is proud, brilliant, gorgeous and arrogant -- and he's an ass. The story just breaks your heart."[6] He was also inspired by Casanova's memoirs, crediting Casanova for showing "how interesting an autobiography could be, provided the person telling it has a way with words and has lived a sufficiently adventurous life".[7] The series began in an attempt of marrying the picaresque qualities of Casanova's memoirs with the needs of a story like Cyrano's.[6]

The series had the working title The Song of Flame and Thunder; the name was changed because he disliked it, as well as to avoid confusion with the George R. R. Martin series A Song of Ice and Fire.[8] The first draft of the trilogy was completed in 2000,[9] a draft he described as "a hot mess".[5]

In 2002, Rothfuss entered and won a Writers of the Future contest, which led him to a workshop with author Tim Powers.[10] This eventually led him to meeting his agent, who helped Rothfuss revise the first third of the story—now entitled The Name of the Wind—and sold it to DAW,[11] which published the book in March 2007.

Despite promises that the second and third books in the trilogy would follow on an annual schedule,[12] revisions to the second book, including work to bring in the frame narrative and introduce characters that weren't in the original draft, caused delays.[13][14][15] The Wise Man's Fear was released in 2011, topping the New York Times bestseller list.[16]

In 2017, Rothfuss said that his editor and publisher Betsy Wollheim hadn't liked his proposed title, The Doors of Stone, for the third novel, but that it had "by popular consensus" become the "de facto title", after which she accepted it.[17] The Doors of Stone is unreleased as of 2025,[18] a point of contention online.[19] Rothfuss has said that the book would "conclude Kvothe's story", closing off the current arc,[20] but that further stories in the world of Temerant would be forthcoming.[21] He also said that the book presented challenges different from The Wise Man's Fear's.[22] In 2020, Rothfuss's publisher and editor Betsy expressed frustration with the delay, stating she had not read "a word" of the book nine years on.[23]

In 2021, Rothfuss apologized for the long delay in releasing The Doors of Stone, citing issues in his personal life and his mental health as reasons.[24][25]

The books

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The Kingkiller Chronicle is a projected trilogy:

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  • "How Old Holly Came to Be", an experimental short story, was published in Unfettered (2013), edited by Shawn Speakman.
  • The Lightning Tree, a novella, was published in Rogues (2014), edited by George R. R. Martin & Gardner Dozois. The Lightning Tree takes place in the frame setting of The Kingkiller Chronicle, and includes characters from the trilogy, centered around the character of Bast.
  • The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014, ISBN 978-0756410438), a novella focusing on a secondary character that appears in The Kingkiller Chronicle's main plot.
  • The Narrow Road Between Desires, (2023, ISBN 978-0756419172), is a novella centered around the character of Bast (a revision and expansion of The Lightning Tree) and was published November 14, 2023.[26]

In 2012, Rothfuss sold three other books to his publisher, DAW.[27] He has discussed a standalone novel, centered on a legendary figure in the world, with the working title The Tale of Laniel Young-Again.[28] The project was two-thirds complete when it was shelved to focus on The Doors of Stone.[29][30]

In other media

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Film and television

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In July 2013, 20th Century Fox optioned The Kingkiller Chronicle for a TV series. The production team included Arnon Milchan, Andrew Plotkin, Brad Weston, and Robert Lawrence,[31] with Eric Heisserer writing the pilot episode and series bible, and executive producing it.[32] Heisserer shopped the project in 2014,[33] but announced he'd left the project in 2015.[34] Two years later in October, the rights to the books expired and were reverted to Rothfuss.[35][36] At the same time, Rothfuss announced that Lionsgate would be involved in adapting the series through a film, TV series, and video game.[36] Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was attached to serve as executive producer of the television series, along with John Rogers, Jennifer Court, Robert Lawrence, and Rothfuss, with music composed by Miranda.[37][38][39][40] Showtime began developing the series as of October 2017, but ended their involvement two years later in September, causing the rights to return to Lionsgate TV, which is shopping it around.[41][42] In 2022, Miranda confirmed he had exited the project.[43]

Lindsey Beer was hired to write the screenplay for the film in 2016,[44] while Sam Raimi was announced as the director in 2018,[45] one of several who reportedly sought the role.[46]

Games

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The metafictional strategic board game Tak: A Beautiful Game was released by Rothfuss and Cheapass Games in 2016 and designed by James Ernest.[47] In 2019, Cheapass Games, including Tak, was sold to Greater Than Games.[48] In March 2021, Greater Than Games re-released Tak: A Beautiful Game (2nd Edition) under its own brand, with new box art and board designs co-created with Rothfuss.[49] There are no differences in the rules between the original and second edition.[50]

Reception

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The series has received critical acclaim. George R. R. Martin called The Wise Man's Fear his favorite fantasy novel of 2011, and said he wished he had written it.[51] Authors such as Brandon Sanderson,[52] Ursula K. Le Guin, Robin Hobb, Tad Williams, Anne McCaffrey,[53] and Michael Chabon[54] have expressed their admiration for the series. Lin-Manuel Miranda credited the books for inspiring a song in his show Hamilton, as well as a story beat in the Walt Disney film Moana.[55] The game designer Ron Gilbert called the series the best fantasy he'd ever read.[56]

The Wise Man's Fear topped The New York Times bestseller list,[16] and the spin-off novella The Slow Regard of Silent Things spent a month on the same before dropping to the extended list.[57]

The band Nightwish's song "Edema Ruh" is named after the series.[58][59] Their spin-off band Auri is named, in part, after a character.[60][61][62]

Rothfuss has spoken positively of fan fiction of the series, saying that he's looked forward to it, and that "when people start writing fan fiction about your stuff, it shows that your writing has attained a level of popularity".[63]

References

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  1. ^ Rothfuss, Patrick (February 19, 2008). "How to pronounce Kvothe's name". Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  2. ^ "Lionsgate Wins Rights to Fantasy Book Series 'Kingkiller Chronicle' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ^ "Patrick Rothfuss - The World". www.patrickrothfuss.com. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  4. ^ Pat. "Our Triumphant Conclusion, Chocolate Malts, and the Name of the World". blog.patrickrothfuss.com. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  5. ^ a b "WIRED Book Club: How Patrick Rothfuss Saved a 'Hot Mess' of a Book". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  6. ^ a b Larsen, David (2011-04-06). "Patrick Rothfuss: Making it up as he goes". NZ Herald. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  7. ^ "Interview with Patrick Rothfuss". Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  8. ^ Guxens, Escrit per Adrià. "Patrick Rothfuss: 'I doodled "Kvothe" in a notebook in high school calculus'". Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  9. ^ Pat. "The unhappy announcement". blog.patrickrothfuss.com. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  10. ^ "Writers of the Future Winner, Patrick Rothfuss, Publishes His Second Book in Fantasy Trilogy" (Press release). PRWeb. Archived from the original on March 13, 2011. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  11. ^ Shapiro, Lila (2017-10-30). "Patrick Rothfuss Is About to Be Fantasy's Next Superstar". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  12. ^ Patrick. "Patrick Rothfuss interview". Pat's Fantasy Hotlist. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  13. ^ Pat. "Fanmail Q&A: Revision". blog.patrickrothfuss.com. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  14. ^ "[Q&A] Patrick Rothfuss Chat Thread". A Forum of Ice and Fire - A Song of Ice and Fire & Game of Thrones. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  15. ^ Pat. "Why I Love My Editor…". blog.patrickrothfuss.com. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  16. ^ a b "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books". The New York Times. March 20, 2011. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  17. ^ Patrick Rothfuss (2017-02-03). Book 3 Q&A stream – Worldbuilders 2016 stretch goal (YouTube). Patrick Rothfuss. Event occurs at 1:12:49–1:13:25. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  18. ^ "Why The Doors Of Stone Is Taking So Long - 3rd Kingkiller Chronicle Book Delay Explained". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  19. ^ "First George RR Martin, now Patrick Rothfuss: the curse of sequel-hungry fans". the Guardian. 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  20. ^ Hester, Patrick (September 27, 2012). "Podcast Episode 153: Interview with Author Patrick Rothfuss". SF Signal.
  21. ^ Hurst, Ashley (2021-01-30). "Patrick Rothfuss: There will be a fourth book after The Doors of Stone". Winter is Coming. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  22. ^ A Writer of Things | Patrick Rothfuss | Talks at Google, retrieved 2021-07-31
  23. ^ ""Kingkiller Chronicle" editor believes author hasn't written anything for years". Newsweek. 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  24. ^ Name of the Wind Chat w/ Patrick Rothfuss!, archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2021-07-31
  25. ^ Patrick Rothfuss: "I feel bad about that book 3 hasn't done yet"., archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2021-07-31
  26. ^ "Revealing The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss | Tor.com". www.tor.com. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  27. ^ Rocket, Stubby the (2012-09-07). "Patrick Rothfuss Will Write More Fantasy After the Kingkiller Chronicles". Tor.com. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  28. ^ Triangulation 99: Patrick Rothfuss, archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2021-07-31
  29. ^ Projects after book three — Patrick Rothfuss on JoCo Cruise 2017, archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2021-07-31
  30. ^ Christopher Paolini Interviews Pat Rothfuss, archived from the original on 2021-12-20, retrieved 2021-07-31
  31. ^ McNally, Victoria (July 19, 2013). "Rothfuss Fans, Your Time Has Come: The Kingkiller Chronicle Optioned for TV Series". Geekosystem.
  32. ^ Team, The Deadline (2013-07-18). "New Regency, 20th Century Fox TV To Adapt 'The Kingkiller Chronicle' for TV". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  33. ^ Heisserer, Eric (2014-07-21). "After a year of blood, sweat, and tears, the KINGKILLER pilot + series bible goes out to buyers today. Thank Tehlu". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 2025-05-11. After a year of blood, sweat, and tears, the KINGKILLER pilot + series bible goes out to buyers today. Thank Tehlu.
  34. ^ Heisserer, Eric (2015-01-20). "Post". X (formerly Twitter). All of this is a long-winded warmup to say I'm no longer developing Kingkiller at NBC. I walked away, with utmost respect to those involved.
  35. ^ Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys. "Comic-Con: Fantasy Novel 'Name of the Wind' Sparks Heated Bidding War (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  36. ^ a b Rothfuss, Patrick (October 1, 2015). "Hollywood News".
  37. ^ "Lin-Manuel Miranda to Produce Feature Film, TV Series Adaptation of 'Kingkiller Chronicles'". TheWrap. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  38. ^ Kain, Erik. "'The Name Of The Wind' Could Be The Next 'Game Of Thrones' With New Movie, TV And Video Game Deal". Forbes.
  39. ^ Bradley, Laura. "Secret Geek Lin-Manuel Miranda Might Be Making the Next Game of Thrones". Vanity Fair.
  40. ^ "'The Kingkiller Chronicle' Is About to Take Over Your Life".
  41. ^ "Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'Kingkiller Chronicles' Series Set At Showtime". Deadline. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  42. ^ "Lin-Manuel Miranda's 'Kingkiller Chronicle' Not Moving Forward At Showtime, Being Shopped By Lionsgate TV". Deadline. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  43. ^ Davis, Clayton (2022-02-17). "Lin-Manuel Miranda Defends Not Submitting 'Bruno' for Oscars, Teases New 'Little Mermaid' Songs". Variety. Retrieved 2025-05-11.
  44. ^ Kit, Borys (2016-04-12). "'Kingkiller Chronicle' Finds Its Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  45. ^ Kroll, Justin (2018-01-29). "Sam Raimi to Direct 'Kingkiller Chronicle' for Lionsgate and Lin-Manuel Miranda (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
  46. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (2018-05-13). "Q&A: Patrick Wachsberger On Leaving Lionsgate, Industry's Sea Change & What's Next – Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  47. ^ Rothfuss, Patrick. "Tak: A Beautiful Game". blog.patrickrothfuss.com. Retrieved 2021-08-02.
  48. ^ Mastrangeli, Tony (2019-05-24). "Greater Than Games has acquired Cheapass Games". Board Game Quest. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  49. ^ "New Edition of Tak Now Available for Purchase on GTG". Tak Times. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  50. ^ ""No rule changes" to Upcoming 2nd Edition of Tak". Tak Times. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  51. ^ Martin, George RR (January 26, 2012). "Hugo Recommendations - BEST NOVEL". Not a Blog.
  52. ^ Sanderson, Brandon (2011-03-01). "Review of THE WISE MAN'S FEAR". Brandon Sanderson. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  53. ^ "Patrick Rothfuss - The Reviews". www.patrickrothfuss.com. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  54. ^ Chabon, Michael (January 28, 2020). "100 pp into this (at the recommendation of my fellow #picardeur @terrymatalas) and finding it an excellent traveling companion. Thoroughly imagined, with welcome echoes of #earthsea and #bookofthenewsun, not least in the deftness of its prose. #patrickrothfuss #thenameofthewind". Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24.
  55. ^ Shapiro, Lila (2017-10-30). "Lin-Manuel Miranda on How The Kingkiller Chronicles Inspired Moana". Vulture. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  56. ^ Gilbert, Ron (2022-10-01). "X (formerly Twitter)". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on 2025-05-07. Retrieved 2025-05-07. Hey @PatrickRothfuss will there ever be a The Kingkiller Chronicle book 3? Asking for a friend. No, I'm not, I'm asking for me. Book 1 and 2 were the best fantasy I've ever read.
  57. ^ Cowles, Gregory (2014-12-05). "Inside the List". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-07-31.
  58. ^ "Interviews: Tuomas Holopainen of Nightwish Talks About Endless Forms Most Beautiful - Sea of Tranquility - The Web Destination for Progressive Music!". www.seaoftranquility.org. Retrieved 2025-05-07. I would have to agree. Also, the sequel The Wise Man's Fear is even better. I can't wait for the third one. For me, it might just be the best fantasy story ever. The Lord of the Rings has always been the story for me, but I think this comes really, really, damn close. The guy's amazing. His words are like music. The way he describes the characters brings them alive. It's so beautiful. I'm out of words. The [Edema Ru]h, maybe Nightwish is like a modern-day [Edema Ruh], going from city to city to perform and then move on. About two or three weeks ago, I actually got an email from Patrick Rothfuss saying "thanks" and "It's an honor." I send him the CD and he said that he liked it. It's awesome. Maybe we'll meet at some point.
  59. ^ "Edema Ruh - Song Lyrics :||: NIGHTWISH OFFICIAL WEBSITE". www.nightwish.com. Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  60. ^ "AURI - A TRAIL OF CANDLES & BEGINNINGS - Theatre Hybernia Prague". Retrieved 2025-05-07.
  61. ^ "NightwishBand on X (formerly Twitter)". We love the Patrick Rothfuss books, and there is a lovely character called Auri there.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  62. ^ "On the Record with Tuomas Holopainen, Johanna Kurkela, & Troy Donockley of Auri". BEAR WISEMAN. Retrieved 2025-05-07. But yeah, this is one of the most common questions that we are being asked: where does the name Auri come from? That's one of the three, Auri, the character in the Rothfuss books. But it's also Johanna's second name, and the third one being...Aura, which is from the Latin and middle-English for 'emanation'.
  63. ^ "Rethinking Your Thoughts About Writing", Renovating Your Writing, Routledge, pp. 17–22, 2015-09-25, doi:10.4324/9781315662879-8, ISBN 978-1-315-66287-9, retrieved 2022-04-13
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