Over six months ago I was able to determine The Real Reason Rothfuss’ Kingkiller 3 Is Not Here Yet by interviewing Bast, an unsettling character from the book itself. I am now in possession of a terrifying update on the status of Book Three, a disclosure that has left me badly shaken. For background you should know that here in central Maine we were hit by a powerful storm earlier in the week and my wife and I have been out of power for three days now. Yesterday morning I got up in the pitch dark and powered up our generator. When I came back into the house and turned on a light I was startled to find Bast himself sitting at our kitchen table.
Kenny: Bast!
Bast:: Hello there. I will not say good morning, as I will leave you to ponder whether it is a good morning or not after I leave you.
Kenny: Ummn. I’m thrilled to see again, of course. but I don’t imagine that this is a social call.
Bast: No indeed. I assume you still take an interest in that little matter of the delayed release of The Doors of Stone.
Kenny: I do indeed.
Bast: Well, matters have changed since last we spoke.
Kenny: Hmmn. I know there has been wide reporting that due to the forthcoming Lin-Manuel Miranda produced film and television series versions of the Kingkiller Chronicle, the books are set to reach a whole new level of attention and readership. That being so, the pressure on Rothfuss to produce book three will increase exponentially as well.
Bast: Just so.
Kenny: Well, Bast, what is your news?
Bast: I am giving you the opportunity to discover the truth, but only if you can guess it correctly.
Kenny: You seem awfully pleased with yourself. I’m guessing you had something to do with it. Hmmn. Well, when last we spoke you had confirmed that Kvothe cast two interwoven Sisyphean spells on Rothfuss. The first making perfection a compulsory absolute and the second allowing him to see an infinite number of perspectives on his work making perfection and imperfection alternate indefinitely as the endless supply of perspectives appear successively, each one undoing the perfection attained by the last.
Given this checkmate situation along with the impending uptick of pressure, and considering your skill set, as well as how pleased with yourself you appear, I wonder if Rothfuss didn’t ask you to help him overcome the spell?
Bast: Clever of you to guess that. Yes, he asked me to take the disassembled book and put it back together in a final form which purged it of the spell. As a reward for your perspicacity I will share with you that he did not take thought to word his request with sufficient care.
Kenny: My blood runs chill.
Bast: Does it? We’ll see. It would perhaps have been wise of him to stipulate that I not weave a new spell into the pages of the manuscript. Which, not having been forsworn, I took the opportunity to do.
Kenny: I see. And that spell is?
Bast: Oh it is a simple exchange, a price paid for the satisfaction of satiating interest. Anyone who reads the book will find that their heart grows cold to one thing in their life which they held dear before reading it.
Kenny: That’s terrible! What an awful price to pay! It reminds of the three Prydain witches Orddu, Orwen and Orgoch who offer to give up the Black Cauldron for the little price of Taran’s memory of a single summer day. Does Rothfuss know about this?
Bast: Oh yes! He has not dared to read it for that cause, but will he, under the pressure that is to come, dare to release it? That is what the days ahead will reveal.
Kenny: This is fiendish, Bast!
Bast: Is it now? I don’t think so. Why, in fact here is a copy of the manuscript for your own enjoyment. Regale yourself with it!
Kenny: I want no part of this accursed choice. Take it away with you.
Bast: Farewell.
And with that he was off. What now?!
Give me the manuscript that’s what!!!
give it to me now
I have a theory of my own as to why Book 3 will be delayed indefinitely: I believe Rothfuss is afraid that, if he finishes Book 3, his readers will no longer support Worldbuilders, Heifer International or his stupid side projects like Tak and the card decks. IMHO, he believes his charities are much more important than a bunch of slavishly devoted readers.
Rothfuss also now knows (from George Martin’s disgusting example of how to handle the final books that were not finished when HBO’s Game of Thrones began) that he doesn’t have to EVER complete Book 3. He can just whisper a few ideas to Lin Manuel Miranda about events that he MAY include in Book 3, as GRRM did with the GoT showrunners, and keep us hanging on his every blog post. Rothfuss knows that the television project will add a completely new group of fans who haven’t and will never read the books. How much money do these jerks need???
Both authors have figuratively spit in the faces of their readers. I will NEVER buy another GRRM book. I am fast losing patience with Rothfuss. Brandon Sanderson had to complete Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series from Jordan’s voluminous notes, after Jordan’s death.
That’s really the answer. I don’t care about TV or movies – I want the books. GRR and Pat – go make your millions, but those $$ won’t come from me because I am not giving money to authors who spit at their readers.
I was upset about the length of time that the third book was taking but I read some comments on another blog that changed my mind.
I would rather have a book of quality than something rushed. Part of the joy of Rothfuss’ books is the quality of his writing. If he put out a piece of garbage to satisfy the impatience of fans, there would be even more backlash.
I don’t think he’s intentionally making us wait just to make more money. I suppose it’s possible but I also think sometimes you need some distance from a project to think.
He’s had plenty of time to un-rush the book. It it felt rushed at this point it could only indicate his lack of focus. Quit enabling poor, selfish behavior.
He owes you nothing. He is fully within his rights to take 20 years to right it. If the book is not working and he is needs a lot of time to fix the problems and make it work, then that I’d how it goes. Calling that selfish behavior? You are not entitled to having all your desires met like that.
Not buying it. Dude’s had seven years. Society Is entitled to him finishing his work, or to stop pretending he’s a writer. If you start a series and get paid for it, you have an obligation to finish it. Full stop.
instead of milking that story for SEVEN years and crying like a spoilt brat when you get called on it. God I can even hear the tones of entitled douchenozzle riding on the carrier waves of his petulant voice. Wah he was broke.
If only there were some way to disincentivize this behavior in future authors… oh wait. George RR Rothfuss has already done that. I know many who will not purchase a series until it is finished.
You can’t call it rushed when it’s been nearly seven years.
entertaining, Kenny. thanks
It’s a mystery to me why anyone would read any book in a trilogy that is incomplete. the author could easily die or be elected president, either of which would lower his creativity quotient sufficiently to preclude ever finishing. I read the first book when someone loaned it to me and was sure i would like it. he was right; it was great, so great I was prepared to buy all three. oops! book two came out a year or so later.
i haven’t read book two and won’t until the whole story is complete and i can read all three. it’s been so long i’ll have to reread book one, which is fine. it was a good beginning. I am, however, on the far side of my biblical 3 score and 10 so who knows if i’ll ever get to read the trilogy
Some books are worth reading regardless of their completion status.
The creation Rothfuss has created is amazing! If he wants to wait 20 years to finish book three that is his prerogative..
Strange that he can release the ” Slow regard of silent things” first and not the third book.
It appears like a ploy, with the primary intent of once again money. Where can you get the most money in merchandise, TV shows, games, spinoffs etc. Milk those outlets as much as POSSIBLE. Get those directors , gamemakers xyz; milk them purple. And no its no Game of Thrones, if that what he is trying to make on par with. It NEVER will be. There comes a point where you just get over the book, I’m starting to forget parts of it already and trust me im not going to re-read the first two books. I just over it…
Have to agree. I must have read the first book just as the second came out so had to read in quick succession. Enjoyed them a lot at the time, but thinking back I have forgotten vast chunks of the story. I think that is easy to do when arcs don’t have definitive endings, the whole tapestry of the story unravels in my head. Even if book three where to come out tomorrow I would have to reread the first two books and, while good, they are not of sufficient quality to bother.
I have been checking progress on and off since I finished book 2 7/8 years ago but have decided to give up, too much has gone. This is not a judgement on the author really, he is obviously entitled to take as long as he wants to get it right. I hope the book is worth the wait for those willing to reread and new readers and the wait proves worth it
Totally agree with you, Tom. Rothfuss can write what he wants when he wants, but I can also read what I want when I want. First book was good, second book was so-so and now so long for the third…nope, won’t spend the money because I’d have to re-read book 2 and it wasn’t so hot anyway. Much prefer someone like Michael J Sullivan who has them all ready before the first one comes out. See ya’, Pat
This comment is especially insensitive.
As an author I know how hard it is to write a series finale, and how motivation can drop before reaching the end, or the perfectionism that can overtake you (especially if you make the mistake of reading the reviews and comments like this one). “Slow regard” was precisely the unlocking exercise I’d do if writer’s block was stopping me in my reins. It was very different, and it was quite obviously written to get rid of the block.
Rothfuss should give himself a permission to write a worse book 3, not the better one. Then he’d wrote, and then he’d edit it.
If you’ve read the blog you know that The Slow Regard of Silent Things was an accidental. He was asked to contribute a short story to an anthology of rogues and thought he would be clever with a story about Auri. But once he started writing he found it kept getting longer and longer until he had to submit something else to the anthology but wanted to finish the tale. Once it was finished he wasn’t even going to give it to his agent because he didn’t think anyone else would want to read it. A friend convinced him to get it published. He’s not a capitalist. He’s a gardener; it’s a type of writer and it makes the organization of such a complex story a mountain of a task. Do some research before you judge someone.
The Prydian Chronicles was my first fantasy love. 30 years I still read them and enjoy the journey immensely.
He’s a capitalist, leave him alone.
Then why the facade with the Worldbuilders nonsense? Oooh look at me, I am so philanthropical. Release ONE semi-decent book and rush to set that up ? Very pretentious. Hypocritical Capitalism at best. Just having George RR Martin editing one of those books, doesn’t make you on the same level as HIM. It is almost like building yourself a pedestal before you become KING. At the very least, become a KING first ie release the books and complete your legacy BEFORE jumping the gun…
Wow! You people are so judgemental. I can’t believe that you are in essence saying ” how DARE Rothfuss take time between books to waste time with raising money for worthwhile charities ” . Belittling his efforts by referring to them as ‘the facade with the Worldbuilders nonsense’ and in the same breath disparaging his motives as being purely for self-aggrandisement or rampant capitalism. Have you raised 7.4 million dollars to fight world hunger and disease lately? George RR Martin was published for 25 years before he released the first of the Song Of Ice and Fire books [1996] and since A Dance with Dragons [2011] has presumably delayed release of the rest of the series to devote more time to The HBO series, prequels [History of Westeros] and compilations [Tales of Dunk and Egg]. I do not list these to criticise Martin, far from it. I enjoyed his books immensely too. But can you cut Rothfuss some slack; yes it was 4 years between books 1 and 2 and many people chose to re-read book 1 prior to beginning book 2 as they had forgotton some details. Can I point out that for a first novel ‘The Name of the Wind was fairly amazing, twice the size of many fantasy novels and not because it was verbose and full of ‘purple prose’ but because it was a rich and complex narrative. if Rothfuss’ motive were purely monetary I’m sure his first 2 novels could have been published as 4 separate books. Am I a little impatient for the third book? Yes – which is why I read online blogs etc for news. At least Rothfuss is not another Isobel Carmody who began the Legendsong Saga in 1997 with book 2 in 2005 and book 3 is still unpublished while also forthcoming are The Gateway Trilogy 3 and Kingdom of the Lost 3. At least she finished the Obernewtyn Chronicles began in 1987 with book 7 in 2015. I think it’s the end, I haven’t read it. Robert Jordan’s ‘Wheel of Time’ series taught me to wait for the series completion before starting again …and again…and again. It began in 1990 as a trilogy and was completed with book 14 in 2013 post-humously by Brendon Sanderson with notes Jordan had made before his death. I have heard Martin’s fans express concern he will die before completing the Song of Ice and Fire [he is 69 years old] AND has too much hubris to leave anything for someone else to work with. In my opinion Robin Hobb has had the best plan releasing her 16 related books [1995-2017] as 4 trilogies and 1 quadrilogy all which can stand alone and be read separately. I am sorry to see them end.
I put his writing on par with only Sanderson and I place them in another league above others like Martin.
I started reading this series in 2018, so I feel really bad for the people leaving comments in 2013 about how it’s probably right around the corner. I wouldn’t have started it if I had known it wasn’t finished, but I can’t completely blame Rothfuss if he wants to have his own definition of “trilogy”.