Few news would be more celebrated in the literary world than the publication of the third installment of the 'Kingkiller Chronicle' saga. More than a decade and a half has ed since millions of readers fell under the spell of Patrick Rothfuss' prose and were transported to the lands of Temerant.
It was in 2007 when 'The Name of the Wind' conquered bookstores around the world. Four years later, in 2011, its sequel, 'The Wise Man's Fear', arrived, which consolidated Rothfuss as one of the great names in fantasy. However, his pen dried up and the author was trapped in a third silence as deep as the one that begins the story of Kvothe.
A meeting with Abercrombie
Now, after a difficult personal stage aggravated by a family crisis, it seems that the author is getting closer to rediscovering himself. At the end of 2023, the writer appeared on his Twitch channel to announce the arrival of 'The Narrow Road Between Desires', a spinoff of his saga that was released last year. This was a good sign that has continued recently, after the American participated in a convention together with another reference of the genre such as Joe Abercrombie.
According to some attendees at the event, the author was in a good mood and conveyed an energy that had not been seen for some time. In fact, he even mentioned 'The Doors of Stone', the title that will close Kvothe's adventure. The author simply joked about it, referring to the book as "the unpublishable", but in any case, it is an important step in his journey not towards its publication, but to his physical and mental recovery.
Brandon Sanderson
Nor are the words of his colleague Brandon Sanderson a bad sign. The creator of the 'Cosmere' is convinced that Rothfuss will complete his saga: "I trust that he will. I know Pat and nobody wants that book to be done more than him."
Leaving the statements aside, the fact that the author was seen at the conference and shared feelings with Abercrombie was very well received by readers. This was very
different from what happened some time ago, when he announced his return to bookstores with 'The Narrow Road Between Desires'. The news, far from generating enthusiasm, was poorly received by some of his followers, who responded with a massive avalanche of negative reviews towards the new installment before it even went on sale.
A considerable number of people felt cheated when they saw that it was not the third title they had been waiting for since 2011. And that was when disappointment turned to hatred: accusations of fraud and comments lacking the slightest trace of empathy towards a writer with well-known mental health problems. The literature market showed its worst side and the desire to know the outcome of Kvothe, Bast, the Chandrian or Denna made a legion of Rothfuss' formerly loyal followers lose their composure.
In any case, that furious reaction has little to do with the warm welcome that has been given to the author on his return to the public scene. Regardless of his work, his reappearance is a good sign that this time he has been received as he deserves.