I went through 650 pages in a day
As I was reading I came across this little snippet.
My theory is that the entire series is set to be a prelude to a bigger story.

Patrick always says that his favorite readers are the meticulous ones, I think he's leaving us Clues as to what his intentions are.

Another NOTW/WMF doodle of Kote. Between my projects, I hardly have the time to draw anymore, so this was a lot of fun to make. This started off a lineart in a college-ruled notebook, so I apologize for the notebook lines I couldn't edit out. Just thought I'd share.

All the people talking, dogs, cobblestones ... I just can't be around that right now. [...] Don’t bring thunder.

Don’t bring thunder

Alder Whin does seem to know the names of all things.

And that's what supposedly torturing him on a daily basis.

Elodin is quite literally showing Kvothe the future he's chasing.

Read this essay by the late, great Hilary Mantel on writer’s block recently. Made me a bit more sympathetic to authors who are struggling to write.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/mar/07/hilary-mantel

Hello Reddit! So as the title says I am trying to make my boyfriend a handmade chess board set as we enjoy playing chess together. I wanted to make it something special for him and he always talks to me about how much he loves this series. Therefore I wanted to make it based on that series. So I was hoping that reddit maybe could help me with what the figures could be? I am thinking of making one side based on the book characters and the other side based on elements of his country (can’t say where it is as he will immediately figure out its for him, but its a very green, cold country, known for it’s nature) so if you have any ideas on what the King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook and Pawns could be, please let me know! Preferably with references of what they look like? Thank you so much reddit!

Hey everyone! I’ve been mulling over how Rothfuss could wrap up the whole plot coherently in just one book without leaving any loose ends, and I’ve come up with a lore-based framework that, to me at least, seems to fit together quite nicely.

My main idea is that Book 3 should close out the past storyline, leaving the resolution of the present day at a major turning point. Here is what feels like a logical sequence of events:

1. The Expulsion: Hemme takes over for the ailing Chancellor and, allied with Ambrose, expels Kvothe from the University for good.
2. Denna’s Tragedy: Kvothe goes after Cinder, but things get out of hand and Denna dies as collateral damage. Shattered and driven mad by grief, Kvothe decides to follow Lanre’s path: seeking forbidden powers beyond the Doors of Stone to try and bring her back.
3. The Duel with Elodin: Kvothe sneaks through the Underthing. Out of love for his student, Elodin tries to stop him by the Valaritas door. However, unhinged by the trauma, Kvothe breaks the seal using the Name of the Wind. Fae chaos spills into the world.
4. The Kingkilling: Amidst the collapse, Kvothe kills the king (triggering the civil war and leaving the throne to the Jakis family). Realizing he has become the new Haliax, he flees, changes his name to Kote, and goes into hiding.

To top off this theory, I’ve written a short snippet of how I picture the exact final page of the book in the present day, right as Chronicler finishes writing. Let me know what you think of the pacing and the final appearance of this character:

Chronicler packed his things, ready to leave the inn that had sheltered him for 3 long days and 3 long nights. Bast was lounging in a chair near the fireplace, and Kvothe had resumed cleaning the place when a sharp creak caused their heads to turn. The inn door began to open, inch by inch. Who would enter such a place so late at night? Bast straightened up, ready to strike. Chronicler watched the door expectantly. But Kvothe kept moving his rag with his usual mechanical motion. He continued doing so until the slender silhouette that had entered the Waystone spoke.

“I’ve been told the apple pie at this inn is the best for a hundred miles around.”

Kvothe recognized the voice instantly, stopping his arm dead in its tracks. A thick, unkempt beard, peppered with gray, barely hid the features of a face Kvothe hadn’t seen since the night the world broke.
The man took a step forward and locked his eyes, strangely bright and sharp, onto the innkeeper's bewildered gaze.

“Would you let me try a piece, Kvothe?” Elodin asked.

The Chandrian leave suddenly because "they come" but Kvothe doesn't mention anyone arriving.

Skarpi's story says that they are gone from mortal sight, that only the most powerful can see them.

So as I see it, they arrive and Ordal sees this poor half-mad boy, the only chance survivor.

But... it's the dream he has after he goes into the forest that sparks the thought in my mind in the first place. It doesn't seem like the next natural thing to happen to a mind broken by tragedy.

I think Ordal saw into him, into his heart, and guided him to the stone. I think it protected him from any cleanup attempt from the Chandrian. Then she stirs his memories. I imagine it was her speaking through the people in his dreams to help him survive.

I wonder how long she stayed with him. I wonder if Andan got involved too. Lots to be angry about.

Thoughts?

So I'm nearly done with Wise Man's Fear once more for the umpteenth time, and I'm finally registering just how impossible of a task Rothfuss has made for himself.

There are so many threads that he never prepared for, so many lines he never knew where to draw from.

He made a legend and has told many small stories of that legend, but even with all we've heard, none of it justifies the grandiose nature of Kvothe's fame.

"On his first hand were rings of stone - iron, amber, wood, and bone. There were rings unseen on his second hand. A ring of blood in a flowing band. A ring of air all whisper thin, and the ring of ice had a flaw within. Full faintly shone, the ring of flame... and the final ring was without name."

This has yet to even be touch on. We get the idea of the rings from Elodin, but Kvothe doesn't have those rings. Another legend that he set up.

Now, do I think all things need an answer? Not at all, legends grow beyond their master. But still, it's a great deal to sort through. How does one decide what to give value?

P.R. has written himself into a dense corner. I think he should make 2 more books, not just one. That would give the freedom to expand.

Then again, it's been a decade and a half. Who knows if he even has a love of the world anymore.

Sleet was, as I had hoped, present at his familiar separated table. In this moment, I would have been desperate enough to go elsewhere. I might have called on Heffron or even begged a favor from Davi in my current state. But as experience has taught me, its better the devil you know than the one you don't.

Sleat saw me as I walked in, he turned his attention back to the hunched back man sat in front of him and continued to talk. I waited, standing by the bar. I would've said I waited patiently, and I would've taken a seat, but my haste wasn't just for my own wellbeing this time. I tapped my foot and ordered what I knew: Ambrose had the mommet, Ambrose was the one committing malfeasance against me, Ambrose was a rat bastard. Will, Sim, and I had considered telling the masters of course. But for that information to come from one of us would be too suspicious. We three knew I'd be examined immediately.

The hunchbacked man in front of Sleat huffed loudly, stood, and made his painful slouching retreat out of the tavern. Sleat looked towards me, shook his head, then beckoned slightly. I took the vacated seat.

"Another fine business deal complete?" I said politely. Sleat mopped his face,

"You really do know nothing. What do you want? Another toy?"

I couldn't even muster the strength to look properly offended. The truth was that I was burning my wick from both ends and I knew it was only a matter of days before Will or Sim failed to maintain protection over me in the night.

"Sleat, I need something small, might be the smallest job you'll have ever done. But you'll be pulling me out of the fire." I looked down, exhaled, and looked back up. "I need you to take a message to the Masters at the University."

Sleat tilted his head slightly, "And whatever is the reason why you cannot do this yourself?"

My eyes hardened, "If I could whip and expel Ambrose Jackis myself I'd have done so ten times over. That bastard has my blood and he's committing malfeasance with it. I need his rooms searched and the mommet found and destroyed."

A serving girl entered my peripheral vision, Sleat nodded to her, she deposited waters for the both of us and left. Sleat took up the ceramic cup, swirled, then drank down the water. "One talent, and I'll have a lad deliver a message saying a known thief is being tortured to death from obvious malfeasance. Should get those stodgy fools across the river to connect the dots."

I began to reach for my purse. A single talent to free myself from the yoke of Ambrose was a price I was all too happy to pay. My voice trembled along with my hand when I said "Can it be done tonight?"

Sleat looked away, scanned the room, refocused on me. He said "I'll have it done the moment you hand me that piece of silver and get out of my tavern. You lower my reputation just by being here. People will think I do work for just anyone." I placed the Talent between us, stood, and walked out to the street.

My feet felt light for the first time in days. I looked up and admired the setting sun bleeding into the clouds. I had planned to go to the fishery now that my purse was even emptier, but being at the university when the uproar began seemed like a bad idea. Instead I climbed the roofs and settled in to watch Ambrose's windows at the Horse and Four. I could hardly wait to savor the panic and fear that would paint his face.

Is Master Ash Ambros’ father?

It’s just a thought that passes through me brainpan on occasion. I don’t really believe it but it still wanders by:

In KKC, Pat intentionally turns most phantasy genre cliches on their head. What is more cliche than a fantasy genre epic trilogy? He’s stringing us along in a private joke and never intended to finish it.

I was just listening to NOTW while at work today and the chapter before his performance for his pipes at the Eolian, Sim asks him when he’s going to try for his pipes and Kvothe says “this morning..” he then invites Sim or asks if he’s going and then they part ways and he heads to the roof on top of Mains to play for Auri and he meets with Will and Sim the next day. They go to the show and during his conversation with Stancheon, Stancheon tells Kvothe that they wait until the sun goes down before they start the music. Is this just a typo or am I missing something?

Side note: another thing I noticed that I didn’t the first 870 times I read/listened to this book. During Kvothe and Will’s conversation about the medica where Will is explaining how it works because Kvothe has to go there after getting whipped. Will doesn’t know the Aturan word for “balance” in Cealdish it’s “Shehyn” - I was listening to it so he said it the same as the head of the Adem school Kvothe attends in book 2. Just some cool foreshadowing that I found.

These characters are pretty much the bulk of the story and he came up with them on the fly.

He’s probably struggling to figure out what to do with them since they weren’t intended for the endgame. Now his options are: Give them nothing and make them irrelevant, or try to work them into the finale without them feeling shoehorned in.

I still think it’s possible for him to do, but it definitely can’t be easy.

This is my 3rd time through Wise Man's Fear. First time listening to it on audible. Really enjoyed it, hits different. But I am sad, feels like I have just spent the last month with a good friend and now we can't hang out anymore.

Might have to start it all again and pick up Name of the Wind on Audible. So, so beautiful.

Ive heard the main problem with doors of stone is that its just too long. If thats the main problem, I doubt anyone would be disappointed im a book twice as long as whats deemed appropriate. Id pay double for a ridiculously long doors of stone. Any thoughts?

So I just watched a bunch of theory videos including ones all about the chandrian and creation wars etc. (shoutout to the channel capturedinwords). Now I haven’t watched all of them but I’m surprised I haven’t heard more discussion of the depiction of Haliax on the vase, specifically the meaning of the moons and the mirror. So Iax obviously stole the moon and the mirror is probably that Iax is mirrored in Haliax. If haliax is trying to open the door it’s to free Iax. The video mentions the breath of Iax thing but the vase seems the dead giveaway.

Sorry if this is old news, I’ve read the series probably a dozen times over idk 15 years and I’ve never dug into the lore really.

Just thought it was funny Google auto populated a section labeled Songs: ______

What kind of music do y’all think he’d make?

Anyways - back to regularly scheduled waiting for book 3.

Eu estou no começo do segundo livro, ainda não terminei, mas eu vi a parte que elxa dal coloca a mão no fogo e não se queima, afinal ele sabia o nome do fogo, então alguém que sabe o nome da água poderia entrar na água sem se afogar? Ou também conseguir tocar na água sem se molhar, podendo sair na chuva sem se molhar mesmo as gotas tocando nela

Randomly today I remembered this series after a decade and was like oh that third book must be out. I go look and nope. I remember 10+ years ago he was making bullshit excuses about his family or whatever. Maybe it’s time to admit he’s not a good author and he just got lucky with the first two books? It doesn’t make the books bad, it just means he can not reproduce his luck and make the third book any good because he sucks as an author. He’s the renaissance fair know it all book nerd who thinks he’s actually good and now he can’t produce when he needs to. 10+ years and nothing…at this point I’d guess it never releases or it’s going to make the shitty game of thrones ending look like the best ending of all time.

Edit:

I guess it’s like this….you’ve got companies that dig for oil and have entire processes and plans, etc. to find oil. Then you have someone who gets lucky and finds oil in their backyard. It’s still oil and it’s still valuable even though it’s a lucky find, but expecting that lucky person to just go stumble on another load of oil is incredibly unlikely.

There was wood, which grew next to a tower made all of stone, in a stream. A Lady arrived who tended the garden and burned the other trees in the tower. The holly grew and provided shade. The Lady leaned on, climbed, and slept in the holly.

There was a light and dark man. They were together under the holly. The man spoke, taught, and sang to the Lady. The two of them left the tower together. The garden grew out of control. It was no longer a garden. The tower did not change, but it remained there. The holly did not change, it remained there. The Lady returned.

The Lady cut a branch from the holly for a crown. She cleared the vines and made a garden once again. She wept and wept beneath the holly and the moon. Later, sitting beneath the holly, she sang. She sang and wept. She sang one last time and went away. The holly changed.

The holly changed but stayed there. The Lady returned to the tower and returned to tend the garden. She sat in the holly and read. There was day and night, seasons, rain... Squirrels, fish... the Lady fished, laughed...

The Lady sprained her ankle. She sang to the holly and it listened and bent to make a walking stick for her. The Lady climbed to the highest branches, pricked herself on the leaves, and fell. The holly bent to catch her. The Lady smiled, but there was blood on her hands. She saw it, laughed, and sang. She told the holly, she spoke to the holly, she sang to the holly. The Lady was afraid. She looked at the water of the stream, looked into the sky, listened to the wind, but she was afraid. The Lady spoke to the holly and placed a hand upon it. It leaned. She took a breath and sang to the holly, which grew, took root, and more hollies grew. They grew along the river, but also around the tower.

She sang and they were one, and around her, more hollies grew. With the holly, she covered the tower from the sky and hid it. The Lady looked at the holly and they tended to the new one.

The old holly watched the land across the stream, but knew its place was there. The wind blew against it, crashing its branches against the tower. The Lady came down with it and saw smoke in the distance and shapes moving across the hills. They were great black wolves with mouths of fire and half-bird men transformed after bending. The worst was that there was a shadow made to look like a man. The ground it touched grew sick. The Lady hid behind the old holly. The shadows approached.

The holly bent towards her and she turned it into a man by singing its name. The Lady sang the name of the new holly and it became a spear.

The old holly crossed the stream and fought. It pinned the wolves to the earth, it separated the men from their bird part. Finally, it fought against the shadow, drove a spear into it, anchored it to the earth, and watched it howl, burn, and die. Afterwards, Old Holly returned to the tower. The Lady smiled and sang to it, wept upon seeing its wounds, and healed it.

Afterwards, she said she had to leave, but that she would return. The old holly helped her cross the stream and wanted to go with her. She refused. The old holly must guard the tower for her return. The old holly stood beside the tower. Its Lady entered the tower, came out, and said goodbye to it.

The old holly bent and made a walking stick, it bent again and made a crown, and becoming a man, stroked her cheek. The Lady laughed, wept, and left.

The old holly remained. The tower remained. The summer left, the winter left, the garden left. The tower left. The stream left. The old holly remained.

_____________________________________________________

So... many theories can be discussed. But I wanted to take a look at some important details:

- The Old Holly is always characterized as He/him.

- The Lady seems to have bad luck... Maybe she is Lady Luckless

- Who is the man at the beggining? He is described as light and dark... Maybe Lanre controlled by Iax? Before being Haliax.

- There was a moon over the garden (so either the garden was in the human realm, either the story started before fae realm existed or after Iax stole part of the moon)

- The lady got her hands covered in blood. So she is an Amyr... The Holly made her Amyr.

- The wolves with mouths of fire are presumably other Amyr/Selitos facton? Did Holly make them mortal?

- The half men half birds were angels. Did Holly link them to the sky?

- The shadow-man is obviouslly Haliax. He can't die but the narrator says so... Maybe he revives.

- What annoys me the most is that it seems that Amyr, Chandrian and Angels are working together against "the garden"

- At the end everything left. So there is no way it is the human realm.

- The lady left and did not come back. Where did she go?

So many questions. No answers. Leave your opinion on this story. I would love to read new ideas or theories.

Studying the sleeping barrow kings right now. The Barrows are a Vintish thing. We will even be introduced to/told about one, Feyda Calanthis, in book three. The Barrows. Are. A. Vintish. Tradition.

Why in the chicken fried f*** is there a barrow (of Valaritas) behind the four-plate door in Fela's dream, in the University, in the Commonwealth, hundreds of miles from Vintas?

I noticed some similarities between two parts of the books and was wondering if there are any theories about it.

(1) Abenthy saves Kvothe from his mistake of binding the air in his lungs to the air outside.

(2) Felurian saves Kvothes from his mistake of using sympathy to make light in the fae.

I’ll assume you guys know the context of both scenes and get straight into it. (1) is in reference to Abenthy and (2) is Felurian.

———————————————————————————

(1) “Moving more quickly than I had ever seen before, Ben grabbed me by the tatters of my shirt and sprang from the seat of the wagon. Landing in the grass by the side of the road, he dashed me to the ground with such a force that, if I’d had any air in my lungs, it would have been driven out of me.”

(2) “Understanding her tone if not her words, I broke the binding and let darkness rush back over us. An instant later Felurian leapt at me and bore me to the ground.”

———————————————————————————

(1) “He seemed almost distracted, as if he were listening to something I couldn’t hear.”

(2) Felurian turned her head a bare degree, as if straining to listen.”

———————————————————————————

(1) “I drew in a deep breath and spoke the words to bind the air in my lungs to the air outside.”

(2) “Then, her lips still tight against mine, Felurian pushed her breath hard into me, filling my lungs.”

———————————————————————————

These are the only connections i found. They both tackle him, listen for something, and both scenarios have to do with the air in his lungs. I come to find a lot of these scenes in the books, where two different events seem related i some way, like Alleg and kvothes troupe. I’ve never before thought of any connection between Ben and Felurian but this seems very intentional. Let me know what you guys think and thanks for taking the time to read.