Since 2008 Kingkiller Chronicle author Patrick Rothfuss has been holding an annual fundraiser to benefit Heifer International, a nonprofit that gives out livestock animals alongside training in animal husbandry and agriculture to promote local economic growth and offer self-sufficiency. His efforts have since expanded into the Worldbuilders charity that directs “the collective power of readers, fellow authors and book loves to make the world a better place.”
Like in previous years, 2016’s fundraising drive is supported by fantasy and sci-fi artists and authors, who have done everything from donating books to auctioning critiques. Rothfuss and other authors also set a number of award stretch goals to unlock. For hitting the $900,000 tier, Pat Rothfuss released a video describing exactly how to pronounce all the tricky character and place names in his Kingkiller Chronicle series.
While the pronunciation of Kvothe — the central character and narrator of The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man’s Fear and the upcoming Book 3, The Doors of Stone — is probably already familiar to Kingkiller Chronicle readers, this video helps with trickier names like Cthaeh, Ademre, Ceald and Edema Ruh (most surprising to me was the pronunciation of ‘Tarbean’).
What’s not to like? It’s 20 minutes of Pat Rothfuss rattling through Kingkiller Chronicle words, setting the record straight. There will be no excuse come the next convention or book festival.
