Author Patrick Rothfuss Offers Kingkiller Chronicle Book 3 Delay Explanation

Kingkiller Chronicle author Patrick Rothfuss revealed a 10th anniversary edition of The Name of the Wind on Friday. The new edition includes “more than 20” illustrations by Dan Dos Santos, two new maps of the Kingkiller Chronicle world and supplementary appendices where, according to Rothfuss, “I go all the way down the rabbit hole and talk in some crazy detail about things like my currency systems, worldbuilding, the commonly used calendar, and the spread of the Aturan Empire.”

As usual, anytime Rothfuss announces something new in the Kingkiller Chronicle series all people want to hear about is Book 3, currently titled The Doors of Stone. Rothfuss, understands, but laments it:

Anticipating the ever-burning desire for a Kingkiller Chronicle Book 3 release date, Rothfuss offered a standing explanation, citing a video Q&A from earlier this year. “And for those of you who are thinking, ‘Why are we getting this book instead of book three?’ I answered that question in some detail in a video Q&A I did for my charity last year.”

Since, near as I can tell, the cited portion has yet to be converted to highly useful written word technology, I’m here to oblige. Rothfuss proceeds from a simple question, “What is taking so long?” His answer:

“By revision, I don’t mean that I’m running spell check on this. I’m not looking for comma splices. I am doing intensive narrative reworking and creating new things to fill gaps and building parts of the world so everything fits together in a cohesive and pleasing way.”

Though this is the answer he points to as his final statement on the matter until the actual announcement of Book 3’s completion, he actually has some other interesting insights earlier in the Q&A (which is otherwise not really worth watching in full, unless you’re a big ‘Fuss-head).

Rothfuss says he’s deep in the revision process on Book 3, though that didn’t mean it was necessarily near completion. “Not everything functions in a straight line, he said, comparing it to a car under repair. “I took it apart… the entire manifold has been disassembled and it’s been sitting next to it.”

“Is there a publication date for the third book?” Rothfuss said. “The answer — the obvious, obvious goddamn answer — is ‘No.’ Because if there was a publication date for Book 3 I would have written this ebullient glowing blog post about it… and shared that information with you guys so you’d be happy.”

The Q&A also reveals several bullet points regarding the plot of The Doors of Stone:

• “Book 3 closes this arc of the story. Book 3 will not be the final book set in this world.”
• It will include many new locations — “More than three.”
• It will be shorter than The Wise Man’s Fear.

While none of this is exactly new information, chances are you haven’t heard it, unless you’re inclined to watching a guy talk into a webcam for two hours. Plus, for now, it’s Rothfuss’ definitive position on the Kingkiller Chronicle Book 3 release date. So stay patient.

“So… there you go folks. All the news that I have to share right now,” Rothfuss writes.