The Chronicles Of A Serial Killer
Lola Maroun
The Kingkiller Chronicle is a planned fantasy trilogy by the American writer Patrick Rothfuss.[1] The first two books, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, were released in 2007 and 2011. The books released in the series have sold over 10 million copies.[2]
The series centers on a man named Kvothe, an infamous adventurer and musician telling his life story to a scribe. The book is told in a "story-within-a-story" format: a frame narrative relates the present day in which Kvothe runs an inn under an assumed name and is told in omniscient third person. The main plot, making up the majority of the books and concerning the actual details of Kvothe's life, is told in the first person. The series also contains metafictional stories within stories from varying perspectives that tie to the main plot in various ways.
The Kingkiller Chronicle tells the life story of a man named Kvothe. In the present day, Kvothe is a rural innkeeper, living under a pseudonym. In the past, he was a wandering trouper and musician who grew to be a notorious arcanist (wizard), known as the infamous "Kingkiller".
The series is framed as the transcription of his three-day-long oral autobiography, where he "trouped, traveled, loved, lost, trusted and was betrayed". Present-day "interludes" concern his life as an innkeeper, with each present day depicted in a separate book.
The series is a secondary world fantasy; the setting is named Temerant. It has its own magic system, mixing alchemy, sympathetic magic, sygaldry (a form of runic magic combined with medieval engineering), and naming (a type of magic that allows the user to command the classical elements and objects), plus others.
The Kingkiller Chronicle is intended to be a trilogy. The books are set in a fictional world referred to as the Four Corners in-universe;[3] the world's official name, Temerant, was revealed in 2014.[4]
Rothfuss began writing the series in 1994,[5] under the working title The Song of Flame and Thunder; the name was changed because he disliked it, as well as to avoid confusion with the George R. R. Martin series A Song of Ice and Fire.[6] The first draft of the trilogy was completed in 2000,[7] a draft he described as "a hot mess".[5]
Despite promises that the second and third books in the trilogy would follow on an annual schedule,[10] revisions to the second book, including work to bring in the frame narrative and introduce characters that weren't in the original draft, caused delays.[11][12][13] The Wise Man's Fear was released in 2011, topping the New York Times bestseller list.[14]
The Doors of Stone is unreleased as of 2024,[15] a point of contention online.[16] Rothfuss has said that the book would "conclude Kvothe's story", closing off the current arc,[17] but that further stories in the world of Temerant would be forthcoming.[18] He also said that the book presented challenges different from The Wise Man's Fear's.[19] In 2020, Rothfuss's publisher and editor Elizabeth Wollheim expressed frustration with the delay, stating she had not read "a word" of the book nine years on.[20]
In 2012, Rothfuss sold three other books to his publisher, DAW.[26] He has discussed a standalone novel, centered on a legendary figure in the world, with the working title The Tale of Laniel Young-Again.[27] The project was two-thirds complete when it was shelved to focus on The Doors of Stone.[28][29]
In July 2013, 20th Century Fox optioned The Kingkiller Chronicle for a TV series. The production team included Arnon Milchan, Andrew Plotkin, Brad Weston, and Robert Lawrence.[30] Two years later in October, the rights to the books expired and were reverted to Rothfuss.[31][32] At the same time, Rothfuss announced that Lionsgate would be involved in adapting the series through a film, TV series, and video game.[32] Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda was attached to serve as executive producer of the television series, along with John Rogers, Jennifer Court, Robert Lawrence, and Rothfuss, with music composed by Miranda.[33][34][35][36] Showtime began developing the series as of October 2017 but ended their involvement two years later in September, causing the rights to return to Lionsgate TV, which is shopping it around.[37][38]
The metafictional strategic board game Tak: A Beautiful Game was released by Rothfuss and Cheapass Games in 2016 and designed by James Ernest.[42] In 2019, Cheapass Games, including Tak, was sold to Greater Than Games.[43] In March 2021, Greater Than Games re-released Tak: A Beautiful Game (2nd Edition) under its own brand, with new box art and board designs co-created with Rothfuss.[44] There are no differences in the rules between the original and second edition.[45]
The series has received critical acclaim. George R. R. Martin called The Wise Man's Fear his favorite fantasy novel of 2011, and said he wished he had written it.[46] Authors such as Brandon Sanderson,[47] Ursula K. Le Guin, Robin Hobb, Tad Williams, Anne McCaffrey,[48] and Michael Chabon[49] have expressed their admiration for the series. Lin-Manuel Miranda credited the books for inspiring a song in his show Hamilton, as well as a story beat in the Walt Disney film Moana.[50]
The Wise Man's Fear topped The New York Times bestseller list,[14] and the spin-off novella The Slow Regard of Silent Things spent a month on the same before dropping to the extended list.[51]
Although fandom on the series has remained relatively small, there are several sites dedicated to fanfiction and fan art. A reason given that there is so little fan fiction is because of the unique style and tone, as well as the amount of time that Rothfuss gives to his writing. Rothfuss himself has spoken positively of fan fiction, saying that he's looked forward to it, and that "when people start writing fan fiction about your stuff, it shows that your writing has attained a level of popularity".[52]
The Kingkiller Chronicle is presented as the autobiography of Kvothe, an adventurer and famous musician, legendary throughout the Four Corners of Civilization. The plot is divided into two different action threads:
The series alternates between the third and first person perspective. The present-day interludes are in the third person, alternating from an omniscient perspective to that of several characters, while the story of Kvothe's life is told entirely in the first person from his own perspective.
Rothfuss has written several short pieces taking place within the setting of the world of The Kingkiller Chronicle, with more expected to be published at some point. The stories do not focus on Kvothe.
The short story "How Old Holly Came to Be" was published in the anthology Unfettered in June 2013.[1] Written in a chant-like rhythm, the story takes place centuries before The Name of the Wind, and is told from the perspective of a tree.
Rothfuss wrote the trilogy as an extremely long fantasy novel, titled The Song of Flame and Thunder, during his nine-year advance toward his bachelors degree in English. He drew inspiration from the range of college courses he explored, and from his personal interests and hobbies. He submitted the completed novel to several publishing companies but was rejected.[4]
A short story of 14,000 words[1] excerpted from the novel, titled "The Road to Levinshire", won the Writers of the Future Second Quarter competititon in 2002. He then chatted to science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson at a writers workshop and through this managed to secure a deal with his agent Matt Bialer.[4]
The full novel was sold to publisher DAW Books and then split into a three-volume series. In an early manuscript of The Wise Man's Fear from June 2010 the series was titled The Song of the Broken Tree. It was later retitled to The Kingkiller Chronicle.
The second volume of the series, The Wise Man's Fear, was originally due to be released on the 16th April 2009, but was postponed due to revisions. It was finally released in March 2011, hitting the the New York Times Hardback Fiction Best Seller Listat number #1 spot three weeks after its release.[5]
With the popularity of the series growing, American film studio Twentieth Century Fox and film production company New Regency Productions optioned The Kingkiller Chronicle for a television series adaptation in July 2013. The production team attached to the production of the pilot includes Eric Heisserer, Arnon Milchan, Andrew Plotkin, Brad Weston, and Robert Lawrence.[11] The pilot and series bible was sent out to buyers in July 2014 and it is later that year confirmed that American television network NBC has secured the rights for the series, titled Kingkiller.[12]
On October 1, 2015, Patrick Rothfuss announced on his blog that the rights to the books reverted back to him after Twentieth Century Fox's optioned rights expired.[1] Subsequently, a bidding war erupted with several Hollywood studios approaching him to turn the books into a movie.[13] Rothfuss informed the studios that he was not particularly interested in making a movie but would listen to their offers. When Lionsgate approached him, he proposed doing a movie and TV series to give the story time to build and the characters room to breathe. They returned with an offer to produce a movie, TV series and video game. He accepted their offer.[1]
Despite that, he's quick-witted, cunning, well-versed, and kind. Iris would do well with a partner like that at her side. He claims to want to protect Iris from the guild, yet he can't even reveal something as simple as his name. He certainly finds Iris... intriguing. Can she trust him to guide her out of trouble?
Despite all that, it feels like there's another side to him that Iris is drawn to. And he, on the other hand, finds her amusing. Perhaps he isn't as heartless as he seems, and if he claims to have the strength and loyalty to stand in as her partner in crime, then maybe he can help her survive this mess?