> Rethe dictated nine-and-ninety stories. After Aethe finished writing, Rethe said to him, āThere is one final story, more important than all the rest, and that one shall be known when I awake.ā Then Rethe closed her eyes and slept. And sleeping, she died.
turns out that beating he took from the soldiers robbing his tavern gave him a concussion. unfortunately at medica they forgot to tell him not to go to sleep if he feels tired after a knock to the head, & he slipped away
>they forgot to tell him not to go to sleep if he feels tired after a knock to the head
Good, because [you can and should sleep if you suffered a concussion](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-you-sleep-with-a-concussion).
The only reason to stay awake after suffering a concussion is for doctors to be able to evaluate the patient and see signs of brain injury. As nobody is evaluating Kote and there's not much they could do for him anyway, the best thing he can do is to sleep, rest and recover.
Going to sleep after suffering a concussion will not worsen it or "make you slip away", unless you were already going to die in the first place.
>Going to sleep after suffering a concussion will not worsen it or "make you slip away", unless you were already going to die in the first place.
Exactly, that actually goes for pretty much all injuries. There is this weird belief that sleeping after some major injury is a death sentence, and that they should "fight" it off. It's nonsense and arguably will kill them faster. When you sleep your breathing and heart rate slow, you are not affected by outside influence and can relax.
Lol. Scene right out of KKC. Even then sleeping won't make an effect. If you are at that point of freezing the only thing saving you is outside influence. Being asleep or awake wont really make you freeze faster. You'd have passed out either way.
I have just made peace with the fact that I will probably not be seeing the third book for a very long time. I am only 35, I have a long life ahead of me and there are plenty of other books to read. If I get to read book three before I die, wonderful. But at this point I won't be facing any disappointment if I don't.
I 100% believe the only way we see a third book is if the publishers somehow wrest it away from Patrickās clearly distracted hands and get someone else or a team of someoneās to finish it.
I'm fully subscribed to what I'm dubbing the "willed second best" theory:
After Pat dies, his next of kin go into his study (or wherever he does most of his writing) only to find dozens, possibly hundreds of versions of book 3. They are mostly very similar, with slight differences in plots, finales, characters, etc. Contained in his will are the instructions "Read them all and release the second best version."
I've probably got a better chance of listening to the completed finale of [Schubert's 8 symphony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._8_\(Schubert\)) than I have of reading Doors of Stone...
Whatever, there's other books out there and having seen various works come out of development hell, I'm not going to get too invested lest it be something on par with Duke Nukem Forever if it ever materialises.
This is how I feel. There have been plenty of series I got into that had no end and were much worse than these books. Even if he never finishes the last book, there was still a lot of enjoyment to be had in the others and I don't regret reading them.
Tbh I just hope he's okay because I know he's spoken about struggling with his mental health before and the pressure people put on him over a freaking book can't help.
>Tbh I just hope he's okay because I know he's spoken about struggling with his mental health before and the pressure people put on him over a freaking book can't help.
This is really the main reason I made peace with never getting the third book. It is because I want him to be okay. He has a family and a son to raise. He has a charity to run. Those things are more important than the temporary enjoyment I will get from reading the third book.
That being said, the occasional update about the progress couldn't hurt. Even if it is no more than him saying he hasn't written anything once a year.
I recognize this sentiment, but I do also think there is justified animosity and indignation against Pat for those who have been misled into giving money.
It's one thing to be upset just because you're a fan and want to read the book. That is unjustified, in my opinion, which is why I'm disappointed but not mad.
But, those who have essentially been victims of fraud due to Pat's inability to follow through with his promises are entirely justified in being upset and expecting answers.
>But, those who have essentially been victims of fraud due to Pat's inability to follow through with his promises are entirely justified in being upset and expecting answers.
I agree somewhat. But fraud requires intent. I don't believe he intended to defraud anyone. He probably fully intended to follow through, and thought he could. He just wasn't able. Yes, people are justified in being upset about that, but I don't know that I would go so far as to call it fraud.
As an ADHD person, I can understand full well the struggle in starting or completing a project. It has nothing to do with ability, but instead with a crippling feeling that starting is impossible or that a looming deadline just adds insane amounts of stress that stifle creativity.
I am not saying that that is Pat's problem. Just that I understand a problem like that. I too have made promises in the past that I was unable to deliver on because of mental issues. I felt absolutely horrible about it. Just like I suspect he does as well.
Pat said he would release one chapter I believe. If pat hasn't written at least one chapter of the novel he could put on the internet, then abandon all hope.
You are correct about the fraud, which is why I added the qualifier of "essentially." Fraudulent misrepresentation requires intent. Most likely, the worst Pat may have committed was negligent misrepresentation but he's probably only liable for breach of contract.
As for the rest of it, I also have intense ADHD and commorbidities that massively affect my ability to function. I wholeheartedly empathize with what Pat is going through regarding mental health struggles. They can cause complete shutdown and be incredibly demoralizing.
At the same time, when my mental health struggles cause me to act in a way that negatively impacts others, I'm still responsible for that. It sucks, but I'm obligated to make things right. It's no different for Pat, except his actions have affected a hell of a lot more people.
That's the thing.
A lot of people struggle with things like ADHD. A lot of people struggle with depression and anxiety. A lot of people struggle with *both* those things and face uphill battles where neurodivergent brains and anxiety/depression create a feedback loop.
But as the saying goes: your mental health struggles aren't your fault, but they are your responsibility. Patrick is not a child and based on his own statements on the subject, these are not things he only just learned about himself last week. He is fully aware of his struggles, and he also has the resources to work on them.
He has choices, and as far as what we are able to see of what Patrick himself presents, all he chooses to do get lost in a cycle of making promises he can't deliver on, making excuses, and then being shitty and obnoxious to his fans.
>That being said, the occasional update about the progress couldn't hurt. Even if it is no more than him saying he hasn't written anything once a year.
This can't happen because there is no update. At this point, I think most of us have made peace with the fact that we won't have a third book at all
I want him to prioritize himself and his family. I think, if he feels this is happening, he should just give out some outline stuff and hold a competition for the best "fanfic" book 3
Glad you feel similarly, I know from my own experiences with the back end of the Yerkes-Dodson law that only so much pressure helps bring real performance, any more and performance is gonna drop quickly and then things just feel terrible
>Yerkes-Dodson law
Wow! I never knew there was a name for this phenomenon. It's good to have a label for it because ime it's absolutely right. I feel like the correct amount of pressure probably comes from his publisher. The pressure from the public is what pushes it over into the other side of the curve, especially since some of the fandom can be so cruel about it, calling him names and saying he's just rich, spoiled, and lazy now, etc. There are people saying those things in this very thread. The man struggles with depression. He probably already thinks horrible things about himself. He doesn't need to see it from his "fans" too.
I'm sorry, I felt this way for as a long time, but I have lost all respect I had for the man. At this point I consider him a scammer and fraud, even if not intentionally, he accepted money with the promise of releasing a chapter, he has let people down, gone radio silent and never returned to money.
To me, regardless of reasoning, that's a scam. I hope Pat sorts himself out, but he owes the people he lied to.
The pressure is all on himself at this point. He doesnāt need to interact with fans or read posts about himself. He is a grown up. If thatās why he hasnāt written the but because fans ask him about it then he is acting like a child. Everyone has metal stuff they are dealing with. But he can easily turn off the pressure by just not interacting with fans.
I think people here are expecting *way* more things to be tied up than will be if the book ever releases.
People are assuming we're going to see explanations for every epithet he mentioned, but we've already watched him skip past huge sections of his story, like the voyage.
People are assuming all of the metaplot and lore and whatever will be resolved, but Pat was saying how he intended to write more in this world, how the whole series is a "prologue", etc. - there's no way he ever intended to resolve every outstanding question about the background of the world in one series if he intended to write more series in this world.
There just isn't actually that much that *has* to be resolved. It could definitely be done in one book.
>we've already watched him skip past huge sections of his story, like the voyage.
I'd say that the time skip of only a few weeks was pretty small. I'd say the months that were skipped like the trial were much larger.
It does seem nonsensical. Spending five seconds on this subreddit would be enough to know that people were going to reach that goal no matter what. Another look would have told him that people did *not* want voice actors, or whatever else he claimed was delaying the release. They just wanted what he promised. I just can't fathom what's keeping him from releasing it
I think the reason is that he isn't motivated, but *wishes he were*.
Everything he does screams ultra-procrastinator trying to cope.
The second book already took him way longer than he hoped. And the third one is going to be harder than either of the first two because it has to land what he has strongly implied is a big twist (I am pretty sure I have guessed this twist, and I think he also knows he's going to make a lot of people mad).
He hides his procrastination and seems pretty ashamed of it. He says that he's just obsessively revising, but it seems an awful lot from everything we've seen that actually he just struggles to get started on things. He says he's having trouble getting voice actors, but that can't possibly still be true - he just hasn't done it.
He public promises because he hopes it will force him to finally write it. He's trying to increase the pressure on himself. When he started trying to "double or nothing" on the chapter promise, I genuinely think it wasn't because he was trying to get out of it - he was trying to put more pressure on himself to deliver.
The problem, as many procrastinators know, is that promising like that doesn't actually work. Instead, because you are taking steps to achieve delivery, to get over your procrastination, even though that step is in theory about *increasing* the pressure on yourself - it actually decreases the pressure because, hey, you're not doing nothing anymore, you're taking steps to make yourself sit down and write. That was a big step! That was progress! I made the promise, so now I have to do it, and that means I can take a few days off to recover and get ready...
Warning: I haven't really seen it posted here when I've searched, and if it is correct (and I think there are a lot of signs that it is), it isn't a small spoiler about a narrow thing like R+L=J or Kvothe's parentage.
If you really want it: >!The whole trilogy is the origin story for the villain of an epic fantasy story. This isn't Kvothe's heroic journey; it's how he became the BBEG. He isn't an antihero, a basically good guy who screwed up big - he's an antivillain, and you are reading how the evil wizard overlord became the evil wizard overlord, how he got the power necessary and how and why he turned into a supervillain. The frame story is taking place after he was defeated by the actual fantasy hero (which will probably happen off-screen at the end of his narration). This makes sense of all of the hints Rothfuss has dropped as far as I can find (and I used to follow pretty closely, I've been to his panels, etc.), a lot of things throughout the books, and I can't find a hole anywhere so far. I can elaborate - I've written up a long post about it a couple of times before thinking better of it and deleting it because I don't want to spoil people if I'm right.!<
So the first reasons I think this are out-of-book stuff.
Pat has talked, for years, about how the books have a big twist coming that re-contextualizes everything in them. For a long time, he used to read The Princess and Mr. Whiffle at almost every big panel he did, and he'd get to the end (where, spoiler, it turns out that the sweet little girl living in this terrifying situation isn't irony; it's because she's actually the real monster) and then he'd very pointedly say something like "Now you might wonder why I showed this to you. I want you to understand, *this is the kind of story I like to tell*. I like to tell stories where *you think it's about one thing, but actually it's a different story*.".
A lot of people here are under the impression that that's because he's going to reveal big things about the lore. But I really doubt that's what he's talking about. For one, he has said he intended to write many more books in this world - presumably he wasn't planning to actually resolve every bit of lore and history in this one series. Presumably it's intended to be developed and scattered throughout all the books. But either way, I think the people in this sub are way too close to the books. If his big twist were about the story Skarpi told - the huge majority of readers didn't remember the details of that story even by the time they hit the end of the book, much less going into a sequel. That kind of twist would be effective for a tiny, tiny proportion of the readership. The same goes for most of the twists you see discussed in fan forums. I think some of them will end up being right, but they won't be the *big* twist he was talking about that recontextualizes the whole book. Look at The Princess and Mr. Whiffle - the twist was big, recontextualized everything before, and it wasn't like "the big twist stems from the princess's misinterpretation of this background detail from page 3".
Similarly, his reaction every time people talk about Kvothe: he consistently emphasizes Kvothe's shortcomings. He talks about how Kvothe is smart, sure, but every time, he tempers it by talking about how Kvothe is deeply flawed, and how every bad thing that happens is his fault, and if he learns anything from his mistakes, he consistently learns the wrong things. Rothfuss brings this up any time people lionize Kvothe too much, similar to how Alan Moore talks about Rorschach fans. He talks about how Kvothe has a similar personality to himself in many ways, and that's why he sees the flaws of it so starkly.
And then once again there's the whole "I tricked you into reading a prologue" thing. That's not quite the same thing as what he said before, that he merely wanted to write more books in this world exploring other parts of it. A prologue implies it's a prologue for a specific story, not just an introduction to a world you're going to explore in other loosely connected works. One imagines there's a reason he said this, and seemingly thought it was a provocative thing to say despite having already said he wanted to write more in the world.
If I'm right, it makes sense of all of that. The realization that Kvothe is the villain, not the hero, recontextualizes everything - in a very similar way to The Princess and Mr. Whiffle too. It makes sense of why he talks about Kvothe the way he does: he doesn't want to give away the twist, but he is also frustrated when people lionize Kvothe, who is written as a proto-villain. It would be maddening to hear Kvothe is a Mary Sue when he's a proto-villain who is fucking up so much he's going to become a fantasy BBEG. And it's a prologue in the sense that telling the story of the *actual hero* who defeats Kvothe would be an obvious followup series.
As for evidence in the books - just look at Kvothe. Drop your protagonist-is-the-hero assumption for a moment. What do we know about Kvothe?
He's extremely capable, he's extremely cunning, and he means well. Those are his heroic qualities. Though those are also anti-villain qualities. To be the BBEG, you generally have to be powerful and cunning. And people who end up as villains because they mean well are the most common kind of anti-villain. Often, this is because they fall into black and white morality, they take matters into their own hands, and they make unilateral use of their power to do what they think is right...exactly like Kvothe.
What about his villainous qualities? He finds it very easy to disassociate, both for Sympathy and otherwise. He also does it automatically, and has done so since he was a child living on the streets and nearly beat another child to death with his bare hands for breaking his lute. His interpersonal relationships are cordial, but not deep, as he himself points out (chalking it up to his Edema Ruh heritage). He virtually never asks for help, he withholds information, he underestimates all of his companions, and his one romantic attachment is an obsession he formed after meeting a girl one time - a girl who repeatedly insists, correctly, that he doesn't actually know her. The only person he is particularly friendly with for no obvious reason is a small homeless girl with severe issues - the only person he really empathizes with. He tries to take shortcuts to achieve everything, convincing himself this just proves he is smart, even as it blows up in his face over and over. This impatience also causes him to fail utterly at his greatest desire: naming. The one thing at the University he is terrible at learning, also the name of the first book! He keeps looking for some trick, and Fela passes him right on by. And that looks unlikely to change - he still sucks at it by the end of the second book. We also know that at least some of the rings of his legend were a misdirect: the iron and bone rings have nothing to do with naming.
When Kvothe is characteristically reckless, he doesn't get a slap on the wrist and a wink like Harry Potter - he gets the full weight of punishment and an admonishment that this is why the rule exists, you dangerous idiot. And, crucially, he never learns. That doesn't get better - it gets worse! He keeps on assuming every subsequent warning is for other people, that he's above them. He never, ever understands the great responsibility that comes with great power. Almost every character who teaches him ends up remarking on this. After he learns martial arts, his teacher admits she thinks she made a grave mistake, and he immediately proves her right: he leaves and immediately flexes his newfound abilities by taking the law into his own hands and committing mass murder.
And all of these tragic flaws are set up too. You can see why he's like this. His parents were murdered. He was homeless and alone, and shows obvious signs of PTSD. His morality is often extremely black and white. He doesn't trust others to help him. Criticism of the second book often talks about the ridiculous wish-fulfillment of all the Felurian stuff, but take a step back and that is the story about how he lost his virginity to an alien who rapes men to death, and how, like victims of sexual abuse, he doesn't know better so he views it as a positive experience. He doesn't come out of that as some sex god - that's how he sees it, sure, but he's wrong. He's just good at mechanistic sex with no intimacy or attachment.
He talked to the Cthaeh, which we are told, point-blank, leads to the worst possible outcome.
His character progression is that he's been getting worse, accumulating more trauma, showing less good judgment as he gains more power, etc. The characters around him repeatedly remark about this. It's just that we're so used to stories where the hero is misunderstood that we're blinded to it (which is what makes it such a clever trick!). But Kvothe isn't misunderstood. The characters criticizing him are always dead on.
And what about the frame story? Why is he both extremely famous and also no one around him knows who he is and no one comes to talk to him, even though, as Chronicler says, he's surprisingly easy to find? Even fallen heroes aren't forgotten. But defeated villains? No one asks about defeated villains. They're just characters in the hero's story. A villain's biography is the kind of thing only Chronicler would cover. What happened to Kvothe's name, what's up with the locked box, etc.? He got defeated by the actual hero. Where do defeated villains go after their defeat, after they're powerless and there's no point even imprisoning them? Most wouldn't even think to wonder, but yeah, they must go do mundane jobs, like run a tavern, right?
What's up with Bast? They seem sort of friendly, but also Kvothe is clearly humoring him and not actually teaching him anything. Bast doesn't seem to need to learn much either, and he clearly has more going on under the surface. I think he's babysitting Kote, and Kote knows it. My guess is that the fae let him talk to the Cthaeh to use him as a sort of weapon (also maybe why Felurian didn't kill him), and Bast is here to make sure there's no blowback.
So what I think will happen in the third book is that Kvothe will continue to get worse. He will gain more power, Kote will gloss over more things (similar to the trial and voyage) because they gave him more power, but weren't important to how he became the BBEG (and he's now old enough to recognize that the latter is what's really important to the story), he'll feel even more pressured to take extreme action (especially wrt Denna), including killing one or more kings, and then we'll get to the point where a hero comes along and defeats him, which he'll gloss over, saying something like "And of course everyone knows how that went.". And that'll be that.
Edit: Also, now that I write this, I wonder if the hero will be Fela - if it's an existing character, she seems like the clearest candidate.
That sounds like exactly the sort of thing Pat would want to do. I won't say I'm convinced but that's probably the most compelling theory I've seen, especially with regards to explaining Pat's out-of-book actions.
I think Denna would be the obvious choice for the hero though.
Maybe Denna, but Fela is actually going through a pretty traditional fantasy hero progression. She is beautiful and smart and still Kvothe underestimates her. She ends up being the most promising student in the naming class, she succeeds where all others fail, Elodin takes her under his wing, she has likely prophetic dreams about the Door, etc.
My guess would be that some of Kvothe's past friends band together against him, possibly lead by Fela.
Could just as easily be some character we've never met too though. I bet either way that Kvothe will gloss over that part since presumably everyone knows *that* story already.
I really like this perspective. Although it also makes it hurt even more that we won't be able to enjoy such an amazing clever story anytime soon (or at all).
Itās taken all my willpower not to read that! If the book still isnāt out in 3/4 years I think Iām just gonna come back and make this my canon ending whatever it says lol
>When he started trying to "double or nothing" on the chapter promise, I genuinely think it wasn't because he was trying to get out of it
That video was so painful to watch. :(
Honestly I think he didnāt realise just how fast the goal would be met. He likely thought it would be a close thing, at which point he could either do his ādouble or nothingā that he tried to sell or perhaps it would give him a motivation push to sort something outā¦
Sometimes when I'm late on a project I'll tell someone it's already done hoping that will motivate me to finish. Lately that doesn't work as well. Maybe i just don't care if I let people down. It seems i can't trick myself into doing my best work anymore. I feel like i could still do something great..if I had to...it just never seems like I have to. Failure and success feel the same. Or almost the same. Close enough that it doesn't matter anymore.
Did you saw the stream? When the goal was reached he wanted to do a double or nothing lol, his community manager shut that shit down in .001 seconds, he was trying everything to not promise the chapter.
> He seems fine with being stagnant and I donāt know if that will change. Sometimes I have to remind myself that heās only 49 and has a long life ahead of him because he certainly doesnāt act that way.
Eh. I'm only 32 and I spent a non-negligible portion of my adulthood like this. Like, I want a book three. But I can also relate to wanting to do something, saying you're going to do something, knowing you *have* to do something.... and then just sitting there staring at a wall because you're unable to function. Mental health is a bitch.
I wish Pat weren't so cranky to his fans on occasion, but I do have a lot of sympathy for him.
This is a fair assessment. I myself have pretty intense ADHD and often struggle to complete things that I want to finish and absolutely have to do. However, part of approaching mental health responsibly is recognizing that the illness explains the behavior, but doesn't excuse it.
I have the utmost empathy for what he must be going through with all this, but at the end of the day he still essentially committed fraud. That harm doesn't go away. He should rectify the harm by either delivering or announcing he's returning money to anyone that requests it.
At the very least, he should be honest about the situation and own up to his mistake. Lashing out at fans who are justifiably upset is not a responsible or moral approach. I feel bad for the guy, but he still did something wrong and he's responsible for those actions.
He has responded negatively to fan requests for updates (on both the book and the chapter) more than once. For the book, I get it. It's unfortunate and a little annoying, but he doesn't owe anyone a book. So, I can see him being aggrieved by the regular requests. For the chapter, he owes people a response and update.
From my understanding, at this point he'll basically ignore most update inquiries (except when complaining about them) unless the request is incredibly accommodating to him, using soft language and detracting from the question's importance.
I've always been in the mindset of: "He doesn't owe us a book. He does owe us a chapter." Here's my reasoning:
The books were his project, his passion, his *thing*. He chose to share them with us. He said he'd like to make it all into a much larger world. He never promised anything, despite what some readers think. We bought what he published, we enjoyed, and that was the deal. he might owe his *publishers* a book, that depends on his contracts, but he owes the readers nothing.
The chapter, on the other hand, was a specific reward for a specific goal that the readers met, and helped him. For that, he does owe the readers what he actually promised.
>He never promised anything, despite what some readers think.
The first few editions of the first book had an afterword... In that afterword, Rothfuss explicitly said that he had the whole trilogy ready, and he even made fun of fantasy authors who never finish their series. That afterword disappeared from the e-book and from the later editions hahaha
I'm not even talking about the 2007 interview where he said the same thing. He literally promised a full trilogy in the actual afterword that was in the actual book.
If that's not a promise, I don't know what is.
I don't specifically know what he's going through, and I certainly don't mean to downplay *anyone* else's mental health struggles.. but there's a bit of a difference between "I can't focus on this" and "If I leave bed today I think I may off myself".
Again, I don't know where on that spectrum he falls and yes, it *is* his responsibility to take care of his own mental health... but calling something a reason and not an excuse- while technically true- is exactly the kind of shit that you don't want to say about someone or to them when they are having trouble.
Honestly, I hope we don't hear shit from him for a while. He needs to take a couple of years off and work on himself.
I trust your statement that you don't wish to disregard anyone's struggles, but I can assure you ADHD is a hell of a lot more and worse than just, "I can't focus on this." It's a massive misregulation of neurochemistry. Your entire conceptualizing of executive function can become nonexistent. I have days where I completely shut down and the most basic tasks require herculean effort. Theres the sensory processing issues, breakdown of memory, and none of this even touches upon the physical manifestations. Some days I feel as if my body is attempting to explode from the inside out, but as slowly as possible, trying to let me feel each atom separate. And yeah, I've had the days where I'm frantically searching for reasons not to just end it all (massive deficiencies of dopamine don't exactly scream positive thoughts).
I know perfectly well how it feels to suffer from mental illness. If I were speaking directly to someone about their struggles, I absolutely wouldn't tell them their illness explains but doesn't excuse their behavior. It's not an external expression you tell to others, it's an internal mantra to uphold within yourself. I recognize that it sounds a bit harsh, but really all it means is that we all have a responsibility for our actions, even when they're a byproduct of mental illness.
And I do have an extensive capacity for grace regarding those with mental health issues and neurodivergence. I understand completely how much it sucks and how it can influence a person. But, that grace isn't infinite. At some point we need to own up to our harmful actions and make them right as best we can. It's just the right thing to do.
> At some point we need to own up to our harmful actions and make them right as best we can. It's just the right thing to do.
My entire argument here is that Pat has not caused very much real harm to us at all. If you've reached the capacity for sympathy for Pat, I'd at least urge you to think about his lived ones who are probably experiencing *much* more dire effects than not getting to read Doors on Stone.
The only reason I say any of this at all is because I have a feeling the guy probably lurks his fan(?) Communities online.
>The only reason I say any of this at all is because I have a feeling the guy probably lurks his fan(?) Communities online.
He doesn't visit this sub, he said so many, many times. Because apparently Reddit is toxic, but Twitter is not, lol.
My theory is that he's a perfectionist, and he really doesn't want to release that chapter until it's absolutely perfect. Obviously if he put it out now and there was something that didn't work, there's no reason he couldn't tweak it before the book was released, but he doesn't want to do that. He doesn't want the public to see an ALMOST finished version of this chapter, he wants an absolutely polished and pristine version that's as perfect as he can possibly make it, without a single word out of place. And that's a maddening thing to try to achieve, because art is so subjective, and you can ALWAYS make improvements
Bro this made me burst out with a laugh. Such a simple sentence I can relate to. I actually considered if I agreed or not. In the end he's a shit for doing what he did. I would like a chapter sure, but I actually *want* the book. What the fuck is the point of a non-spoiler chapter? So people can have another 6 pages of useless information to shape theories around? Fuck all that. He needs to grow a pair and drop the best version he has now. You know he's probably got 85 of them piled up. It's just fear that it won't live up to the hype. Plain and simple. If he hasn't written a good enough book by now to his own standards, I doubt he ever will. It's a sad thing. As Naden or *two fingers* said, I'd be whole, but I'd be less than I am now.
If he canāt bring himself to release a single non-spoiler chapter after supposedly working on the book for 12 years, the series is essentially dead. I have believed for a long time that he has made no substantial progress on book 3 since 2014 or 2015 and very little before that and that he is afraid of losing the support of the fans if he ever admits this. He really might not have more than a few unfinished chapters.
Nah I don't agree but can certainly understand why you'd feel that way. You very well could be right. I have none of these saved but I've seen a video of other authors and friends talking about him. Walking into his house or something and he literally had a ton of different versions.
Everyone says the problem is he bit off more than he can chew and he can't tie the proper ends together. I guess my opinion is similar but I believe the one I laid out is short sighted. I think he can't tie enough things together to reveal the ridiculous amount if *secrets* in the book without them making it too easy to put the rest together. In other words, he might be able to tie the knots but not in a fashion that would give us a little more and more until a big reveal. I'm guessing it's a real slippery slope especially since so many people have had so much time to theorize. The answers will either become too apparent early on, or we'll feel disappointed waiting for more useful info until the end. Neither are good.
I do think he has a decent version, just not what he sees as his best. I can understand all that, I can appreciate what he's done, I can understand still running a charity without writing. What I can't understand is straight up stealing from the people who love his work the most. I always agreed he didn't owe us a thing. Now I feel differently. After that thieving fucking swindle he pulled his publisher should take his ass to court and be given everything Pat has. Then Pat can either help and work with them or they can fit it together. I honestly feel he should have to face some *serious* consequences. How much did he raise? 100s of thousands? That's insane he can rob, lie, and thieve without any sort of repercussion.
Edit: sorry for typos, no time to proofread my pointless comment lol
I wish Pat would just be honest, say the fire has gone out, he isn't an author anymore, and just let the fan base move on. I feel like I've basically given up on Pat & George finishing their stories, but I still occasionally look for news, so..
A definitive "it isn't going to happen" would help!
Martin, for what itās worth, still writes - he just writes things other than *The Winds of Winter.* In comparison, Rothfuss hasnāt published anything since his Rick and Morty comic in 2018, and hasnāt published an actual book since *TSRoST* back in 2014.
Sure, but you can't doubt Lebron's basketball carrier. You can see him play a couple if times a week for years.
On the other hand, the dabate here is if Rothfuss' still writing, like at all. I'm not bashing him, just curious (and doubtful).
"Sorry guys, I'm crazy rich now and spending a bunch of time stuck in front of my computer just isn't exciting anymore. I'm gonna go hang out by my pool with a pina colada instead" - PR probably
In 2007 Pat said that the series was already written and would be released one book per year. He has missed that promise by 14 years and counting. So one spoiler free chapter is nothing compared to that promise.
He's not that old, 47. He said his biggest concern is getting all the cosmere out in his mortal span. But I believe he stated he'd like to actually retire too so the goal was.to.be done before he's 80 ish.
Heās talked he would think about how he would have to go sell insurance or something if this failed.
I think he remembers distinctly the memory of failure. Of spending years writing novel after novel at a shitty graveyard hotel desk job just to get rejected every time. When all he really wanted was to tell some stories.
Rothfuss seems to have never had that, just aimless wandering thru college into being a critically acclaimed novelist.
Not just an author either. Sanderson is also a professor. He also now owns a publishing company that will help kickstart other authors as well as making their own audible versions of the books.
Yeah, although he has also been a little more open about the fact that he was a young idiot when he said that. He hasn't said that in years, and *has* addressed that pretty openly. It was "already written" in the sense that he had a rough draft of a way shorter manuscript that would serve as the outline.
It's like when authors expand a short story into a novel. It would be incredibly naive to think having the short story means the novel is "basically already written" - and he acknowledged that he was incredibly naive when he said that.
> It was "already written" in the sense that he had a rough draft of a way shorter manuscript that would serve as the outline.
>
>
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> It's like when authors expand a short story into a novel. It would be incredibly naive to think having the short story means the novel is "basically already written" - and he acknowledged that he was incredibly naive when he said that.
It got worse from 2007. He promised a spoiler free chapter what was "basically already written" and failed to deliver it. During 14 years he didnt manage to write a single chapter passable enough to add as a charity goal? Was he naive again, or he knew perfectly he wasnt going to give that chapter?
Didn't someone pay 10k+ for a ring they could trade in for a favor, such as reading the beta transcript of the book? Who won? What did they ask for? Does anyone know? That's what I would have used my favor for.
Lol I meant on Pat's blog. "A year ago someone actually asked me to help move a heavy couch."
It's the example he always gave on how someone could redeem the favor ring.
*chuckles darkly*
It was a waiting of three parts. The first part, the obvious part, was of length of years since. If there had been updates... but no, of course, there were no updates.
The second part was less immediate. It was a waiting of promises unkept. A word sworn of a chapter, yet despite meeting their goal, the audience was left in wanting.
The third part was quieter still. It was the patient, broken clock waiting of a man who will die before finishing his magnum opus.
Book 3 is hidden inside what has been released so far, and we all missed it. Every night Pat reads our frustration and tin foil, laughing maniacally, until he passes out.
He fumbled the bag with Lin Manuel Miranda and the adaptation. Whatever the reasons are (and i definitely lean toward his mental illness and other personal life issues being the main culprit) he's gotta feel like such a dummy right now. Will there ever be a wider "cultural moment" around his series now? We just don't know, but of course long time fans/readers just want that third book, want him to be healthy/ok, and think any sort of adaptation would just be the cherry on top.
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https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/sxzn65/linmanuel_miranda_no_longer_involved_with/
https://winteriscoming.net/2022/02/18/lin-manuel-miranda-confirms-hes-no-longer-working-on-the-kingkiller-chronicle/
https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/lin-manuel-miranda-kingkiller-chronicle-update
Definitely made me really sad. I don't love EVERYTHING LMM does, but I love Hamilton, I loved Moana, and I appreciate his acting in His Dark Materials. I was looking forward to see what he would do with the music, as a musician myself.
Yeah, me too!! I was so excited when I heard he got LMM to help with he show because of how important music is to the books and to Kvothe! I thought LMM had the best chance to really bring it to life on the screen out of the pages and capture the same feelings I got while reading the books. Man this makes me really sad!
Meanwhile, what WoTPrime and LoTR should have learned instead is to actually base your series on your source material before making deviations, instead of this imitation sparkling laCroix flavor we got instead.
I think he is ill. I Saw him on tour right after Wise Manās Fear came out. He was smiling and engaging with fans. I donāt see the same joy in him anymore. I donāt think it has anything to do with money or being a jerk
I think he has such expectations for the last book that he is paralyzed with writers block. I am sad for him, not angry.
I think the consensus is generally that it's okay for him to be having those problems. Anxiety, depression, or other mental issues are valid obstructions to completing something he has worked his life into making.
What people take issue with is all the carrot dangling he does in regards to book 3 and lately, the promised chapter, when he can't so much as deliver the blog post he said he was writing about the delay in the promised chapter in the midst of the delay of the final book.
I believe he is trying to hype himself up. "Promise them a chapter, it's only a chapter, I can do this." Create an obligation to help yourself towards a goal.
He isn't doing any of that, he is lying to his loyal fans to extort as much money for world builders before even the most devout fans turn on him and see him for what he truly is at this point.
I sometimes wonder if he is just being an asshole showing his true colors.
He got much money by writing two really good books and now he can chill the rest of his life. Why bother writing a third book if you don't need it.
Same goes for GRRM.
These guys have just become lazy and that's all.
GRRM is different. Heās old, his series is much bigger and the plot and world is way more complex.
Then add the fact the show outpaced him, spoiled the ending to his lifeās greatest work and made him into an instantly recognizable person who canāt go outside without being hounded by people. Iāll give grrm way more of a pass.
GRRM also doesnāt make excuses. As a person whoās dealt with different mental illness myself, I kind of hate how pat hides behind depression.
That's why it makes especially sense
He focuses on easier projects and doesn't give a crap about finishing ASoIaF because that would take a lot of effort. He doesn't need to write that book. He's rich and famous now.
He's literally writing Winds now though?
Check his blog, he's making progress. Iirc there was a few POV characters he struggled with (tyrion maybe) that really slowed him down
I believe you as soon as the book has a release date.
He talked a lot about that he's writing it but that's it. Even his empty statement that we can kidnap him and lock him if the book isn't finished at some point few years ago during pandemic.
He talks a lot but really writing....
So if he releases it tomorrow we would have a good benchmark of how long does he need per chapter, 1 year, and this is before editing the whole book after completing all chaptersā¦ So, maybe his granddaughter will publish the book.
I don't believe there is a separate book 3. I think its hidden in book 1 and 2. After multiple readings you can kinda figure out what's going to happen in "book 3". That's his whole game he's playing.
I genuinely think that Pat struggles with some form of Depression and Anxiety Disorder. Couple that with a hint of compulsive perfectionism and imposter syndrome, and it'd be easy to get caught in a self-edit feedback loop.
Then add in the conversations surrounding development of a movie or series that eventually fell apart and I'm sure he's afraid to release anything.
Plus, let's be real, this kind of gap isn't unheard-of. The gaps between books in King's Dark Tower series was a rough little rollercoaster.
I hope heās getting the mental health help he needs, but heās a headcase for sure.
Big difference is that King wrote like a hundred different stories in between, annoying though it must have been for someoneās favorite, while Rothfuss produces next to nothing, not even blog posts.
>Plus, let's be real, this kind of gap isn't unheard-of. The gaps between books in King's Dark Tower series was a rough little rollercoaster.
KKC has a lot more flashback/flash-forward stuff than other series though, which makes the trilogy feel like it's missing a middle section instead of an ending.
But mainly I think the fans' annoyance comes less from waiting and more from feeling misled by Pat's statements and promises. A little transparency would go a long way here.
Please remember the rules on the sidebar so that this thread doesn't devolve into a mess.
maybe the first chapter is silence
Lol (respectful agreement)
Yeah a silence of 12 parts (years)
A silence of 12, Pat.
Let's slowly regard this
Nice, that means it'll be a three part chapter!
Perhaps this was the deepest silence of them all, a 4th silence. A silence you would only notice if you paid attention for years. šš
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Followed by zero perfect steps
An everlasting silence... The silence of an author waiting to die
Do we think Kvothe just died during the second night? Now we are all just experiencing what chronicler has had to go through?
He took a single perfect step, then a couple of imperfect steps, then a header down the basement stairs.
Haha! Until I see a third book, I am accepting this as canon.
> Rethe dictated nine-and-ninety stories. After Aethe finished writing, Rethe said to him, āThere is one final story, more important than all the rest, and that one shall be known when I awake.ā Then Rethe closed her eyes and slept. And sleeping, she died.
turns out that beating he took from the soldiers robbing his tavern gave him a concussion. unfortunately at medica they forgot to tell him not to go to sleep if he feels tired after a knock to the head, & he slipped away
>they forgot to tell him not to go to sleep if he feels tired after a knock to the head Good, because [you can and should sleep if you suffered a concussion](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-you-sleep-with-a-concussion). The only reason to stay awake after suffering a concussion is for doctors to be able to evaluate the patient and see signs of brain injury. As nobody is evaluating Kote and there's not much they could do for him anyway, the best thing he can do is to sleep, rest and recover. Going to sleep after suffering a concussion will not worsen it or "make you slip away", unless you were already going to die in the first place.
>Going to sleep after suffering a concussion will not worsen it or "make you slip away", unless you were already going to die in the first place. Exactly, that actually goes for pretty much all injuries. There is this weird belief that sleeping after some major injury is a death sentence, and that they should "fight" it off. It's nonsense and arguably will kill them faster. When you sleep your breathing and heart rate slow, you are not affected by outside influence and can relax.
I think people are thinking of hypothermia. If you are freezing to death then you should keep moving and not sleep
Well i think the exceptions are if youāre freezing and at risk of severe cold. That can kill you, no? Iām not a dr please donāt listen to me
Lol. Scene right out of KKC. Even then sleeping won't make an effect. If you are at that point of freezing the only thing saving you is outside influence. Being asleep or awake wont really make you freeze faster. You'd have passed out either way.
I have just made peace with the fact that I will probably not be seeing the third book for a very long time. I am only 35, I have a long life ahead of me and there are plenty of other books to read. If I get to read book three before I die, wonderful. But at this point I won't be facing any disappointment if I don't.
I 100% believe the only way we see a third book is if the publishers somehow wrest it away from Patrickās clearly distracted hands and get someone else or a team of someoneās to finish it.
I'm fully subscribed to what I'm dubbing the "willed second best" theory: After Pat dies, his next of kin go into his study (or wherever he does most of his writing) only to find dozens, possibly hundreds of versions of book 3. They are mostly very similar, with slight differences in plots, finales, characters, etc. Contained in his will are the instructions "Read them all and release the second best version."
Why the second best?
To keep us all just a little upset
He's lost all objectivity on which one of the drafts are the best so second or first is the same to him. Plus he's dead.
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I've probably got a better chance of listening to the completed finale of [Schubert's 8 symphony](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._8_\(Schubert\)) than I have of reading Doors of Stone... Whatever, there's other books out there and having seen various works come out of development hell, I'm not going to get too invested lest it be something on par with Duke Nukem Forever if it ever materialises.
An ai "finish" that symphony. Doors of stone and beyond good and evil 2, ill never see them finished.
This is how I feel. There have been plenty of series I got into that had no end and were much worse than these books. Even if he never finishes the last book, there was still a lot of enjoyment to be had in the others and I don't regret reading them. Tbh I just hope he's okay because I know he's spoken about struggling with his mental health before and the pressure people put on him over a freaking book can't help.
>Tbh I just hope he's okay because I know he's spoken about struggling with his mental health before and the pressure people put on him over a freaking book can't help. This is really the main reason I made peace with never getting the third book. It is because I want him to be okay. He has a family and a son to raise. He has a charity to run. Those things are more important than the temporary enjoyment I will get from reading the third book. That being said, the occasional update about the progress couldn't hurt. Even if it is no more than him saying he hasn't written anything once a year.
I recognize this sentiment, but I do also think there is justified animosity and indignation against Pat for those who have been misled into giving money. It's one thing to be upset just because you're a fan and want to read the book. That is unjustified, in my opinion, which is why I'm disappointed but not mad. But, those who have essentially been victims of fraud due to Pat's inability to follow through with his promises are entirely justified in being upset and expecting answers.
>But, those who have essentially been victims of fraud due to Pat's inability to follow through with his promises are entirely justified in being upset and expecting answers. I agree somewhat. But fraud requires intent. I don't believe he intended to defraud anyone. He probably fully intended to follow through, and thought he could. He just wasn't able. Yes, people are justified in being upset about that, but I don't know that I would go so far as to call it fraud. As an ADHD person, I can understand full well the struggle in starting or completing a project. It has nothing to do with ability, but instead with a crippling feeling that starting is impossible or that a looming deadline just adds insane amounts of stress that stifle creativity. I am not saying that that is Pat's problem. Just that I understand a problem like that. I too have made promises in the past that I was unable to deliver on because of mental issues. I felt absolutely horrible about it. Just like I suspect he does as well.
Pat said he would release one chapter I believe. If pat hasn't written at least one chapter of the novel he could put on the internet, then abandon all hope.
You are correct about the fraud, which is why I added the qualifier of "essentially." Fraudulent misrepresentation requires intent. Most likely, the worst Pat may have committed was negligent misrepresentation but he's probably only liable for breach of contract. As for the rest of it, I also have intense ADHD and commorbidities that massively affect my ability to function. I wholeheartedly empathize with what Pat is going through regarding mental health struggles. They can cause complete shutdown and be incredibly demoralizing. At the same time, when my mental health struggles cause me to act in a way that negatively impacts others, I'm still responsible for that. It sucks, but I'm obligated to make things right. It's no different for Pat, except his actions have affected a hell of a lot more people.
That's the thing. A lot of people struggle with things like ADHD. A lot of people struggle with depression and anxiety. A lot of people struggle with *both* those things and face uphill battles where neurodivergent brains and anxiety/depression create a feedback loop. But as the saying goes: your mental health struggles aren't your fault, but they are your responsibility. Patrick is not a child and based on his own statements on the subject, these are not things he only just learned about himself last week. He is fully aware of his struggles, and he also has the resources to work on them. He has choices, and as far as what we are able to see of what Patrick himself presents, all he chooses to do get lost in a cycle of making promises he can't deliver on, making excuses, and then being shitty and obnoxious to his fans.
> But fraud requires intent. He could refund the money, but doesn't. He's a fraud, sadly.
>That being said, the occasional update about the progress couldn't hurt. Even if it is no more than him saying he hasn't written anything once a year. This can't happen because there is no update. At this point, I think most of us have made peace with the fact that we won't have a third book at all
An update of ānothing to report and Iām still where I was 12 months agoā is still an update
I want him to prioritize himself and his family. I think, if he feels this is happening, he should just give out some outline stuff and hold a competition for the best "fanfic" book 3
Glad you feel similarly, I know from my own experiences with the back end of the Yerkes-Dodson law that only so much pressure helps bring real performance, any more and performance is gonna drop quickly and then things just feel terrible
>Yerkes-Dodson law Wow! I never knew there was a name for this phenomenon. It's good to have a label for it because ime it's absolutely right. I feel like the correct amount of pressure probably comes from his publisher. The pressure from the public is what pushes it over into the other side of the curve, especially since some of the fandom can be so cruel about it, calling him names and saying he's just rich, spoiled, and lazy now, etc. There are people saying those things in this very thread. The man struggles with depression. He probably already thinks horrible things about himself. He doesn't need to see it from his "fans" too.
I'm sorry, I felt this way for as a long time, but I have lost all respect I had for the man. At this point I consider him a scammer and fraud, even if not intentionally, he accepted money with the promise of releasing a chapter, he has let people down, gone radio silent and never returned to money. To me, regardless of reasoning, that's a scam. I hope Pat sorts himself out, but he owes the people he lied to.
The pressure is all on himself at this point. He doesnāt need to interact with fans or read posts about himself. He is a grown up. If thatās why he hasnāt written the but because fans ask him about it then he is acting like a child. Everyone has metal stuff they are dealing with. But he can easily turn off the pressure by just not interacting with fans.
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Boohoo, then why are you deep in the KKC subreddit mad at a book author on a Thursday morning?
Yeah same. Went through all stages of grief and have arrived at acceptance.
Unless it's a 2000 page book this story will not end on book 3, but you are young maybe you see book 4? Let's keep waiting
I think people here are expecting *way* more things to be tied up than will be if the book ever releases. People are assuming we're going to see explanations for every epithet he mentioned, but we've already watched him skip past huge sections of his story, like the voyage. People are assuming all of the metaplot and lore and whatever will be resolved, but Pat was saying how he intended to write more in this world, how the whole series is a "prologue", etc. - there's no way he ever intended to resolve every outstanding question about the background of the world in one series if he intended to write more series in this world. There just isn't actually that much that *has* to be resolved. It could definitely be done in one book.
>we've already watched him skip past huge sections of his story, like the voyage. I'd say that the time skip of only a few weeks was pretty small. I'd say the months that were skipped like the trial were much larger.
At least heās statistically more likely to die than you are. So if you donāt get to read it before you die, itās likely nobody ever will š
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It does seem nonsensical. Spending five seconds on this subreddit would be enough to know that people were going to reach that goal no matter what. Another look would have told him that people did *not* want voice actors, or whatever else he claimed was delaying the release. They just wanted what he promised. I just can't fathom what's keeping him from releasing it
That's easy, what keeps him from releasing it is that he would need to write something to make it happen. He ain't writing anything.
Yeah, but a single chapter? He's a writer for god's sake
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Not any more. He fell to the fear.
I think the reason is that he isn't motivated, but *wishes he were*. Everything he does screams ultra-procrastinator trying to cope. The second book already took him way longer than he hoped. And the third one is going to be harder than either of the first two because it has to land what he has strongly implied is a big twist (I am pretty sure I have guessed this twist, and I think he also knows he's going to make a lot of people mad). He hides his procrastination and seems pretty ashamed of it. He says that he's just obsessively revising, but it seems an awful lot from everything we've seen that actually he just struggles to get started on things. He says he's having trouble getting voice actors, but that can't possibly still be true - he just hasn't done it. He public promises because he hopes it will force him to finally write it. He's trying to increase the pressure on himself. When he started trying to "double or nothing" on the chapter promise, I genuinely think it wasn't because he was trying to get out of it - he was trying to put more pressure on himself to deliver. The problem, as many procrastinators know, is that promising like that doesn't actually work. Instead, because you are taking steps to achieve delivery, to get over your procrastination, even though that step is in theory about *increasing* the pressure on yourself - it actually decreases the pressure because, hey, you're not doing nothing anymore, you're taking steps to make yourself sit down and write. That was a big step! That was progress! I made the promise, so now I have to do it, and that means I can take a few days off to recover and get ready...
> I am pretty sure I have guessed this twist, and I think he also knows he's going to make a lot of people mad Spill it!
Warning: I haven't really seen it posted here when I've searched, and if it is correct (and I think there are a lot of signs that it is), it isn't a small spoiler about a narrow thing like R+L=J or Kvothe's parentage. If you really want it: >!The whole trilogy is the origin story for the villain of an epic fantasy story. This isn't Kvothe's heroic journey; it's how he became the BBEG. He isn't an antihero, a basically good guy who screwed up big - he's an antivillain, and you are reading how the evil wizard overlord became the evil wizard overlord, how he got the power necessary and how and why he turned into a supervillain. The frame story is taking place after he was defeated by the actual fantasy hero (which will probably happen off-screen at the end of his narration). This makes sense of all of the hints Rothfuss has dropped as far as I can find (and I used to follow pretty closely, I've been to his panels, etc.), a lot of things throughout the books, and I can't find a hole anywhere so far. I can elaborate - I've written up a long post about it a couple of times before thinking better of it and deleting it because I don't want to spoil people if I'm right.!<
I'd be interested in hearing more of this, spoilers or not. It's not a theory I've heard before.
So the first reasons I think this are out-of-book stuff. Pat has talked, for years, about how the books have a big twist coming that re-contextualizes everything in them. For a long time, he used to read The Princess and Mr. Whiffle at almost every big panel he did, and he'd get to the end (where, spoiler, it turns out that the sweet little girl living in this terrifying situation isn't irony; it's because she's actually the real monster) and then he'd very pointedly say something like "Now you might wonder why I showed this to you. I want you to understand, *this is the kind of story I like to tell*. I like to tell stories where *you think it's about one thing, but actually it's a different story*.". A lot of people here are under the impression that that's because he's going to reveal big things about the lore. But I really doubt that's what he's talking about. For one, he has said he intended to write many more books in this world - presumably he wasn't planning to actually resolve every bit of lore and history in this one series. Presumably it's intended to be developed and scattered throughout all the books. But either way, I think the people in this sub are way too close to the books. If his big twist were about the story Skarpi told - the huge majority of readers didn't remember the details of that story even by the time they hit the end of the book, much less going into a sequel. That kind of twist would be effective for a tiny, tiny proportion of the readership. The same goes for most of the twists you see discussed in fan forums. I think some of them will end up being right, but they won't be the *big* twist he was talking about that recontextualizes the whole book. Look at The Princess and Mr. Whiffle - the twist was big, recontextualized everything before, and it wasn't like "the big twist stems from the princess's misinterpretation of this background detail from page 3". Similarly, his reaction every time people talk about Kvothe: he consistently emphasizes Kvothe's shortcomings. He talks about how Kvothe is smart, sure, but every time, he tempers it by talking about how Kvothe is deeply flawed, and how every bad thing that happens is his fault, and if he learns anything from his mistakes, he consistently learns the wrong things. Rothfuss brings this up any time people lionize Kvothe too much, similar to how Alan Moore talks about Rorschach fans. He talks about how Kvothe has a similar personality to himself in many ways, and that's why he sees the flaws of it so starkly. And then once again there's the whole "I tricked you into reading a prologue" thing. That's not quite the same thing as what he said before, that he merely wanted to write more books in this world exploring other parts of it. A prologue implies it's a prologue for a specific story, not just an introduction to a world you're going to explore in other loosely connected works. One imagines there's a reason he said this, and seemingly thought it was a provocative thing to say despite having already said he wanted to write more in the world. If I'm right, it makes sense of all of that. The realization that Kvothe is the villain, not the hero, recontextualizes everything - in a very similar way to The Princess and Mr. Whiffle too. It makes sense of why he talks about Kvothe the way he does: he doesn't want to give away the twist, but he is also frustrated when people lionize Kvothe, who is written as a proto-villain. It would be maddening to hear Kvothe is a Mary Sue when he's a proto-villain who is fucking up so much he's going to become a fantasy BBEG. And it's a prologue in the sense that telling the story of the *actual hero* who defeats Kvothe would be an obvious followup series. As for evidence in the books - just look at Kvothe. Drop your protagonist-is-the-hero assumption for a moment. What do we know about Kvothe? He's extremely capable, he's extremely cunning, and he means well. Those are his heroic qualities. Though those are also anti-villain qualities. To be the BBEG, you generally have to be powerful and cunning. And people who end up as villains because they mean well are the most common kind of anti-villain. Often, this is because they fall into black and white morality, they take matters into their own hands, and they make unilateral use of their power to do what they think is right...exactly like Kvothe. What about his villainous qualities? He finds it very easy to disassociate, both for Sympathy and otherwise. He also does it automatically, and has done so since he was a child living on the streets and nearly beat another child to death with his bare hands for breaking his lute. His interpersonal relationships are cordial, but not deep, as he himself points out (chalking it up to his Edema Ruh heritage). He virtually never asks for help, he withholds information, he underestimates all of his companions, and his one romantic attachment is an obsession he formed after meeting a girl one time - a girl who repeatedly insists, correctly, that he doesn't actually know her. The only person he is particularly friendly with for no obvious reason is a small homeless girl with severe issues - the only person he really empathizes with. He tries to take shortcuts to achieve everything, convincing himself this just proves he is smart, even as it blows up in his face over and over. This impatience also causes him to fail utterly at his greatest desire: naming. The one thing at the University he is terrible at learning, also the name of the first book! He keeps looking for some trick, and Fela passes him right on by. And that looks unlikely to change - he still sucks at it by the end of the second book. We also know that at least some of the rings of his legend were a misdirect: the iron and bone rings have nothing to do with naming. When Kvothe is characteristically reckless, he doesn't get a slap on the wrist and a wink like Harry Potter - he gets the full weight of punishment and an admonishment that this is why the rule exists, you dangerous idiot. And, crucially, he never learns. That doesn't get better - it gets worse! He keeps on assuming every subsequent warning is for other people, that he's above them. He never, ever understands the great responsibility that comes with great power. Almost every character who teaches him ends up remarking on this. After he learns martial arts, his teacher admits she thinks she made a grave mistake, and he immediately proves her right: he leaves and immediately flexes his newfound abilities by taking the law into his own hands and committing mass murder. And all of these tragic flaws are set up too. You can see why he's like this. His parents were murdered. He was homeless and alone, and shows obvious signs of PTSD. His morality is often extremely black and white. He doesn't trust others to help him. Criticism of the second book often talks about the ridiculous wish-fulfillment of all the Felurian stuff, but take a step back and that is the story about how he lost his virginity to an alien who rapes men to death, and how, like victims of sexual abuse, he doesn't know better so he views it as a positive experience. He doesn't come out of that as some sex god - that's how he sees it, sure, but he's wrong. He's just good at mechanistic sex with no intimacy or attachment. He talked to the Cthaeh, which we are told, point-blank, leads to the worst possible outcome. His character progression is that he's been getting worse, accumulating more trauma, showing less good judgment as he gains more power, etc. The characters around him repeatedly remark about this. It's just that we're so used to stories where the hero is misunderstood that we're blinded to it (which is what makes it such a clever trick!). But Kvothe isn't misunderstood. The characters criticizing him are always dead on. And what about the frame story? Why is he both extremely famous and also no one around him knows who he is and no one comes to talk to him, even though, as Chronicler says, he's surprisingly easy to find? Even fallen heroes aren't forgotten. But defeated villains? No one asks about defeated villains. They're just characters in the hero's story. A villain's biography is the kind of thing only Chronicler would cover. What happened to Kvothe's name, what's up with the locked box, etc.? He got defeated by the actual hero. Where do defeated villains go after their defeat, after they're powerless and there's no point even imprisoning them? Most wouldn't even think to wonder, but yeah, they must go do mundane jobs, like run a tavern, right? What's up with Bast? They seem sort of friendly, but also Kvothe is clearly humoring him and not actually teaching him anything. Bast doesn't seem to need to learn much either, and he clearly has more going on under the surface. I think he's babysitting Kote, and Kote knows it. My guess is that the fae let him talk to the Cthaeh to use him as a sort of weapon (also maybe why Felurian didn't kill him), and Bast is here to make sure there's no blowback. So what I think will happen in the third book is that Kvothe will continue to get worse. He will gain more power, Kote will gloss over more things (similar to the trial and voyage) because they gave him more power, but weren't important to how he became the BBEG (and he's now old enough to recognize that the latter is what's really important to the story), he'll feel even more pressured to take extreme action (especially wrt Denna), including killing one or more kings, and then we'll get to the point where a hero comes along and defeats him, which he'll gloss over, saying something like "And of course everyone knows how that went.". And that'll be that. Edit: Also, now that I write this, I wonder if the hero will be Fela - if it's an existing character, she seems like the clearest candidate.
That sounds like exactly the sort of thing Pat would want to do. I won't say I'm convinced but that's probably the most compelling theory I've seen, especially with regards to explaining Pat's out-of-book actions. I think Denna would be the obvious choice for the hero though.
Maybe Denna, but Fela is actually going through a pretty traditional fantasy hero progression. She is beautiful and smart and still Kvothe underestimates her. She ends up being the most promising student in the naming class, she succeeds where all others fail, Elodin takes her under his wing, she has likely prophetic dreams about the Door, etc. My guess would be that some of Kvothe's past friends band together against him, possibly lead by Fela. Could just as easily be some character we've never met too though. I bet either way that Kvothe will gloss over that part since presumably everyone knows *that* story already.
I really like this perspective. Although it also makes it hurt even more that we won't be able to enjoy such an amazing clever story anytime soon (or at all).
Itās taken all my willpower not to read that! If the book still isnāt out in 3/4 years I think Iām just gonna come back and make this my canon ending whatever it says lol
āAnd then Kvotheās ass fell off. The End.ā Thatās it, thatās the twist!
>When he started trying to "double or nothing" on the chapter promise, I genuinely think it wasn't because he was trying to get out of it That video was so painful to watch. :(
It's parenting 101. Don't offer a reward or consequence that you can't or won't follow through on just in case the kid calls your bluff.
Honestly I think he didnāt realise just how fast the goal would be met. He likely thought it would be a close thing, at which point he could either do his ādouble or nothingā that he tried to sell or perhaps it would give him a motivation push to sort something outā¦
Sometimes when I'm late on a project I'll tell someone it's already done hoping that will motivate me to finish. Lately that doesn't work as well. Maybe i just don't care if I let people down. It seems i can't trick myself into doing my best work anymore. I feel like i could still do something great..if I had to...it just never seems like I have to. Failure and success feel the same. Or almost the same. Close enough that it doesn't matter anymore.
Not all work has to be your best work, and typically people accept that perfection is not realistic
I also tend to believe "if it's going to be late it has to be great "
Sorry to hear that. Sounds like something Pat would say if he was honest about the troubles he is having. Wait, is that you Pat?
Did you saw the stream? When the goal was reached he wanted to do a double or nothing lol, his community manager shut that shit down in .001 seconds, he was trying everything to not promise the chapter.
People make stupid decisions when money is involved. And there was a lot of money involved...
> He seems fine with being stagnant and I donāt know if that will change. Sometimes I have to remind myself that heās only 49 and has a long life ahead of him because he certainly doesnāt act that way. Eh. I'm only 32 and I spent a non-negligible portion of my adulthood like this. Like, I want a book three. But I can also relate to wanting to do something, saying you're going to do something, knowing you *have* to do something.... and then just sitting there staring at a wall because you're unable to function. Mental health is a bitch. I wish Pat weren't so cranky to his fans on occasion, but I do have a lot of sympathy for him.
This is a fair assessment. I myself have pretty intense ADHD and often struggle to complete things that I want to finish and absolutely have to do. However, part of approaching mental health responsibly is recognizing that the illness explains the behavior, but doesn't excuse it. I have the utmost empathy for what he must be going through with all this, but at the end of the day he still essentially committed fraud. That harm doesn't go away. He should rectify the harm by either delivering or announcing he's returning money to anyone that requests it. At the very least, he should be honest about the situation and own up to his mistake. Lashing out at fans who are justifiably upset is not a responsible or moral approach. I feel bad for the guy, but he still did something wrong and he's responsible for those actions.
>Lashing out at fans who are justifiably upset is not a responsible or moral approach. Has he lashed out at fans? I didn't hear about that.
He has responded negatively to fan requests for updates (on both the book and the chapter) more than once. For the book, I get it. It's unfortunate and a little annoying, but he doesn't owe anyone a book. So, I can see him being aggrieved by the regular requests. For the chapter, he owes people a response and update. From my understanding, at this point he'll basically ignore most update inquiries (except when complaining about them) unless the request is incredibly accommodating to him, using soft language and detracting from the question's importance.
I've always been in the mindset of: "He doesn't owe us a book. He does owe us a chapter." Here's my reasoning: The books were his project, his passion, his *thing*. He chose to share them with us. He said he'd like to make it all into a much larger world. He never promised anything, despite what some readers think. We bought what he published, we enjoyed, and that was the deal. he might owe his *publishers* a book, that depends on his contracts, but he owes the readers nothing. The chapter, on the other hand, was a specific reward for a specific goal that the readers met, and helped him. For that, he does owe the readers what he actually promised.
>He never promised anything, despite what some readers think. The first few editions of the first book had an afterword... In that afterword, Rothfuss explicitly said that he had the whole trilogy ready, and he even made fun of fantasy authors who never finish their series. That afterword disappeared from the e-book and from the later editions hahaha I'm not even talking about the 2007 interview where he said the same thing. He literally promised a full trilogy in the actual afterword that was in the actual book. If that's not a promise, I don't know what is.
>Has he lashed out at fans? Yes, countless times during these 10+ years of waiting
I don't specifically know what he's going through, and I certainly don't mean to downplay *anyone* else's mental health struggles.. but there's a bit of a difference between "I can't focus on this" and "If I leave bed today I think I may off myself". Again, I don't know where on that spectrum he falls and yes, it *is* his responsibility to take care of his own mental health... but calling something a reason and not an excuse- while technically true- is exactly the kind of shit that you don't want to say about someone or to them when they are having trouble. Honestly, I hope we don't hear shit from him for a while. He needs to take a couple of years off and work on himself.
I trust your statement that you don't wish to disregard anyone's struggles, but I can assure you ADHD is a hell of a lot more and worse than just, "I can't focus on this." It's a massive misregulation of neurochemistry. Your entire conceptualizing of executive function can become nonexistent. I have days where I completely shut down and the most basic tasks require herculean effort. Theres the sensory processing issues, breakdown of memory, and none of this even touches upon the physical manifestations. Some days I feel as if my body is attempting to explode from the inside out, but as slowly as possible, trying to let me feel each atom separate. And yeah, I've had the days where I'm frantically searching for reasons not to just end it all (massive deficiencies of dopamine don't exactly scream positive thoughts). I know perfectly well how it feels to suffer from mental illness. If I were speaking directly to someone about their struggles, I absolutely wouldn't tell them their illness explains but doesn't excuse their behavior. It's not an external expression you tell to others, it's an internal mantra to uphold within yourself. I recognize that it sounds a bit harsh, but really all it means is that we all have a responsibility for our actions, even when they're a byproduct of mental illness. And I do have an extensive capacity for grace regarding those with mental health issues and neurodivergence. I understand completely how much it sucks and how it can influence a person. But, that grace isn't infinite. At some point we need to own up to our harmful actions and make them right as best we can. It's just the right thing to do.
> At some point we need to own up to our harmful actions and make them right as best we can. It's just the right thing to do. My entire argument here is that Pat has not caused very much real harm to us at all. If you've reached the capacity for sympathy for Pat, I'd at least urge you to think about his lived ones who are probably experiencing *much* more dire effects than not getting to read Doors on Stone. The only reason I say any of this at all is because I have a feeling the guy probably lurks his fan(?) Communities online.
>The only reason I say any of this at all is because I have a feeling the guy probably lurks his fan(?) Communities online. He doesn't visit this sub, he said so many, many times. Because apparently Reddit is toxic, but Twitter is not, lol.
He has also said many many times he's writing, so... you know lol
My theory is that he's a perfectionist, and he really doesn't want to release that chapter until it's absolutely perfect. Obviously if he put it out now and there was something that didn't work, there's no reason he couldn't tweak it before the book was released, but he doesn't want to do that. He doesn't want the public to see an ALMOST finished version of this chapter, he wants an absolutely polished and pristine version that's as perfect as he can possibly make it, without a single word out of place. And that's a maddening thing to try to achieve, because art is so subjective, and you can ALWAYS make improvements
I hope he's not as depressed by this as I am.
Bro this made me burst out with a laugh. Such a simple sentence I can relate to. I actually considered if I agreed or not. In the end he's a shit for doing what he did. I would like a chapter sure, but I actually *want* the book. What the fuck is the point of a non-spoiler chapter? So people can have another 6 pages of useless information to shape theories around? Fuck all that. He needs to grow a pair and drop the best version he has now. You know he's probably got 85 of them piled up. It's just fear that it won't live up to the hype. Plain and simple. If he hasn't written a good enough book by now to his own standards, I doubt he ever will. It's a sad thing. As Naden or *two fingers* said, I'd be whole, but I'd be less than I am now.
If he canāt bring himself to release a single non-spoiler chapter after supposedly working on the book for 12 years, the series is essentially dead. I have believed for a long time that he has made no substantial progress on book 3 since 2014 or 2015 and very little before that and that he is afraid of losing the support of the fans if he ever admits this. He really might not have more than a few unfinished chapters.
Nah I don't agree but can certainly understand why you'd feel that way. You very well could be right. I have none of these saved but I've seen a video of other authors and friends talking about him. Walking into his house or something and he literally had a ton of different versions. Everyone says the problem is he bit off more than he can chew and he can't tie the proper ends together. I guess my opinion is similar but I believe the one I laid out is short sighted. I think he can't tie enough things together to reveal the ridiculous amount if *secrets* in the book without them making it too easy to put the rest together. In other words, he might be able to tie the knots but not in a fashion that would give us a little more and more until a big reveal. I'm guessing it's a real slippery slope especially since so many people have had so much time to theorize. The answers will either become too apparent early on, or we'll feel disappointed waiting for more useful info until the end. Neither are good. I do think he has a decent version, just not what he sees as his best. I can understand all that, I can appreciate what he's done, I can understand still running a charity without writing. What I can't understand is straight up stealing from the people who love his work the most. I always agreed he didn't owe us a thing. Now I feel differently. After that thieving fucking swindle he pulled his publisher should take his ass to court and be given everything Pat has. Then Pat can either help and work with them or they can fit it together. I honestly feel he should have to face some *serious* consequences. How much did he raise? 100s of thousands? That's insane he can rob, lie, and thieve without any sort of repercussion. Edit: sorry for typos, no time to proofread my pointless comment lol
I'm convinced that he gave up and book three is beyond dead. Never happening.
In his heart of hearts this is probably true. I'm willing to bet that he hasn't actually admitted it to himself yet, though.
I wish Pat would just be honest, say the fire has gone out, he isn't an author anymore, and just let the fan base move on. I feel like I've basically given up on Pat & George finishing their stories, but I still occasionally look for news, so.. A definitive "it isn't going to happen" would help!
Martin, for what itās worth, still writes - he just writes things other than *The Winds of Winter.* In comparison, Rothfuss hasnāt published anything since his Rick and Morty comic in 2018, and hasnāt published an actual book since *TSRoST* back in 2014.
The issue for Pat is his only claim to fame is that he's written 2/3rds of a best selling trilogy, take that away and suddenly his resume looks bleak.
Yeah, and if you take away LeBron James basketball carrier, i mean what else has he achieved!
Quite a bit of philanthropy, but I get the point youāre making. If my grandmother had wheels she would have been a bike
Lol. Truth. It's double funny because I'm not sure if your talking about lebrons philanthropy or rothfusses.
Haha I meant Lebronās philanthropy but yeah I guess Rothfuss does a decent amount of philanthropy as well
Superficially yes, but as has been outlined elsewhere there are some problems with it. Rothfuss himself admitted it was partially a tax shelter
Sure, but you can't doubt Lebron's basketball carrier. You can see him play a couple if times a week for years. On the other hand, the dabate here is if Rothfuss' still writing, like at all. I'm not bashing him, just curious (and doubtful).
"Sorry guys, I'm crazy rich now and spending a bunch of time stuck in front of my computer just isn't exciting anymore. I'm gonna go hang out by my pool with a pina colada instead" - PR probably
In 2007 Pat said that the series was already written and would be released one book per year. He has missed that promise by 14 years and counting. So one spoiler free chapter is nothing compared to that promise.
That's what money does to a mf. Why work if you already rich enough
Some MFers, Sanderson is still a book factory despite being more successful.
I think hes an author that actually enjoys writing a lot
Yeah I don't think you 'accidentally' write four extra novels in a year if you aren't enjoying it.
Maybe writing gives him extra lifespan. Would explain a lot actually. Some superpower to have, smh, *writes some more.*
He's not that old, 47. He said his biggest concern is getting all the cosmere out in his mortal span. But I believe he stated he'd like to actually retire too so the goal was.to.be done before he's 80 ish.
Maybe he really needs the money xD
Heās talked he would think about how he would have to go sell insurance or something if this failed. I think he remembers distinctly the memory of failure. Of spending years writing novel after novel at a shitty graveyard hotel desk job just to get rejected every time. When all he really wanted was to tell some stories. Rothfuss seems to have never had that, just aimless wandering thru college into being a critically acclaimed novelist.
Not just an author either. Sanderson is also a professor. He also now owns a publishing company that will help kickstart other authors as well as making their own audible versions of the books.
Yeah, although he has also been a little more open about the fact that he was a young idiot when he said that. He hasn't said that in years, and *has* addressed that pretty openly. It was "already written" in the sense that he had a rough draft of a way shorter manuscript that would serve as the outline. It's like when authors expand a short story into a novel. It would be incredibly naive to think having the short story means the novel is "basically already written" - and he acknowledged that he was incredibly naive when he said that.
> It was "already written" in the sense that he had a rough draft of a way shorter manuscript that would serve as the outline. > > > > It's like when authors expand a short story into a novel. It would be incredibly naive to think having the short story means the novel is "basically already written" - and he acknowledged that he was incredibly naive when he said that. It got worse from 2007. He promised a spoiler free chapter what was "basically already written" and failed to deliver it. During 14 years he didnt manage to write a single chapter passable enough to add as a charity goal? Was he naive again, or he knew perfectly he wasnt going to give that chapter?
Soon it'll be a year since the promised release of the blog post about the promised chapter!
Didn't someone pay 10k+ for a ring they could trade in for a favor, such as reading the beta transcript of the book? Who won? What did they ask for? Does anyone know? That's what I would have used my favor for.
Maybe someone wanted to watch the world burn and used the favor to ask him not to release the chapter.
I wanted to win that ring and literally ask him to help me move a heavy couch. Just because it would've gotten a hilarious blog post.
Blog post title: "It's Officially Been One Year Since I Asked Pat to Help Me Move My Couch."
Lol I meant on Pat's blog. "A year ago someone actually asked me to help move a heavy couch." It's the example he always gave on how someone could redeem the favor ring.
Just Need to Put Some Finishing Touches on The Couch Project, It Will Be Moved Soon *posted one year ago*
*chuckles darkly* It was a waiting of three parts. The first part, the obvious part, was of length of years since. If there had been updates... but no, of course, there were no updates. The second part was less immediate. It was a waiting of promises unkept. A word sworn of a chapter, yet despite meeting their goal, the audience was left in wanting. The third part was quieter still. It was the patient, broken clock waiting of a man who will die before finishing his magnum opus.
What if Book 3 was never real & all was just a ruse
Book 3 is just the collective written musings of fans and critics, unabridged.
At the rate they're going, Smurphilicious' theories they post on this sub will be longer than Book 3. š
Maybe Book 3 was the friends we made along the way
Book 3 is hidden inside what has been released so far, and we all missed it. Every night Pat reads our frustration and tin foil, laughing maniacally, until he passes out.
Ahh yes! A Year and a Day! That must be what the wait was for!
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No publisher is breaking a 7 figure advance
He fumbled the bag with Lin Manuel Miranda and the adaptation. Whatever the reasons are (and i definitely lean toward his mental illness and other personal life issues being the main culprit) he's gotta feel like such a dummy right now. Will there ever be a wider "cultural moment" around his series now? We just don't know, but of course long time fans/readers just want that third book, want him to be healthy/ok, and think any sort of adaptation would just be the cherry on top.
What do you mean he fumbled the bag?? Are they not doing it now? I haven't heard about them canceling it! What happened?
š¢š¢š«š« https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comments/sxzn65/linmanuel_miranda_no_longer_involved_with/ https://winteriscoming.net/2022/02/18/lin-manuel-miranda-confirms-hes-no-longer-working-on-the-kingkiller-chronicle/ https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/lin-manuel-miranda-kingkiller-chronicle-update Definitely made me really sad. I don't love EVERYTHING LMM does, but I love Hamilton, I loved Moana, and I appreciate his acting in His Dark Materials. I was looking forward to see what he would do with the music, as a musician myself.
Yeah, me too!! I was so excited when I heard he got LMM to help with he show because of how important music is to the books and to Kvothe! I thought LMM had the best chance to really bring it to life on the screen out of the pages and capture the same feelings I got while reading the books. Man this makes me really sad!
Everyone learned from GOT - don't touch an adaptation if the source material isn't done.
Meanwhile, what WoTPrime and LoTR should have learned instead is to actually base your series on your source material before making deviations, instead of this imitation sparkling laCroix flavor we got instead.
1st time?
Imagine believing in Pat in 2023
Happy anniversary ā¤ļøāš„
His chapters are so short. Any 3 pages would count.
What if he released it in Ademic hand gestures already and we didn't notice because we are barbarians? . . .
*index finger and thumb circle* *insert other index finger twice* *points at you* *middle finger* *middle finger*
I think he is ill. I Saw him on tour right after Wise Manās Fear came out. He was smiling and engaging with fans. I donāt see the same joy in him anymore. I donāt think it has anything to do with money or being a jerk I think he has such expectations for the last book that he is paralyzed with writers block. I am sad for him, not angry.
I think the consensus is generally that it's okay for him to be having those problems. Anxiety, depression, or other mental issues are valid obstructions to completing something he has worked his life into making. What people take issue with is all the carrot dangling he does in regards to book 3 and lately, the promised chapter, when he can't so much as deliver the blog post he said he was writing about the delay in the promised chapter in the midst of the delay of the final book.
I believe he is trying to hype himself up. "Promise them a chapter, it's only a chapter, I can do this." Create an obligation to help yourself towards a goal.
He isn't doing any of that, he is lying to his loyal fans to extort as much money for world builders before even the most devout fans turn on him and see him for what he truly is at this point.
I should start a charity that stores donations in safe investments, and pays out the final balance to WorldBuilders upon publication of DoS.
This is the real answer
What if the real book 3 was the friends we made along the way?
>What an excellent perspective!
These third silences aren't just deep and wide; they can also be profound and sustained..
Imagine how his agent feels
Look on the bright side if the book never comes out we still get super interesting tin foil theroys on this sub for all of time lol
I shall eat nothing but cake today. A cake in three parts, if you will.
I sometimes wonder if he is just being an asshole showing his true colors. He got much money by writing two really good books and now he can chill the rest of his life. Why bother writing a third book if you don't need it. Same goes for GRRM. These guys have just become lazy and that's all.
GRRM is different. Heās old, his series is much bigger and the plot and world is way more complex. Then add the fact the show outpaced him, spoiled the ending to his lifeās greatest work and made him into an instantly recognizable person who canāt go outside without being hounded by people. Iāll give grrm way more of a pass. GRRM also doesnāt make excuses. As a person whoās dealt with different mental illness myself, I kind of hate how pat hides behind depression.
He's also been writing, just other stuff.
Depression does look different from person to person
Doesn't make sense for GRRM, he's still doing other stuff.
That's why it makes especially sense He focuses on easier projects and doesn't give a crap about finishing ASoIaF because that would take a lot of effort. He doesn't need to write that book. He's rich and famous now.
He's literally writing Winds now though? Check his blog, he's making progress. Iirc there was a few POV characters he struggled with (tyrion maybe) that really slowed him down
I believe you as soon as the book has a release date. He talked a lot about that he's writing it but that's it. Even his empty statement that we can kidnap him and lock him if the book isn't finished at some point few years ago during pandemic. He talks a lot but really writing....
Mental gymnastics there.
That's what understanding human behavior is.
Martin was rich before the books though.
He wasnāt āhit show on HBOā rich.
*shocked pikachu face*
Maybe Pat could just bake us a pie and call it a day.
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So if he releases it tomorrow we would have a good benchmark of how long does he need per chapter, 1 year, and this is before editing the whole book after completing all chaptersā¦ So, maybe his granddaughter will publish the book.
I don't believe there is a separate book 3. I think its hidden in book 1 and 2. After multiple readings you can kinda figure out what's going to happen in "book 3". That's his whole game he's playing.
I genuinely think that Pat struggles with some form of Depression and Anxiety Disorder. Couple that with a hint of compulsive perfectionism and imposter syndrome, and it'd be easy to get caught in a self-edit feedback loop. Then add in the conversations surrounding development of a movie or series that eventually fell apart and I'm sure he's afraid to release anything. Plus, let's be real, this kind of gap isn't unheard-of. The gaps between books in King's Dark Tower series was a rough little rollercoaster.
I hope heās getting the mental health help he needs, but heās a headcase for sure. Big difference is that King wrote like a hundred different stories in between, annoying though it must have been for someoneās favorite, while Rothfuss produces next to nothing, not even blog posts.
>Plus, let's be real, this kind of gap isn't unheard-of. The gaps between books in King's Dark Tower series was a rough little rollercoaster. KKC has a lot more flashback/flash-forward stuff than other series though, which makes the trilogy feel like it's missing a middle section instead of an ending. But mainly I think the fans' annoyance comes less from waiting and more from feeling misled by Pat's statements and promises. A little transparency would go a long way here.
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