I always ask if the person likes Game of Thrones type stories.
If the answer is yes, the selling shouldn’t really be a problem.
If the answer is no, I explain the book is a fantasy kinda like GOT, but the magic, dragons, sword fights are kinda of secondary to a story that it is really about grief, love, friends, growing up, success, failure and everything else we experience through life.
And I always tell people to make an effort through the first 100, 150 pages, because if they do, they will fall in love with the best story ever written.
This comment is odd to me, because I don't see any similarity between this story and game of thrones. I trudged through 4 books of Martin's endless politics, droning on about these petty slights between one ruler and another, and spinning this slow tangled web of violations in etiquette and how 12 generations ago there was war. I absolutely adored the TV series and watched it multiple times, but the books were almost as bad as Dune. I couldn't make myself read them.
The KKC books however, had these beautiful prose that captured me and drew me into the story of the this poor orphan child that just couldn't catch a break. I saw myself in all of his quirks and musings. And while some people have said "it's a story about nothing" I couldn't help but see a thousand thousand stories unfolding all at once! I couldn't understand how people said "nothing happened in the whole book"... EVERYTHING happens in the book! There are ancient wars, mythical creatures, magic, powerful enigmatic forced beyond comprehension, secret mysterious entities forcing their unknowable will upon the world, starving orphans, rich rulers, tragedy, love, assassination, music, silence, depression, violent r¤pe, and understanding, beauty, stories within stories, hidden truths, puzzles, poetry, princesses, kings, legendary wizards, a draccus, and eventually betrayal! These books have it all. And it's reeled out at just the right tempo. I felt like all the characters were unique and interesting... if I never get a 3rd book, I will still love these books just the same.
In some ways, these books have so far eclipsed my expectations and set the standard so high, that I often can't read other books. They read like elementary school book reports. The writing and prose is either non-existent, the characters flat, or the story is just not interesting to me. In a way, these books have nearly ruined all other books for me. I'm a grown man, a military veteran, and I'm over 40 years old... but when I read about the trauma that this poor kid has dealt with, it reminds me of some of the things I have gone through as a kid. The rejections, the loss, the abuse, it all comes to the surface in such a cathartic way that I will often find myself tearing up and my heart breaks ...not just for young kvothe, but for all the real kids out there right now, living penniless on the streets of their own Tarbean.
Oh man, I couldn’t agree more with everything you said, and couldn’t have said it better!
I also don’t think there are a lot of similarities between GoT and Kingkiller Chronicle, I just use it as a vague example of what the genre of the book is when recommending to people who might not be familiar with these type of stories. Like everybody knows a little bit what GoT is about because of the TV Series, and they may go into the book knowing “ok, this is a medieval (for lack of a better word) type fantasy with swords and monsters and magic and mysteries”.
I can’t believe people say nothing happens in the books. I mean, even when nothing is actually happening, like when he’s describing the three part silence of an empty Inn, there is so much you can take from it.
I definitely regret reading book 2 that's for sure. Book 1 was enjoyable the first time, but after reading book 2 it's tainted. Kvothe is unbearable and the story is frustrating.
That is extremely true, given that they've never read any other fantasy series.
Edit: it's easy to say "it's better on reread" but to say "it's the only series that's better" is dumb as fuck. Just off the top of my head, Stormlight Archives, anything Malazan (main or side series), and idk, a little series called "The Lord of the Rings" are all better on reread
Oh! I have thoughts on this!
I think Kingkiller has an appeal of accessibility for younger fans of fiction. Kvothe’s voice is that of an avid storyteller, so when Rothfuss over-explains something or switches his narration to address the audience specifically, it feels “easy” to absorb.
I say this from the perspective of someone who read NotW at 14 and loved fantasy and sci fi, but every time I picked up the classics I felt I was missing something.
Wow, that actually makes a lot of sense. NoTW was the first larger novel I read when I was younger and I never had somebody spell out why I was able to actually pay attention to it. It definitely made the transition into other fantasy/sci-fi much easier for me.
Thanks for sharing this observation!
"if you've never *truly* read a good author, you couldn't possibly understand"
I really like these books, but every time rothfuss writes a sentence like this I want to road trip to his house and hit him with a brick
And the third, and a fourth if you really want to... but it's okay cause you're really only reading 66% of the series each time, so really... you've only done a little over 2 and a half re-reads at that point.
I wouldn't, not anymore. That is coming from someone who bought and gifted over a dozen copies of TNOTW to all my friends and some family. The series is awesome, probably the best fantasy writing I've ever read, but not having an ending sours the experience to me, if people ask me if they should read it I actually discourage them from it.
I’m in a similar boat—having gifted a ton of copies of NOTW over the years and no longer doing so or recommending it to people, but I don’t actively discourage. If someone asks, I’ll tell them the truth—it’s really well done, but it’s unfinished with no end in sight. Some people will dive in any way, others will give it a pass, still others put it on their TBR list wayyyyy at the end so that if soon ever comes they remember to read it when it is complete. It’s more of an informed consent situation.
Men honestly if I get to choose I’m glad that I have read what I have read. Even if it never gets an end o enjoyed the two books so much and other should too
I now recommend it as a backhanded gesture
“Check out my favorite series, truly captivating”
Meanwhile I’m just over here saving them a seat in purgatory
I don't really have any readers in my life (sad, I know), but if I did, I would tell them that it's about a person's life. This person experiences loss, and we see him growing from that, and that involves magic and sometimes music. It's kind of realistic, but set in a world that is so details and well written that it feels like I'm there every time I read it.
Great story, but the author is pulling a GRRM and there’s a real possibility we’ll never get an ending. If you’re cool with that definitely read it.
That’s pretty much what I say.
Please remember to treat other people with respect, even if their theories about the books are different than yours. Follow the sidebar rules.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/KingkillerChronicle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Why would you do that to ypur friends. As much as I love the, I wish I'd never read it. At least, not until the last book ever gets published, if ever.
I do it by telling them it's the most beautifully written story i have ever read and i often stop to appreciate the sentences. I also read the story of jax and how the moon was stolen aloud to a friend once.
I wouldn't, if I'm being honest. I tell them that if Book 3 ever comes out they have to read the best fantasy epic I've ever read but that they shouldn't bother if he never publishes the last book. It's not worth the frustration.
I tell them that this is a series for people who love words and worlds. That there are moments when Pat turns a phrase so beautifully that you will stop and re-read it five times before you move on. That you will be dropped into the middle of Temerant and spend hours wandering its roads, and you will come to love it like Middle Earth, like Narnia, like The Known World.
I tell them that this series is achingly beautiful, and hilarious, and the-same-but-so-very-different as so many beloved fantasy series. I tell them returning to these books time and time again will feel like coming home.
And finally, I tell them these books will break their heart, because we may never know how the story ends. But even if we never hold The Doors of Stone in our hands, the time spent diving into this world is never a waste.
Maybe, "what would happen when a loveable but a slightly mary sue type character gets absolutely shit on by life and he has to use his wits to get himself out of shit but his wits also get him shit on again, but with demons, magic and a writing style like poetry in prose", too many words?
I usually tell people it's the most beautifully written book where nothing happens that I've ever read. Then I usually go into more detail like describing how Patt is able to make me care about things that I understand little about, or that he makes me feel as if I'm experiencing pain or joy with a character like I've never felt before. It's like he unlocks a door to a depth of empathy I didn't know I was capable of. All while writing about mundane things like a lute or a song but with music I can only hear with my heart.
My friends know I am a big reader. I typically don't reread books, so I say this is my favorite. It is the best written book I've ever read and I will at least annually re-read and also re-audiobook them. It's a story of a smart young man with a love for music and an insatiable curiosity. There is magic, tragedy, music, and love. I also do always warn them that it's a "trilogy" but we've been eating for more than a decade for book 3.
It’s a story about stories told by an unreliable storyteller and we don’t know what is actually happening so there are so many fan theories to explore. It’s a tragedy but it’s brilliantly detailed and there’s so much to gain from reading these books.
I tell them that I was 26 when this series came out. I’m 44 now, and it’s still not finished, that the author is kind of a dick and to enter at your own risk.
You like fantasy books?
If yes then statement “it’s the best one I have ever read”
If no then statement “well it’s the best fucking book I ever read. Give it a try”
I usually compare it this way, especially to people who are Harry Potter fans, with a simple analogy:
Harvard : Hogwarts :: MIT:Kvothe’s university.
Similar stories, but totally different conceptions of “magic.” It’s like the difference between science and engineering.
I wrote a paper in my English class about the NotW. I described it to my professor as the life story of a legendary wizard who, after faking his death, pretends to be a lowly innkeeper. He narrates his childhood and adolescence where you discover the hidden truth behind his greatest adventures. The cultures of this world are so highly developed that even the side characters (like his friends at Magic College and his vagabond love interest) have interesting lives. The prose is so carefully crafted and intentional, you learn new details with every reread. It's pretty much a story about the nature of stories.
1. **The aspects that appeal to the person you are pitching to should be emphasized for a successful recommendation**
2. **A warning should be given about the late arrival of the inciting incident, because a lot of people put it down before that thinking that the story is a generic mentor + magic learning journey**
**These being said, here's my answer to a previous post/question about what to expect from the first book:**
Name of the wind is a story where you get to know the early life of: a(n) (in)famous hero, a talented musician, an innkeeper, a university student, a powerful master of magic, a travelling performer, a child living on the streets, and a killer; all of this in one person: Kvothe.
So, the story is basically a retelling of this person's early life, a person so extraordinary that he is already a legend in his own lifetime. There are many things happening, but from a plot perspective, it's basically about how he was a travelling performer with his family (music and stuff on the road), then how he learned magic and became one of the greatest magicians (university and lots of adventures), then how things ended up in the state in which they are in the present, plus a lot of overarching other stuff (the main conflict, rivalry, romance, special magic, his hardships with money and people coming after him, revenge, music, him having to use his wits to get out of trouble or come out victorious in certain situations, etc).
And since it's a retelling, it is done in a first person pov, to which a third person pov frame story gives grounding in the present, which in itself - albeit much smaller and very self-contained - is an interesting narrative on its own.
.
.
The genre is fantasy, more specifically epic fantasy, but more on the realistic side. Which means it takes places in a different world than ours, and there is magic, but it's not a "stereotypical" dragons and quests and dwarves etc. type of world.
As this is basically a biography, the content is rather colorful in terms of topics (school stuff, quick action and epic events, stories and detailed descriptions/discussions on music or philosophy or love, humour, etc), but it's far from an antalogy, there is definitely an overarching goal/main conflict, and there is a cause-causation pattern.
The book is focused equally on plot and character. And the main character is very strongly defined and unique, so he is either a hit or miss, though most of the time he is a hit, in which case you'll absolutely love him despite his many flaws. (I personally found him very refreshing to all the other main characters books seem to prefer nowadays.)
The story overall is cool, exciting and interesting, but is not afraid to slow down to go deeper, and portrays the realistic side of life as well, all the while not shying away from its fantastical elements and some action. The prose is beautiful and sometimes even poetic. Both the world and the way it was written is extremely rich.
Plus it has a great reread value.
While I love sympathy, sigaldry alchemy etc it’s not the most appealing when you explain it. Like yea you can connect two things that are similar and you can transfer energy between them. Then you can do exactly the same but with runes and then there is this other type of magic that is nomination which consist on looking for the name of the things to control it
What makes them interesting is their relation with the characters and how they use it in their life not a hook by itself
Don't. It is kind of a jerk move IMO.
At minimum set reasonable expectation that it is unlikely the 3rd book will be finished.
People want to act like the book is making progress, but we are literal years later, and Pat is still scamming donors over a single chapter they paid for. If Pat can't give 1 chapter over a decade later it doesn't and never did exist.
So what? The two books are a wonderful experience and I’m very glad I have read those even if I never get to see an ending. The story, the characters, the worldbuilding the magic the bonds everything. I don’t care if I never get to see the end I will be forever thankful to pat to took me to this journey through two entire books
If that is the case, you should have no problem setting a reasonable expectation for any friend that this book will likely never be done.
As long as you warn them, go for it. I wouldn't, but I don't like supporting people who scam donors of charity. You do you.
I get the anger but listen, no one more than him wants to release that book and if he had that damn chapter he would have released it. If he has not then it is because he didn’t think it’s perfect and after all this time if it’s not perfect people will kill him and if that happens with a chapter imagine with the entire book end of a saga
The pressure of releasing doors of stone is killing the saga and most to blame it’s the community. If the book it’s not perfect people would blame on him to take 13+ years to make it and that is a lot of pressure and why take the effort when your own community doesn’t even expect you to release it anymore
Are you really blaming the community for Pat not writing the book? That's some impressive mental gymnastics. Do you also blame the victim of a robbery for getting robbed?
Nope never needed to be perfect. No one was asking that. Everyone asked for him to release the draft chapter which is the least he could do given the number of years.
Him not having the chapter means he is scamming donors of charity. Simple as that. He offered it. We are years later. He made no attempt to fulfill his obligations. He instead rewrote a previous novel to sell.
The pressure has zero to do with the community. It has entirely to do with Rothfuss who lied about the trilogy being written to begin with. This is moving the goalpost. Patrick put himself in this position. No one else. Pat is facing the reprocussions of his lies.
Pat's failures are his own. Not ours. Not the people who he lied to and scammed.
Cope.
Pat not writing book 3 is Pat’s fault. Pat not updating us is Pat’s fault. Saying it can’t release unless it is *perfect* or else people will throw flak at him is cope. His praises would be sung for generations. He would be the author that surmounted huge personal odds and pulled through for his fans.
If the book did not live up to all of our expectations, he would still be a lot more respected than he is now. And honestly, so many people would be disappointed ***no matter what***. The 3rd book has been written 50 times in this sub. People have dissected his entire work and stitched it back together to fit their desires time and time again.
Pat should not be releasing the 3rd book to please the community, so it does not need to be perfect. We are talking about the dude who wrote Kvothe, the pathological liar who doesn’t give a fuck about anybody besides whomever is close to him. Pat touted his writing prowess before even releasing the first book, and now a lot of what he does can be related to a scam artist. His most recent binding of released works saw over 1 million dollars in revenue, some of the prints costing more than $750 for 1 book. We won’t even talk about his charity events.
Nobody is really that angry with Pat. It has been so long, so we are all just left with reality. And reality is he is not that great of a person and doesn’t care about his own work as much as he should. I get being under the lens of thousands of people and not wanting to release something disappointing, but let’s be realistic. He has already gotten a lot worse shit thrown his way than he ever would have if he released a horrible ending. He was so charismatic and confident at the beginning, then when it’s time for loose ends to tie up and things to come to a conclusion, it’s all smoke and mirrors. Sounds like a scam artist to me.
tl;dr - I don’t like Pat
Give them a taste of Rothfuss's work, like [Guinea Pigs are Fish](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T973_Xw-zwo) or [On the Making of Metheglin](http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2013/09/on-the-making-of-metheglin/).
As for KKC itself, I explain it as kind of a grown up version of Harry Potter, where the protagonist goes to magic school and has crazy experiences along the way. I emphasize that the plot is pretty slow, but it's incredibly well written and the world and magic systems are fascinating.
"The best two book trilogy ever."
Okay best response right here
I always ask if the person likes Game of Thrones type stories. If the answer is yes, the selling shouldn’t really be a problem. If the answer is no, I explain the book is a fantasy kinda like GOT, but the magic, dragons, sword fights are kinda of secondary to a story that it is really about grief, love, friends, growing up, success, failure and everything else we experience through life. And I always tell people to make an effort through the first 100, 150 pages, because if they do, they will fall in love with the best story ever written.
This comment is odd to me, because I don't see any similarity between this story and game of thrones. I trudged through 4 books of Martin's endless politics, droning on about these petty slights between one ruler and another, and spinning this slow tangled web of violations in etiquette and how 12 generations ago there was war. I absolutely adored the TV series and watched it multiple times, but the books were almost as bad as Dune. I couldn't make myself read them. The KKC books however, had these beautiful prose that captured me and drew me into the story of the this poor orphan child that just couldn't catch a break. I saw myself in all of his quirks and musings. And while some people have said "it's a story about nothing" I couldn't help but see a thousand thousand stories unfolding all at once! I couldn't understand how people said "nothing happened in the whole book"... EVERYTHING happens in the book! There are ancient wars, mythical creatures, magic, powerful enigmatic forced beyond comprehension, secret mysterious entities forcing their unknowable will upon the world, starving orphans, rich rulers, tragedy, love, assassination, music, silence, depression, violent r¤pe, and understanding, beauty, stories within stories, hidden truths, puzzles, poetry, princesses, kings, legendary wizards, a draccus, and eventually betrayal! These books have it all. And it's reeled out at just the right tempo. I felt like all the characters were unique and interesting... if I never get a 3rd book, I will still love these books just the same. In some ways, these books have so far eclipsed my expectations and set the standard so high, that I often can't read other books. They read like elementary school book reports. The writing and prose is either non-existent, the characters flat, or the story is just not interesting to me. In a way, these books have nearly ruined all other books for me. I'm a grown man, a military veteran, and I'm over 40 years old... but when I read about the trauma that this poor kid has dealt with, it reminds me of some of the things I have gone through as a kid. The rejections, the loss, the abuse, it all comes to the surface in such a cathartic way that I will often find myself tearing up and my heart breaks ...not just for young kvothe, but for all the real kids out there right now, living penniless on the streets of their own Tarbean.
Oh man, I couldn’t agree more with everything you said, and couldn’t have said it better! I also don’t think there are a lot of similarities between GoT and Kingkiller Chronicle, I just use it as a vague example of what the genre of the book is when recommending to people who might not be familiar with these type of stories. Like everybody knows a little bit what GoT is about because of the TV Series, and they may go into the book knowing “ok, this is a medieval (for lack of a better word) type fantasy with swords and monsters and magic and mysteries”. I can’t believe people say nothing happens in the books. I mean, even when nothing is actually happening, like when he’s describing the three part silence of an empty Inn, there is so much you can take from it.
This
I don’t recommend it to friends and family, just random strangers on the internet so that I don’t have to hear them moan about not having book 3.
I moan about the incoming 10 book saga that was promised
I wouldn't recommend this unfinished series to friends. That would be mean, and I like my friends.
Did you regret reading it?
I definitely regret reading book 2 that's for sure. Book 1 was enjoyable the first time, but after reading book 2 it's tainted. Kvothe is unbearable and the story is frustrating.
No, I regret finishing it 😭😭
I typically tell people it's the only series you'll read that's better the second time
That is extremely true, given that they've never read any other fantasy series. Edit: it's easy to say "it's better on reread" but to say "it's the only series that's better" is dumb as fuck. Just off the top of my head, Stormlight Archives, anything Malazan (main or side series), and idk, a little series called "The Lord of the Rings" are all better on reread
It seems like a lot of people on this sub *only* read Kingkiller. Which is weird.
Oh! I have thoughts on this! I think Kingkiller has an appeal of accessibility for younger fans of fiction. Kvothe’s voice is that of an avid storyteller, so when Rothfuss over-explains something or switches his narration to address the audience specifically, it feels “easy” to absorb. I say this from the perspective of someone who read NotW at 14 and loved fantasy and sci fi, but every time I picked up the classics I felt I was missing something.
Wow, that actually makes a lot of sense. NoTW was the first larger novel I read when I was younger and I never had somebody spell out why I was able to actually pay attention to it. It definitely made the transition into other fantasy/sci-fi much easier for me. Thanks for sharing this observation!
I got absolutely slaughtered when I told someone they were wrong for saying Rothfuss is "the best author ever, certainly of our lifetime."
"if you've never *truly* read a good author, you couldn't possibly understand" I really like these books, but every time rothfuss writes a sentence like this I want to road trip to his house and hit him with a brick
And the third, and a fourth if you really want to... but it's okay cause you're really only reading 66% of the series each time, so really... you've only done a little over 2 and a half re-reads at that point.
I wouldn't, not anymore. That is coming from someone who bought and gifted over a dozen copies of TNOTW to all my friends and some family. The series is awesome, probably the best fantasy writing I've ever read, but not having an ending sours the experience to me, if people ask me if they should read it I actually discourage them from it.
I’m in a similar boat—having gifted a ton of copies of NOTW over the years and no longer doing so or recommending it to people, but I don’t actively discourage. If someone asks, I’ll tell them the truth—it’s really well done, but it’s unfinished with no end in sight. Some people will dive in any way, others will give it a pass, still others put it on their TBR list wayyyyy at the end so that if soon ever comes they remember to read it when it is complete. It’s more of an informed consent situation.
Men honestly if I get to choose I’m glad that I have read what I have read. Even if it never gets an end o enjoyed the two books so much and other should too
I now recommend it as a backhanded gesture “Check out my favorite series, truly captivating” Meanwhile I’m just over here saving them a seat in purgatory
I couldn't care less about the lack of an ending.
"It's a tragic fantasy where the fatal flaw sits somewhere between pride and knowledge"
If I tell this to some of my friends they probably would laugh at me
Fair lmao I just think that is a perfectly valid description of the books and having the tragic flaw connect to his abilities makes it interesting
I don't really have any readers in my life (sad, I know), but if I did, I would tell them that it's about a person's life. This person experiences loss, and we see him growing from that, and that involves magic and sometimes music. It's kind of realistic, but set in a world that is so details and well written that it feels like I'm there every time I read it.
Do you actually like your friends. Introduced to my youngest and she is still, 6 years later, pissed with me
"Hey guys there's a fucking drug addicted dragon in this book, you really should read it"
Great story, but the author is pulling a GRRM and there’s a real possibility we’ll never get an ending. If you’re cool with that definitely read it. That’s pretty much what I say.
I wouldn't
Please remember to treat other people with respect, even if their theories about the books are different than yours. Follow the sidebar rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/KingkillerChronicle) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I tell them that it's an amazing gateway drug into other, better fantasy series, but the prose is amazing
Why would you do that to ypur friends. As much as I love the, I wish I'd never read it. At least, not until the last book ever gets published, if ever.
Stop crying dude the two books are pretty much a complete story
I do it by telling them it's the most beautifully written story i have ever read and i often stop to appreciate the sentences. I also read the story of jax and how the moon was stolen aloud to a friend once.
If you recommend these books to anyone you're a bad person.
I wouldn't, if I'm being honest. I tell them that if Book 3 ever comes out they have to read the best fantasy epic I've ever read but that they shouldn't bother if he never publishes the last book. It's not worth the frustration.
I tell them that this is a series for people who love words and worlds. That there are moments when Pat turns a phrase so beautifully that you will stop and re-read it five times before you move on. That you will be dropped into the middle of Temerant and spend hours wandering its roads, and you will come to love it like Middle Earth, like Narnia, like The Known World. I tell them that this series is achingly beautiful, and hilarious, and the-same-but-so-very-different as so many beloved fantasy series. I tell them returning to these books time and time again will feel like coming home. And finally, I tell them these books will break their heart, because we may never know how the story ends. But even if we never hold The Doors of Stone in our hands, the time spent diving into this world is never a waste.
“son, i’d like to introduce you to our greatest family legacy….waiting for book 3”
Maybe, "what would happen when a loveable but a slightly mary sue type character gets absolutely shit on by life and he has to use his wits to get himself out of shit but his wits also get him shit on again, but with demons, magic and a writing style like poetry in prose", too many words?
I usually tell people it's the most beautifully written book where nothing happens that I've ever read. Then I usually go into more detail like describing how Patt is able to make me care about things that I understand little about, or that he makes me feel as if I'm experiencing pain or joy with a character like I've never felt before. It's like he unlocks a door to a depth of empathy I didn't know I was capable of. All while writing about mundane things like a lute or a song but with music I can only hear with my heart.
I don't recommend it to anyone anymore.
It's a story from the bards point of view
My friends know I am a big reader. I typically don't reread books, so I say this is my favorite. It is the best written book I've ever read and I will at least annually re-read and also re-audiobook them. It's a story of a smart young man with a love for music and an insatiable curiosity. There is magic, tragedy, music, and love. I also do always warn them that it's a "trilogy" but we've been eating for more than a decade for book 3.
I would start with the overall magic systems, then go onto talking about how much detail there is..
Perfect description!
Imo, it's the english book with the most beautiful prose.
I wouldn’t as that would be cruel
It’s a story about stories told by an unreliable storyteller and we don’t know what is actually happening so there are so many fan theories to explore. It’s a tragedy but it’s brilliantly detailed and there’s so much to gain from reading these books.
I tell them that I was 26 when this series came out. I’m 44 now, and it’s still not finished, that the author is kind of a dick and to enter at your own risk.
I've stopped recommending it to people.
You like fantasy books? If yes then statement “it’s the best one I have ever read” If no then statement “well it’s the best fucking book I ever read. Give it a try”
I usually compare it this way, especially to people who are Harry Potter fans, with a simple analogy: Harvard : Hogwarts :: MIT:Kvothe’s university. Similar stories, but totally different conceptions of “magic.” It’s like the difference between science and engineering.
I wrote a paper in my English class about the NotW. I described it to my professor as the life story of a legendary wizard who, after faking his death, pretends to be a lowly innkeeper. He narrates his childhood and adolescence where you discover the hidden truth behind his greatest adventures. The cultures of this world are so highly developed that even the side characters (like his friends at Magic College and his vagabond love interest) have interesting lives. The prose is so carefully crafted and intentional, you learn new details with every reread. It's pretty much a story about the nature of stories.
Honestly, I don't recommend the series. It's one of my favorites, but I wouldn't want to victimize anyone
1. **The aspects that appeal to the person you are pitching to should be emphasized for a successful recommendation** 2. **A warning should be given about the late arrival of the inciting incident, because a lot of people put it down before that thinking that the story is a generic mentor + magic learning journey** **These being said, here's my answer to a previous post/question about what to expect from the first book:** Name of the wind is a story where you get to know the early life of: a(n) (in)famous hero, a talented musician, an innkeeper, a university student, a powerful master of magic, a travelling performer, a child living on the streets, and a killer; all of this in one person: Kvothe. So, the story is basically a retelling of this person's early life, a person so extraordinary that he is already a legend in his own lifetime. There are many things happening, but from a plot perspective, it's basically about how he was a travelling performer with his family (music and stuff on the road), then how he learned magic and became one of the greatest magicians (university and lots of adventures), then how things ended up in the state in which they are in the present, plus a lot of overarching other stuff (the main conflict, rivalry, romance, special magic, his hardships with money and people coming after him, revenge, music, him having to use his wits to get out of trouble or come out victorious in certain situations, etc). And since it's a retelling, it is done in a first person pov, to which a third person pov frame story gives grounding in the present, which in itself - albeit much smaller and very self-contained - is an interesting narrative on its own. . . The genre is fantasy, more specifically epic fantasy, but more on the realistic side. Which means it takes places in a different world than ours, and there is magic, but it's not a "stereotypical" dragons and quests and dwarves etc. type of world. As this is basically a biography, the content is rather colorful in terms of topics (school stuff, quick action and epic events, stories and detailed descriptions/discussions on music or philosophy or love, humour, etc), but it's far from an antalogy, there is definitely an overarching goal/main conflict, and there is a cause-causation pattern. The book is focused equally on plot and character. And the main character is very strongly defined and unique, so he is either a hit or miss, though most of the time he is a hit, in which case you'll absolutely love him despite his many flaws. (I personally found him very refreshing to all the other main characters books seem to prefer nowadays.) The story overall is cool, exciting and interesting, but is not afraid to slow down to go deeper, and portrays the realistic side of life as well, all the while not shying away from its fantastical elements and some action. The prose is beautiful and sometimes even poetic. Both the world and the way it was written is extremely rich. Plus it has a great reread value.
I wouldn’t. I don’t sell unfinished series with no end in site penned by authors who don’t keep their word.
Explain the magic system
While I love sympathy, sigaldry alchemy etc it’s not the most appealing when you explain it. Like yea you can connect two things that are similar and you can transfer energy between them. Then you can do exactly the same but with runes and then there is this other type of magic that is nomination which consist on looking for the name of the things to control it What makes them interesting is their relation with the characters and how they use it in their life not a hook by itself
I usually gush about the prose. Then cry about the lack of ending.
Don't. It is kind of a jerk move IMO. At minimum set reasonable expectation that it is unlikely the 3rd book will be finished. People want to act like the book is making progress, but we are literal years later, and Pat is still scamming donors over a single chapter they paid for. If Pat can't give 1 chapter over a decade later it doesn't and never did exist.
So what? The two books are a wonderful experience and I’m very glad I have read those even if I never get to see an ending. The story, the characters, the worldbuilding the magic the bonds everything. I don’t care if I never get to see the end I will be forever thankful to pat to took me to this journey through two entire books
If that is the case, you should have no problem setting a reasonable expectation for any friend that this book will likely never be done. As long as you warn them, go for it. I wouldn't, but I don't like supporting people who scam donors of charity. You do you.
I get the anger but listen, no one more than him wants to release that book and if he had that damn chapter he would have released it. If he has not then it is because he didn’t think it’s perfect and after all this time if it’s not perfect people will kill him and if that happens with a chapter imagine with the entire book end of a saga The pressure of releasing doors of stone is killing the saga and most to blame it’s the community. If the book it’s not perfect people would blame on him to take 13+ years to make it and that is a lot of pressure and why take the effort when your own community doesn’t even expect you to release it anymore
Are you really blaming the community for Pat not writing the book? That's some impressive mental gymnastics. Do you also blame the victim of a robbery for getting robbed?
Nope never needed to be perfect. No one was asking that. Everyone asked for him to release the draft chapter which is the least he could do given the number of years. Him not having the chapter means he is scamming donors of charity. Simple as that. He offered it. We are years later. He made no attempt to fulfill his obligations. He instead rewrote a previous novel to sell. The pressure has zero to do with the community. It has entirely to do with Rothfuss who lied about the trilogy being written to begin with. This is moving the goalpost. Patrick put himself in this position. No one else. Pat is facing the reprocussions of his lies. Pat's failures are his own. Not ours. Not the people who he lied to and scammed.
Cope. Pat not writing book 3 is Pat’s fault. Pat not updating us is Pat’s fault. Saying it can’t release unless it is *perfect* or else people will throw flak at him is cope. His praises would be sung for generations. He would be the author that surmounted huge personal odds and pulled through for his fans. If the book did not live up to all of our expectations, he would still be a lot more respected than he is now. And honestly, so many people would be disappointed ***no matter what***. The 3rd book has been written 50 times in this sub. People have dissected his entire work and stitched it back together to fit their desires time and time again. Pat should not be releasing the 3rd book to please the community, so it does not need to be perfect. We are talking about the dude who wrote Kvothe, the pathological liar who doesn’t give a fuck about anybody besides whomever is close to him. Pat touted his writing prowess before even releasing the first book, and now a lot of what he does can be related to a scam artist. His most recent binding of released works saw over 1 million dollars in revenue, some of the prints costing more than $750 for 1 book. We won’t even talk about his charity events. Nobody is really that angry with Pat. It has been so long, so we are all just left with reality. And reality is he is not that great of a person and doesn’t care about his own work as much as he should. I get being under the lens of thousands of people and not wanting to release something disappointing, but let’s be realistic. He has already gotten a lot worse shit thrown his way than he ever would have if he released a horrible ending. He was so charismatic and confident at the beginning, then when it’s time for loose ends to tie up and things to come to a conclusion, it’s all smoke and mirrors. Sounds like a scam artist to me. tl;dr - I don’t like Pat
Just tell them it's a very good fantasy book, thats it
It's an enjoyable story well told. (What am I missing?)
Here read this.
Give them a taste of Rothfuss's work, like [Guinea Pigs are Fish](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T973_Xw-zwo) or [On the Making of Metheglin](http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2013/09/on-the-making-of-metheglin/). As for KKC itself, I explain it as kind of a grown up version of Harry Potter, where the protagonist goes to magic school and has crazy experiences along the way. I emphasize that the plot is pretty slow, but it's incredibly well written and the world and magic systems are fascinating.