Rothfussians discussion

Since this has sprung up in some discussions -

Pat's made it seem pretty clear that KKC will be a trilogy but that he will probably write other stories from the world not involving Kvothe. (At least not so much about him)

What stories would you like see expounded?

I'd personally love it if he wrote the true story of Lanre, possibly in the same format.


It'd also be cool if he wrote something centered in Fae.

I would love to read a future story about Bast. So right now I'd say it's safe to say that Bast is Kvothe's "apprentice". We also know from Pat and Kvothe, that Kvothe's story is only a trilogy and is a tragedy (Kvothe's own words). So we can hypothesize that possibly all the loose ends (like dealing with ALL the chandrian) are NOT tied up. Pat's next story could be one of Bast finishing what his "Reshi" started.

That would be legit.

I keep thinking Kvothe is going to die in the end. If that were so, I believe Bast would follow in his master footsteps. He does seem to care for Kvothe even if it is in a twisted sort of way.

I could see this playing out...

I'll betcha Denna's got some good stories in her life.

if pat wrote a book or a series that was entirely about Denna, I would only read it out of respect for Pat. because I dont really care much for her character at all...

Depending on how the KKC turns out... Ambrose might have an interesting viewpoint on the world. I mean, I do hate him with a passion, but he is still a captivating character that I could read about.

But I think that Bast would make the best series for a number of reasons. he is kvothe's apprentice, and possibly son or relative depending on how book 3 turns out or which theories you believe. bast must have some affinity towards magic to be kvothe's apprentice. he also has the long life of the fae, so his story could span across generations of the Four Corner's world. we could witness the rise and fall of Nations within the story of Bast. also, Bast can take us into the fae realm for some interesting politics there, he is after all, a prince.

Exactly what I was thinking. Honestly, I would read anything that Pat writes. I really want to read his survival guide to college, but seeing as how they're all priced over $300, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

All this talk about a Bast book is making me want one! LOL

Plus, his character isnt delved into MUCH in the story, so it would be nice to get more information on him. And just the thought of a primarily Fae setting....ah, that would rock.

And I'm going to have to say "no" to a Denna book though. She is a shit character in my opinion. I seriously do not know what Kvothe see's in her.
Although I probably would buy it as well - gotta have the complete set man!


Be sweet to read a book about Auri I think...what is she up too under the university? Though we may well find that out in Book 3.

If Auri survives book 3, possibly with a son or daughter of kvothe, this could lead to a great book. "the heir of kvothe" or "chronicles of the heir". this is all assuming that kvothe does in fact become romantically involved with auri.

I would personally love that. Auri is a much better match for him. If they had a baby and Pat wrote the story of said child...I would read that in a heartbeat.

I have always thought that it's been suggested Kvothe eventually becomes romantically involved with her. But we shall see.

That never once occurred to me, but now I really hope you're right. I love Auri. I have yet to hear someone say they actually like Denna as a character, or as anything for that matter.

Yah Denna sucks. I think she's a dumb ho. The End.

Auri and Kvothe match. I would love them to be together in the end. However I did read somewhere that Auri was an "add in" character after his editor thought the story needed more characters to create better drama or something like that. I'm pretty sure Devi was also.

*shrug*

My main hope is that Denna just dies or has to go be the moon or something...

I dont think Auri and Kvothe match.
I like Auri as a character a lot more than Denna to, but i think a relationship between Kvothe and Auri would be pretty uneven.
She is way to innocent, childlike and mentally unstable to be a romantic interest imo..
If Auri have to find someone i think Elodin would be better :)

on topic.
Prince Bast - The kingkiller Apprentice got my vote to :)

I dont know. I think thats a shallow version of Auri. Sure she seems that way if you look at the surface.

However, she is obviously intellegent or she wouldnt be at the university in the first place. She has a will to survive, is resourceful, and well mannered.

She also has a much more caring heart and better understanding of the actual Kvothe, not the masks Kvothe puts on to win favor from everyone else. Auri is the only person Kvothe has actually "let in" to see the "true him" and the only one he's expressly made clear he loves. (by threatening someone like Master Elodin)

I dont think she's even all that mentally unstable. She's weird, but her weirdness is more observant than insane in my opinion. She is also very calculating, she doesnt just let anyone see her or know where she lives. Only Kvothe and Elodin even know about her in a university of 100's or more. Not to mention, she's clearly memorized the entire underthing in the dark...even Kvothe, a master of memorization, cant find his way down there without her...

I think she deserves more credit than being called childlike, she has far more wit than a child.

And since when is innocence a bad thing? She sees things in simpler terms, which is one of the reason I consider her a better match for Kvothe, who always over estimates and over analyzes situations.

I agree with Amber here. Auri and Kvothe are a far better match. He may not realize it, but Kvothe is already courting her. While not verbalized in such a way as to be called a "date", they do meet each other often (in the moonlight even), they give each other gifts, they share meals, and they share pleasant conversation. I believe that Kvothe's love for Denna is merely lust and what he has for Auri is actual love.
But as mentioned before, Auri was added into the book after it was originally written, so I also believe that her role may not be any more significant than what it already is. But she would make a great story to read about in a standalone novel. A story of how she "cracked", why she lives in the "underthing", what she does in between her meetings with Kvothe, then perhaps how she overcomes her disability and moves topside again. *feel free to use any of these ideas Pat, I hold no copyrights or intellectual properties on them*

I guess it depends on how you look at her.
My theory is that she was once a normal girl, probably from a noble family, and that she has snapped while learning naming with elodin.
(Which explains his interest in her).

It's my impression that Kvothe is trying to earn her trust so he can help her recover, not to get romanticly involved with her.

With "innocent, childlike and mentally unstable" i'm only trying to describe her "condition", not paint a complete picture of her.
I think there is a normal girl lurking beneath the surface, and we get climpses of that at times, but atm her behaviour still seems to indicate that she's not fully herself (not all that she could be/was).
And that just seems like a really poor foundation to start a relation on.

I've always thought Kvothe treated her a bit as you would a child, playing tea-party and stuff to let her get to know him doing some rituals she feels comfortable with. (Good intentions and everything, but if not that is a mask to win favor, i dont know what is..)
That's probably why i have a hard time imagining them as a match.

If she recovers from her breakdown, then perhaps, why not, but as i see it, right now we have not met the real Auri yet..

I dont think any of the women in kvothes life is particularly perfect for him, Denna least of all, I'm almost at the point where I think that him and Devi would be the most fun to read about. (and also the most unexpected)

I still believe, for no reason but a similar feeling from PR's descriptions, that Auri is Ordal. Shea fastidious, secretive, and has an inate ability to know whether a person is inherently good or bad. I think shes headed for a tragic end.

Thomas wrote: " that Auri is Ordal ..."
Who's Ordal again?

One of the aleph

I really dont think Auri was a student of naming.

1. Didnt Elodin just start having that class? (Since he found out a few kids had called names)

2. If Elodin had Auri as a student, wouldnt he know her real name, thus being apt to use it? Also, he states when he is invited to have dinner with Auri and Kvothe, that he's been watching her for years and she hadnt spoken more than a handful of words to him. Wouldn't that suggest then that she was never his student?

I dont really see Kvothe's aim as being to help Auri recover. He hasnt done any psychological treatment to help her get any better. She is the one who ALLOWS Kvothe to be in her life and around her, they only go as far as SHE is willing to go and Kvothe doesnt make any push to change that. I really dont see how Kvothe has led to Auri changing anything about herself. In my opinion, Auri has the control over their relationship, not the other way around.

I also never really saw Kvothe as playing tea party with her. They're having meals together, he checks in to make sure she has food, since he knows what it's like to live like she does and cares about her most of all. But she almost always impresses him by having her own gifts to bring to the mix. Kvothe seems to genuinely enjoy Auri's company and just does his best to appease what she considers proper manners.


Needless to say - I just completely disagree with that characterization of their relationship.

However, I do agree that their is more to Auri than she has let on. Not because she is some half wit, but because she does things in her own timing.

I don't know if this is the first time Elodin had a naming class, but this isn't the first semester that people have called names. And aren't a lot of the people in the Rookery there because the naming was too hard? Or was it just stress in general? I think it was naming because that was the reason Elodin brought Kvothe there; to convince him that learning naming was too risky.

Right, I know people have practiced naming there before and that Elodin was some sort of whiz at it. But I didnt think he really did classes up until very recently...

Or did he do classes before he cracked as well?

I just wanted to respond to ambers comment. I agree that auri leads the interactions, but that doesn't mean that kvothe isn't trying to lead her out of the woods of her mind, you know. for example, the person receiving therapy will usually lead the thrrapist. the therapist follows and meets them where they are, they don't push or pull, they communicate, which requires them to be relatable. I think kvothe makes himself relatable by listening and following where she takes him. you learn much more about aperson whenyou learnthe language they're speaking.

I'm pretty sure that therapists try to create the illusion that their patients are in control, but really, they lead the patient with questions, which they are trained to place well in a conversation so the patient is forced to rethink or analyze their actions in situations. Thus helping them to react better or differently in the future if another similar or related occasion arises.

The therapist studies where the patient is, and then tries to lead them down a path to better understanding and recovery. I have to disagree that they don't push or pull the patient, they do these things gently, but overall, it is their job to try and move the patient to bigger and better things. A therapist who doesn't subtly do these things using communication, ultimately fails at treating the patient.

I don't think that Kvothe doesn't learn from Auri, or that he isn't doing his best to take care of her, I just really don't see anything that suggests he's attempting to change her or realign whatever is wrong with her, if anything is.

The story of Auri. The stAuri <3

I agree that a book about Auri would be fantastic, but i just cant see a romantic relationship between her and Kvothe working out.

I'd also like a book about Devi, what actually happened that got her kicked out of the University and how she ended up moneylending - she's one of my fave characters in the books and i'd love to read more about her.

I wouldn't mind reading more about Denna's backstory, i actually quite like her as a character - i think she's making the most of a bad situation and doing her best to get by just like Kvothe. The fact that they have this in common and understand that about each other makes me think that they are the perfect 'partners in crime' as it were. i don't necessarily think they are perfectly suited as a romantic couple, but as friends go, most definitely :)

On a slightly different note, i wouldn't mind hearing more about Chronicler, i imagine he's had some adventures, traveling all over the place collecting stories.

Auri would be interesting.

But I agree on book about Devi. That would be pretty awesome. She's an amazing character and how powerful she is could make her a good and interesting protagonist.

Did anyone say Elodin yet? I'd like to read his story too. That'd be sick.

Or Taborlin the Great, I'd like that too.


Denna - meh. She's a main character in this story, and I have quite the conflicting opinion about her. Honestly, I wouldn't read entire novel dedicated to her character. I don't support characters like her, certainly not my favorite portrayal of the female form, but alas, women like her do exist. She's going to have to make a real come back in the last book for me to like her at all. Crossing my fingers Pat just kills her ass -

Would like to read a story of the Future of a character like Fela though, she's smart and going places.

I'd quite like to hear Devi's story and of course Elodin's. Also "The untimely death of a girl named Denna" has a nice ring to it 3:)

Billy wrote: "I would love to read a future story about Bast. So right now I'd say it's safe to say that Bast is Kvothe's "apprentice". We also know from Pat and Kvothe, that Kvothe's story is only a trilogy and..."

I'd like to see a story about Bast as well...

Chris wrote: "I'd quite like to hear Devi's story and of course Elodin's. Also "The untimely death of a girl named Denna" has a nice ring to it 3:)"

I'd like to read about when Elodin was Head of the University..

Ditto to that Scott - Elodin as Chancellor must have been...interesting.

I'd really like to know how he acted before he "cracked" or whatever.

Here's one I think has already been foreshadowed. When Kvothe is a child in Tarbean there is the night when a man dressed as Encanis gives him I believe an entire silver talent? The flavor text of that encounter has always made me believe that these two were more than just simple throwaway characters. The man and woman are fleeing something, they're possibly thieves, but the fact that they take pity on a young boy freezing to death at the risk of their own lives I've always thought that there was a heck of a story behind those two.

I agree, Bill, it's interesting. There's a whole thread about the possible intrigue!

To me, neither Auri nor Devi would really make a good main character of a book, at least not one that could be nearly as good as any from the KKC, they'd lack the epic factor. But of course, being able to know more about them would be compelling, so perhaps having stories published about them would be awesome.

As most in here, I don't really care about Denna, and the happiest moments in the books for me are when she isn't there. I like Denna being a character, don't get me wrong, she gives emotion to the story, but the emotion most get isn't of care, it's more like disdain.

Elodin could have some interesting stories as well, but he also lacks the epic factor.

I think as many have said, Bast is the best candidate, followed by Chronicler. And then there are people in the past or in the future, like Taborlin the Great, the founder/s of the Amyr or someone important from the Amyr (that would of course oblige Pat to deal with the Chandrian as well), etc.

You: Elodin could have some interesting stories as well, but he also lacks the epic factor.

Me: *gasp*

Lacks the epic factor?! He is the master namer, how cool must he be, how many names must he know? How did he learn each one as each name is unique and hard to learn. How does he know the language of the Adem? Why did he come to the university at such a young age? Shame on you! lol

I agree with you though, Devi and Auri seem like short stories. I wouldn't want to ruin their characters by taking away the mystery.

Chris wrote: "You: Elodin could have some interesting stories as well, but he also lacks the epic factor.

Me: *gasp*

Lacks the epic factor?! He is the master namer, how cool must he be, how many names must he ..."

I think within Eldoin's story, assuming Auri was a previous student, Auri's could be something alongside. Even if she wasn't his student, he obviously has some sort of connection to her. IMO I think he knows her in some way or knows something about her past. I think the 2 stories together would make a great read.

Not sure where Devi's story would fit though. I wonder what paths she has crossed with other characters. I am sure there is a perfect fit for her as well.

@Bill - I agree, I think that scene sticks out to a lot of people. Plus, why would he put there freakin' names in the scene if it doesn't matter later.

Anyway, if that's not addressed as something in the third book, I'll probably be annoyed because it's like chekhov's gun, just waiting to be used and sitting there FOREVER.

Bast would be a cool story, though I'm still thinking Devi could be impressive. She's got an alar to beat Kvothe's, from what I understood her power was immense enough it scared the masters into expelling her. Plus, she's a dangerous lady. I like that.

I've also always thought it would be cool if Chronicler became a repeat character and Pat started all his books the same sort of way. With Chronicler hunting down the subject and extracting there story over an amount of days. It would also lend more importance to the frame of the stories.

I would love to hear about Kvothe's sea adventures from Tarbean to the maer

Here are the stories I want to hear:
1. Elodin's story which I imagine to be a short story which I would include with the stories of the other masters (can you image a young master lorren?)
2. Kvothe's adventure at sea during WMF. It only hinted at, but seems action packed
3. Some short stories about Kvothe's parents, how they met, some of their adventures, etc.
4. The chronicler. Obviously he has had some adventures, and I imagine they were well written.
5. The origins of puppet and the other crazy students hiding in the university.

I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with whatever, but one of those found a weakness in my chitinous shell.

Nick wrote: "can you image a young master lorren?)"

This could be cool. The following sentence is second hand information. Pat said in the hangout for the Lorren image that he's in his fifties and has run the Archives for twenty years. The Larkin/Tollem scriv war would have ended shortly before or during his early years. He would have witnessed a new Master Archivist take over when Tollem died and invalidate all that. We know he uses the Tollem system. It must have made his blood run cold. A few thousand words of book nerdery would be welcome.

Gavin wrote: "I would love to hear about Kvothe's sea adventures from Tarbean to the maer"

That probably would have taken up an entire book in its own right. Incidentally, my pet theory (and again, not sure if it's been mentioned or not) is that Ambrose had one of his henchmen place something he could scry onto the boat and he really is responsible for the boat eventually sinking. It's really hard for me to believe that the guy who passed Kvothe and Elodin on the bridge carrying a package, who ALSO ends up on the boat, is random.

I know it'd never happen, but I'd love a story about Cthaeh :) And I second those who said Lanre and Elodin.

This may have been suggested in an earlier post, but I like the idea:
How about a song book? Lyrics and music of all your favorite songs from the four corners!

Maybe a book about Felurian and delve into more of the Fae.

A book about the creation war, something factual with dates we can corroborate! Too much? lol

I'd also like some more background, like the song book idea, and stories like Taborlin, Jax, the boy with the golden screw in his belly button, the story Kvothe told Wil and Simmon when they were too drunk to cross the bridge, and in general, the things that the characters themselves would consider 'stories'.

Fleur wrote: "I'd also like some more background, like the song book idea, and stories like Taborlin, Jax, the boy with the golden screw in his belly button, the story Kvothe told Wil and Simmon when they were too drunk to cross the bridge, and in general, the things that the characters themselves would consider 'stories'."

I haven't seen any plans for Taborlin, though I expect we'll get the end of the story at the end of Day 3, or at least one of the ends.

But you're in luck... probably. Pat's talked about he and Nate Taylor, the artist who did The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed and most of the art on his website, talking to Darkhorse Comics about creating a graphic novel for "The Boy Who Loved the Moon." He said it would be the real story versus the campfire tale told in the books.

"The boy with the golden screw..." is actually an old joke, not something Pat created. You can find several versions of it online dating back to the nineties. And a version of it appears in The Crying of Lot 49, published in 1966, well before there was a Pat Rothfuss.

What I would like Pat to write after The Doors of Stone:

- A trilogy on the present day about Kvothe fighting in the coming war
- A trilogy set in the creation war
- Short stories about Elodin, Denna, Taborlin, Auri and Devi

I'd like to see a book where Chronciler tracks down some of the characters introduced by Kvothe, including:
- Devi
- Auri
- Elodin
- Loren (I would also like a story about people whose job it is to track down rare books)
- Some of the Adem
- Kvothe's first teacher (when he was still traveling with his family)
- Denna ( I think she has some interesting stories to tell)
- The story-teller who tells the story about Lanre (there has to be an interesting story behind how he got the story, not to mention, if I recall correctly, it is a story that gets him in a lot of trouble)

Since Rothfuss spend so much time using pillow talk between Kvothe and Penthe to discuss biology i am sure Penthe will be the proud mother to a red hair baby, which will cause the Ademre to question their knowledge of the barbarians.

Stephen wrote: "Since Rothfuss spend so much time using pillow talk between Kvothe and Penthe to discuss biology i am sure Penthe will be the proud mother to a red hair baby, which will cause the Ademre to questio..."

This would be cute, but doesn't Kvothe say at some point that he takes a contraceptive?

Sophie wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Since Rothfuss spend so much time using pillow talk between Kvothe and Penthe to discuss biology i am sure Penthe will be the proud mother to a red hair baby, which will cause the A..."

Nope!