The Wise Man's Fear
| The Wise Man's Fear | |
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 UK cover |
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| Author(s) | Patrick Rothfuss |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Kingkiller Chronicle |
| Genre(s) | Heroic fantasy |
| Publisher | DAW Books Hardcover |
| Publication date | March 1, 2011 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 994[1] |
| ISBN | 978-0-7564-0473-4 |
| OCLC Number | 166359830 |
| Preceded by | The Name of the Wind |
| Followed by | The Doors of Stone (working title)[2] |
The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day Two) is a fantasy novel by Patrick Rothfuss released March 1, 2011.[3] It is the second volume in the ongoing trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle.
Contents |
Plot [edit]
The main character Kvothe continues the recorded narrative as commenced in The Name of the Wind. Kvothe continues his education at the university, where he is engaged in a vicious feud with fellow student and member of high nobility Ambrose, punctuated by things such as the theft or retrieval of the love interest Denna's ring,and which culminates in his indirectly orchestrated arrest by the Church for an inadvertent attack on Ambrose in the Name of the Wind. Despite successfully defending himself in court, Kvothe has guaranteed himself a term tuition that is too high for him to pay, due to both the attention he attracted to the darker aspects of the university, e.g. perceived "Consortation with Demons," and his more or less destitute status as a common orphan.
Kvothe then travels to the city of Severen in order to aid the Maer Alveron in procuring a wife, where he uncovers and thwarts a plot to kill the Maer. After having wooed the Lady Lackless, he discovers that Denna is in the city and spends several happy weeks with her before attempting to convince her to accept the Maer (now in Kvothe's pocket) as her musical patron and avoid abuse at the hands of her sinister and reclusive present patron. After a spectacular argument with Denna, the Maer sets him the task of finding and killing a group of bandits that have been waylaying taxmen. After killing the bandits, which included a member of the Chandrian, the cabal of quasi-demons that killed Kvothe's family in "The Name of the Wind," Kvothe encounters and follows the mythical Fae woman named Felurian (known for seducing men) into the Fae realm, where he stays for an indeterminable amount of time until eventually leaving to discover that only three days have passed.
During the return trip to Severen fellow mercenary Tempi, one of the mysterious Adem warriors, is ordered to return to the Adem city Haert in order to stand trial for beginning to teach Kvothe the Ketan, a form of martial arts. Kvothe travels with Tempi to Ademre in order to support him in his trial, where he stays to finish his training in the Ketan and in the Lethani, an enigmatic philosophy, in order to prove that a "barbarian" such as he can learn, so Tempi was justified in teaching him.
On his way back to Severen, Kvothe encounters and kills a troupe of eleven bandits posing as Edema Ruh who have kidnapped and raped two girls. After bringing them back to their home, he returns to Severen and presents to the Maer the waylaid taxes. However, the Maer's wife, after learning of Kvothe's own Ruh blood, which she despises due to her sister's having left their aristocratic family in order to join a band of Ruh troupers, scorns Kvothe, which results in the Maer sending Kvothe away with a writ of performance and compensation for any tuition drawn at the university; much less than he should have received for services rendered.
When Kvothe returns to the University, he achieves financial stability due to his cutting a deal with the university bursar, driving up his own tuition and receiving half of the tuition above a certain amount. He returns to Denna her ring, and they part on friendly, if strained terms. He also begins to hear stories of his own exploits, many of which are distorted or completely fabricated. In the other timeline, Bast prompts two soldiers to rob Kvothe's inn in an attempt to revitalize Kvothe. Kvothe, however, fails spectacularly and Bast kills the soldiers.
Release date [edit]
According to Patrick Rothfuss's blog, the first draft of the manuscript was submitted to his editor on May 11, 2009.[4]
On April 28, 2010, Rothfuss confirmed the book's release date as March 1, 2011, nearly three years after its originally-anticipated 2008 release. He said that he anticipated several sets of revisions before completion in September, at which point the publication process would delay the release for several months, as is the norm in any publication but especially since The Wise Man's Fear is "2 to 3 times longer than most books."[5]
On December 10, 2010, Rothfuss[6] and others[7] revealed the ARC of Wise Man's Fear.
Reception [edit]
The book was a critical and commercial success, debuting at the top of the New York Times' Fantasy list.[8][9] It also reached the top of the New York Times' Hardcover Fiction list approximately three weeks after its release.[10] After Author George RR Martin blogged that "The Wise Man's Fear was worth the wait. I gulped it down in a day, staying up almost to dawn reading, and I am already itching for the next one. He's bloody good, this Rothfuss guy."[11] Locus stated that "The Wise Man’s Fear fairly leaps off the page, whatever the setting and circumstances."[12] Publisher's Weekly's review was glowing, claiming that "As seamless and lyrical as a song from the lute-playing adventurer and arcanist Kvothe, this mesmerizing sequel to Rothfuss's 2007's debut, The Name of the Wind, is a towering work of fantasy."[13]
References [edit]
- ^ "Home again, home again, jiggety jig…". Blog.patrickrothfuss.com. 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ "Patrick Rothfuss Interview - Page 1 of 2". Sffworld.com. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ "I said I’d tell you when I knew...". Patrick Rothfuss' Blog. April 28, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ "When in Rome...". Patrick Rothfuss' Blog. May 12, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ "Is It Drafty In Here?". Patrick Rothfuss' Blog. February 26, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2010.
- ^ "A story, an update, a milestone, and a little extra time…". Patrick Rothfuss' Blog. December 10, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ "How I’m Making Fans of Fantasy Insanely Jealous Today". Scalzi's Blog. December 10, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ "NYT Besteller fantasy list, March 15". Fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com. 2011-03-18. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ Taylor, Ihsan. "Best Sellers - The New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ The New York Times. "Best Sellers: Hardcover Fiction". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
- ^ "The Reviews". Patrick Rothfuss. 2010-10-05. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ Author: Your Name/Company (2011-03-19). "Locus Online Reviews » Faren Miller reviews Patrick Rothfuss". Locusmag.com. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
- ^ "Fiction Review: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss, DAW, $29.95 (932p) ISBN 978-0-7564-0473-4". Publishersweekly.com. 2011-01-24. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
