NEWS | The Name of the Wind to TV and Abercrombie's new trilogy

According to The Bookseller Job Abercombie has just sold a new loose trilogy to Harper Voyager in the UK with the first book slated for 2014 to be titled Half a King. The new books will not be related to the First Law world, but a more traditional yet alternative ancient Europe in the time of the Dark Ages. The books will also be aimed at both a younger demographic as well as Joe's traditional adult audience. For Abercrombie this probably just means cutting down on the cuss words and graphic sex. Abercrombie said:

“In some ways this is a very different sort of book from what I’ve written so far. It’s aimed partly at younger readers (maybe the 12-16 range). It’s much shorter – 80,000 words compared to 175,000 for my shortest, Red Country, and 230,000 for my longest, Last Argument of Kings (though still over twice the length of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, believe it or not). It’s set in a very different world with what you might call a viking or anglo-saxon feel. It’s much more focused, with a single point of view. It’s not so overtly ‘gritty’ although it’s a long way from smooth. It is punchy. It has drive. I aimed to deliver a slap in the face with every page.”

No word on the US rights, but those should come quickly. Abercombie has mentioned a July 2014 publication date as likely on both sides of the pond for Half a King with the sequels spread 6 month apart thereafter. The rub is the next First Law trilogy is still in the works, but we probably won't be seeing that until at least 2017, but there will be a short story collection of the First Law  in 2015 or 2016. It will be interesting to see how Abercrombie transitions his style to a younger set and if it can truly hold a candle for those of us who are use to Lord Grimdark.

The other big piece of news is according to Deadline.com  New Regency and Fox have have optioned  The Name of the Wind for a TV show.  Now don't hold your breathe too much on this as option often lapse, but Fox is in a period of growth splitting FX into two channels with the new FXX starting in the not too distant future though the credits of some involved don't impress me much. Still I'll be there in a heartbeat once it starts airing.

I'm honestly not sure which piece of news excites me more. More Joe Abercrombie fiction is always a good thing, but being able to see the characters that Rothfuss has brought so well to life on to the page being fully realized could be an amazing thing.

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NEWS | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss in Webcomic Form!

If you're anything like me you have been salivating for The Wise Man's Fear. It is without a doubt the most anticipated Fantasy sequel of the last decade. Because The Name of the Wind is such detailed read I underwent a re-read last month in anticipation of The Wise Man's Fear and now Rothfuss teamed with Nathan Taylor have put together a very funny comic version of The Name of the Wind to refresh readers memories. Check it all out here on Rothfuss's blog. Taylor is also Rothfuss's collaborator on The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle. If you're looking for me tomorrow I'll either be at Barnes & Noble picking up my copy of The Wise Man's Fear or nose deep in said book.

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RE-READING | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - Part 2

My re-read of The Name of the Wind is done. I was planning on splitting these posts into three discussing every 200 pages or so, but I zoomed through the last few hundred pages in a day and a half due to some free time and the fact no one could pry it from my hands. My discussion of the first two hundred pages can be found here.

"He's telling the truth."
"Why do you say that?"
"He sounds more sincere than that when he lies."

The Name of the Wind is an immersive reading experience. It's a very personal story and Kvothe's voice is so strong you feel like you're sitting at the Inn listening alongside Bast and The Chronicler. His voice demands your complete rapt attention and draws you into his world deeper and deeper as the telling unfolds.

Magic is not overused. It is certainly present and important in certain sections, but even Kvothe's time at the College is more about him learning to deal with others and setting up events that build him up to the person he becomes and his eventual change to an inn keeper hiding himself away than just trying to be flashy. Plus he is still learning about magic. He's clearly powerful and a fast learner, but there are many mysteries for him to uncover about the nature of magic and the world at large. Woman are a big mystery to him, which makes it easier to like him even if he is blind to the attention from the fairer sex. He has other flaws that will probably only enlarge as he grows older.

There is something to say for a society where a man can cry in public because of a beautiful song and not be thought of as weak because of it. The scene I mention was one of the most vivid in The Name of the Wind for me despite not being high action yet the tension and desire for Kvothe to succeed is where he comes into his own as more than just a know-it-all. I could almost hear the song he played and feel cheated that it doesn't exist is our own world.

Rothfuss certainly tugs at the heart strings creating a deep emotional resonance with Kvothe building him up just to knock him down. Why has he lost his magic, but what led him to this path? Is it all for show? Rothfuss has captured the essence of any character driven story and dressed it in a highly detailed world I lost myself in. It is a world of magic, mystery and legends coming alive. And Bast is a lot more bad-ass that I recall.

The only people who probably would not enjoy The Name of the Wind are those looking for stories that move at breakneck speeds. You won't find that with the methodical The Name of the Wind, but when you look up at the clock you'll be surprised how fast the time flies and how hard it is to pull yourself away from Kvothe's story. The life of a living legend can be the hardest for the legend themselves to accept.

The Name of the Wind can come off as a frustrating yet fulfilling first date with Rothfuss playing the part of a tease and in may ways this novel just feels like an appetizer of the feast that is to hopefully come. So many little things are mentioned about what Kvothe will do no matter how long this book is or the next it will never be enough. I can't wait to meet the Amyr and the Adem and hopefully learn how he earns the name "Kvothe the Kingkiller". Now I'm ready for The Wise Man's Fear. Anyone else with me?

I'm also planning on doing a re-read of A Game of Thrones before the HBO series starts. I've actually been itching to do a re-read of the whole series, but have been waiting for word on A Dance With Dragons as many other readers are. I'd like to see how the book matches up with the series. I expect somethings to change such as character introductions and the combining of some characters, but beyond that I've no clue what will translate to the small screen.

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NEWS | Patrick Rothfuss's The Wise Man's Fear is Done(ish)

Last week Patrick Rothfuss mentioned The Wise Man's Fear was nearly done, but I kept my squee in check. Gollancz just confirmed that the manuscript has been recevived so all systems are go to have the book out for the announced March 1st release in the states from DAW and Gollancz in the UK.

There is still some cleanup work to be done such as final copy editing, but galleys are apparantly in the works which means the book is on schedule. Huzzah!!! Apparently galleys will be in limited supply and numbered so I doubt one will find its way to me, but my fingers are crossed.

This is much welcome news given that Scott Lynch's The Republic of Thieves has been pushed back again this time to June and Richard Morgan's The Cold Commands is currently set for October, but both of these could change.  Now how long until people start complaining about the wait for The Doors of Stone (book 3,  Kingkiller Chronicles) from Rothfuss?


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Patrick Rothfuss new short story???

I just found out that in The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2009 Edition a short story will be included from Patrick Rothfuss author of the fantastic The Name of the Wind. The most likely culprit is The Road to Levinshir which was in Subterranean Tales of Dark Fantasy the $75 limited edition anthology that was out of most fans price range. This story is supposed to be a chapter or two from The Wise Man's Fear. If anyone has any other clue please post away. This could be a nice hold over for us since The Wise Man's Fear still has no official release date. Also, if you haven't read Rothfuss's The Name of the Wind shame on you and get to it.