The Kingkiller Chronicles – The Unseen Library

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. As part of the latest Top Ten Tuesday, participants need to list their top ten books that they loved but never reviewed. This is a rather intriguing topic and it is one that I instantly related to as there are quite a few incredible novels that I have read which I never got around to reviewing.

Now, if I am going to be honest the number of books that I have read throughout my life heavily outweighs the total number of reviews that I have written. This is mostly because I only started reviewing books a few years ago, but I have been reading pretty much my entire life. Indeed, it has only been since I have started writing this blog that I really began reviewing every book that I read, and even then, I do miss a few. As a result, there are quite a few books that I read pre-2018 which I never got around to reviewing, including several novels and series I consider to be my most favourite books of all time. While I have managed to go back and review several key series that I loved when I was younger, such as The Inheritance Cycle, the Tomorrow series and the Empire trilogy, I have not had the chance to write anything about some truly amazing series and novels I previously read. While I hope to rectify that in the future, for the moment my lack of action allows me to include these novels in this Top Ten list.

It honestly did not take me long to come up with the ten entries for this article, as several key books have been floating in my mind since I saw this topic. I have cheated a little and included several series as entries rather than individual novels. However, I think that this better highlights how much I enjoyed these books, plus if I review one book in the series, I will try my hardest to review all of them. The list that I came up with contains quite a few major series and authors, including several of my absolute favourite authors and these represent some pretty substantial gaps in my reviewer credentials. Still, I like how the list turned out, even if it is a bit fantasy heavy, and I feel that it accurately represents which books I most want to go back and review.

Top Ten List:

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss

The Name of the Wind Cover

The first entry on this list is the amazing Kingkiller Chronicles from the exceedingly talented Patrick Rothfuss. I only got around to reading these books a few years ago, but in my opinion they are some of the greatest, if not the absolute best, fantasy novels of all time. I had an absolutely incredible time reading both The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, and I have been eagerly awaiting the third novel in the series (currently titled The Doors of Stone) ever since I finished the first two books. While I adore both books in the series, writing a review for them now is somewhat problematic due to how much intricate detail and clever storytelling that Rothfuss fit into these novels. In order to do a proper review, I really need to do a reread of these books, which, due to their length, is rather hard to fit into my reading schedule. Still, I really should make the time to have another read of them in the near future, especially before the third book comes out.

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Cover

My second entry on this list is a series that truly needs no introduction. Like everyone of a certain age, I read all seven of these books when they first came out, and I have also done a huge number of rereads of all of them over the years. While I could easily do a review of any of them from memory alone, I have been hesitant about writing anything about the Harry Potter books, due to the sheer amount of reviews and discussions that have already occurred. Let us face it, pretty much everyone has read these books since they came out and there are already innumerable reviews about them all over the place. I honestly cannot think of anything new or original that I could say that would differentiate anything I wrote from what already exists, so it seems a little pointless to do so.

Gentleman Bastards series by Scott Lynch

The Lies of Locke Lamora Cover

This is another incredible fantasy series that I only got to reading a few years ago but which I absolutely loved. The Gentleman Bastards books are an extraordinary fantasy series that sets a group of clever conmen against some of the most dangerous people in a chaotic fantasy world. All three of the books in this series have been top rate reads, and I cannot wait for the fourth novel to come out. This is another series chock full of detailed and complex storylines and I really need to do a reread before I can talk about all the clever twists and turns that occur throughout the story.

Most of the Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett

The Colour of Magic Cover

Based on the name of blog, it should come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of Terry Pratchett’s iconic, hilarious and exceedingly clever Discworld series. I have loved these books since I was a child, and I have read them all so many times I could probably review them from memory alone. However, so far I have only reviewed one of them, Moving Pictures. I have always intended to review the rest of these books as part of my Throwback Thursday series, but I have so far failed to do so. Hopefully, I will manage to write some stuff for them up in the future as these are all great books to read.

The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie

The Blade Itself

The First Law series is a trilogy of impressive dark fantasy novels that I really enjoyed. This is such an amazing series and I have plans to review it at some point in the future, especially as I loved its compelling and violent story, as well as its various complex and flawed characters. In the meantime, make sure to check out my review for the first book in the sequel series, A Little Hatred.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones Cover

This is another world-famous book which I have held off reviewing as every man and their dog has already said something about it, or its associated television show. I did really enjoy this first novel, which is unsurprising considering how similar it is to the show, although I really need to read it again in order to note all its complexities. I have been considering doing a big A Song of Ice and Fire reading marathon now that the show is finished, but that would take up a huge amount of reading time that I honestly just do not have. Still, it is something to consider for the future, and maybe I could do it before the next novel in the series comes out.

Magician by Raymond E. Feist

Magician Cover

I could have featured any of the fun fantasy novels in Feist’s long-running Riftwar Cycle on this list due to how much I enjoyed them, but I decided to only include his debut novel, Magician. Not only is Magician one of the most impressive novels that Feist ever wrote, but it is actually the Riftwar Cycle novel I have the best memory of as I reread it a couple of years ago. I will probably try and read this book a third time before I write anything up for it, especially as I can use that as a jumping off point to go back and check out the rest of the books in the Riftwar Cycle after that.

The Dark Elf trilogy by R. A. Salvatore

Homeland Cover

I have read a huge amount of novels from fantasy legend R. A. Salvatore and while I have reviewed a lot of his recent stuff I have not yet had a chance to go back and review some of his earlier work. This includes The Dark Elf trilogy, which I consider to be his strongest and most impressive series of books. These three novels are extremely good, especially as they contain the background story for one of the most complex and iconic high fantasy characters of all time, the Dark Elf ranger Drizzt Do’Urden. I have read these books a few times, but I will probably need to do another reread in order to capture them completely. Luckily, these books are not too long, so it would be a somewhat easier prospect to go back and read them than some of the other entries on this list. I will probably consider doing this soon once I get my hands on the next upcoming book from Salvatore, Relentless, so this might happen soon.

King of Assassins by RJ Barker

king of assassins cover

King of Assassins was a 2018 release from new fantasy author RJ Barker that I listened to halfway through last year. Serving as the final novel in The Wounded Kingdom series, which followed on from Age of Assassins and Blood of Assassins, King of Assassins was an amazing read and it was probably the best entry in the entire trilogy. Due to other reviews and conflicting priorities, I completely failed to write any sort of review for this book, which was a real shame because this is an amazing five-star read. I really need to write something for this before all the details slip out of my mind, and even a short review would be better than nothing.

Recursion by Blake Crouch

Recursion Cover

This is another book I read last year which I completely failed to finish reviewing. Recursion is a really clever science fiction thriller that I had an awesome time reading. I actually started a quick review for this book at some point, but I never got around to finalising it. This was easily one of my favourite books of 2019, so I should probably finish off this review some point soon.

Well, that is the end of that top ten list. As you can see, I have a ton of really impressive novels that I need to review at some point, and I foresee a lot of rereads in my future. Still, it should be worth as each of the above books is pretty damn awesome and I know I can do a great review for each of them. Despite my lack of writing about them, all of the above novels and series are amazing reads, and each of them come highly recommended, especially if you want to see how incredible the fantasy genre can be. Meanwhile, make sure to let me know which of the above series/books are your favourites in the comments below.

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.

For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I am going to look at the book that is easily number 1 on my personal must-read list, the third book in Patrick Rothfuss’s epic The Kingkiller Chronicle, which is at the moment tentatively titled Doors of Stone.

Doors of Stone - Fan Cover.jpg

There are several problems with wanting to read this book. I have no idea when it is going to be released, nor do I have a firm idea of the book’s plot. Even the title, Doors of Stone, might change, and the cover I have included above is a fan-made cover that features on Goodreads. Nonetheless, it tops my list mostly due to how exceptionally awesome the first two books in the series were.

The Kingkiller Chronicles is a series of massive fantasy books written by Patrick Rothfuss. The first book in the series, The Name of the Wind, was released in 2007, and the second book, The Wise Man’s Fear, was released in 2011. The series focuses on a young man called Kvothe, a legendary figure known throughout the land as a master magician, swordfighter, musician and adventurer who gained the epitaph ‘Kingkiller’ after killing a king and igniting a war that is still being fought to this day. Kvothe has since hidden himself from the world, disguising himself as an innkeeper in a small town. At the start of The Name of the Wind, Kvothe is recognised by a renowned historian known as Chronicler, who wishes to know and record the true story of Kvothe’s life. Kvothe agrees and tells Chronicler that his story will take three days to tell, with each day of storytelling corresponding to one of the three planned books in The Kingkiller Chronicles.

Over the course of the first two days, Kvothe regales Chronicler with a long and detailed story of his early life, starting with his childhood as a travelling performer, his early training and the violent death of his family and performing troupe by the Chandrian, which are mythical demonic creatures his father somehow angered. Kvothe eventually makes his way to the University, the most prestigious education institute in the world, where he manages to gain admission despite his lack of funds. There he learns various forms of magic, as well as other academic interests, while also gaining a reputation as a musical prodigy. The story told during the first day mainly recounts his first year in the University, while the second day recounts more of his educational experiences, as well as a long and fateful trip outside the University. At the same time as the story is being told, strange events are occurring around Kvothe’s inn, and it soon becomes apparent that Kvothe has somehow lost most of his magic and martial skill since the events he described.

These first two books in The Kingkiller Chronicles are absolutely incredible and are by far two of the best fantasy novels I have ever read. The story of Kvothe is a deeply fascinating, and Rothfuss has an uncanny ability to tell a captivating tale that plucks at the imagination and stays with a reader long after they have read the book. The series is set in an amazingly detailed world, filled with all manner of intriguing secrets and history, many of which the protagonist is destined to unravel. I am a huge fan of fantasy books that feature schools, magical education or extensive training sequences, and The Kingkiller Chronicles is easily the most well-written and enjoyable example of this sort of fantasy sub-genre that I have ever read. I also love how Rothfuss’s story contains such a major focus on music, and the various songs and performances in the two books pretty much flow off the page. There is honestly so much to love about both of these books that I could go on for pages and pages about both of them (something I intend to do in future reviews). Unsurprisingly to anyone who has read these books, The Kingkiller Chronicles is a massive bestseller, and many consider it to be the best fantasy series in the world today. The series has also been optioned for adaption, with rumours of both a movie and television series in the near future. Lin-Manuel Miranda is even attached to the television show and will compose the show’s music, which is pretty darn exciting.

Unfortunately, this series has remained unfinished, and the third book has yet to appear. Readers have been waiting for this third book since 2011, and it is probably one of the most anticipated fantasy releases in the world today, rivalled only by the next book in A Song of Ice and Fire, or perhaps The Thorn of Emberlain (my Waiting on Wednesday review for The Thorn of Emberlain certainly gets a lot a views). The third book in The Kingkiller Chronicles, which will feature the third and final day of Kvothe’s story to Chronicler, will apparently conclude all the events of Kvothe’s life that led to his current life of exile and the loss of his powers. Unfortunately, after eight years of waiting, there is still no sign of the book on the horizon, and no-one is certain when the third book will be published.

Rothfuss has apparently been working on this book for some time, with a note on Goodreads in 2012 indicating he was working on polishing the book and he hoped to transform it from a 3½-star book to a five-star book. Since then there have been innumerable speculations from a variety of sources about when the book would be released, but these potential release dates keep getting pushed back. There has been some recent discussion about the book coming out in 2019, with some interviews or Q&As with Rothfuss apparently indicating this. Rothfuss also sparked speculation in January 2019 when he retweeted some fan art that contained the words “I want to return in 2019 – Kvothe”. However, as we are now in mid-May and there have been no official announcements, a 2019 release date seems incredibly unlikely. I honestly doubt that this book will even be released in 2020. An interview from April 2019 indicates he is still working on it, and I imagine that even when he is finished with it the publication process is going to take a while. I had hoped that the work on the movies or television shows might spur the author on, although progress on both of these projects is also apparently going quite slowly as well. As a result, it might be a while before we see the third book in this series, which is a real shame, as there are so many open plot points that need to be concluded in order to give this story a satisfactory conclusion.

While no plot synopsis for the third book has been released yet, it is possible to puzzle out what needs to happen in it. According to dialogue in the first two books, a number of events need to occur to define the story of Kvothe. These include Kvothe’s banishment from the University; his meeting with his assistant, Bast; the loss of his great love; the battle he apparently had with an angel to bring her back; the events that broke him and his magic; and, most importantly, his meeting with and subsequent murder of a king. In addition to all of these, there ought to be some explanation for all the open plot points, such as the mysterious artefact from the Maer’s new, bigoted wife (who is totally his aunt), the reason for the mysterious stone door in the University archives or the identity and origin of the Chandrian, just to name a few. There also has to be an explanation for the events occurring at the inn, such as the reason he is being hunted by demons, and there also needs to be some indication of where Rothfuss’s universe will go from there.

I actually think that all these open plot points that need to be addressed are why Rothfuss is having such a hard time finishing the book. For the life of me, I cannot see how it is possible to include or explore all of these potential plot points in one book and keep the story as interesting or rich in detail as the first two books in the series. As a result, he may have shot himself in the foot by claiming that the story could be told in just three days/books, and I think that he may have let the story get way more extensive than he originally intended (not that I’m complaining).

Whatever the reason, it seems like we may be waiting a while to read the third book in The Kingkiller Chronicles, although I will make sure to grab a copy as soon as it is available, and I know many readers will be doing the same. The third book is going to be epic, and I am really looking forward to seeing how Rothfuss ends this chapter in his story. I may do another one of these Waiting on Wednesday articles for this book later down the track when more details of the plot are revealed, or when a proper cover comes out. I also intend to eventually post a review of the first two books in The Kingkiller Chronicles at some point in the future; I just need to carve out some time to reread them first.