Mr. Fillion,
First, I have to say that I admire your work. I’ve read many of your interviews and have come to respect you not only as a truly fine actor, but as an uncommonly intelligent human being.
But let’s get straight to the heart of the matter. It has come to my attention that in a recent interview, you said the following:
“If I got $300 million from the California Lottery, the first thing I would do is buy the rights to Firefly, make it on my own, and distribute it on the Internet.”
This struck a particular chord with me. As only a few months ago, I said very nearly the same thing. “If I ever get Stephen King famous,” I said, “I’ll buy the rights to Firefly and give it to Joss Whedon as a birthday present.”
Here’s the deal. My second book is about to come out. My publisher tells me there’s a decent chance of us selling a truly ridiculous number of copies. If this happens, I will have more money than I’ll know what to do with.
Except that’s not exactly true. I know exactly what I’d like to do with that money. I’d like to help you buy the rights to Firefly back from Fox.
I’m only a fledgling author. But by a strange twist of fate, I happen to be a fledgling author who is also an international bestseller.
Left to my own devices, I will probably spend my royalty money on useless bullshit. I will buy rare books and narwhal horns. If the book sells extremely well, I expect I’ll probably do something like buy an abandoned missile silo and convert it into my secret underground lair.
Clearly, this way lies madness.
Here is my thought. Alone, all we can do is dream wistful dreams of Firefly’s return. Together, we are a team. We can gather others to our cause. With 20 or 30 of the right people, we could pool our resources and make this shit happen.
You know where to find me.
Sincerely,
Patrick Rothfuss
* * *
Those of you who don’t happen to be Nathan Fillion, there’s a new interview over here. Rest assured, it’s spoiler-free.
On the same page, Paul Goat Allen gives The Wise Man’s Fear the best review I expect I will ever receive in my whole life. I’m serious. You’d think he wrote it after I pulled his children out of a burning building or something.
Or, if you’re in a listening mood, I’m on the Sword and Laser podcast with Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt. We talk about Jim Butcher and Cylons, among other things.
Tour FAQ will be up soon. I’m working out the last few details.
pat
230 Comments
Count me in the group of “holy Fu*k, two of the best things ever just collided.”
I’m trying to imagine a world in which Rothfuss and Firefly somehow become interconnected….
Nope, can’t do it; I’m going to bed.
Just tweeted the blog link at Fillion. :) Hopefully if enough people do so, he’ll notice.
You are now my favorite author that I haven’t read yet. Off to the bookstore!
….basically you have charmed me with your firefly love and buffy quotes. I <3 you.
Thank you so very much for your support as a Firefly fan. :)
This just makes me all the more tempted to skip my exam and drive to D.C for your book signing. You are awesome for too many reasons.
P.S. Thank you for your first amazing book. It revitalized my desire to read after so many dry text books.
You’re a beautiful man, and I am buying the shit out of your book.
Listen I love Firefly as much as anyone here, but it can not be brought back and done well. Wash and Book are dead. Wash was great for laughs and I think Book still had a lot of story to tell. So to keep the full crew, a new series would need to be shoe-horned between the original series and Serenity. But, we’ve already had big reveals about the nature of the Reavers and River’s capabilities…
For the show to ‘feel’ right you’d need to have all the original actors and writers back. That’s pretty unlikely in itself, and the actors are all ten years older now. River and Kaylee will probably look too old for their roles now.
Even if rights for the show could be purchased, getting a new series funded would be another major undertaking. I think the most that could come out of it would be some kind of spin-off, which would likely be a sad shadow of the original.
Personally, I’m looking forward to ‘A Game of Thrones’ on HBO this Spring. Who knows, if it proves to be a hit, maybe that would open the door for other fantasy epics to be aired as well.
…killjoy. Though you make a good point.
Nah. You couldn’t have the same show, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a good show. Buffy lost all sorts of characters over the years, and it still worked. Same thing with Angel.
Joss Whedon doesn’t tell static stories. Things are always changing. I have full confidence that he would be able to pick up the story where he left off and take it somewhere good.
For real. I mean, Buffy died at the end of season five, but the show was still freaking epic.
Well, pat, I bid you well. I would help, but, alas, i’m sixteen, and do not think I would be much assistance to you. Troy Barnes and Abed Nadir would be interested, though. (If this is unclear to you, you may refer to last
week’s episode of community, in which firefly was mentioned.)
Some things stay with you till the day you die. Even if it’s a deathtrap and Wash has a PORN-STACHE.
You, sir, just got some major brownie points in my book. I already appreciate you so very much for The Name of the Wind [THANK YOU. Thank you so much for that book. Cannot wait to get my hands on the sequel next month!] and I am a huge fan of Joss Whedon, Firefly and Fillion. [I, too, think he is a wonderful human being - beyond wonderful.]
I love it when fandoms collide!
Next month? Okay, but also: Next WEEK!!!
You may notice I wrote that at a late hour. I think differently that late. I also tend to babble — you should have seen my original 3 paragraph reply. lol
Shiny!
Hi,
if it helps, i would be willing to add more than a few bucks to the pot (no joke and beside the fact that i will be buying about a dozen copies of your book).
Yours, Martin
Pat,
I am new to your work, but I’m going to rank you as Hero in my List of People to be Impressed By.
Do you have a cult and/or sect I can join?
Narwhal “tooth” not “horn”
Down to the final week awaiting the book. I ordered it 9 months ago… you can’t say my lack of faith is disturbing…
Just to make sure . . . . you’ve already got the college fund for Oot, right? Otherwise, do that first with your large amounts of money. Much as I love firefly, that seems just a bit bigger. No guarantees of success in the future, so make sure you take care of your own. Of course, if it is a truly insane amount of money, then a college fund is just a tiny fraction, so no worries.
I know I’d donate to a Joss Whedon/Nathan Fillion/Patrick Rothfuss “Fund for Firefly”.
Awesome, I’m totally buying your book. Even if we don’t get Firefly back i’ll have the satisfaction of knowing I helped outfit an awesome underground lair :D
as a fellow wisconsinite, let me offer to buy you a beer sometime!
I live an hour from point and can easily be there for happy hour!!!
You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar.
Mike
Dear Mr. Rothfuss,
I had never heard of your books until today, then your blog appeared in the wee uproar Nathan Fillion’s comments have caused. I have been a Browncoat since the beginning, and therefore not delusional in our chances to secure and make more ‘Fly…but you still approach BDH status with your blog. I also give you serious props for even considering a secret lair out of a missile silo! Are you willing to give harried Moms sanctuary on occasion?
I’m going to be purchasing some of your books, I hear good review, and I want to help boost your revenue – I’m going to do some posting too.
I know it’s a little out of context, but when questioned what would happen when the money was good enough, Jayne said it best “Well, that’ll be an interesting day.”
Mr. Rothfuss -
You have a new fan for life. You have reached BDH status for me. I’m off to buy your book.
Yours,
A
An open message to Nathan Fillion – do NOT just screw with our hopes like that! Mean it!
A fan of fantasy and firefly, I have not yet had the pleasure of reading your books. I guess I had better get started!
well, this is the sort of operation I can get behind. just pre-ordered the book :)
Mr. Rothfuss,
I’d never heard of you before today. But after reading this post, I am going to buy both of your books, just because of your awesomeness. Thank you!
Um off topic but I have a question. On p 69 of Name of the Wind you Kvothe mentions a game he played with Ben called Tirani. I was wondering what the game was and how it was played. I would wait for your next QA session but I am afraid I will forget. Thanks
It seems as though your comments on this matter have harvested you a few more fans. Great news! I have issues with convincing people to read your book. but those I do convince love it.
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150431972840065&set=a.10150429663495065.619927.526445064&theater#!/photo.php?fbid=10150431972840065&set=a.10150429663495065.619927.526445064&theater
How did a bookstore in the UK release it before March 1st?
I’ve heard from some people that several bookstores here in the U.S. had already released the book as well.
This would rock my socks. Both of them.
Pat,
I’m an occasional reader here. I was in a bookstore today and saw Wise Man’s Fear, happy surprise. I had thought it was further away though so after buyin gthe book came home to check and see that in fact the release is March.
I’m guessing someone has stuffed up in releasing early, so FYI I got the book from a Dymocks bookstore in Western Australia (Morley Galleria store). I asked them and they said it was released yesterday (24th Feb).
It is a British edition, but printed in Australia by Griffin press.
I would have sent this privately but could find no way to message you on this site other than the blog. Hopefully you can access my email if you need further info, else i’ll try and check in here later
Mr Rothfuss,
I have a gift for you.
But first this:
I read Name of the Wind on the recommendation of a Barnes and Noble employee In December of 2009. It is hands down my favorite book ever. As a SciFi- Fantasy reader for almost 40 years, I think you know what it means for me to make that statement.
I have thought long and hard about whether I really feel that way or if it’s just that this is most recent great book I’ve read. Orson Scott Card, Terry Goodkind, George Martin, and all of the greats that came before. I thought back to how I felt after reading the best of their works and nothing compares to the feelings I experienced while reading your book.
Because of my love for your work I started reading your blog. In it you recommended that your readers watch Firefly. I haven’t been the same since. I have so much to thank you for I cant do justice to my feelings. I hope that this small gift will speak to that. I pray that you have not already seen this. Even if you have, could you please post it for others that they may benefit from it.
This link is to a screenplay written by the author of the episode “War Stories” named Cheryl Cain. It seems to have been slated to be episode 15. It would have made a great episode.
http://www.whedon.info/article.php3?id_article=8136
I just can’t thank you enough,
Roger J Kea
“AnotherCoatOfBrown”
I *really* wanted to wait for the paperback edition, now I pre-ordered The Wise Man’s Fear.
Thank you for your Firefly-Support, thank you for introducing me to Girl Genius, thank you for your blog, and for being generally awesome.
By the way, you made #6 at amazon.
Greetings from Germany, and I’m sure you would make a lot of people happy if you could come over to do a signing over here sometime.
There are rarely days that go by that I don’t think about ways to get new Firefly content made. The fans go nuts when any comment about resurrection gets made and there is a flurry of activity for a short while. Problem is, there is a lot of talk about doing something, but no coordination by a central source so true numbers can be calculated, but most importantly, we never get someone involved with the show who has the power to move the mountain. Joss and Nathan are realistically the only people who could move the needle.
I think that our approach is a bit wrong since it hasn’t worked since Serenity.
But think about this: How many people could be mobilized if one of the principals called on Browncoats everywhere to donate to a specific charity or give time to habitat for humanity on a given day. The response would dwarf what we’ve seen for the last 4 years or so.
Before that day, Nathan or Joss does one or all of the talk shows and brings national attention to the effort. This National TV coverage is the key. The word would spread more strongly when attatched to a charitable cause with an explanation of how the Browncoats mobilized before to stunning effect (ie. Serenity).
I know that Nathan and Joss both have charities that they care about. As far as I’m concerned, they have the ability to do huge things for good by using the Browncoat fanbase and they’re squandering the opportunity.
I for one would absolutely love to take part in a top down sanctioned event with the purpose of doing good for others and also spreading the word so that the fan base grows ever larger giving the studios more and more incentive to fund some kind of Firefly project. I know that thousands of others feel the same way.
I realize that there are charities associated with the Browncoats already, but no single day events with the principals involved. Add the Legion of Pat and well…..it’s almost Avengers… assemblishness :)
Please help me to refine this statement so that it finds its way to the right eyes.
Wash, get us in the air!
“AnotherCoatOfBrown”
Pat,
Why don’t we start a fund where everyone can buy potential stock in “Firefly” and run it like the Green Bay Packers. We can appoint a board who then hires the President. We could hire Joss Whedon to be the President of “Firefly Unlimited”, and have FU on our business shirts as a shout out to those who stand in the way of Firefly.
I really enjoyed Firefly for all the same reasons people have already gushed about here.
However, I do think this show is remembered more fondly than it necessarily deserves. I say this because it seems that people give Firefly credit for things they *think* were going to happen in the show but never happened due to the early cancellation. A good example is people assuming that there would be some grand culmination of the Firefly crew somehow evading/exposing/overthrowing the Alliance. The truth is that the alliance storyline moved very little during the episodes.
In the end I think that if the show had lived on it would have just been a lot more of the same. Good episodic content that does not necessarily lead anywhere but is a lot of fun on the way. This also matches Buffy and Angel which were good at delivering one hour “bite sized” pieces but not so good at delivering complicated story arcs.
Nice ploy to sell more books. Well played, I guess.
You, sir, just sold two books here. (Yes, two; would be weird to read the second book in a series without reading the first one, right?) I went the extra mile and bought hardcovers, too.
So, I texted my daughter who’s in Florida with her father (winter break) and she immediately asked how we could help. I don’t suppose this could be a Kickstarter kind of thing? We put some money toward this and get back a chance to watch one of our favorite shows? Can Wash still be alive, please?
By the way, we were just at Boskone where Charlaine Harris said she had read an advance copy of the new book and it is fantastic.
Not to bring politics into this, but I’m a Ron Paul fan. If anything, in 2007 his fans demonstrated the power of money bombs. On Nov. 5, 2007, they raised $4 million in a single day. A month later, on Dec. 17, they raised $6 million.
That was from 50,000 individuals each making donations–some made large donations around $2000, but most donated $50-100, or even $5 or $10. The average donation was just over $100–but remember that was including $2000 donators who skewed the average.
It does take a lot of advance planning to pick a day everyone agrees on and then promote the hell out of it. Still, not bad, getting more than $10 million in 2 single days, right?
That was with 50,000 people donating.
The Facebook group for this now has about 90,000 members.
Just sayin’.
If it were me, I would go for the seriously cool converted silo with a zipline and a robot dog, but I appreciate your dedication to Firefly. I am spreading the word about “The Wise Man’s Fear” coming out and the plan to acquire the rights to Firefly on my lowly blog (www.thestarsarenotmadeoffire.blogspot.com) and via FB. Good luck and I hope you sell mega, mega numbers of your book.
Just for that, we are going to buy your books right now. I don’t even know what they’re about. Here’s to a “ridiculous” number of sales.
My hero! I love Firefly!
Had to register for an account in order to say:
I’m going to buy so many f**ing copies of your book. In all serious. I’ve had the Kindle version preordered for about six months, and I’m planning on being at your Portland signing and picking up another one there. Now that I can read great shit AND support great television … oh man. I’ll buy like 98 and 1/3 copies and give them to random people on the street. Happy happy day.
Wow. So I was just going to buy the Kindle version of the book… but the return of Firefly is something I want to happen so strongly that I’m going to go order a signed copy of the hardcover right now. Even if you never accomplish this worthiest of all goals, the mere fact that you want to means I am honour-bound to provide you with what funds I can. I think if I wanted the return of Firefly any more I might actually explode from overwanting.
I’m not sure if this is a publicity stunt or not. If it is, it worked on me. I’m subscribed to your blog and I’m reading up on your works. I really hope this goes somewhere positive.
Please let us know if you hear back, or if there are any other updates.
Kind Regards
and with that, I just bought both your books. well played sir
I followed a link to this blog post from reddit.com, thinking “who the hell is Patrick Rothuss”?
Halfway through reading I realised the name was actually somewhat familiar.
Upon finishing reading, I looked at my bedside table and saw ‘The Name of the Wind’, which I am halfway through reading, and felt really stupid.
Hello everyone,
for those of you who are interested in our little show called Firefly, the pledge system is up and running.
so far we are already over 170.000 $ in only a few hours
need info:
http://helpnathanbuyfirefly.com/
i am just a fan myself, spreading the word
thank you
Whilst Patrick likes Nathan Filiono, I’m not so sure Filion really wants much to do with Firefly – its easy to pay a bit of lip service to it when you know its a dead series.
A follow up – multiple books ordered, just waiting for the package to arrive!! I think the teenagers in my house will enjoy them as much as I will. :0) Also to comment on folk who wonder about harnessing Browncoat Power for good..besides taking over the World.
If you’ve never heard of these large fundraising projects – then check out the Global Charity event Can’t Stop the Serenity. This raises money solely for Joss’s charity of choice, Equality Now. Then also, Browncoats: Redemption, which is a multiple charity project, raising funds for 5 charities of our BDH’s. If you want to connect with Coats from all over the US and elsewhere, well come to this year’s Browncoat Ball. The New England Browncoats will be hosting it in Rhode Island.
I don’t normally register on blogs like this, but I had to when I saw this entry. I’ve been reading and watching fantasy and science fiction extensively since I received the Chronicles of Narnia for my fourth birthday and I must say that your book, The Name of the Wind, is the most genius fantasy novel that has been published in years. (Sadly, I have to wait to read the sequel until the six people in front of me in the library hold queue are finished with it.)
I hope that you do succeed in your quest to assist Nathan Fillion in purchasing the rights to Firefly! Perhaps you might consider contributing to some of the story lines, as your brilliant understanding of psychology, philosophy, sociology, politics, humor, and story telling could do nothing but improve on the Firefly meme (and no, I do not think that calling it a meme is hyperbolic in the least!).
Thank you for your Herculean contribution to literature and, hopefully, assistance in continuing the production of one of the best television series of all time!
Awed invocation of higher power By Gods, what a turn. I’ve said before in idle talk with friends that if I but had the funds, I’d secure the rights to Firefly and set it flying once again, and now someone who might soon be able has raised his flag for the cause.
You are an exceptional writer, and I have no doubt you’ll eventually acquire all the money you could need. If Fox are only willing to sell, you may fulfill the dream of every Browncoat, and for that we shall all praise you.
My deepest thanks for your stories, and for this barest offer.
Interesting how things go…
I more or less stumbled on your webpage through a link related with the “Help Nathan buy Firefly”-campaign AND I’m looking for some new and good fantasy-saga to read for quite some time now.
Since yours is rated quite high and I liked you a lot in a couple of interviews I watched just now, which also gave me the impression that this blogpost is ment seriously and is no bland bookselling-trick, I just ordered your books on Amazon. Two things checked :) Aquired (hopefully) nice reading stuff and possibly helped to resurrect one of my all-time-favorite TV-Shows.
I think I love you, man.
Congratulations. I was really torn – on one hand, I’ve been waiting extremely impatiently for the second book since a friend gave me your first book a couple years ago as a birthday present. On the other hand, I absolutely hate hardcovers. Usually I just get around it by borrowing from the library and then buying the paperback, but not this time.
I have this strangest feeling, no matter how serious you may be or how much money you might be willing to provide, that Fox will give you the finger and not accept your money, because they’re Fox. But just for offering, you need my money, stat.
I agree with that review 100%. As someone who would defend Tolkien and LOTR to the death, I wholeheartedly believe that given the choice to save either LOTR or your books from my burning house, I would be unable to choose and would instead end up burning alive. True story.
Congratulations. I was really torn – on one hand, I’ve been waiting extremely impatiently for the second book since a friend gave me your first book a couple years ago as a birthday present. On the other hand, I absolutely hate hardcovers. Usually I just get around it by borrowing from the library and then buying the paperback, but not this time.
I have this strangest feeling, no matter how serious you may be or how much money you might be willing to provide, that Fox will give you the finger and not accept your money, because they’re Fox. But just for offering, you need my money, stat.
Which, speaking of, I also finally remembered to give your blog to my rss reader. Took me long enough.
I hate hardbacks too, but when I saw WMF in my local bookshop, completely forgot that and bought it. Only remembered when I started reading it and had trouble fitting it into my work bag! :o(
Used a bigger bag! :oD
It’s very rare I buy a book in hardback, and in recent years have limited this to Terry Pratchett only (and that only because despite him being totally prolific I can never wait for the next one) – until WMF was published. Then there wasn’t even a debate in my head, just “Oh my god, it’s here! Buy!”
In other news, sorry for that strange double-post; I tried posting from work and it claimed not to work for reasons that would be entirely not your fault – apparently it actually did, though. Do feel free to delete both this post and the one above it; sorry about that.
My own open letter to Nathan Fillion…
Dear Nathan,
Castle is such a poor poor waste of your talents. I watch it solely because I like to watch you. Can you please find a better show, with better writers? Can you imagine guest starring on the Closer? Where people actually figure real shit out? You and Kyra together. God, it could be good. Maybe Joss could make a musical episode for the Closer. Buffy and Spike could be extras. I have a dream….
I’m with Spork. I think I love you, too.
I knew there was another reason I liked you Pat! It’s because you are totally awesome and a fan like the rest of us. Is it weird being a respected bestselling author and a fan at the same time?
you are amazing. You have now officially made it to the top of my “famous people you would love to invite to a dinner party” list
Firefly, Episode 7, Jaynestown Possibly the best episode of television I’ve ever seen. I watch it now on Netflix, still laughing till I cry. ” The man they call … meeeeee.” ~Jayne (singing)
I’m another who was brought here by the HNBF FB group. After reading your letter, I had to read your book. After all, your letter shows such Browncoat dedication that I knew you had to be an awesome, talented writer. We Browncoats are just like that. I’m so glad that your book has proven this assumption correct. I’ve only just finished ‘The Name of the Wind’ and will now be buying ‘The Wise Man’s Fear’. Brilliant stuff Mr Rothfuss :)
I only just discovered this blog by one of my unsorted top 5 favourite authors two nights ago, while reading a story on Firefly and Nathan Fillion which was facebook linked to me while i was out and rather drunk. Once i returned home and discovered it, i immediately looked it up and read a story i’d already heard about Mr.tight pants but one i hadnt heard about Mr.Rothfuss, that both would pretty much, like myself, sell their souls for another season of Firefly. Just knowing this fact has undeniably moved you sir to my absolute favourite author, above Fiest, Eddings, Evanovich and Hobb! Its been two days and i cant get the idea of new Firefly out of my head, much less the idea of Firefly owned and controlled by my favourite writer, actor and author! (or that of you writing from and abandoned nuclear bunker)
I would gladly donate to the return of Firefly!!!! Brown coats unite!
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