So. I’m home again.
The bad news is that I haven’t been online for more than ten days. There are more than 2000 messages waiting for me in my e-mail. More than 500 pieces of fanmail. Two dozen packages are waiting for me downstairs, unopened. I hope none of them contain food. Or, like, a puppy.
The good news is that as of today I’m finally back from my book tour. I have some stories to tell.
In addition to finally being home, something else cool happened today. This might not be news to all of you, but it’s pretty cool for me, so I thought I’d share it…
For those of you that don’t know, every week the New York Times publishes a list of books. Nobody knows exactly how the books are selected for the list. But generally speaking, the more copies of your book you sell in a given week, the higher up you are on the list.
It’s called the New York Times Bestseller list. If your book makes it into #15 or higher, it’s a New York Times Bestseller. It’s a pretty big deal in the publishing world. As I mentioned before on the blog, I was lucky enough to hit #11 with The Name of the Wind.
Here’s a picture of the book section from today’s (Sunday’s) New York Times.
(Click to embiggen.)
Why don’t we get a little closer….
Can you see the coolness yet? No. I’m not talking about the copy of The Guild up there.
Ah hell. Let’s zoom all the way in:
Yeah. There’s The Wise Man’s Fear. Right up there at #1.
Thanks for helping me make it up there everybody…
#1 on the NYT is a pretty big deal, and I feel like I should be doing something monumental to celebrate. Something rockstar. Something with hookers and hot tubs and cocaine. Something that ends with me throwing a television out a hotel window and getting arrested for conduct unbecoming a novelist.
But honestly, I’m too tired for that to sound like a lot of fun right now. Plus I don’t think Stevens Point has any hookers. Besides, my TV is in the basement, so I’d have to carry it up a flight of stairs before I threw it out the window. And then tomorrow I’d have to clean it up off my own porch. Maybe I’m getting old, but that just doesn’t seem like a lot of fun to me.
So I’m guessing I’ll probably hold off on the rockstar celebrations for now. Instead, now that Sarah and Oot are asleep, I think I’m going to install Dragon Age 2 and make some Mac & Cheese.
That’s right. I’m not going to dig into my e-mail at all. Not tonight. Tonight it’s just Dragon Age 2 and Mac & Cheese. I make some badass Mac & Cheese, let me tell you. I put all sorts of cheeses in there. Plus spices and shit. And corn. It’s really something.
Man. I’m really looking forward to it. You really have no idea.
Maybe I will also drink some rum while I play Dragon Age. Because…. well… because I can. And because that makes it just a little bit rockstar. It doesn’t hurt to be just a little bit rockstar sometimes…
Night all,
pat
172 Comments
Congrats! Very, very well deserved. The book is brilliant.
I know you have a trillion emails to get to, but I still want to send you one. However, I’m too stupid apparently to find your email address. (Hint hint for a fellow fan to post it for me.)
At the very bottom of this page you’ll see a link in Yellow (Gold? Dandelion? Spicy Mustard? …) that says “Contact Patrick” … Click that and you can send an e-mail.
Hope that helps. :o)
Thanks. Now for the next question: how did you add an icon next to your user name? I’ve been trying to figure that one out since I registered, but I can’t find a setting for it.
I had the same problem for ages. If you go to gravatar.com and put up an avatar on there it’ll do it. I don’t know exactly how I managed it, since my sign on for Pat’s Blog and for Gravatar are different, but it knows that I’m the same person, and so there it is.
Sorry, I wish I was more technologically savvy, but I’m not. LOL … So yeah, in short, gravatar.com
Thanks, I’ll try that out.
Is the THE Oatmeal? From TheOatmeal.com?
Nope. That would be cool though huh? Nah, I’m just a chick who’s also a clown and Oatmeal is my clown name. My friend showed me theOatmeal.com though and I was blown away, it’s a cool site. I’ve visited a few times since then…
You seriously perform as a clown? That’s so so so cool.
I do indeed, although my husband does most of the performing. I just go out with him when I can, which is not nearly often enough. But he is a professional clown, by the name of Mr. Twister. He’s a local celebrity here in Santa Cruz, CA and it’s great fun to be married to him. When we have time all three of us (Husband, Myself, and our BoyChild) dress up and go walking around downtown. So much fun!
Tyson,
The e-mail address is through the form on the site’s contact info,
way at the bottom of this page:
http://www.patrickrothfuss.com/content/contact.asp
Also Pat- Nicely done!
Rock on, Pat. Rock on.
Congrats on making not only the single digits, but in fact, the single digit.
… * rim-shot*
aw yiss some mothafuckin mac and cheese
Enjoy your night off. It’s well deserved.
Mac and Cheese is awesome Dude :) don’t forget nutmeg.
Congrats on the safe return home and the New York Times Bestseller list!!!!!!
ps: i see felicia days name behind the list. Sweetness.
Congrats on getting number one! Have fun playing Dragon Age 2, you deserve it :)
Most excellent sir. What will Brandon Sanderson do now, I wonder? Has he already offered congraturlations by way of grinding teeth and/or barely veiled threats? Personally , I am a big fan of Mac&Cheese with either finely grated nuts and chives/parsley or just parsley and tiny bits of fried ham/bacon (especially fancy kinds), But as they say (recent studies suggest) that a perfect meal is 90% familiarity and 10% innovation.
I’m so proud of you, Rothfuss. I say that as I sit at my desk with red puffy eyes reading your #1 bestselling book. I’m sorry I missed meeting you. Next time around it will happen.
-The Raffaelelele
Grats on hitting the Bestseller List! You and the book deserve it!
Also…nice Guild plug…I see what you did there…:)
Nothing less then you deserve!
This might sound cheesy as hell, but last week i had a loss in the family, and was having quite the rough time. The same day, my copy of Wise Man’s Fear arrived, and it really gave me a way to get away from the pain for awhile. Your book gave me breating room, and of course a really really nice reading experience, and for that i thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Now when is book three coming out ;)?
Woah, same exact thing happened to me. At 0835 I got a call that my Uncle had suddenly passed away, and at 0950 my copy of TWMF showed up in the mailbox.
So thanks Pat, for all the hours you spent slaving away at the keys, crafting such a story as can lift and soothe the spirit amidst the harshness of loss.
wow.
now that’s cool you guys. I’m glad you had that. so sorry for your losses.
people haven’t been happy with DA2/ it’s story. We need someone like you to write the DA3 story… too bad you have to work on book 3 ;)
Congratulations, Pat – an honor well deserved!
Well deserved. I’m getting ready to read WMF again….I wish you were coming to Vienna
Congratulations. Dragon age 2 and mac and cheese (and a little rum, because you are totally a little bit rockstar) is nearly as epic as your Doctor Who and Chinese Food that you had when you made it to the bestseller’s list last time.
Thank you for being the best author I’ve ever read. Thank you for being a real person. And thank you for … well for just being who you are.
I excitedly noticed this a few days ago when I thought to check. Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving guy. I’m not but halfway through wise man’s fear and I’m just as in love with it if not more than notw. You write like I wish I played guitar.
Oh yeah, corn is not needed in mac n cheese. I disagree with that choice, but to each their own.
corn is necessary in mac and cheese like seeds are necessary in a garden.
without corn, mac and cheese cannot blossom into something wonderful.
Congratulations! Love the books. Love the blog. Enjoy some well deserved down time! :)
Corn?!? Amazing, All that is needed for superior mac n cheese is BACON.
Ah, I have gone off subject. I got a signed copy of the book and sadly realized that I couldn’t wait all that extra time…. So I bought and downloaded the Ebook. So many things I could say But I shall keep it to a minimum:
I love the book. Both books, It is for me, a perfect story that I will read over and over again even after #3.
Also my eReader started acting up and eventually froze the same day I finished the book. I told myself I would stretch it out….. but here I am :/ I couldnt stop reading….
Mmm mac and cheese is epic win! And DA2 is mighty fun and I’m pretty sure after all you’ve been through a rum (I favor the Captain) is more then deserved :)
Oy yeah and ‘grats on the #1!…..now only if you could come to Canada and scribble all over my book….
-Crim
I don’t believe that any book has deserved this as much as The Wise Man’s Fear did. Awesome congratulatory noises for this achievement! :-D
Awesome I knew that you’d get the #1. the future is bright for fantasy.
Also! Mind sharing that mac & cheese recipe? Danielle Corsetto just shared one on her comic, and it seemed like with some tinkering it might be truly enjoyable (for me, just a changing of the cheese). Yours sounds like it might be truly epic and, well, something to be experienced. :-D
My mom was so, so excited when she informed me you were not only the #1 NYTimes bestseller, but you had beat out Picoult in the process. Like, victorious air-punching excitement.
…She’s not a Picoult fan. Something about /My Sister’s Keeper/ and BS Deus Ex Machinas.
Congratulations, sensei! :D
Congratulations!! Glad to be a contributor.
Also, I wasn’t sure if you knew but what I’m assuming is your home address is visible in the first photo… Thought I’d let you know just in case!
Yeah, I caught that too…
Actually, I wouldn’t be so sure. I googled and it actually comes up with a rather interesting business address.
That’s the name of the corporation Mr. Rothfuss created in order to pay less taxes : https://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/2008/04/rothfuss-corporation/
It also means that anyone knowing the name of his corporation can discover his address by simply googling it. You see, in order to pay less taxes, it had to be registered to his home address…
So yeah, it was his real address on this piece of paper. Now all three of us can send him lots and lots of fan mail lol ! :)
Oh, I just found his phone number ! Were I living in the USA, I might have called him just for the fun of it…but alas I live in Canada, and my phone bill would jump through the roof !!!
For obvious reasons, I won’t post it here…or anywhere for that matter.
You just became a little bit creepy.
@Matt
LOL.
Sorry if it sounded that way, I simply meant to say that it would be really stupid, and mean, for someone to post these things on his blog. Also, that he should make his “corporation” private, this way, his personal information wouldn’t be publicly available, as it is now.
You can rest assured that I am not a maniac waiting for him in a dark alley :)
Instead, I’m going to be the guy waiting in line to have my book signed, if he ever comes to Quebec. I sure hope he will !!! That would be super-awesome :)
On a side not, my guess is that if someone ever tried to harm him, they would immediately be crushed by the might of his beard alone, and left in a vegetative state for the rest of their lives.
Great post for a man who sounds dead on his feet! It speaks to all those of us who’ve embraced something we’re passionate about… run with it… and then found out that the world responds with (sometimes alarming) enthusiasm. The Name of the Wind was a [pun not intended] breath of fresh air for me. A fantasy junky, I’ll quite happily munch on anything that fits the genre… but you can only take so many heroes falling asleep… in front of trees… and then being swallowed up by said tree. So when I read the story – Day One – I punched the air and silently thought, “YES! Something new at last!” Needless to say (hmm… perhaps I shouldn’t say it… oh… what the hell) I’m ready for more. And so not surprised that The Wise Man’s Fear made it to number one. That’s where it’s supposed to be!
Would like to request a future blog post containing a complete recipe for this mac and cheese you speak of. It sounds divine.
Seconded! I always used to mix up my corn with my mac and cheese when I was a kid. Sounds just as good now that I’m a “grown up”. LOL
/third
Hmmm. I’m with Feathers and Draigen: ham and/or bacon. But I can appreciate the homey tinkering and cooking after a long absence.
OK, not meaning to gross anyone out, but when I was little, we ate mac and cheese with meatloaf….and the ketchup on the meatloaf invariably ended up on the mac and cheese….so the only way I eat mac and cheese now is with ketchup. Adding all of the other stuff sounds….scary…..but as a woman who lives on the edge, I may have to widen my mac and cheese horizons…..
We had ours with hot dogs, and the sweet relish ended up on the mac and cheese, and now I often put relish with my mac and cheese too. Funny how these things form your tastes!
I want the recipe for the “delicious candy” referenced in the early chapters of WMF…
And an abnormally huge congrats on making #1!!! My only question is, if WMF debuts at #1, where will book 3 debut? They’ll have to come up with something better than #1…
*sputters for 5 minutes* Seriously!!!???!! Dude, that is amazing. I think you deserve it (honestly, great book), but I “know” the #1 bestselling author. I chatted with you in your office at UWSP. You responded to my wife’s letter in the Pointer. And now you’re touring the US and topping all sorts of awesome lists and such. I don’t know why, but it just seems so surreal. Super giant congratulations on not just topping the list (something far less deserving books have also managed), but writing a book that has earned all this praise and more.
Honestly your books are probably the best books I’ve ever read and my favorite by far. I’m really looking forward to next book and to say that i’m not worried about the wait would be a lie. Still take your time. Relax a bit and then at your soonest convenience pleeeeeeeeeeeease get on with the next book!
Thankyou.
Sincerely, RKP III
I hope that Wil Wheaton is honored to have a piece of his face in that picture, right underneath your #1 listing. I don’t think you can go wrong with his face, Felecia’s name, and your book title. It’s a winning combo.
Congratulations. I’m proud to have contributed to this by buying your book on March 2nd for FULL PRICE. I’ve never done that with a hardcover before. Oh wait, my first edition of NotW was full price. ;) It was worth it.
I hope you get a great rest. Enjoy the well-earned fruits of your labor.
I used to think no author could achieve the same esteem I hold for Tolkien but you’ve managed to do it. The sheer awesomeness of your books is mind boggling. I’m sure I’ll have to reread both books several more times to assimilate it. You have given us a gift with your writing, and I’ll treasure it. Thank you.
(thumbs).
My husband has added the “Oot face” from the Barnes & Noble Huntington Beach “Disgustingly cute baby story” to his repertoire of running gags. It’s a little creepy but very cute; would be cuter still if we actually had a baby (o_O)”
Get some rest, sunshine. ;)
I knew this day would come. Congrats from Australia Pat. F#@%ing brilliant story.
Thank you for Wise Man’s Fear. Its everything I hoped.
It and you deserve the spot on NYT List.
Enjoy the fame, the cash and crowing rights.
Congrats from Spain, Pat, I’m almost sure you totally deserve it, it’s only almost because I’m still waiting for my signed copy of Wise Man’s Fear and it’s driving me crazy :_
Enjoy home, rockstar!
Congratulations! Nice to have an official thread for posting that. Richly deserved.
I’m about a third of the way in now, and it’s fantastic.
(I second the nutmeg recommendation for mac and cheese, by the way.)
I can think of no other author more deserving. I read through The Wise Man’s Fear in a little over a day. People around me were somewhat mad, but I was utterly captivated.
Congratulations, sir, and good luck finishing your next.
I can hardly wait.
Pat,
I just finished WMF yesterday. Brilliant. Chapter 6 may be one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read. Also, now I’m hungry, thanks.
Congratulations!!! Very happy for you. :-)
Good on you, Pat! You deserve both the #1 spot and a bit of rockstar celebration! Mac & cheese, Dragon Age 2, and some rum are plenty rockstar enough, trust me.
Would you be willing to post your recipe for Epic Mac & Cheese? The corn intrigues me…
Just wanted to tell you that “The name of the Wind” and “The wise man’s fear”, are the best books I have ever read. Can’t wait for the third one.
Greetings from Germany
Karim
Yay for being comfortably at home! Congratulations on the many milestones and accolades.
If anyone’s interested, the Onion AV Club recently posted their review of WMF. I thought it was minimal (generally I prefer the gushing, evangelical sort of reviews when it comes to NOTW and WMF), but thoughtful and fair.
Congrats on your “aplomb” (see above referenced review). Ride that wheel…ride it a good long time.
*high fives*
On March 1st I was the lucky girl who opened the jewel covered and gold plated boxes (undoubtedly had been shipped via Airforce One) that The Wise Mans Fear books were delivered in. I then meticulously made the new arrivals display. As the janitor walked by I smelled one book in an obsessive way and made my first recommendation. The next day we were sold out.
My fellow fan booksellers (Dave, Nathan) and I sold and recommended our little butts off.
Congrats on making #1. Although we didn’t need the bestsellers list to know that.
Well said, Audacious A. Hear, hear!
Ah yes, I wish the bookstore I worked at hadn’t gone out of business just so I could handsell NotW and WMF. Well, technically it was about to go out of business and then didn’t because it was sold to evil lying cheaters, but same difference. Either way I wish it hadn’t, for many reasons, but this is another one. That would have been FUN. And slow as our books tended to move and risky as buying new books for the store could be at times (we sold used books as well), we *definitely* would have ordered the NYT #1 bestseller, even without my enthusiastic recommendation and handselling. Sigh.
I mean, CONGRATULATIONS! And when you’re feeling overwhelmed by your success, remember that Tolkien was puzzled and overwhelmed by his success in the States, too. THAT won’t be intimidating, comparing yourself to Tolkien. ;-)
I’m sorry for your bookstore:(
Thanks. :-/ I’m glad you got to sell and recommend your butt off. Opening the boxes of new books is always a little like Christmas, but much more so with books like The Wise Man’s Fear!
Yes! A little bit better than Christmas. I’m not opening presents to take advantage of some historical figures birthday. On the downside- I had to share :/
Ha! Yes. And on the downside, you had to pay for your copy. Sharing isn‘t so bad as long as you have one of your own.
Aside from shipments with my own orders inside, probably next best would be shipments with lots of books I‘d read and owned already. Even before recommending and selling them to others, it‘s nice. Each one you touch like a friend. =)
But then, even the boxes of books that managed to hold nothing I was interested in were good — new books are just so very, very shiny.
haha. that’s so great.
Congrats on making number 1! It’s well deserved. Now enjoy a nice relaxing & just a little bit rockstar time with your family. I just found this awesome pic of you & Gail Carriger at SF – SF Con on her blog. Oh the shiny awesomeness!
http://pics.livejournal.com/gailcarriger/pic/002h9e0z/
Nothing says home like mac and cheese made just the way you like it. I like mine with stewed tomatoes. Go figure.
It was great to meet you when you were in Oakbrook – you are truly an awesome raconteur. And a fabulous author. It was very cool when your dad stepped up and announced the #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list!
Enjoy your downtime!
I told you in Lexington that you were the rockstar of modern literature. You denied it then, it’s nice to see you’ve changed your mind since then.
Nice, Pat. When was the last time a fantasy book topped the list? Ah, you know what, some of the Twilight books probably got there. That is very ensaddening. F’sho. The reading has been slow-going so far, I can only read for about half an hour a night most days. Consequently I’m only about 500 pages in or so. Right after we find out Tempi has killed two bandits and is feeling bad about it.
Anyway, I had to comment because I have never had mac and cheese with corn in it. I like to think I can make a badass dish of mac and cheese, but I’ll have to try adding some corn and see what I think.
I started reading the day it came out and just finished last night. I generally have about a half hour at lunch time to read and a half hour before bed.
I must say how much I enjoyed it. And reading it so slowly has been wonderful too, because I can savor and treasure each part as I go. All of my dreams for the past weeks have been filled with Kvothe.
It’s quite amazing for fantasy. And it says a lot about readers in general that they would respond to something that isn’t conventional.
You haven’t just done a good thing for yourself and your family, but for the genre, too. I’m looking forward to seeing all the Kvothe copycats out there. Copying a vampire is easy, but copying Kvothe? It’ll be mighty strange if the next wave of heroes are lute bearing namers. May all their strings snap and their tongues be prone to satisfying toes.
But seriously, I don’t see how you can wrap up the story with only one more book. How about a 5 book series? I know it’d make your fans and your publisher happy.
Note the name of the series: The Kingkiller Chronicle with Day One, Day Two done thus far. Now, Kvothe should be done with his story and hence the chronicle after Day Three (if he holds to his word, which is probably a reasonable assumption).
However, while this trilogy will conclude there, there’s nothing preventing Pat from launching into another series dealing with the events seen or implied in the frame story and moving forward. Here’s to hoping that is in the cards!
Did anyone record any of your book signings or the Q&A? I checked google video and youtube and they are not on the web. Alot of Brandon Sandersons book signings end up on the web. So just wondering.
If anyone who attended these recorded them, can you put them up on youtube for those of us who couldn’t make it?
Pat asked us all very nicely not to record any of them. I hope everyone respected his wishes!
what is wrong with recording them? I don’t get it.
Because he doesn’t want anything taken out of context.
Pat…. Book 2 = awesome sauce.
I’ve read it twice now. Congrats on NYT.
FYI, you might not want all the crazies out there getting your address from that first picture… Especially since google then gives your phone number, and I’m REALLY sure you don’t want fans calling you all the time.
Enjoy DA2 – its pretty good so far, but the story isn’t as good as the original.
Congrats on number 1! I bought my book early to do my part even though I was holding off reading it as long as possible (anticipation y’know). I’m halfway through now.
Since you brought it up, I’d be really interested in your review of DA2 when you get the urge. I’ve been saving my SE for when I have some free time and probably after they release the first patch so I haven’t actually installed it yet. Lots of controversy out there on whether it lives up to the amazingness of DA:O.
Congrats dude!!! You totally deserve it, especially the mac and cheese, thats always a nice gift to give yourself.
I make mac and cheese to feel like a rockstar. But, I put sausage and taters in it. Maybe, I will have to try corn next time.
I’m so happy for you.
Last week I was in our local bookshop in the Netherlands and they had this top ten lying on a table and WMF was lying on spot #4. That is, of ALL books sold there. So again, a tigerblood win for you. =)
Then I made a picture and texted it to my friend and co-adorator of the Name of the Wind series. fanboy as I am.
Well deserved, Pat. I’ll be buying a round of Sailor Jerry’s to celebrate you tonight!
Congratulations! I just finished it and loved it!
Mmmm Mac& Cheese… I miss real Mac& Cheese, dining halls can never do it right, it’s either not cheesy enough or the noodles are all soggy…. But, the new book will cheer me up again! glad to see you relaxing :)
Corn in your mac & cheese? Very interesting. I’ll have to try that. I’m a fan of the multiple cheeses + spices bit already, so throwing in corn is worth a shot.
Congratulations!!!!! And thanks for reminding me that I need to finish DA so I can start on DA2… :P
Yay!
Also, fresh sweet corn in mac & cheese is delicious.
Congratulations Pat! I finally finished reading Wise Man’s Fear last week, you definitely deserve to be number one on the New York Time’s Bestseller list.
Go Rock Star all you want, you’ve earned it. As long as you don’t start using “Winning” and “Warlock” a thousand times in reference to yourself.
I’M PUTTING THIS IN CAPS SO YOU READ IT! TAKE DOWN PICTURE #1 FOR YOUR OWN GOOD! UNLESS YOU MEAN TO ADVERTISE THAT INFORMATION!
With that aside, congrats man. I’m proud to call you my favorite and proud to own a first edition of both NotW and WMF. Your beard makes you a rock star 24/7 you don’t have to do anything else. Rock on.
I’ve never tried mac n’ cheese with shit in it. Not my style. To each his own.
P.S. Caught your reading/signing in Chicago. It was a blast. Keep it up.
I find that shit in any food really puts me off eating it.
Congrats on #1 – #winning – There’s no place like home!
p.s. you know B.Sanderson may be interested in your Mac & Cheese recipe..it is his favorite food!
Congratulations on the #1 spot Pat! Just finished playing Dragon Age 2 this weekend and I think you’ll enjoy it. I do recommend you try the first one when you get a chance too, cheers…
Wow, congratulations!
I haven’t beaten Dragon Age 1 yet…
Also, your home address is listed in picture 1…
Congrats on being #1!!
It was very nice to finally meet you in person in NY, (first on line). Only bummer was forgetting everything I had to say/ask. But you’re such a nice person, and you made me feel a little better when you said same thing happened with you when you met Neil Gaiman.
Congrats again!
Congratulations, Pat!
Welcome home Pat,
And Congratulations on #1, it’s a well deserved honor.
Congrats Pat, you are truly a legend #1 all the way! Oh and “thumbs up” to celebrating with DA2, can you let us all know what class and specialization you have gone for? I have just stopped playing to start reading Book 2 which I have just this second downloaded to my Kindle, cant wait :D Oh and you really need to come have a holiday in the UK, you and the family can stop at may house haha
Since everyone else has beat me to the various permutations of “congratulations,” let me say, you’re going to LOVE Dragon Age 2. I can’t think of a more appropriate reward for all your hard work.
My wife and I had our second baby on the 12th. Knowing I’d be spending a lot of time awake, I prepared by picking up Name of the Wind. Last night, I finished Wise Man’s Fear. Most of my reading time has been when I’m cuddling my little girl, gently rocking her to sleep after she finished eating, her head snuggled tightly under my chin.
Not a bad thing for my mind to associate your work with, I think. (As long as you don’t pay much attention to what happens to the food AFTER relaxed, sleepy babies have finished eating it…)
Thank you for the delightful read!
Whats the name of your dude in Dragon Age 2?
congrats on making #1. also thank you so much for doing the tour. it was great to see you at the library of congress. also, DA2 is an awesome game. i love the changes made from the original. enjoy!
Hi Pat,
Enjoy your well deserved rest.
I would have been shocked if WMF had indeed not made it to #1. Without any sort of hyperbole on my part, it is the best fantasy book I’ve ever read.
It was certainly worth the wait.
CONGRATULATIONS! You are a rockstar. You may have wondered, but we, your fans, have known for years.
Wow! I genuinely started at 15 (sorry) and worked my way up to find you and was amazed, that is some achievement. Sit back and bask.
Does it seem odd that in a hundred years time people will be visiting your house to look at where you lived and wrote?
And that WP will be forever known as Rothfuss country?
Well done buddy No. 1, enjoy the mac/cheese and rum, looking foward to reading the book when Shawn sends it across the pond.
Don’t forget the Dijon ketchup!
Playing DA2 while drinking a little rum and eating Mac and fuckin’ Cheese is rockstar, Brother!
I did vocals for a band for a few years and after every gig there would be an after party. I got so bored of the scene that I started skipping the parties and going home to play Diablo 2! Let me tell you, level grinding your barbarian is a hell of a lot more enjoyable than getting hammered and waking up the next morning with a hangover, a mysteriously broken hand, and a bill to pay for all the shit you broke.
Don’t mind me, just figured I would share.
(p.s. I haven’t read the new book yet because I found out the copy I bought was one of the first editions mentioned in your last blog. So, I have to buy another copy that isn’t on quite the same collectable status…lol…oh, and congrats on making #1 on the NY Times!)
Congratulations! A well deserved honor. It’s so gratifying to see hard work and brilliant writing recognised. Of course, we all know your books are legendary, but it’s nice to see it made official.
The book is absolutely amazing. I’m truly stumped as to how it could make me feel so many emotions.
…Well shit…finished the book in like 3 days. No idea what to read now. Cause like I have trouble finding anything as good and it’ll probably be another four years before the third book. I’m considering reading the Wheel of Time series. I’ve heard good things about it. Any opinions/recommendations/death-threats?
If you don’t read the WoT series you can’t call yourself a fantasy fan-boy. Sorry dude, it’s in the fine print. Also, check out the Painted Man by Peter V Brett.
I would suggest L.E. Modesitt, who writes well and includes science in his fantasy, at least in the Magic of Recluse series, which I have enjoyed.
Perhaps also John Scalzi if you like more science. His “Old Man’s War” knocked my socks off.
I find it difficult to like other writers. I keep finding their writing less than what I expect after having immersed myself in Rothfuss for the past while. :P
Yes, same thing here. I keep thinking, well, that’s a cool idea/setup/world, but the writing tends to be so bad (ok, not bad, but usually mediocre) that I can’t get immersed. I’m taking a break from fantasy for a while.
Right—not ‘bad’ exactly, but just not what I’ve developed a taste for.
I am finding, however, Gaiman helps. ^_^
Maybe I should give Neverwhere another go. It was too scary the first time I tried it. . .
WOT rocks. Also if your looking for something a little different I’d try Rodger Zelazny. His Amber books are awesome.
I’d second Roger Zelazny. And another, Stephen Donaldson. He has a fantastic world.
Donaldson is great. Most of Stephen Lawhead’s stuff it pretty good too.
I have to agree the Amber series were totally awesome
As long as you remind yourself that nothing else is going to be as good as Rothfuss, there’s plenty of good fantasy out there. My other favorite at the moment is the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks. Not quite as polished as Rothfuss, but that really isn’t saying much. And… it’s amazing. Just be prepared for it to be really, really, dark at first.
I’d also recommend Guy Gavriel Kay. He writes a sort of historical fantasy — it’s fantasy, but thinly based off real countries and history. More or less, depending on the book. My favorites of his are Tigana and The Sarantine Mosaic (two books, Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors). They’re both rather standalone-ish, but set in the same historical fantasy world as some of his other books. Not a big deal, but there’s at least one sentence in Lord of Emperors you’ll appreciate more if you’ve read… um, The Lions of Al-Rassan, I think it was. His books were the first that made me understand and enjoy tragedy (not that his books are complete tragedies, but they definitely have tragic elements). “Romeo and Juliet” and “Oedipus Rex” just didn’t do it for me, since I thought the main characters were complete morons. But when you read tragedy where what is lost is something beautiful, shining and good…
I’m actually one of the few who dislikes the Wheel of Time … I picked it up on a recommendation (or rather, a tide of recommendations) and didn’t enjoy it very much at all.
If you’ve got a stomach for a tough book, though (gore, sex, etc.), George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is amazing.
Meh, not that few. I certainly know others who don’t like it. I mean, I like it alright myself; liked it quite a bit at first, but I can see why other people wouldn’t, and its flaws. The female characters kind of suck, for one thing. Most of them. They didn’t grate on me as much during a second read, but I’d still prefer the women in just about any other book. And in a book by Patrick Rothfuss, or Brent Weeks, or Patricia Briggs? Oh yes, please please please. Heh. “I am telling you three times.” Yes.
You can try WoT. It’s the only series I ever started that I didn’t finish. I don’t say that with the certain amount of lament you would think.I’m a power reader, so length doesn’t discourage me. I simply don’t care how it ends. Six or Seven books in I just couldn’t take it any more. It was ridiculous. I have read some drivel….but at least it got to the point. My recommendations?
George RR Martin – A Song of Ice and Fire series <—best ever, so far
Robin Hobb – Farseer or Tawny man <—-farseer is very good
Maybe when I was a kid I would have been into wheel of time, but I read it late enough in life to know what good writing is. Ruined it for me. Rothfuss and Martin are going to be the two literary fantasy giants of our time. in 20 years check this post and I'll say "I told you so".
Congratulations on #1. Love the book can’t wait for the next one. Two questions.
1. Will there be a follow on series when this one finishs up?
2. How did Skarpi know Kvothe’s name when he was being arrested?
re: your #2 my co-worker asked the exact same question about Skarpi
I don’t think we’re supposed to know yet. To be revealed in Doors of Stone, I think. (Do we have an official acronym for that yet? DOS? TDoS?)
How do we intend to censure those who mistype the Official Acronym of Choice ? Castration or boiling in oil is my proposal…
Maer’s gibbet.
Well … mistyping acronyms IS a terrible thing. ;o)
Incidentally, where did we get the working title Doors of Stone? Has Pat confirmed that? I’ve never seen it here on the blog, I just saw it on Facebook a few days ago …
Wikipedia has that, and though that’s not necessarily reliable, I feel as if I’ve seen it elsewhere too.
Well deserved. (Applause, applause!) Above Jodi Picoult no less! I knew you could overtake that histrionic wench.
Well I did my part at any rate. Bought a print and a kindle copy. Raved to my writer’s group and brought a friend to the DC signings so she could buy a copy too.
Just think what the fanlegions will do once you bring us book three….
“Histrionic wench”. Gotta use that one.
Wow dude, that’s awesome! Congrats. See you at Worldcon.
Kinda funny, really.. after I got done BEING a rockstar, I came home and read WMF.
My band opened for the Fenians on St Patrick’s Day and we rocked the house. The next day, I relaxed with my ‘readable’ copy (The other is signed!). As someone who calls themselves a ‘professional bard,’ I really appreciated it.
this is way awesome but Im not very original but really can’t say enough it has been worth the wait Congrats on the #1 status well earned If I must say look forward to the next installment
I bought two. :)
The signed one is not for reading or lending. :D
I actually bought three. The signed one has a plastic cover and is in a very safe place. The e-reader version can be read again and again. And I bought one for my son who thought he could wait until the paperback came out. Silly, silly boy. I mailed it to him as a surprise. ^_^
It´s great. It´s awesome. Congrats!
First, let me just say that you are awesome. That’s flattery, it’s fact. Secondly, Name of the Wind, Awesome. Thirdly, The Wise Man’s Fear, well you get the picture.
Anyways, enjoy the Rum and DA2. I played it through on casual and it’s a good game. The mages are kick ass.
In closing, thanks for visiting us in Beaverton, Oregon. Probably the best book signing I have ever been too. Keep rockin, see you in 2014 for your next booksigning?
bah, meant to say, “that’s not flattery”. Screw my poor grammar.
Awww. Is this the same Patrick Rothfuss that worried a few days before release that no one would show up for the book signings? Are you frakking kidding!
I saw it at No. 3 a few days ago and that was a big deal. Now at No. 1.
I haven’t closed the book yet, I’ve been taking my time. The story’s been engrossing, the writing superb. I’ve especially enjoyed the cultural components.
I do however, as a botanist, have to take exception to a villain being named Usnea. Usnea is a genus of some of the most beautiful lichens here in the Pacific Northwest–how cool is that? Where did you stumble on Usnea anyway?
Mmm, Dragon Age 2 and mac ‘n cheese. I wish I had time for something as relaxing and awesome as that.
I bought my WMF off Amazon. When I went to the bookstore to see if I could get another copy, they were sold out. How’s that for cool.
It begs the question: just what kind of conduct would be unbecoming a novelist, anyway?
Mispelt graffiti ? Sobriety during last night of a big Con would definitely be on the list…
A lady in my knitting group, who is an author, was trying to convince me that “Nobody reads long books anymore and you’re just abnormal,” a couple weeks ago. She writes short stories, and is convinced that people, as in everyone, is too busy and has too short of attention spans for long novels. I told her that if I can read long novels, 1000 pages or more, in a week or less, and chase after my toddler, than anyone can. She insisted that I was just weird. Thank you, Pat, and everyone else, for making me right. :)
justajenjen,
I love long novels and have been reading long novels for three decades now. I turn 40 next month. Please tell the woman in your knitting group she needs a longer attention span. You aren’t weird. I do the same thing chasing my 7 year old daughter and 4 year old son while reading doorstoppers.
I agree. Long novels rock. The first committed relationship I had with an author/series was, of course, Tolkien and his works. But there has been Narnia and Little House on the Prairie and all of Jane Austen’s works, and as an 18-year-old I read Gone with the Wind. I think that people that can’t read a long book can’t sustain a committed relationship either. So there. Stick that in your knitting bag and… and… my metaphors fail me.
But don’t feel bad because some judgmental lady has a short attention span. I’m 48 and have no intention of giving up long novels.
Thirded, if the author can’t be bothered to deliver a proper length novel it’s (usually) not worth reading.
Oh, I dunno. I’ve read some very nice poems, e.g. Quantity doesn’t guarantee nor preclude quality. Let’s see. How about Calvino’s Cosmicomics? Short pieces, gorgeously imagined, gorgeously written.
I think that there’s a time for everything. I love a long novel, and I really love an artist like Pat who paints pictures with his words. But I enjoy a bite sized story too. They’re also worth my time, just … less of it. Which is good because their stories take less time to read.
It all depends on the flavor of the writer. I loved Twilight (Yeah, I’m one of them…) but I’ll tell you, if it had been 900 pages, it would have been utter unreadable trash. As it is, it’s brain candy. It takes little effort and time to read, while bringing in a compelling story.
(I think Stephanie Meyer learned the trick early, mix your story with piss and you get candy, delicious brain candy…)
Both good points, well made. Unfortunately there are only a handful of people who can produce the short form novel consistently. Gaiman is obviously the best of these.
Neither of you will get me to change my mind though, I won’t really bother to pick up anything less than 500 pages without a solid recommendation.
Ah HA. But whose recommendations are solid? The thing is to find someone with similar preferences.
I don’t even love everything Pat has recommended (Hundred Thousand Kingdoms? great worldbuilding, but otherwise ugh), though I have plenty of respect for his opinion and love HIS novels. He just looks for different things in the books he reads.
Yeah, it’s a kind of a don’t shoot the mesenger thing isn’t it ? Always be careful of whose advice you take but remember to be patient with those who give it to you with good intentions.
I’ll check out anything Pat says is decent….maybe by way of sample chapters on my kindle though !
I had myself a nice little “squee” moment when I found this out. I (quite obviously) had nothing to do with the writing of this book, and I still felt like partying rockstar style!
Many, many heartfelt congrats!
Awesome!!
That’s amazing. What a Rock’n’Roll Nerd you are. Look that up by the way. I refuse to believe its the only thing I like that you won’t. You are just the damned coolest author, not mistaken for your characters and all that jazz.
Enjoy your rest. Take your time on the next one if you so desire.