Bio
Rothfuss is a writer of epic fantasy books and short stories. Most of his fans and admirers might know him thanks to his famous The Kingkiller Chronicle. Many of the best Patrick Rothfuss books come from this series, but there are lots more you need to have a look at.
Early Life
Patrick was born in 1973 in Wisconsin. His education includes receiving a B.A. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in 1999 and an M.A. at Washington State University. After that, Patrick returned to teach at Stevens Point for a while.
Best Patrick Rothfuss Books
Career and Awards
Rothfuss’s Kingkiller series is responsible for most of the awards that this author has received. He has also gotten a few notable awards from many others of his books. The list of achievements includes Quill Awards, Alex Awards, nominations for World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology, and a few more.
Patrick is also known to contribute a lot to several charities, including the one he organizes, known as Worldbuilders charity. He has generated close to 10 million dollars through his organization and continues to support those in need. That’s enough about Patrick’s life, and now it’s time to review a few of the most popular Rothfuss books out there.
The Kingkiller Chronicle Series
Enter the World of Kvothe
The Kingkiller series by Rothfuss is one of his most famous and best-rated works that includes three main books and a few short stories that have many more great events to discuss about the main character. Speaking of the main character, Kvothe will be responsible for making Rothfuss’s Kingkiller Chronicle series his best work and introducing you to the unforgettable series of events that are about to take place.
Kvothe tells everything that happens inside these books himself. He talks about his younger self and the adventures that life had him be a part of. You will quickly discover that this man’s life was probably one of the most incredible ones ever talked about, as he has dealt with some pretty out of the ordinary and fascinating things.
Kvothe’s Story
So, why will it be extremely exciting reading about this character inside the Kingkiller series by Rothfuss? All of that will be made clear once you get to know a bit more about the character and his past. Kvothe has been through so much that he wishes to put it in writing. He meets a writer and tells him the entire story of his life so far and begins the wonderful journey full of magical adventures that no fantasy fan would dare miss out on.
You meet Kvothe when he is a young Arcanist in training. You’re probably wondering what in the world is an Arcanist right now. Well, Kvothe is training to become something that can be described as a magician or wizard, but to become an Arcanist is one of the most difficult things that anyone would dare introduce into their lives. The training process will be only a smart part of what makes this the best Patrick Rothfuss series of all time.
Plot
The three primary books of this amazing Patrick Rothfuss series talk about the many thrilling journeys and experiences young Kvothe was a part of. It starts from the very beginning when he was training to become an Arcanist, to a few tragedies that change his life, to when the real fun finally begins as things start getting more and more serious.
We will try not to spoil all of the fun here in our Patrick Rothfuss book reviews, so you can rest assured knowing that the vast parts of the story will be left for you to experience yourself. Now, without further ado, let’s start off our review of his Kingkiller Chronicle series and a few more of Patrick Rothfuss’s favorite books.
The Name of the Wind
Life-Changing Tragedy
You might also find these books by Rothfuss’s The Name of the Wind series because this is the book that hurls you into all of the adventures that you’re about to read. The story begins with Kvothe as a young boy. He travels wherever business takes him as he is a young member of a traveling theatre troupe known by the name of The Edema Ruh. Both Kvothe and his parents are also members of the same troupe.
Until now, everything is pretty much the same in Kvothe’s life. He has regular daily routines and is enjoying life as a young boy. Then, after a night of foraging in the forest, Kvothe comes back to discover that every single member of the Edema Ruh has been mercilessly murdered. Finally, what might be known as Patrick Rothfuss’s best book can begin.
The Chandrian
You can probably at least imagine what it would feel like for a young boy to discover that every single person he has ever known is no more. What’s even worse is that all of them, including his parents, were killed by something no one believed or will believe to be real.
Their murderers are known as the Chandrian. This group of seven mysterious and unknown characters is also known by a few other names, including the Seven, the Nameless, and Rhinta.
Unknown Purpose
The great part of the Chandrian is that no one knows what their purpose is, why they exist, who they target, and almost nothing else aside from the name they go by. Although it won’t be made clear so early in the books, there are a few assumptions about their goals. One assumption is that the Chandrian seek out and kill all those who know something about them.
Kvothe’s parents were killed because his father planned to sing a song about them that might reveal something secret. The Chandrian kill everyone of similar description because they are on the run from the Amyr, who might know their weakness. As you can guess, the Chandrian take excellent care of themselves and will allow no slip-ups whatsoever.
What’s Next for Kvothe?
After he finds his parents dead and the Chandrian sitting by their lifeless bodies, Kvothe quickly gets away from there and lives on his own in the forest. After that, the book starts looking like the best Patrick Rothfuss novel ever written, as Kvothe starts experiencing many new and thrilling events.
Soon after the tragedy, Kvothe ends up in a city known as Tarbean, where he lives as a beggar for three entire years. Those three years were probably some of his life’s most challenging times, as Kvothe experiences everything from getting beaten to getting stabbed and nearly losing his life.
Arcane University
Nevertheless, he survives, and after he hears about the Chandrian again, Kvothe decides to sell everything he has and join the University where he will train to become an Arcanist. We don’t want to ruin one of the best books by Patrick Rothfuss, so we will end the review of the first book here and let you enjoy the rest.
The Wise Man’s Fear
Trained Arcanist
The Wise Man’s Fear picks things up where they left off in the previous book and continues a story filled with adventures that revolve around Kvothe. Keep in mind to read all of these Patrick Rothfuss books in order if you want to make sense of the entire journey. In the previous book, Kvothe joined the University, where he begins to study and train to become an Arcanist, which is extraordinarily difficult for everyone there.
However, Kvothe manages to learn quickly, motivated by finding the Chandrian, and discovering why his parents were murdered. This book also has the pleasure of introducing you to more characters that you will love getting to know and reading about, making this another one of Rothfuss’s best fantasy books of all time.
Ready to Take on the World
After an important event that you will discover for yourself inside the book, Kvothe decides to leave the University and head out into the world, feeling ready to take on everything life has to throw at him. His decisions lead him to a city known as Vintas, where he meets a few characters that greatly impact the rest of the story.
It won’t take long for him to find what to do there. One particular event that catches his eye is an assassination attempt that leads him to a rival Arcanist. There seems to be someone ambushing travelers on the King’s Road, and Kvothe wants to get to the bottom of it.
Never Forgetting
While these events will provide a lot of fun within the story, Kvothe never manages to forget about the most important thing on his mind, searching for answers about the Chandrian, about the Amyr who might know how to beat them once and for all, and about the death of his beloved parents. The reasons and events behind this book becoming one of the best-selling Patrick Rothfuss books are merely beginning.
Although his mission and goal is a crucial part of each of the books, there is also quite a lot going on aside from that. That’s a great thing that many readers will enjoy as the story gets a lot more depth. Kvothe is a hard character to really get to know, but the more you read, the more you will understand everything about him.
Woman No Man Can Resist
What follows next gets even more exciting, showing you why the book is one of the top Rothfuss books ever. Kvothe comes across the Adem of Ademre. He spends a lot of time with these people, who don’t take kindly to strangers, even to a stranger who just saved the life of someone he just met. The Adem force Kvothe to play their games, and many will think twice about liking these characters, but as always, there is much more to the story than what meets the eye.
However, the most exciting part or character of this book is yet to arrive. Meet Felurian, the most gorgeous female creature Kvothe has ever seen. Felurian is known as a woman that no man can resist and a woman who has never let a man live after meeting him. Kvothe, however, will be the first. It’s clear by now that Kvothe is a young man full of surprises, but you are yet to discover more about him and his never-ending list of mysteries.
The Slow Regard of Silent Things
Such a Mysterious Life
The next book from one of the best Patrick Rothfuss book series will take a short break from Kvothe the Arcanist’s magic-filled adventures and will focus on an even more mystifying character. Her name is Auri, and you will meet her in one of the most mysterious and hidden places in all of the books in the series.
Deep below the University of the Arcanists lies a vast area filled with secret tunnels, ancient and abandoned rooms, and more mysterious than anyone can handle. One of those mysteries is Auri herself.
The Underthing
Those secret and ancient passageways and rooms that we mentioned are known by one name, The Underthing. This is the place where everything in the entire book happens. All of the events that occur take place over the course of seven days, and each chapter and day hold more and more surprises for the readers.
It’s important to know that The Slow Regard of Silent Things isn’t one of the primary and original books of The Kingkiller Chronicle series. It’s marked as the 2.5 book in order and does not have a climax-filled plot that reveals a lot about the entire series. Instead, it focuses on only one character, Auri. So, why is this book still one of Patrick Rothfuss’s best books?
7 Long Days
The book isn’t as long as the other main ones in the series. We mentioned that it doesn’t focus on the main character of the other books, Kvothe. However, even though he isn’t the protagonist in this particular book, he is partly responsible for the creation of this story. How? Well, the seven days that cover Auri’s daily life also talk about how she is simply waiting for Kvothe to come to visit her and hopefully live there with her.
Even though there’s no real plot in the book, it’s still among the best Patrick Rothfuss novels around, as the brief story about such an enigmatic character as Auri will surely prove quite satisfying. You will get to read about how she wonders the dark tunnels of the Underthing, how she prepares everything for Kvothe’s visit by placing every object where it is supposed to be, and more.
Waiting for Kvothe
While reading about everything Auri does, you learn much about her as a character, all the reasons behind her activities, and much about her past life as well. She starts making three gifts for Kvothe when he arrives. While she makes the third gift, you also discover a lot about her magical powers. The novel is one of Rothfuss’s recommended books for understanding more of The Kingkiller Chronicle series.
Another thing making this one of the best Patrick Rothfuss books ever is the fact that The Slow Regard for Silent Things debuted at the number two spot in New York Times’ Best Seller Hardcover Fiction list. This occurred merely three weeks after its official release, and the novel obtained the position for one month.
Recommended
It won’t make a significant difference to the main plot of the entire series if you don’t read it, but we highly recommend it as one of the many Patrick Rothfuss books to read for the sake of making the entire series more enjoyable.
The Lightning Tree (Part of Rogues Collection)
Kvothe’s Apprentice
Before we begin reviewing the story in this book, you need to know that this isn’t the first book published from his Kingkiller series. The Lightning Tree is a short story about a secondary character from the series known as Bast. The book was published in 2014, seven years after the series first came out, and the story inside takes place about one month before the main plot starts.
Bast is Kvothe’s apprentice. He is not the most exciting character you will see in these Patrick Rothfuss books but is still someone worth reading about if you want to know everything about the story. The book is recommended to read before you begin the series, as it does serve as a wonderful way to start things off and get introduced to what is about to come.
Day in the Life of Bast
The entire story in this short book takes place over the course of one day. You will get to know Bast through one day inside his list, and much of the main story has a lot to do with a tree that was struck by lightning but still continues to grow.
This story won’t move or start any enormous events of the entire series. It won’t set certain circumstances into motion that will unravel later in the series or anything like that. However, it’s still a fascinating short story that will serve all of the biggest fans of the series. Aside from that, the real fun will begin in the following Rothfuss books.
The Thing Beneath the Bed
Not a Book for Children
It’s true that many of the best-rated Patrick Rothfuss books out there making him one of the greatest fantasy story writers. The Thing Beneath the Bed is the perfect book to prove it, as the book is filled with hidden mysteries, and it all begins with the novel’s title itself.
This one is also the first novel from Patrick’s series known as The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle. Before you decide to skip this one, know that this is not a children’s book. Don’t trust the title, don’t trust the sweet images on the cover, don’t even trust the cute characters and their sweet names. It’s all a lie. The real story, the story for adults who adore fantasy, waits inside. You’re about to find out why this might be the best Patrick Rothfuss book of all time.
Three Different Endings
There will be no excuse not to read this book after hearing what we have to say about it. First of all, you should know that the contents inside are filled with dark humor and have a strong resemblance to old-school faerie tales. Because of this, these Patrick Rothfuss’s books ranked as the best-selling.
So, the story is divided into three endings. The first ending is a sweet one and does appear to make the book feel like a children’s book. The second one might scare you, but it’s still safe. Now, the third ending is something that will completely catch you off-guard. Don’t worry, we won’t spoil what happens, as the story is full of surprises and small twists that will leave you begging for more. This is one of Patrick Rothfuss’s novels you will never forget.
The Dark of Deep Below
Adventures Don’t Stop
If the first book of Patrick’s The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle series left you begging for more, just as we said it would, then The Dark of Deep Below is here to give you what you crave for. This is the second and final book from this series, and it continues the adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle, her teddy bear.
Out of all the books by Rothfuss, the two in this series are some of his most unique yet. You won’t usually see Patrick in this type of edition, so enjoy it while you can. The Dark of Deep Below is also short like its prequel. However, this in no way means that it’s not worth reading. If you enjoy dark humor and a new way to read classic children’s stories for adults, then this book will suit you.
Princess’s Baby Brother
The plot in this story revolves around the Princess and her teddy bear, Mr. Whiffle, but it also adds one more character to the mix. The Princess gets a baby brother, one she isn’t very fond of. She doesn’t even like him, as he is noisy and he just annoys her. However, things get more interesting when goblins abduct her brother, and she is forced to make a difficult decision.
This is where the unique writing style of this entire series starts working its magic. Things go horribly wrong only to surprise you with darker and more unpredictable twists than ever. To sum up, if you like dark comedy and lots of surprises, then this book might be the best one for you out of this Patrick Rothfuss books list.
Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons Series
Irresistible Mix of Characters
We’ve finally reached the end of this list of books by Patrick Rothfuss. The final book, or series, we have to show you is a series of four books that will blow a certain group of people’s minds. If you’re a die-hard fan of both the amazing animated adult sitcom known as Rick & Morty and Dungeons & Dragons, this series might be the single greatest thing that has ever happened to you.
Everything about the main characters of the animated series is inside these books, ready to make you laugh out loud. Rick’s wise-cracks and hurtful comments are there, don’t worry. You also get lots of stunning illustrations of the characters doing what they do best, providing lots of fun content for you. You also get the set of dice, without which the following adventure wouldn’t be possible at all and these wouldn’t be a few more of the best Patrick Rothfuss books out there.
Unforgettable Adventure
After you’ve had a chance to review the rule book, which is a tad different from the original Dungeons and Dragons one, you can finally begin the epic journey that follows. If you’ve seen even one episode from Rick & Morty, then you know that everything is possible with these two wacky characters.
The same goes for this amazing series by Rothfuss. The main things you can expect from this series include a wacky and fun adventure, lots of surprising twists, a lot of laughs, and a memorable story. Also, you should know that this is some of his most recent work, the last book being published in 2019. We are looking forward to Rothfuss’s upcoming books!
Robert Hazley
Robert is a science fiction and fantasy geek. (He is also the best looking Ereads writer!) Besides reading and writing, he enjoys sports, cosplay, and good food (don't we all?). Currently works as an accountant (would you believe that?)