Rothfuss XIII: Fan Angst Live Stream

[Myrddin]

NotW was a true joy for me to read. The prose is so well done. WMF was a bit more of a slog, but still enjoyable.

If you read for the enjoyment of reading and are not worried about having to wait for a third ("final") book to come out, go ahead and read them.

If finding out the end of the story is more important (ala ASOIAF), I'd hold off.

[Rhom]

I think I could read to enjoy and appreciate for what they are, but how much of a cliffhanger ending are we talking here?  Brianne on the end of a rope?  Or Locke and Jean striding off into the sunset while a resurrected villain cackles madly about what they're going to do later?

[Darth Richard II]

Man, that's hard to answer. I really liked the first book but the second was..eh? Without getting into spoilers, there's lots of pg rated wish fulfillment sex, that's just plain groan inducing at times. Like, A LOT.

[Astromech]

Not much of a cliffhanger, just an unfinished story with questions(many due to too long of a wait and over-theorizing and speculation on the fan base's part) left unanswered. The past few years I've been avoiding unfinished series because I don't like waiting years for a resolution. If you don't mind an unfinished story or waiting, possibly forever, then give the books a go. Easy enough to drop them if you find them not to your liking.

[Rhom]

3 minutes ago, Astromech said:

Not much of a cliffhanger, just an unfinished story with questions(many due to too long of a wait and over-theorizing and speculation on the fan base's part) left unanswered. The past few years I've been avoiding unfinished series because I don't like waiting years for a resolution. If you don't mind an unfinished story or waiting, possibly forever, then give the books a go. Easy enough to drop them if you find them not to your liking.

I've been torn on what to do about underway series.  On the one hand, I would hate to have missed out on reading authors like Abercrombie and Lawrence while waiting for them to finish.  My faith has paid off there.  Then there's the notorious examples of GRRM and Lynch that I have accepted will never finish their series.  

I think going into a series knowing its likely never going to finish might be easier to accept.   

[kuenjato]

2 minutes ago, Rhom said:

I've been torn on what to do about underway series.  On the one hand, I would hate to have missed out on reading authors like Abercrombie and Lawrence while waiting for them to finish.  My faith has paid off there.  Then there's the notorious examples of GRRM and Lynch that I have accepted will never finish their series.  

I think going into a series knowing its likely never going to finish might be easier to accept.   

I think it'll be finished -- he has a copy of book 3 complete -- but it may take a long while, due to his psychological issues.

Personally, this series is vastly overrated and is one big pile of wish-fulfillment wank, with a few bright spots here and there. It's pretty easy to read, and the prose is OK, though Rothfuss's incompetence at consistent world building and certain authorial ticks can really grate, even on a first-read.

[Darth Richard II]

Pffft if he has a copy of book 3 complete then I'm the queen of Spain.

[Astromech]

19 minutes ago, Rhom said:

I've been torn on what to do about underway series.  On the one hand, I would hate to have missed out on reading authors like Abercrombie and Lawrence while waiting for them to finish.  My faith has paid off there.  Then there's the notorious examples of GRRM and Lynch that I have accepted will never finish their series.  

I think going into a series knowing its likely never going to finish might be easier to accept.   

Perhaps I should qualify my statement. I will start unfinished series from authors with a good track record. Lawrence and Abercrombie both produce high-quality work with very minimal waits in-between.

[Darth Richard II]

11 minutes ago, Astromech said:

Perhaps I should qualify my statement. I will start unfinished series from authors with a good track record. Lawrence and Abercrombie both produce high-quality work with very minimal waits in-between.

Heck, Lawrence is always like..3 or 4 books ahead of what is actually published.

[HexMachina]

I think Rothfuss’ books are more disappointing for not being complete than Lynch’s, which imo read very well as standalones. If you found those problematic then I wouldn’t recommend Rothfuss until (or, if) more books are released

[End of Disc One]

I'm not a big fan of these books, but enough people consider them all time favorites that I wouldn't recommend anyone not to read them.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

4 hours ago, Rhom said:

I've had NotW and TWMF sitting on my shelf for a while now.  What's the general thoughts on reading them?  I went into ASoIaF and The Gentleman Bastards not knowing they would never be completed and I have now come to a general acceptance of that.  Going into Kingkiller knowing that the status is hanging in limbo would be a new experience for me, but I think I'd at least be prepared.

So what's the consensus?  Still worth reading knowing that there is no end in sight?  Or hold off cause there's no rush?

They are wonderful books read them for the stories they contain.  

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

2 hours ago, kuenjato said:

I think it'll be finished -- he has a copy of book 3 complete -- but it may take a long while, due to his psychological issues.

Personally, this series is vastly overrated and is one big pile of wish-fulfillment wank, with a few bright spots here and there. It's pretty easy to read, and the prose is OK, though Rothfuss's incompetence at consistent world building and certain authorial ticks can really grate, even on a first-read.

What do you mean with regard to the consistent world building?

[Ninefingers]

6 hours ago, Rhom said:

I've had NotW and TWMF sitting on my shelf for a while now.  What's the general thoughts on reading them?  I went into ASoIaF and The Gentleman Bastards not knowing they would never be completed and I have now come to a general acceptance of that.  Going into Kingkiller knowing that the status is hanging in limbo would be a new experience for me, but I think I'd at least be prepared.

So what's the consensus?  Still worth reading knowing that there is no end in sight?  Or hold off cause there's no rush?

Depends on what kind of reader you are.

Do you like looking for easter eggs, theory crafting, and trying to unravel mysteries? If so, these books are for you. As thistlepong put so well once: "These books reward careful reading"

However, if you're not into rereads and are looking for something lighter, I'd wait until #3 comes out.

[Darth Richard II]

Pfft, none of the supposed rewards form this careful reading have actually paid off or even been confirmed to be real.

(Still burnt from TUC)

[Ninefingers]

TUC?

(I'm not very smart)

[Darth Richard II]

Oh heh, The Unholy Consult.

[baxus]

14 hours ago, Ninefingers said:

Hey @baxus

Do you have a copy of Name of the Wind in Serbian? There's a guy who's doing a comparison of the Lackless Rhyme (Seven things has Lady Lackless...) in various languages to tease out meaning and I thought I'd (really my wife, who is Serbian) contribute with some analysis of a language they haven't done. 

If you have it, could you post the rhyme? 

Thx

I see that @Spark7 beat me to it but I'd be glad to help out in the future if you, or anyone else, need something like that again.  

[Werthead]

22 hours ago, Rhom said:

I've had NotW and TWMF sitting on my shelf for a while now.  What's the general thoughts on reading them?  I went into ASoIaF and The Gentleman Bastards not knowing they would never be completed and I have now come to a general acceptance of that.  Going into Kingkiller knowing that the status is hanging in limbo would be a new experience for me, but I think I'd at least be prepared.

So what's the consensus?  Still worth reading knowing that there is no end in sight?  Or hold off cause there's no rush?

The Name of the Wind is a decent book, enjoyably written with some interesting takes on standard material. Kvothe is an arsehole (he's basically Emo-Kellhus in college) but he's supposed to be and as long as that works for you, it's reasonable stuff.

The Wise Man's Fear is a significantly inferior work. Some stuff happens - a lot of it neckbear wish-fulfilment bullshit of the highest order - but none of it is consequential for the overall storyline. The writing goes a bit saccharine at time, the female characters turn into two dimensional filler and about 80% of the book is dominated by Kvothe's student finance woes. The book is highly readable - the really short chapters help - but after you finish you realise it was a bit of a nothing book that has put a titanic amount of weight on Book 3 to redeem the series.

No wonder Rothfuss would rather play video games and write comics.

[Gone and Quite Forgotten]

22 hours ago, Rhom said:

I've had NotW and TWMF sitting on my shelf for a while now.  What's the general thoughts on reading them?  I went into ASoIaF and The Gentleman Bastards not knowing they would never be completed and I have now come to a general acceptance of that.  Going into Kingkiller knowing that the status is hanging in limbo would be a new experience for me, but I think I'd at least be prepared.

So what's the consensus?  Still worth reading knowing that there is no end in sight?  Or hold off cause there's no rush?

Not my personal favorite story per se, but they are very well written and IMO represent some of the best prose in the genre atm. There are two-hundred pages or so of TWMF that are a bit tedious, but even those portions can be pretty entertaining on your first read through. The protagonist is a Mary Sue, and there's some debate on how deliberate that is on the part of the author.

I would say they are worth reading, especially if you already own them, but tbh I have never understood the reluctance people have at starting an unfinished series. If that kind of thing bothers you then you should be aware, it really gets on people's nerves that the third book is taking so long, so expect it to be an issue.