Wise Man's Fear XI

[red snow]

3 hours ago, kuenjato said:

 I've also seen speculation that there is deliberate delaying of the book until the TV series comes out, which is rather savvy in a business sense, if true.

 

I used to think that too but in reality as long as they have a TV-cover edition out at the time of the show it really doesn't matter. It's not like people only bought AFFC after season one of GOT aired. I could see people possibly buying the book that follows on from the end of a season first but if that was the case he wouldn't need book 3 out until season 2 (assuming book per season) was out. The golden rule if your book series is turned into a TV show is to have as many books as possible out and see sales skyrocket. I imagine even bad adaptations still result in sales spikes for the books.

[Darth Richard II]

I didn't like TSROST because it felt like a complete waste of time. It felt like an excerpt from a Gene Wolfe wannabee's book. IT had, to me, literally no point, no plot, no nothing. It just felt like the author jacking himself off to how awesome his writing is.

 

So yeah, did not like.

[TheRevanchist]

1 hour ago, Darth Richard II said:

I didn't like TSROST because it felt like a complete waste of time. It felt like an excerpt from a Gene Wolfe wannabee's book. IT had, to me, literally no point, no plot, no nothing. It just felt like the author jacking himself off to how awesome his writing is.

 

So yeah, did not like.

Exactly how I felt about it. I read it between the two bad Wheel of Time books (9 and 10) and somehow, TSROST looked worse than them.

It was just bad from the beginning to the end. Maybe my second most hated fantasy book after Queen of Fire.

[Ninefingers]

18 hours ago, Werthead said:

The TV show is still on the back burner. There's been no sign of it moving forwards at all, so if he is waiting for that, that is extremely unwise.

But if book 3 flops, does the TV show ever get made?

[Michael Seswatha Jordan]

1 hour ago, Ninefingers said:

But if book 3 flops, does the TV show ever get made?

I can't see it flopping, just my opinion. I agree with whoever said it upthread, it would be very savvy if the wait to release it along with the premiere of the show, whenever that might be. Maybe never.

[red snow]

18 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

I didn't like TSROST because it felt like a complete waste of time. It felt like an excerpt from a Gene Wolfe wannabee's book. IT had, to me, literally no point, no plot, no nothing. It just felt like the author jacking himself off to how awesome his writing is.

 

So yeah, did not like.

I enjoyed it - Rothfuss narrated it quite well in the audiobook and I got the feeling the lack of a point and plot was sort of the point. We're dealing with a character who is on a completely different wavelength.

I also went into it not expecting it to be Kingkiller 2.5 or anything either which maybe helped?

[Ninefingers]

1 hour ago, Michael Seswatha Jordan said:

I can't see it flopping, just my opinion. I agree with whoever said it upthread, it would be very savvy if the wait to release it along with the premiere of the show, whenever that might be. Maybe never.

I don't think it will flop either, but I think what matters is if Rothfuss is worried it will flop. I think that could have a pretty large impact on his behavior.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

20 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

I didn't like TSROST because it felt like a complete waste of time. It felt like an excerpt from a Gene Wolfe wannabee's book. IT had, to me, literally no point, no plot, no nothing. It just felt like the author jacking himself off to how awesome his writing is.

 

So yeah, did not like.

My wife, who has read nothing else by Rothfuss, read TSROST and loved it.  So, while I see where you are coming from... if someone can come in having read nothing else of this world and still enjoy the book it suggests to me the book is a bit more than "the author jacking himself off to how awesome his writing is". 

Have you read Italio Calvino's book Invisible Cities?  TSROST reminded me of that work.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

1 hour ago, red snow said:

I enjoyed it - Rothfuss narrated it quite well in the audiobook and I got the feeling the lack of a point and plot was sort of the point. We're dealing with a character who is on a completely different wavelength.

I also went into it not expecting it to be Kingkiller 2.5 or anything either which maybe helped?

red snow,
 

Exactly.  We are dealing with a POV character who's mind is fundamentally broken.  We are seeing the world through her eyes.

[Seiche]

4 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

if someone can come in having read nothing else of this world and still enjoy the book it suggests to me the book is a bit more than "the author jacking himself off to how awesome his writing is".

Unless said reader happens to enjoy books where the author is jacking himself off?  No offense to your wife of course.

As noted up-thread, I didn't enjoy this one but came to respect it after reading some critical analysis and agreeing that there is something interesting going on.  It was not (purely) masturbatory on the author's part.

[The Marquis de Leech]

The *Afterword* of that book is certainly Rothfuss jerking him off, to the point where you wouldn't be surprised to see semen stains on the pages. 

[KiDisaster]

8 minutes ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said:

The *Afterword* of that book is certainly Rothfuss jerking him off, to the point where you wouldn't be surprised to see semen stains on the pages. 

Perhaps that "personal touch" is the reason for the high price? 

 

[Werthead]

3 hours ago, Michael Seswatha Jordan said:

I can't see it flopping, just my opinion. I agree with whoever said it upthread, it would be very savvy if the wait to release it along with the premiere of the show, whenever that might be. Maybe never.

The first two Rothfuss novels have sold, between them, well over 10 million copies. That absolutely dwarfs every other epic fantasy series since ASoIaF (and is more - maybe even twice as much - than ASoIaF had sold when it was optioned by HBO). Nothing else comes close, not Sanderson, not Abercrombie, not Erikson. That level of commercial success should be enough to ensure it gets made.

The fly in the ointment is Lionsgate's plan to have a movie trilogy and a TV series and a video game all in the works simultaneously, which is simply far too much. They should focus on getting the Name of the Wind movie made first and then worry about all that stuff afterwards.

[Darth Richard II]

Well like I said, TSROST is very divisive.

[red snow]

I'm sort of shocked it is that much more successful than other contemporary series. I guess it could be that it should appeal to the Harry Potter crowd which even if only 1% of them give Rothfuss a look would make it a major success.

[Ninefingers]

1 hour ago, Roose Boltons Pet Leech said:

The *Afterword* of that book is certainly Rothfuss jerking him off, to the point where you wouldn't be surprised to see semen stains on the pages. 

I'd forgotten about that and just went and re-read it.

Good lord.

That was Quentin Tarantino levels of insufferability: "Kill Bill is a mountain not everyone is prepared to climb"

[Darth Richard II]

46 minutes ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

The Dark Tower and (sigh) Eragon had sold more than that. Technically Wheel of Time was still ongoing by the time TNotW came out as well, and of course Harry Potter dwarfs them all, though I suppose that's not really epic fantasy.

Those had all been going before TNOTW came out though. I believe he meant its the best selling one of the newer crop.

[kuenjato]

1 hour ago, red snow said:

I'm sort of shocked it is that much more successful than other contemporary series. I guess it could be that it should appeal to the Harry Potter crowd which even if only 1% of them give Rothfuss a look would make it a major success.

It's very accessible and fairly smart, which makes readers *feel* smart, plus it has a clever wish fulfillment template and wholesale rips some of the tropes from Harry Potter, plus it came along right when HP was winding up and people still wanted that fix, plus it was super hyped by the publisher and the hype, for once, actually had some legitimacy, plus Rothfuss dragged his feet on WMF, allowing the relative quality of the first book remain unstained from the uneven and controversial sequel, plus ... it seemed to hit a nerve with the millennia 'squee' crowd, going by goodreads, and has shown up on lots of 'best of' lists.

[Darth Richard II]

Ok I take issues with two statements there.

1. No, it didn't live up to the publisher hype, because the hype was that it was ALL ALREADY WRITTEN AND WOULD COME OUT A YEAR APART.

2. Smart? How...what? In what way? That Kvothe is good at managing his funds?

and actually

3. How does it rip on the Harry Potter tropes? Seems to just be copying them.

[Darth Richard II]

4 minutes ago, Let's Get Kraken said:

Because Harry Potter started out for kids and the KKC has SEX NINJAS!!!11!!one!!!1!

*slow clap*

9 hours ago, Ninefingers said:

But if book 3 flops, does the TV show ever get made?

Yes, cause monies.