If your usual sleep aid has stopped working for you, buy this book! It will not fail you.



I truly hate writing this one star review as I absolutely love the KKC series and want to support Rothfuss in continuing his promising career. But this was awful. To call this a "story" is a flat out lie. There was no story. It was just 150+ pages of rambling on about a week in the life of the most overrated character in the series. I know people love Auri because there is something mysterious about her. In the first two books, I found her to be interesting too, but not nearly as much as most. So when a book completely devoted to her character was coming out, I was slightly hesitant but I thought I would still read it to get a glimpse of her view of the world. But now I wish I hadn't. She was more interesting to me before I read this. I only wish I could unread it.



It has nothing to do with the cost of the book, as most people have complained about. I would pay double this amount for a book half as long if it were interesting. I've been following Rothfuss's blog for a while and was really looking forward to it, despite his warnings that this was different. I even pre-ordered it, which I've never done for any book. I really don't mind it being different, and I actually think it should be. But seriously, where's the plot? Doesn't a story have to have a plot?



I can summarize the entire novella in a single paragraph (not a spoiler, just a silly interpretation of how the book sounds in my head after reading it): Auri wakes up. She washes her feet. She looks around the cave. She finds an old broken gear at the bottom of a deep puddle. She puts it next to her bed. No, she doesn't like it there. She puts it on the windowsill. No no, that's worse. She can't find a good place for the gear. But there's nothing she could do about it, this was the way of things. She goes to sleep, smiling. The End.



Of course Rothfuss's writing is far more eloquent than my terrible example above. Like most of his readers, I'm no writer, just a lousy critic. But you get the gist of the book from this example.



Seriously, if you enjoy the KKC series, don't read this. It will only tarnish your good impression of the series.

That being said, I still plan on reading the third book if it ever comes out, as I know it will be "different" than this.



Sorry for this review Patrick, I still think you're awesome. It's just this book sucks. And don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise...they aren't being honest with you. Go with your gut, you know it sucks, which is why you keep apologizing for it. I understand you needed to write this for yourself, as you said, and perhaps a select few of your "broken" fans. But shame on you for publishing it for the rest of the world to read. You should have left it at the bottom of that trunk.



Update (2/24/15):

Some people have helped me understand why someone could actually appreciate this book, since, when I read it, I refused to believe anyone could like it. I am not a writer, though I can appreciate artsy writing and poetry if it's not too far "out there". I expected somewhat of a different style of writing in this book considering what I was used to reading in the KKC series, including the novella "The Lightning Tree" in Rogues. My rating and review above still stand. But I will add this disclaimer: To those of you who don't care about a story with an actual plot and only want to read some artsy poetic writing, you may actually enjoy this book.