I read the first 2 books as a teenager in Spanish, my native language, and I loved them!

Then I learned English, and I read them again in English in my mid-20s, which was amazing (didn't remember it well enough for a direct comparison though).

Now I live in Japan and slowly learning Japanese, I wonder if I'll learn enough Japanese to read the first 2 books first, or the 3rd book will be released before that! TBF I find Japanese horribly difficult so might never get proficient enough to read books in the language, but then again it seems that's the sentiment about the 3rd book future as well!

Sorry not accepting bets.

I know all the theories about his name and all the magical possibilities. What if it is something practical and incredibly valuable.

I have often wondered about the purpose of establishing the existence of ancient magical items.

What if it’s Lanre’s armor he made from the beast of Drossen Tor?

Or it could be Kilvin’s ever burning lamp.

E.g., Rothfuss mentioned Kvothe only told one lie, that Elodin has part fae blood. But is there one place where I can read all the updates?

I believe Puppet is an Amyr for several reasons

1. When Kvothe is searching for a book on when the Amyr were created in the Archives, he isn't able to find a single shred proof that they existed before the Tehlin Church (book 1)

2. Kvothe is almost 100% certain that the Amyr did indeed exist before the church due to a story by Skarpi (Book 1)

3. We have no age parameters for Puppet. When wilem and Simmon are discussing Puppet they only hint that Puppet has been there for a while. Wil and Sim's theory is that Puppet is a student who has cracked if this is true I think that Manet would have something to say about this since he has been at the school for a long time
"Not to mention his timeless qualities like his lineless face." (deleted account)

4. The Archives are locked up at night and Puppet is the only one (aside from Kvothe when he was sneaking in) who has access to all the books and he can slowly prune the Archives of books. This would also explain why Puppet knows where all the books are because he needs to go through them all in order to hide any info.

5. "I’ve seen videos that postulate Puppet is there to watch for the Chandrian around the 4plate door. When his candles go blue…" ( u/Argine_ ) This is a very good theory and fairly straight forward the only question I can think of is what is behind the door that the Chandrian want to get to. He could only protect against Cyphus since the rest of them could just go without him (maybe that would give the masters the edge over them) ( u/Violincookie )

I've just finished the first 2 books only to find out the 3rd isn't written yet. Before I move onto other series I wanted to make a list of all the unsolved mysteries & foreshadowed stuff.

If anyone could add to it that'd be great!

• what is the lackless box
• is Kvothe a lackless
• is Denna magic
• what's behind the doors in the archive
• why is the chancellor sick
• who/why is Puppet
• where are the Amyr
• who is Ash
• where are the Chandrian

I know some of these are really big questions but still just wanted to get a list of everything that will, hopefully, be wrapped up by the end of the 3rd book

Is there a website or some sort of chart that can tell me what all the currencies would equal in US currency just as a reference? Its a lot to keep track of and my ADHD brain just can’t comprehend and organize the values of all the coins and such and it would make so much more sense in my head if it was converted to a currency I actually understand. I know the money in the book would be different amounts when compared to US dollars and such but im only looking for a simple reference.

Kvothe encounters Cinder for the third time. (Unless Cinder has been around more than we think, stopping to buy a drink as the Cthaeh would say). A glorious duel ensues. What is the most likely outcome?

1. Kvothe defeats Cinder, yet Cinder flees or is rescued and is currently alive.

2. Kvothe kills Cinder, right down to his true name. Kvothe takes "Folly" as his own.

3. They battle, and both are injured, something or someone interrupts leaving the fight unfinished.

4. Cinder defeats Kvothe, leaving him injured, perhaps maiming his hand and leaving a nasty silver scar down his back.

5. Cinder kills Kvothe, sending Kvothe to the doors of death, and in a parallel to Lanre and Lyra, Kvothe is called back by Denna.

6. Cinder reveals he is not Kvothe's enemy. After a realization, they then face the Cthaeh together. ("Maybe this Cinder did me a bad turn once.")

I got my first ever tickets to SDCC and I thought it would be cool to go as Kvothe, since these were my favorite books of the year. I wanted to get some thoughts/ ideas (before going off to do my own homework)

Should I go with the Fela Green cloak or a Felurian’s Shaed

It must be lined with pockets, but what should I fill the pockets with?

Even tho I have not earned my pipes I wanted to wear them and maybe a fake Lute - hoping no one asks for Jackass Jackass or Tinker tanner

A Gram would be cool to make but I’m unsure if there’s any specific art out there depicting it

I appreciate any other ideas!

Read the books numerous times. Picked up on the pronunciation doing a re-read on audio w my son.

It’s clearly pronounced “Gil-The.”

Per Ben in NOTW, a guilder is also called a gilthe

El’the therefore translates to Elder?

In lieu of any good theories to share (because they're all taken), I have some questions.

Kvothe is a great storyteller and performer and artist, would he make a good animator?

• How close is this world to creating celluloid or a viable alternative?
• Once it exists, wouldn't the basic mechanics of a film camera or projector be child's play for someone like Kilvin?

Are there any other Victorian-era inventions that might actually be possible for someone at the University in the timeframe we know of?

Are there any that are already redundant because of magic?

Which parts of the Industrial Revolution will this world eventually leapfrog entirely?

Could any other metal/alloy (magical or otherwise) replace mass-produced steel as the dominant material from that point on?

I started reading The Name of the Wind and I’m about halfway; there are quite a few things I’m confused about but I’ll just start with this one. What the heck is an E’lir?

Lead character is so much like Kvothe's brother in that he's hopeless with people (much of the time), smarter than is safe, uses enchanting (in a very sigildry way), and is constantly in close contact with dieties he shouldn't be

It's soothing my DOS shaped hole, for now, at least

Don't mind the neurospicy parentheses (I just like to be clear, lol)

I listened to the audiobooks throughout my day but also as I go to sleep. I always use a sleep timer but sometimes forget to rewind.

As such, I completely missed the part between him getting to the dock, his ship sinking and him arriving in Severin.

Which chapters are these so I can relisten? Or does anyone have a synopsis

This is under the assumption that

1. Denna's patron (Master Ash) is Cinder one of the Chandrian.
2. The Chandrian are keeping tabs of KVOTHE because he is the only survivor from his Family Massacre.

My theory is that the Amyr are secretly protecting KVOTHE from the Chandrian. Here's Why. Right before Cinder is about to kill KVOTHE after the Family Massacre Hailiax says "quickly they come" signifying that one of their enemies is tracking them down. They couldn't be too far out otherwise the Chandrian would have time to kill KVOTHE. We know that KVOTHE spends the night because he goes to his mom and dad's wagon that was 100 yards down the road, so I'm thinking that the Amyr found the ruins, found KVOTHE sleeping and have stayed near him ever since to make sure the Chandrian don't kill him.

Any thoughts? or flaws?

while im not sure whats behind the door, its clearly important. it is described as "...You could run your hand from one side of the door to the next and hardly feel the lines of it at all." it reminded me of the box, what if the faint markings are not writing but closer to the teeth on a key, and what ever is inside, would have a sympathetic link made of a rare material,to inside one of the doors locks or even be once part of the lock. so a counterfeit could not be made. this would also put Kvothe on a path back towards Vintas and maybe a king? and another silly idea i had writing this. their the lockless family because they only have the key.

Hey everyone,

I can't shake the thought that Denna might be able to perform magic. I think there was a scene in the first book where Kvothe tells her about Sygaldry. She was very interested in "magic" that involves writing and symbols (runes). And I think it was in the second book where Simmon, Wilem, and Kvothe showed her tricks and explained Sympathy to her. She asked very specific questions about magic that works with words that are written down and then become real. She seemed disappointed when no one could tell her anything about it.

I know it might be far-fetched, but maybe this is why Denna finds Kvothe more often than he finds her. And maybe that's why Master Ash wants her to write songs for him—so she can change the story in his favor? This would mean that Master Ash could possibly be a Chandrian.

I have no idea how this magic is really supposed to work or if it works this way, as the clues are scarce. But I find the thought interesting.

It’s almost like he knew exactly what he was doing to us before he did it. We’re all just slowly going mad. 🙄😫😭

Pretty much what it says in the title lol. A friend and I were discussing the books and we ended up on the Lackless box. When Kvothe smells the wood and describes the smell we had a bit of a 'holy shit!' moment because the tree the Cthaeh is in has a similar smell and he recognises the smell as familiar:

Ch 139, p 915: 'What's more, it seemed to be a spicewood... I lowered my face to its surface and breathed in deeply through my nose, something almost like lemon. It was maddeningly familiar.'

Ch 104, p 677: 'As the leaves stirred I smelled a strange, sweet smell. It was like smoke and spice and leather and lemon.'

Also:

Ch 139, p 916: 'What's inside it?... Something metal, by the way the weight shifts when I tilt it'

The wood encases the metal box Jax used to trap the moon's name. Perhaps the tree simply grew around the box and then was carved back to look like a box. It would explain how it just looks like a solid piece of wood. However, Kvothe then says it could be something made of glass or stone. He could be mistaken, or it's the sound of the moon's name? Or it's the stone flute Jax uses to make the moon come to him?

Now to the best of my knowledge, the Cthaeh is the being trapped inside the tree and the tree/wood is what is stopping it from going out and wreaking havoc on the world. So it must be a very powerful, and probably magical type of wood. What ever is inside the box is something no-one wants to let out, either because it's dangerous or precious or both.

In NOTW, Kvothe has nothing and is forced to go to Devi for money for tuition. Cool, no issues there. However, later on Kvothe buys a lute worth at least 16 talents and 1 penny (he says it's the most expensive thing he'd ever bought, and previously he'd bought a horse worth 16 talents).

In WMF, he then goes back to Devi because he has no money and no guild money lender would give him anything because he has no collateral. But he does have collateral, in the form of a 16 talent lute, yet goes to Devi, and again tells Devi that he has no collateral, despite his 16 talent lute (minimum).

Is he an idiot, or do money lenders work differently than our world, and require the item to be held by the money lender for the duration of the loan?

“Well that was embarrassing,” Kvothe said. He touched his bloody face and looked at his fingers. He chuckled again, a jagged, joyless sound. “Forgot who I was there for a minute.”

It’s what kote says after he gets beat up by the two soldiers. He forgot he is kote and not Kvothe. That’s why he was winning in the beginning. Kvothe would’ve taken them both but not kote the innkeeper.

What are your theories on puppets part to play. He seems to be a very significant character with lots of foreshadowing. Also why is he allowed to live in the archives and I'm pretty sure he had candles?

Hello, I'm a really big fan of the books and I have finished both but every time I look for some answers to my questions about the series I feel like everybody knows more to it than it appears on the two books. Is there more lore I'm missing? Maybe in the two books? The one for Auri and the one for Bast. Any short story or similar type of work from Patrick I need to read? Thanks in advance!

Fellow Astro peeps, let’s guess Kvothe’s natal chart. Ill go first: Gemini sun, Leo rising, Capricorn moon. I’ve got reasoning for all three:

• Gemini sun: cleverness, wit, and sharpness being the key elements of his personality. The intelligence of mercury, but absolutely no wisdom to back it up. Not Virgo bc his energy is light and curious, not heavy and precise.
• Capricorn moon: emotional constipation, rationality, guardedness over emotions, doesn’t know how to process them other than disintegrating them

He’s definitely got some Sagittarius in there, maybe some Aquarius. He’s way too stuck in rationality to have any Scorpio, and too unwilling to change to have it come easy for him. Definitely Virgo somewhere, want to get that Aries is also somewhere. Open to ideas and other considerations.

K says he fights a demon... I'd sort of always presumed it was Devi. But what if in fact it was himself or something like that? Who else could it be?

I love the series and I’m grateful I haven’t been waiting as long as yall for book 3, but I’m already worried how long it might be.

A few unsolicited thoughts / a raw reaction: I feel like the portions involving Felurian and the Adem were much larger pieces than they should have been. I first noticed it when reading about Felurian, but compared to other journeys it felt longer, even compared to his time in Tarbean which I think was more important for his development. These two with how buttoned up the book is left at the end have me more skeptical about IF rather than WHEN.

I've had a few thoughts running through my head through my many read throughs / listens. One of them is Devi and her obsession with books and access to the archives. There are a few things that let us know books have importance, and some that show Devi has a strong passion for not just the archives, but books.

1. Obviously, she has offered a great deal to Kvothe for access to the archives. Large sums of money, a night in bed with her. I used to suspect this was because she too wanted to attempt to open the four plated doors, but have started to suspect something deeper.

2. Devi's ever-expanding book collection: Devi is always collecting books, and multiple times throughout the story mentions of her books are made. She often shares them with Kvothe. Correct me if I am wrong, but she also adds in a 2nd bookcase in WMF. Is she just a bookworm? Or is she looking for something in those books?

3. Books clearly have a importance in the shaping of history / the world currently. Kvothe and Wilem's dispute over the disbanding of the Amyr show us that two books from reputable sources can give two different stories. They then meet with Puppet who basically lets Kvothe and the boys know that someone is altering books.

4. Books have some sort of relation to the Amyr. Kvothe discovers in the Duke of Gibea's personal edition book the hidden credo of the Amyr. Could there be trails to their hidden locations / allies in books? Is that why libraries have been wiped clean and alterations are found nearly everywhere?

Let me know if there have been other connections with this, and your thoughts as well.

Tomorrow, will mark exactly one year since we have heard, well, anything at all from Pat. Just what did his previous communication entail? A photo contest held by his publisher, in which the winner is to be granted newly minted penance pieces. Pat also stated he will gleefully post pictures of his favorites and possibly add other prizes and tchotchkes to the mix.

A curious mind must wonder: who won the photo contest? Was there a photo contest? Did anyone actually win the penance coins? I guess we can throw these inquiries and questions down the ever-expanding, esoteric black hole of unanswered questions, unfinished contests, and half-broken promises known as: Pat's blog. The ever-fracturing windowpane of communication expands its cracks, how much longer can it hold?

I don't think the pervasive silence is all bad news. Pat's silence could be a sign he is doing the one thing everyone here is hoping he is doing. While I personally doubt that is the case, it's a possibility. Less time on the internet is in general, I believe, a good thing for a person. Any person. Advice I give freely yet have trouble following. Like all good advice.

His silence regarding the charity is much easier to explain. He backed himself into a corner after the 2021-chapter debacle. Any and all promises going forward simply wouldn't be trusted, even by his most devoted followers. Coming online and asking for donations attached to prizes without addressing the elephant, or rather the 500-ton mastodon in the room just wouldn't fly. And he knows that. I was never a fan of him using future projects as a dangling carrot for donations. Something felt... well, a little morally shady about it that I can't quite express. Your work is something you are supposed to do, not dangle over the heads of a starved and rabid fanbase. I'm sure Pat justified it as such: any method used to garner donations is for the greater good. He may have a point there, but I was never a fan of mixing the two.

To defend Pat, I do think his heart was and is entirely in the right place regarding the charity. He isn't a hardened corporate mastermind like Bill Gates or Warren Buffett. He's a relatively naive guy from the Midwest who wanted to start a charity. The few small donations I have made the in the past, I don't regret. This, despite charitable organizations long and daunting history of being used for outright financial fraud as well as tax shelters for the wealthy, I never suspected Pat of being engaged in either of those. It is true and must be stated, that 80 cents of every dollar donated to Worldbuilders goes to keeping Worldbuilders up and running. The remaining 20 then rolls over to Heifer International. The thinking is, we, the public would have never heard of Heifer if not for Pat's involvement and marketing, and although only 20 cents of a dollar donated makes it to the actual charity, that's 20 cents which would have never come their way without said celebrities' involvement. A bit of circuitous reasoning to be sure, but they may have a ghost of a point in thinking such a way.

What does all of this portend, if anything? Most likely, not much... I hope I'm wrong about that. The last novella was spattered with bad reviews, a new novella would be targeted with even more vitriol, whether justified or not. Pat knows this. So, let's say best case scenario Pat has been slavishly working away this past year. The last novella was announced about eight months before the release. I believe book 3 will have at least a year buffer between announcement and release for marketing purposes. So, unless Pat makes a stunning announcement on December 31st, you and I won't be getting our grubby paws on book 3 in 2025. This also puts 2026 in great doubt. Even a posthumous effort by another author won't be book 3. Sure, it will be a book 3, it won't be the book 3. Only Pat can write the book.