Fans of Patrick Rothfuss’ The Kingkiller Chronicle have been waiting for 10 years for The Doors of Stone, the third (and presumably final) book in his fantasy series. The situation resembles the long wait that A Song of Ice and Fire fans have had to endure for George R.R. Martin’s The Winds of Winter, and in both cases, there are fans who take an “it takes however long it takes” approach and others who take a “c’mon already” stance.
Pretty much any errant comment can start up the debate anew. For instance, the other day Rothfuss joked (well, I assume it’s a joke) about possibly writing The Doors of Stone as “a series of bulleted lists.”
Can I write the entirety of book three as a series of bulleted lists?
— Pat Rothfuss (@PatrickRothfuss) September 28, 2021
Does that mean he has the plot figured out but hasn’t committed it to paper? I’m probably overthinking it.
Who Fears Death author encourages Patrick Rothfuss
In any case, the tweet got a ton of engagement, far more than usual for his Twitter. That included a response from fellow author Nnedi Okorafor, known for her novel Who Fears Death, which George R.R. Martin is helping turn into an HBO show, coincidentally enough.
My humble opinion:
— Nnedi Okorafor, PhD🕷️ (@Nnedi) September 28, 2021
You can do anything you want. You don’t need to ask permission or seek validation from anyone else. When it comes to your creative work, do you.
Most of the responses are pretty good natured and funny, which is encouraging to see.
At this point you could publish book 3 as a box of unsorted notes mixed with leftover taco wrappers and people would still fight each other to buy it.
— A L(ibrary) Smith (@ALibrarySmith) September 28, 2021
To be clear: if you feel setting Book 3 aside & walking away from it forever is what's best for you & your family, I support it 100%. I'd be sad, but what you have given us is brilliant. It is enough. You being you somewhere in the world is enough. Being a father & a good human.
— Caryn Coln (@CarynColn) September 29, 2021
How about a series of listicles instead? "Chandrian Ranked by Sex Appeal." "Top 10 Worst Accidents in Fishery History." "1,500 Times Master Elodin Stole Our Hearts."
— Marian Whitney Makins (@ProfMakins) September 29, 2021
Okay. Cool. I'm on it.
— Pat Rothfuss (@PatrickRothfuss) September 28, 2021
There are more critical replies in the quote tweets, but you get the idea.
Of course, there’s a difference between what fans might say on the author’s own thread and how they express themselves elsewhere on the internet. I’m holding out hope over here. My ultimate dream scenario is for The Winds of Winter and The Doors of Stone to come out on the same day; I’m hoping the universe has that good a sense of humor.
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