Rothfuss the One Trick Pony?

Every now and then a novel comes along that just blows readers away and The Name of the Wind (2007) by Patrick Rothfuss, was one such novel. It was fresh, exciting and while not flawless, a damn sight better than the competition. To the joy of readers around the world, it was learned that The Name of the Wind was only the first installment of a planned trilogy named the Kingkiller Chronicles.

I was one of those readers.

Now, close to four years and numerous drafts later, we hear from Patrick Rothuss’s blog that we might finally see book two of the Kingkiller Chronicles, The Wise Man’s Fear, hit stores sometime in March, 2011 – “come hell or high water”. Great, you might think, but is it?

Two points that I think are important to keep in mind. First, Pat has openly admitted that the first draft he sent to his editor was “pure crap”. Fair enough, that is part of the writing process, or so I am told. However, it was only until he submitted the third draft of Wise Man’s Fear to his editor that he began to be “proud” of his work. I am, admittedly, not an editor, but how many times are you allowed to submit a manuscript and have it sent back? The point I am trying to make is that a number signs point to Pat being a debut author who bit off more than he can chew. I obviously pray that this isn’t true, that the story of Kovthe will continue in all its glory, and that The Name of the Wind wasn’t just a fluke.

Second, and more subjectively (if that’s even possible), I just finished reading the Kovthe short story (re)published in The Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy 2009. It was frigidly uninspiring for someone who is already familiar and attached to Kovthe– I fear to imagine what it was like for someone without any knowledge of the character. If Wise Man’s Fear is no better, I fear for it, pun intended.

Lastly, I might very well be fabricating this whole anti-Rothfuss narrative to lower my own expectations. I don’t like being disappointed with sequels and their authors, and I desperately want Wise Man’s Fear to carry on the sense of enchantment The Name of The Wind induced.

Am I overacting here, or is four years of rewrites actually a bad thing? That, or Wise Man’s Fear will be such a massively good epic human eyes just won’t be able to look upon it without melting. Let us only hope that the publishers blurb is accurate:

Packed with as much magic, adventure and home-grown drama as The Name of the Wind, this is a sequel in every way the equal to it's predecessor and a must-read for all fantasy fans. Readable, engaging and gripping The Wise Man's Fear is the biggest and the best new fantasy novel out there.

Winner: Pinion, by Jay Lake

*drumroll*

Dorren from Canada wins the snark of the week hands down, although technically her submission wasn't snark. If you guys and girls go to all the trouble of thinking up nifty rhymes then your chances of winning bonus entries are pretty good, even if you haven't submitted snark:

Thanks for the contest

Even though you're snarky.

Sometimes you're a pest,

But all in all.....I'm sure we all agree.

You really are the best.

In related news, the blog received its first death threat in the form of a clock-punk related joke:

I wonder if they make 30-second bombs in that universe?

"I am a 30 second bomb. 29, 28, 27, 26, ... 3, 2, 1. BOOM!!!"

With the bomb situation in New York this past weekend (I live in the city), I might just have to report this to the FBI... But seriously, the whole failed bomb attempt was quite scary and I hope they nail the bastards who, thankfully, botched it.

Without further ado then, the winner of the Pinion giveaway is Karrie M. from Florida, from which I just returned not 2 hours ago! Very sunny down there at the moment...

Review: Counting Heads, by David Marusek

Counting Heads (2005), by David Marusek, is an intriguing read that differs substantially from standard speculative fiction. It escapes categorization thanks to intriguing technological asymmetries while its staccato narrative gives the novel a refreshing short story like feel.

Meet Samson Harger, a famous package designer and his most recent amorous attachment, Eleanor Starke, the ruthless and resourceful corporate executive. What we know of their world unfurls gradually throughout the novel: a future where nanotech has caused humanity to shelter under great city domes; big brother sampling everyone on a daily basis to prevent contamination; a cloned workforce; and sentient supercomputers that are strangely subservient to the ‘natural’ humans that remain. A colorful, intriguing, and original future if I have ever seen one.

Counting Heads is not a character driven narrative, so stay away if that is your preference. If anything, with perhaps one notable exception, characters are deemphasized in favor of ideas and the abstractions they represent – indeed, fully half the characters are clones of specific types of individuals: loyalty, emotive sensitivity, violence, ect... Economics, philosophy, and human nature all intertwine to weave an intellectually stimulating picture, one which requires a certain level of attention and involvement on the part of the reader not generally required by the genre as a whole.

Then again, I could be totally off the mark here. SF Signal, in its review of Counting Heads, describes one of the cons of the novel:

The world-building slightly overshadows the character-driven plot.

How is a plot character driven, I ask, if the emphasis is not on the characters?! Regardless, it is true that much of the novel is descriptive in nature, constantly trying to catch up with its own ideas by adding detail where none is needed. Saturation, if you will.

I am loath to make a final determination as to the overall readability of Counting Heads. If you like your science fiction á la Le Guin or Wolfe then you might enjoy the book; if you like sci-fi more in the vein of Tanya Huff and David Gunn, don’t bother.

That said, I will be tackling Mind Over Ship (2009) which continues from where Counting Heads left off for no other reason than that the great question of the headcount is still unanswered. Don’t you just hate authors who finish a book without resolving the main unspoken mysteries?!

It's News To Me #4

It's hump day so the week can't be looking too bad anymore. Just a few more classes and finals hit and then glorious summer break. Lots of good reading planned, sadly little vacation time.

Cover Art

You've probably noticed I'm a big fan of the German Language. I speak it, I attempt to read anything I can find and I was excited to see the new German language cover of The Great Bazaar (Der Große Basar). I know, sometimes you wonder if German should even be translated.

Big News

In Mr. Rothfuss' own words:

So we agreed that I’d have the book finished by September. It was nice. It made us both happy.

So that’s part of the news, that I’ll be finished writing The Wise Man’s Fear by September.

But here’s the rest of the news: that means that the book can’t come out until March of 2011.

Visit Pat's blog to get it in his own words, which are always classic. I guess it's time to move The Name of the Wind up in my "to-read" pile. Does this encourage any other authors to get going...hint hint, wink wink.

Movies/Videos/TV

Legend of the Seeker is being given the treatment the series of books probably should have received; it's being canceled.

Top 10 Weirdest Songs from Superhero movies. That pretty much explains it. Ninja Rap will always be number one in my book. :-P

Poll

There's an interesting poll going on A Fantasy Reader about character names and whether people prefer normal, average names as opposed to complex made up names and those that lie in between.

Personally, I'm all about quick and easy especially since I'll be spending the next few hundred pages pronouncing the name over and over again. I like made up names, but simpler is better for me...not that it's a deal breaker or anything.

And that's the news...at least to me.