The Slow Regard of Silent Things

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For those of you who compare Pat to Brandon Sanderson and the like, just stop. Not all writers work at the same pace or in the same way. They're different people. Rothfuss also writes more poetic prose than say Sanderson, and Brandon will tell you the same. This takes time. Especially when you have to work on a sentence that sounds right to you, while also conveying the message it needs to. That can take hours. It's not the fantasy trappings (as wonderful as they are) that make this novel so good, but what the author has to say about true, common things, about ambition and failure, art, love, and loss.” —Tad Williams, New York Times-bestselling author of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn As it seems I’m one of those “slightly broken” people you referred to at the end and considering your struggle with this book I’m more than just grateful you eventually decided to publish this story for us. Thank you! It was a pleasure to meet Auri and to be a part of her world! =)

Despite that, Slow Regard doesn't forget where it comes from. Auri's meandering through the Underthing may seem relatively aimless, but it fills in some of the gaps left by the surface-centric narrative of Kingkiller. And one of the series' main themes — the power of names — insinuates its way into Slow Regard both subtly and powerfully by book's end. It complements Kingkiller, yet it works its own magic free and clear of it. The characters are real and the magic is true.”—Robin Hobb, New York Times-bestselling author of Assassin’s Apprentice

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My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them. Especially then," she said. "Bad enough to be a lettuce. How awful to think you are a lettuce too.” I have an apple that thinks it’s a pear. And a bun that thinks it’s a cat. And a lettuce that thinks it’s a lettuce." An extremely immersive story set in a flawlessly constructed world and told extremely well.” —Jo Walton, award-winning author of Among Others People are saying here that Auri's shaping has nothing to do with naming. I don't think we can draw that conclusion. Auri clearly seems to know the names of things and is very concerned to not upset the world's balance. This feels to me just like the old named shaper distinction. Auri is a quintessential namer. She listens to all things and knows just where they need to be. Maybe when she shapes and imposes her will, she does so through forcing or changing their names. We didn't see that last bit, true, but we didn't see what she did there at all. I think Pat is keeping the metaphysics of naming purposefully unknowable until DoS.

Second, even if you have read my other books, I think it's only fair to warn you that this is a bit of a strange story. I don't go in for spoilers, but suffice to say that this one is... different. It doesn't do a lot of the things a classic story is supposed to do. And if you're looking for a continuation of Kvothe's storyline, you're not going to find it here. I just loved the way this book was written. Yes, it was an unconventional novella and didn’t follow the rules of a normal story but even though there didn’t happen a lot and even though this story had absolutely no plot, it still worked somehow?! I think it mainly lived from the atmosphere and the way Auri perceived her environment. And Kvothe for that matter! It’s obvious she’s in love with him and it was nice to know that my theory actually had a real foundation. ;-P Now Pat teaches half-time at his old school as an assistant-sub-lecturer. He is underpaid but generally left alone to do as he sees fit with his classes. He is advisor for the college feminists, the fencing club, and, oddly enough, a sorority. He still roll-plays occasionally, but now he does it in an extremely sophisticated, debonair way. an apple that thinks it is a pear, a bun that thinks it is a cat and a lettuce that thinks it is a lettuceUltimately, by its characterization through a series of dark moments for Auri, the “brazen gear” is revealed to be “a pivot… truthfully it only seemed to turn. In truth, it stayed. It staid. In truth the whole world spun.” Rothfuss (who has already been compared to the likes of Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, and George R. R. Martin) is poised to be crowned the new king of epic fantasy.” —Barnes & Noble The importance of animating objects in Slow Regard is fascinating to me: It’s a vastly more oblique approach to the power of names than the Kingkillernovels ever take, yet I believe Auri gets closer to the heart of it than Kvothe does. Readers might remember the scene from The Wise Man’s Fear (set just after the events of Slow Regard) when the memorably mad Master Namer Elodin talks as easily with Auri on her own terms as Kvothe does. This is why.

Also curious whether we should read anything into Elodin giving Auri a single commas fruit, which "is considered a terrible insult if given to one of the Beladari."I was reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkien, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone.” — The London Times When I first promised that, I thought it would be easy. But at this point, I think we all know that I can be terribly naive…. Searching on kindle also just saw that Auri is contained withing Kvothe's mother's name: Laurian. I could see there being significance there. Maybe more about Auri reminding him of family. Dunno.

On this reread. I found that The Slow Regard of Silent Things speaks to me profoundly on a level that I thought wasn’t possible. It asked me to listen to Auri’s inner voice, and she told me that it is okay to pay extra care towards the silent things you cherish. It’s good to make sure everything is where it should be. Sure it’s slow, but it’s worth the time; doing things the proper way is right if it means revitalizing your day. It’s lovely to be unique and imperfect in your craving for perfection, even if it’s for the arrangement of things that have silence as their only voice. I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic. Auri stood, and in the circle of her golden hair she grinned and brought the weight of her desire down full upon the world. The interior artworks are illustrated by Nate Taylor. I personally think he did a fantastic job of amplifying the atmospheric nature of the novella with his illustrations. Playful, sweet, and sly as Bast himself, The Narrow Road Between Desires is Bast’s story. In it he traces the old ways of making and breaking, following his heart even when doing so goes against his better judgement. For after all, what good is wisdom if it keeps you from finding your way to danger and delight?Auri lives in the Underthing, an underground labyrinth below the University, where no one can find her. She is obsessive-compulsive and makes sure that everything in the Underthing finds its right place. Or perhaps she is just more in tune with the true nature of objects and helps them to find their right place. This fast-moving, vivid, and unpretentious debut roots its coming-of-age fantasy in convincing mythology.” — Entertainment Weekly Now that we know Auri is naming:shaping and putting things for real into the Kvothe gifts, I thought it might be interesting to list them: