Patrick Rothfuss

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I remember sitting down once, [at] three in the morning and probably the only person awake in Stevens Point. And I stop, and I think: "This is crap! I've spent years of my life writing crap. This will never be published - it isn't good... I've wasted years of my life!" *shrugs and types on* You do it because you like the process. I mean... you write because you like to write.

Patrick Rothfuss is the author of The Kingkiller Chronicle and its companion stories.

Biography

Patrick "Pat" James Rothfuss was born in Madison, Wisconsin[1], on June 6th, 1973. His father Jim was an engineer.[2] He and his younger sister[3] were raised in rural Wisconsin.

In 1999, Rothfuss graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where he had originally enrolled as "to study the equivalent of chemical engineering".[4] He would later switch to clinical psychology[5]; three years into his degree, he became "Undeclared".[6] Nine years later, university policy finally forced him to graduate; he left with a BA in English, and minors in psychology, history, philosophy, and writing.[6]

Works

Temerant

These are novels or stories set in Temerant, the world of The Kingkiller Chronicle.

  • The Road to Levinshir (2002): An excerpt from the series published as a short story. It appears in Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy (July 2008, Subterranean Press), edited by William Schafer, and Epic: Legends of Fantasy Anthology, which was edited by John Joseph Adams (January 2012, Tachyon Publications). Originally written for The Name of the Wind, it would appear in a different format in The Wise Man's Fear.
  • The Name of the Wind (March 27, 2007): The first novel in the trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle.
  • The Wise Man's Fear (March 1, 2011): The second novel in the trilogy The Kingkiller Chronicle.
  • "How Old Holly Came to Be" (June 21, 2013): A short story published in the anthology Unfettered, edited by Shawn Speakman. It is told from the point of view of a tree.
  • The Slow Regard of Silent Things (January 11, 2014): A spin-off novella. It was illustrated by Nate Taylor.
  • "The Lightning Tree" (June 17, 2014), a spin-off novellette published in Rogues. It was edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.
  • "The Boy Who Loved the Moon": A comic book adaptation of a section from The Wise Man's Fear, illustrated by frequent collaborator Nate Taylor.
  • The Doors of Stone (unpublished), the upcoming final book in The Kingkiller Chronicle.

Non-Temerant (Print Media)

These are works of fiction set outside of Temerant.

  • Your Annotated, Illustrated College Survival Guide (January, 2005, Cornerstone Press): A collection of four years' worth of humorous "advice" essays written by Rothfuss, starting in 1998.[7] The book was illustrated by Brett Hiorns[8] (credited as "B.J. Hiorns").
  • The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed (June 21, 2010): A not-for-children "children's book" about a princess and her teddy bear. It was illustrated by Nate Taylor.
  • The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Dark of Deep Below (November 30, 2013): A sequel to The Thing Beneath the Bed, again illustrated by Nate Taylor.
  • Rat Queens #2: Rothfuss and Taylor collaborated to create a five-page backup comic for the series Rat Queens (April 12, 2017).[9]
  • "So Long as You Can See the Moon": a 12-page Torment: Tides of Numenera comic created exclusively for backers which Rothfuss and Taylor collaborated on.[10]
  • Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons and Dragons (issue #1: August, 2018; trade paperback: March 12, 2019, IDW Publishing): Co-written with Jim Zub and illustrated by Troy Little. A crossover comic between the cartoon Rick and Morty and the Dungeons and Dragons franchise.[11]

Video Games

  • Torment: Tides of Numenera: Rothfuss joined Tides of Numenera as a writer in 2013, creating and writing the companion character Rhin.
  • Hero's Song: Rothfuss helped create the lore for Hero's Song, an open world roguelike fantasy game by Pixelmage Games. Following a failed Kickstarter campaign[12] and lack of resources [13], the game was cancelled and the company closed down in 2016.[14]

On Hold

  • The Tale of Laniel Young-Again: This is the working title[15] for a story about a legendary figure in the world of Temerant. In 2014, the book was put on hold "about two thirds of the way in"[16] to focus work on The Doors of Stone[17].

Personal Life

Rothfuss lives in a house he bought with his girlfriend Sarah in 2009. The couple has two sons.

Notes