Rothfuss”Wise Man’s Fear’ worth wait

The wait is finally over for fans of Patrick Rothfuss.

After four years, book two in The Kingkiller Chronicle, “The Wise Man’s Fear,” finally hits shelves Tuesday, March 1. It’s a big day for fantasy lovers — and a big book.

Rothfuss burst onto the scene in 2007 with “The Name of the Wind,” an epic fantasy that introduced readers to Kvothe who, as Lisa Kim Bach wrote in her review here, “as an obscure innkeeper, tells us his story as a brash and precocious youth thrust into homelessness and worse by the murders of his parents and all whom he held dear. ... He’s a hero, he’s a villain, he’s a boy alone overwhelmed by those who seek his pain for their own pleasure. And over it all are the shadows cast by the elusive Chandrian, the demons who kill to protect the secret of their existence.”

In “The Wise Man’s Fear,” Kvothe’s journey continues as he leaves University and travels to Vintas, where he uncovers an assassination attempt and leads a group of mercenaries, all while attempting to find out the truth about the Chandrian and the death of his parents. It’s a mammoth story to attempt to summarize, but just know — it’s wonderful.

Rothfuss fleshes out the side characters so well, readers will enjoy their roles as much as Kvothe’s. And Kvothe’s nemesis, Ambrose, is still as hateful as ever, making him a villain who’s fun to despise.

Fans of “The Name of the Wind” won’t be disappointed with “The Wise Man’s Fear.” It’s as good, if not better than the first book. Returning to Kvothe’s world feels like an overdue reunion, but it’s well worth the wait.

I spoke with Rothfuss recently, and he’s as nice as you would hope he would be. He’s humble. He’s smart. He’s funny.

And he offered me a few little insights into his writing process, the changes his books have undergone and what he hopes his future might hold.

Here are a few nuggets of my conversation with him that his readers might find interesting.

First off, don’t even start with him about book three. I said to him, “So, I have to ask ... what about book three?”

“What about it?” he said (and laughed ... sort of).

He said after everything he learned while revising book two, he knows it will take him a good couple of years to get book three where he wants it. The revisions will take time. No amount of nasty e-mails will move him along faster.

He said the trilogy as a whole has undergone so many changes that there no longer really is an “original version.” I asked him if he’d consider releasing the “uncut” version a la Stephen King’s “The Stand,” but he said no such thing exists. He did say he has considered releasing an annotated version with footnotes on major changes and explanations of why he did what where.

“I’ve put in characters, I’ve taken out characters, I’ve changed entire sections. In one of the early versions of the book, one of the very early versions, there was no frame story. It was just Kvothe telling his life story. There was no inn,” he said.

No inn? Holy crap!

Rothfuss, a big gamer, said eventually he might like to dabble with storytelling in video games. And about those movie rumors, he said no deal has been made, and no, sadly, Joss Whedon has not yet called him. After the trilogy, Rothfuss said he expects he’ll continue to explore Kvothe’s world, perhaps focusing on other characters.

Rothfuss was humble and grateful to his fans, who he said give him a chuckle with their comments on his blog. He said that his son, who he refers to as Oot, has developed his own fan following (along with Rothfuss’ beard), but he’s getting a little too fussy to take to signings these days (the baby not the beard).

Oh, and lastly, a note to all those lucky enough to have gotten an advance reader’s copy of “The Wise Man’s Fear”: The version hitting shelves is a bit different. Rothfuss was able to squeak in some final revisions. That could be a blessing for those in love with these books — more reading to do while waiting for the final installment. (Take your time Pat! We’ll wait!)

Check out Patrick Rothfuss’ website and blog at www.patrickrothfuss.com.