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Patrick Rothfuss

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Patrick Rothfuss
Photo portrait of Patrick Rothfuss by Kyle Cassidy
Rothfuss in 2014
BornPatrick James Rothfuss
(1973-06-06) June 6, 1973 (age 51)
Madison, Wisconsin, US
OccupationWriter
Alma materDeForest Area High School
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point (B.A.)
Washington State University (M.A.)
GenreFantasy
Notable awardsQuill Award (2007), David Gemmell Award (2012)
Children2
Signature
Patrick Rothfuss signature
Website
patrickrothfuss.com

Patrick James Rothfuss (born June 6, 1973) is an American author. He is best known for his highly acclaimed series The Kingkiller Chronicle, beginning with Rothfuss' debut novel, The Name of the Wind (2007), which won several awards, and continuing in the sequel, The Wise Man's Fear (2011), which topped The New York Times Best Seller list.

Early life

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Patrick Rothfuss was born in Madison, Wisconsin, graduated from DeForest Area High School, and received his BA in English from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point in 1999.[1] He contributed to The Pointer, the campus paper,[2] and produced a widely circulated parody warning about the Goodtimes Virus.[3] He taught part-time at Stevens Point.[4] In 2002, he received a master's degree in arts and English from Washington State University.[5] He won the Writers of the Future 2002 Second Quarter competition with "The Road to Levenshir", an excerpt from his then-unpublished novel The Wise Man's Fear.[6]

Career

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Writing

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In 2006, Rothfuss sold his novel The Name of the Wind to DAW Books, which was released in 2007. It won a Quill Award (for Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror)[7] and was listed among Publishers Weekly's Books of the Year. It also won an Alex Award in 2008.[8] An illustrated tenth anniversary edition was published in 2017.[9] Its sequel, The Wise Man's Fear, was published in March 2011 and reached No. 1 on the New York Times Hardback Fiction Best Seller list.[10]

The Slow Regard of Silent Things, an illustrated novella, was published in October 2014 as a companion story for The Kingkiller Chronicle, centering on the character Auri.[11]

Rothfuss has also released two stories set in the same world as The Kingkiller Chronicle in anthologies. The first was "How Old Holly Came To Be", published in Unfettered in June 2013. The second was the novella The Lightning Tree, released in Rogues in June 2014, featuring the character Bast. The whole anthology was nominated for the 2015 World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology.[12]

In 2018, Rothfuss was the co-writer of the comics limited series Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons #1-4 with Jim Zub and with art by Troy Little. The crossover, between the adult animated sitcom Rick and Morty comic book and Dungeons & Dragons, was published by IDW Publishing and Oni Press.[13][14][15] The Rick and Morty vs Dungeons and Dragons Deluxe Edition, by Rothfuss, Zub, and Little, was nominated for the 2022 "Best Graphic Album—Reprint" Eisner Award.[16]

In July 2020, Rothfuss's editor and publisher Betsy Wollheim responded publicly on her Facebook account to an article speculating on reasons why The Doors of Stone, the concluding volume of the trilogy, had not been published,[17] saying she had "never seen a word of book three" and that she didn't think Rothfuss had written anything since 2014, despite having already been paid. While Wollheim partially agreed that readers shouldn't feel entitled to dictate how Rothfuss spends his time—she also asked, "but what about the publishers who paid them?".[17] The post has since been deleted.[18]

In December 2021, Rothfuss partnered with Grim Oak Press to create a new imprint called Underthing Press. The new imprint's first project will be a reprint of Ursula Vernon's webcomic Digger, which won the Hugo Award in 2012. Rothfuss stated that he'd always daydreamed of starting his own imprint and he decided to create Underthing Press when he realized he couldn't buy a new copy of Digger Omnibus after giving his copy to a friend.[19]

In December 2021, Rothfuss tweeted that he would "[s]hare a full chapter of Doors of Stone" if his charity reached a $333,333 fundraising goal.[20] Later that month he added more stretch goals, with the largest being for $666,666 to "assemble the Geek Glitterati equivalent of the Avengers and record [the full chapter] for you". He noted that such a goal would take some time but said "I'm pretty sure we'll be able to get it done early next year. February at the latest."[21] The chapter has not been released, with Rothfuss saying in April 2022 that the process was "moving more slowly than [he] would like."[22]

Charity

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Rothfuss founded the charity Worldbuilders in 2008. Since its inception, the organization has raised over $11.5 million, primarily for Heifer International, a charity that provides livestock, clean water, education, and training for communities in the developing world.[23][24] By 2020, Worldbuilders had raised over $10 million in support of Heifer.[25] Although it had received a score of 82% in 2022,[26] by October, 2023, Worldbuilders had a score of 57% on Charity Navigator, an organization that provides insights into a nonprofit's financial stability, adherence to best practices for both accountability and transparency, and results reporting, as a result of not running a charity drive in 2022.[27]

Podcasts

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In June 2020, Rothfuss, in partnership with One Shot Podcast, released a mini-series which is set in the same world as his Kingkiller Chronicles fantasy series.[28]

Roleplaying and games

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In 2014, Rothfuss began collaborating with James Ernest to create an abstract strategy game called Tak based on the game featured in his book The Wise Man's Fear.[29]

He was a member of the story design team for inXile's Torment: Tides of Numenera game.[30]

Works

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The Kingkiller Chronicle

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  • The Name of the Wind (2007)
  • The Wise Man's Fear (2011)
  • "How Old Holly Came To Be" – short story. (July 2013, Grim Oak Press), Unfettered, edited by Shawn Speakman. ISBN 978-0-9847136-3-9
  • The Lightning Tree – novella. (June 2014, Bantam) Rogues, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois. ISBN 978-0345537263
  • The Slow Regard of Silent Things – novella. (October 2014, DAW Books). ISBN 978-0-7564-1043-8
  • The Narrow Road Between Desires – novella. (November 2023, DAW Books).[31]

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle

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  • The Thing Beneath the Bed (2010)
  • The Dark of Deep Below (2013)

Others

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Awards and honors

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References

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  1. ^ "Patrick Rothfuss: Worldbuilder". Locus. August 12, 2010. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  2. ^ Rothfuss, Patrick (May 8, 2008). "Your College Survival Guide: The End". The Pointer. University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. Archived from the original on September 8, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  3. ^ "Legend/AntiLegend: Humor as an Integral Part of the Contemporary Legend Process", in Rumor Mills: The Social Impact of Rumor and Legend, ed. Gary Alan Fine, Veronique Campion-Vincent, and Chip Heath, pp. 131-33. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. ISBN 978-0-202-30747-3
  4. ^ Rothfuss, Patrick (2007). "Bio". Patrick Rothfuss official website. Archived from the original on June 7, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2008.
  5. ^ "WSU alum nails two fantasy bestsellers; third coming". WSU Insider. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "2002". Writers of the Future Contest Winners. Author Services, Inc. 2007. Archived from the original on September 9, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  7. ^ "2007 Quill Award Winners". WNBC.com (Internet Archive). Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  8. ^ "2008 Alex Awards". ala.org. Young Adult Library Services Association, American Library Association. January 14, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  9. ^ Rocket, Stubby the (May 11, 2017). "The Name of the Wind Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary with a Gorgeous Illustrated Edition". Tor.com. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  10. ^ "Hardcover Fiction Books – Best Sellers". The New York Times. March 20, 2011 – via NYTimes.com.
  11. ^ Speakman, Shawn (November 10, 2014). "Interview: Nate Taylor Arts SILENT THINGS – Unbound Worlds". Suvudu. Archived from the original on March 31, 2015.
  12. ^ "World Fantasy Awards 2015". Science Fiction Awards Database. Locus Science Fiction Foundation. November 8, 2015. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  13. ^ Mufson, Beckett; Messman, Lauren (April 9, 2018). "Rick and Morty Are Going on a 'Dungeons & Dragons' Adventure". Vice. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  14. ^ Plante, Corey (August 28, 2018). "'Rick and Morty vs. D&D' Review: Totally Nails the 'D&D' Newb Experience". Inverse. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  15. ^ "Rick and Morty D&D Chapter 2 Comic Unveiled at D&D Live 2019". www.bleedingcool.com. May 17, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  16. ^ MacDonald, Heidi (May 18, 2022). "2022 Eisner Awards Nominations Announced, led by DC and Image". The Beat. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Whalen, Andrew (July 27, 2020). ""Kingkiller Chronicle" editor believes author hasn't written anything for years". Newsweek. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  18. ^ Flood, Alison (July 29, 2020). "First George RR Martin, now Patrick Rothfuss: the curse of sequel-hungry fans". The Guardian. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  19. ^ Armstrong, Vanessa (December 14, 2021). "Patrick Rothfuss and Grim Oak Press Create New Imprint, Underthing Press". Tor. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
  20. ^ @PatrickRothfuss (December 3, 2021). "1. Share the prologue of Doors of Stone on my livestream.2. Share a full chapter of Doors of Stone.3. Share a t…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ^ Rothfuss, Patrick (December 12, 2021). "Losing Wagers, Doubling Donations, and Playing a Beautiful Game…". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  22. ^ "Where is the Doors of Stone charity chapter that Patrick Rothfuss promised?". March 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "Our Story – History". worldbuilders.org. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  24. ^ "Geeks Doing Good". worldbuilders.org. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  25. ^ "Author Pat Rothfuss on Fundraising for Heifer International via Worldbuilders, Joy in a Dark Time and What It Means to Be a Geek". Heifer International. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
  26. ^ "Charity Navigator – Rating for Worldbuilders Inc". December 21, 2022. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  27. ^ Charity Navigator. "World Builders Inc". Charity Navigator. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
  28. ^ Liptak, Andrew (June 23, 2020). "Patrick Rothfuss Partners With One Shot Podcast For New Kingkiller Chronicles Story". Tor.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  29. ^ "Tak Abstract Strategy Game". Archived from the original on May 15, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  30. ^ Hafer, T. J. (April 4, 2013). "Torment: Tides of Numenera interview with Colin McComb and Patrick Rothfuss". PC Gamer. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  31. ^ "Patrick Rothfuss Has a New Novella, and You Can Read It This November". May 18, 2023.
  32. ^ "UWSP lecturer honored at 2007 Quill Awards" (Press release). University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point. October 26, 2007. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  33. ^ "PW's Best Books of the Year". Publishers Weekly. November 5, 2007. Archived from the original on May 12, 2008. Retrieved June 7, 2009.
  34. ^ "RT Award Nominees & Winners". RT Book Reviews. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  35. ^ "Your Picks: Top 100 Science-Fiction, Fantasy Books". npr.org. August 11, 2011. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  36. ^ DeNardo, John (June 17, 2012). "Winners: 2012 David Gemmell Award Archived November 4, 2013, at the Wayback Machine." SFSignal.com. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  37. ^ (2012-06-15) "David Gemmell Legend Award Winners 2012 Announced Archived September 21, 2013, at the Wayback Machine." GemmellAward.com. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  38. ^ "Locus Announces Winners of "Best Novels of 20th and 21st Century" Poll". Tor.com. December 22, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
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