There are a few iconic, if frustrating, hallmarks of the fantasy genre. Whether it's Lord of the Rings or A Song of Ice and Fire, there's going to be sweeping environments, meticulous worldbuilding, and, more often than not, huge waits for books. March 2021 will mark 10 years since the last addition to Patrick Rothfuss's expansive epic The Kingkiller Chronicles, but there's hope the wait for the third book, The Doors of Stone, may be worth it.
The first two books detailed the story of the adventurer and bard Kvothe, as he encounters all sorts of intrigue and fantasy escapades. As we approach the decade mark with no fresh word about the TV adaptation helmed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, here's everything we know about The Doors of Stone.
When is the The Doors of Stone release date?
That's the million-dollar question. Release dates for The Doors of Stone have ranged from 2014 to 2018 and everywhere in between. The previous glimmer of hope hinted at a possible August 2020 release date, which obviously wasn't true. However, Patrick Rothfuss recently answered a few questions about when fans can expect the new volume.
As part of a fundraiser for Worldbuilders, Rothfuss explained how his writing process means the original version of The Doors of Stone needs lots of work to be brought in line both in continuity and quality with the rest of the series.
"Book 3…a lot of it was written in ’98. I was not as good a writer. And even the parts of it that are good writing didn’t match up with the parts of the book I had changed to make the story function better."
In an earlier podcast appearance for Barnes & Noble, Rothfuss declared he "doesn't think about deadlines" anymore, and the book will be released when it's finished. So while there's no definite light at the end of the tunnel, hope still abounds for the third day's worth of Kvothe's dictated adventures. Rest assured they'll be just as good if not better as the first two books' worth.
Is The Doors of Stone written yet?
In 2013, Rothfuss posted a picture of the first draft of The Doors of Stone to Google+. In the post, the author said it would be easier to revise with the aid of Google Glass. While the sentiment hasn't exactly aged well, rest assured there is a completed draft of the book. The post is long gone due to the demise of Google+, but lives on through Reddit.
The seven-year gap since this social media post would suggest the editing process has been a complex one. In a February 2015 interview with Chilean newspaper El Mercurio (translated by Redditors) Rothfuss explained there are 13 subplots that need to be balanced with one another to ensure they don't conflict, and that his readers deserve a perfect book. All signs point to the book being worth the wait, even if we don't know how long it will be.
Is there a cover for The Doors of Stone?
Once again, the wait is still on for even a cover reveal for the third book. While fan covers run rampant and many are pretty convincing, there's no official art to mine for clues about the book.
Due to an email mixup in 2015, fantasy book blog Pat's Fantasy Hotlist accidentally received an email containing the preliminary sketches for the The Doors of Stone, containing the color orange and a lute in some capacity. It's not much to go on, but it's all we know so far.
Are there spoilers for The Doors of Stone?
Rothfuss gave two interviews to Tor.com in 2012 and 2017, revealing that The Doors of Stone will conclude the Kingkiller trilogy, but won't be the last work set in that fictional universe. The author also revealed Kvothe will travel more, visiting Renere, the "three-part city." In the 2017 interview, he teased the reveal of how Kvothe became an innkeeper, as well as how he met his future apprentice Bast.
Considering how meticulous Rothfuss has been in perfecting the book, it's a safe bet to say all the loose ends from The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear will be wrapped up. Rothfuss also told Tor the third book would be shorter than The Wise Man's Fear's 994 pages, but that still leaves plenty of room for a twisty-turny story and a satisfying ending.
Are there any excerpts of The Doors of Stone?
Rothfuss hasn't made any excerpts of the third book available just yet. However, you've finished both The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, there are a handful of in-universe supplementary novellas to tide you over. The short story "How Old Holly Came to Be" was included in the anthology book Unfettered. The Lightning Tree, a Bast-focused novella, was published in the anthology Rogues. A stand-alone novella, entitled The Slow Regard of Silent Things, was published in 2014.
Until we know more, these works are all we know about what's been going on in Temerant, so while we wait for The Doors of Stone to be perfected, it may be time for a re-read.
What other fantasy books are similar to The Doors of Stone?
If you simply must get your Rothfuss-esque fantasy fix, it might be worth checking out the intimidating world of high fantasy series. If you don't know where to get started, check out this list of epic fantasy tales, from the obvious (yes, this means A Song of Ice and Fire) to the obscure. Even if you're an old hand at this genre, there may be a hidden gem there waiting to be discovered. After all, there's nothing but time.
The Doors of Stone does not yet have a release date.
