The Slow Regard of Silent Things
Ratings384
Average rating3.7
At its best, it inspires curiosity about the world in which it exist and is wonderfully imaginative, but at most times “The Slow Regard of Silent Things” is an odd, uninteresting exercise in creative writing, that simply could not interest me as a reader and a Rothfuss fan.
So I've enjoyed the Kingkiller Chronicles thus far. They are an epic, slow burn that twist and wind and at times get a little to wordy for me. They have a hero who is on a quest, and while that story doesn't get old, it is rarely renewed either.
Slow Regard of Silent Things is very different. This is the first time I've appreciated Rothfuss for his craft. I think it is much, much harder to write short fiction than novels with unlimited space. In this, a tangent with Auri, Rothfuss does not waste a single word. The amount of wordplay and poetic conventions woven into the prose were a delight to read. At times, when we are completely absorbed in Auri's world, the meter actually shifts into iambic pentameter for paragraphs. It's a clever book with clever tricks that serve the purpose of increasing our intimacy with this shy, shattered girl.
If I had to pin the book to a theme, it would be about recovering from trauma. Auri's past is not explicitly stated in this book or any other, but there are hints dropped all over about her failure at university and one startling sentence that seems to say Auri was raped or sexually abused in some way . The effects of that trauma are depicted without judgement, without explanation, but with this subtle, musical prose that lets us experience without entirely understanding. Mental illness from the inside is another favorite theme of mind, and while I hesitate to call Auri “ill,” she is unique and undeniably damaged. This book is a glimpse into how she repairs herself and the off kilter world around her.
Rothfuss writes in the afterword that he expected people not to like this book because there is no “story.” The narrative loosely follows Auri collecting gifts for Kvothe, but traditional narrative markers are absent. It's structure is the roller coaster that is Auri's mind rather than a hero's journey. It's less story than exploration, and it's a better book for that. I wouldn't try the book if you haven't read at least Name of the Wind, but if Auri captured your imagination, this slight deviation from the hero's quest is well worth your time.
O que ganhou o livro que meu ver foi a nota do autor.
Sou uma pessoa que não se encaixa e é estranha a outras, como todos àqueles que a história no fim foi dedicada.
Mas, ao mesmo tempo, sou daquelas pessoas que a história não serviu.
Confusa e um pouco vazia, realmente, prestei mais atenção nos objetos que é todo resto, ou tentando entender o “para quê” de quase todos os eventos.
Entenda que sou química e ver alguém descrevendo sobre fazer sabão não é uma das maiores magias que ficção fantasiosa pode oferecer...
Talvez em uma segunda, realmente o livro ganhe seu significado :)
This story may not be for everyone. But it was for me. And I loved it. It was a story full of wind and clever looks and the smell of honey. And some darkness. But just enough.
I require a rating higher than five.
I was a little worried, especially after reading the foreword, because it has been awhile since I read the other books. I needn't have worried. This little book is proper true, as Auri might say. I don't know quite what to make of her, and yet I understand her completely.
Pat, I'm delighted you wrote this story for people like me.
This is not a story for everyone, however, I found it to be the sweetest, most different story that I have read in a long time. It is also a story that I loved!
As Patrick Rothfuss is at pains to point out in both the foreword and afterword, this is an odd cookie of a book. If you haven't read the first two books of The Kingkiller Chronicle this book will probably make little sense to you. It is almost poetic in its description of the solitary life of a girl in a forgotten world. At times it reminds me of the descriptions of Gormenghast, although where that is dusty and dead, this is alive and welcoming.
If you are sold on the world of Kvothe and don't mind an (apparently) aimless digression into the world of Auri, this is recommended to fill the gap while we wait for the conclusion of the trilogy.
Weird. Different. Probably not a story for everyone? I have the feeling nothing really happens in this book but, at the same time, a lot does. And it's beautiful, and secret. I loved it.
I very different story then Wise Man's Fear and Name of the Wind, but in a good way.
The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a bit of an odd story. It follows Auri, one of the characters from The Kingkiller Chronicles, as she goes about her week. Auri is probably one of the more interesting characters in the series - a clearly broken slip of a girl who lives in The Underthing, the forgotten passages and chambers below the University attended by Kvothe and many of the other characters in the main series. Auri personifies all of the objects around her, and has an obsessive need to have everything in its proper place. She spends the majority of this story trying to find an appropriate gift for Kvothe while trying to find the proper places for some of her new acquisitions.
By many of the ways people tend to judge successful writing, this should not be a good book. To be totally honest, it is not the most exciting story - it's a bit like reading about someone going grocery shopping. As Rothfuss himself points out, he spends 8 pages detailing the process of a girl making a candle. On the other hand, this is a beautiful bit of writing. Seeing the world through the eyes of a girl who isn't quite all there makes everything strange, and wonderful, and fascinating. Seeing the world through Auri's eyes is wonderful and heartbreaking all at once. As the story goes on, it is increasingly easy to empathize with this poor girl, and a lot of her seemingly crazy observations hit a bit close to home.
My only quibble with the book has been echoed my many a Rothfuss fan - the Forward and Afterwards are unnecessary. He starts off telling you not to like the book, and sort of concludes by making you feel awkward if you didn't. These bits would have been fantastic blog posts for his fans, but they didn't need to be bookends for this piece of writing. It is strong enough to stand on its own.
For fans of the Kingkiller Chronicles, no, this is not the book we have been waiting for. It does not answer all of our burning questions or conclude the tale of Kvothe. It gives us tidbits, and hints, and glimmers, but it doesn't really tell us anything we didn't already know, or at least strongly suspect. And while that is probably wildly frustrating for some, I'm perfectly ok with it. I love this awkwardly rambling story about this tiny broken girl and her need to put things right in the world. It is the subtleties and hints and unspoken things that make it such a great piece of writing. It is a completely opposite tone from Kvothe's bombastic telling of his own story, and that makes it absolutely perfect for a look at Auri's world. This probably isn't the sort of story for people who see themselves as the hero in their own life, and want to read about sweeping tales of adventure on a grand scale. But for those of us who see ourselves as the broken sidekicks in the stories of others, well, this is a story for us. It isn't exciting or adventurous, but it is sad, and sweet, and beautiful. And that is enough.
I enjoyed this book. As Patrick states in the forward, and in the afterward, and several places on the internet, this book might not be for everyone. However, I think this book is for more people than he realizes.
I had trouble seeing the shape of the story as I was being lead through it. However, the journey was delightful. The path was just clear enough to keep me on it in the moment, but obscure enough that I really couldn't see the path ahead of me, nor the path behind. I think this was both a bug and a feature of this story. It will requires multiple passes to understand the full shape of the story.
I listened to the audio book for this. I am a fan of books read by the author - with my favorite example being the Chronicles of Amber read by Roger Zelazny. The Slow Regard of Silent Things is an excellent example of what the author can do to a story by providing the pace, cadence, and inflection as he intended.
You know what? I'll be honest here. It's been so long since I've read The Wise Man's Fear that I've forgotten everyone's name except Kvothe and Bast (although I frequently think Bash). So when I heard that this little book would be focusing on Auri, I thought Denna instead. A couple pages in I knew I was wrong, so I took a quick trip to http://kingkiller.wikia.com/ and got my names straight. Finally having the right character associated with the name, I was probably more excited than ever about this book, more time with the mysterious and strange Auri? Yes, please.
There's no real plot-line, no story – it's more of a slice-of-life kind of thing. How does Auri spend a week – in what seems a representative, yet atypical, sample. It's truly rewarding to see how Auri's mind works – and to get an inkling of an idea how she fits in (or, at least, fit in) to The University.
The voice isn't that of Kvothe, it's nothing like Kvothe's voice – which is a huge relief for many who wondered if Rothfuss could sound any other way. No, it's just how Auri should sound. He (not at all surprisingly) captured her essence so well. For someone we know so little about, it's astounding to me how often I read a line or paragraph or whatever and said, “Yes, this is her exactly.”
It's tough for me to know how to say anything about this (in case you hadn't noticed), so let me just stop trying: The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a nice read. A light, sad, whimsical read – with bit of darkness in the background (it only shows up in the vaguest sense). Just a pleasure.
I don't know if Rothfuss has more things like this planned, or if the next things we'll see out of him is the end of the Kingkiller Chronicles. While hoping for the latter, I'll take either after reading this.
Executive Summary: I think this is a book that most of the hard core fans will gush over, but I thought it was just alright. 3.5 stars rounded down for reasons I get into (rant about?) below.Audio book: I haven't done any of the Kingkiller books in audio. I have friends who have gushed to me over both the [a:Rupert Degas 1149240 Rupert Degas https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-ccc56e79bcc2db9e6cdcd450a4940d46.png] and the [a:Nick Podehl 2803557 Nick Podehl https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1294338060p2/2803557.jpg] versions.I'm not sure if those people will bothered by this one being read by Mr. Rothfuss himself, but I thought for this book at least, he makes for a good narrator. As he was the one who wrote it, he was able to put emphasis on the words he wanted to and he has a good story telling voice.Full ReviewI'm going to try to write a review without getting too ranty, but I may fall short in that regard, so I apologize in advance.First a little background as to where I'm coming from: I heard about [b:The Name of the Wind 186074 The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) Patrick Rothfuss https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1270352123s/186074.jpg 2502879] and [a:Patrick Rothfuss 108424 Patrick Rothfuss https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351307341p2/108424.jpg] over four years ago from Penny-Arcade. Since that time I had several friends telling me I had to read it. I was reluctant to do though, because the third book hasn't been published and there is no real eta in sight. I was content to wait until at least their was an announced publish date. Until last year that is, when I finally caved and read both books with a few friends. I'm glad I finally did, though now I'm stuck waiting for the final book like everyone else.I seem to be in a minority of the fans I've talked to who thought that [b:The Name of the Wind 186074 The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1) Patrick Rothfuss https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1270352123s/186074.jpg 2502879] was good, but [b:The Wise Man's Fear 1215032 The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2) Patrick Rothfuss https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1297311431s/1215032.jpg 2502882] was much better. So maybe that will put me in the minority of fans once again who find myself a bit disappointed with this story.Originally slated for [b:Rogues 20168816 Rogues George R.R. Martin https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404616147s/20168816.jpg 27565413], Mr. Rothfuss set this one aside and wrote The Lightning Tree instead. It has a similar feel to this. We follow Bast around for a day in the life. I really loved that story. I felt like we got some good insights to his character we didn't in the main novels.Auri is definitely one of my favorite characters in his books, so I was really excited to see he had a novella about her coming out. Until I saw the price. I like to support authors I read so they will hopefully continue to write more stories I enjoy, but $17 for a 150 page novella seems crazy to me. So maybe I was already in a negative mindset coming into this book.I was planning to wait until I could get a copy from the library and if I enjoyed it, picking up a copy for my shelves if/when the price came down. However, I was fortunate enough to receive an early review copy of the audio book, making the price irrelevant to me personally.So I've written all these words now (and apparently you've kept reading them) and still really haven't talked about the book. That seems appropriate because there really isn't a story here. We follow Auri around for a week. We do get some insights into her thought process. Maybe someone smarter than me will argue we get a lot of insights. Maybe if I read it again, I'll come away with more. I don't know. What I really wanted was to know more about Auri's background more so than her character. As far as I'm concerned, you get none of that here. Maybe I'm just not smart enough.And that brings me to why I rounded down my rating of 3.5 to a 3. I was all set to round up to 4 because I really like [a:Patrick Rothfuss 108424 Patrick Rothfuss https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1351307341p2/108424.jpg], and I really like Auri. He seems like a generally nice guy who does a lot of great things for other people with his success and influence. But Mr. Rothfuss felt the need to include this long author's note at the end. He makes it out like an apology to his fans who may not “get” this book, or don't like it. But to me it came off as insincere and really more like him turning up his nose at anyone who doesn't love this story as much as Vi Hart.And the thing is, I didn't dislike it for any of the reasons he mentioned. This book definitely FEELS like Auri. I liked all the randomness. Auri's OCD makes me feel way better about my own. She really is a great character, and that shines through here. As I said my main disappointment was getting nothing about Auri's back story.But to talk about “There are plenty of stories out there for you, even if this one isn't” came off condescending to me. I'm probably just reading it the wrong way, because Mr. Rothfuss never stuck me as that sort of person before now.So if you want a story where nothing really of note happens and to just spend time with Auri, you'll probably love this story. If you like me were hoping for some kind of back story, you may be disappointed like I was. There definitely were a few hints dropped, but nothing that made any real sense to me, just left me with more questions than before I read it.