Patrick Rothfuss Books in Order (Updated August 5, 2026)

Patrick Rothfuss is an American fantasy author best known for The Kingkiller Chronicle, the story of musician, magician, and notorious adventurer Kvothe.

His bibliography is relatively compact, but its structure can still cause confusion. Two full novels tell the main story, several shorter works explore secondary characters, and one newer novella substantially revises an earlier story.

The main trilogy remains incomplete. Readers should start with the novels, then choose the companion works according to the characters they want to follow.

Start Here

Read The Kingkiller Chronicle in this order:

1. The Name of the Wind (2007): Kvothe begins recounting his life, from his childhood among traveling performers through tragedy, poverty, and his first years studying magic at the University.
2. The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): Kvothe continues his account beyond the University, traveling through courts, wilderness, distant cultures, and the dangerous realm of the Fae.
3. The Doors of Stone (Forthcoming): The planned third novel is intended to complete Kvothe’s three-day narration and address the unresolved events connecting his celebrated past to his isolated present.

Do not begin with the novellas. They assume some familiarity with Kvothe’s world and focus on characters whose importance is established in the main books.

The Kingkiller Chronicle Books in Publication Order

Included: Main series

1. The Name of the Wind (2007)

The Name of the Wind (2007): An innkeeper living under the name Kote reveals that he is really Kvothe, a legendary figure whose reputation has grown into a mixture of history, rumor, and myth.

The novel covers the first day of Kvothe’s account. His story includes his upbringing with the Edema Ruh, the destruction of his family and troupe, his years surviving in Tarbean, and his arrival at the University.

This is the only appropriate starting point for the main series. It establishes the frame narrative, the Chandrian mystery, the magic systems, Kvothe’s relationship with Denna, and the difference between the man he was and the man he has become.

2. The Wise Man’s Fear (2011)

The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): Kvothe’s second day of storytelling follows his growing reputation, worsening financial problems, travels beyond the University, and encounters with powerful figures and unfamiliar traditions.

The book continues directly from The Name of the Wind. It expands the world through Vintas, Ademre, the Eld, and the Fae, while adding new information about naming, the Amyr, the Chandrian, and Kvothe’s developing legend.

It should not be read independently. Much of its emotional and political context depends on relationships established in the first novel.

3. The Doors of Stone (Forthcoming)

The Doors of Stone (Forthcoming): The intended final volume of the trilogy is expected to present the third day of Kvothe’s narration and bring the past closer to the troubled present at the Waystone Inn.

No confirmed publication date had been announced as of August 5, 2026. Retailer dates, placeholder listings, and online speculation should not be treated as official release information.

The title is widely associated with the planned third book, but readers should wait for a formal announcement before considering any date final.

Is The Kingkiller Chronicle Complete?

No. Only the first two main novels have been published.

The planned structure is:

1. Day One, The Name of the Wind (2007): Kvothe begins telling the true version of his life and explains the experiences that shaped his early ambitions.
2. Day Two, The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): His narrative expands beyond the University and moves further into the adventures behind his reputation.
3. Day Three, The Doors of Stone (Forthcoming): The final day is intended to complete the account, although the book remains unpublished.

The shorter books do not replace the third novel. They add side stories within the same world but do not conclude Kvothe’s central narrative.

The Best Kingkiller Reading Order

A first-time reader should use this sequence:

1. The Name of the Wind (2007): Begin with Kvothe’s first day because it introduces the world through his memories and establishes every major continuing mystery.
2. The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): Continue immediately to preserve the momentum of Kvothe’s narration and follow his changing relationships, skills, and reputation.
3. The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014): Read Auri’s story after both main novels, when her routines, surroundings, and emotional importance are easier to understand.
4. The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): Follow Bast through a single day in Newarre after becoming familiar with his role in the frame narrative.
5. How Old Holly Came to Be (2013): Finish with this optional experimental story, which offers atmosphere and mythology rather than a conventional plot.
6. The Doors of Stone (Forthcoming): Place the third novel directly after The Wise Man’s Fear when it is eventually published.

This order gives the main narrative priority. It then uses the shorter works to deepen the world without interrupting Kvothe’s first two days of storytelling.

Kingkiller Companion Books in Order

Included: Same world, secondary-character stories

The companion books take place in the world of The Kingkiller Chronicle, but they are not numbered main-series installments.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things

The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014): Auri spends several days tending to the hidden rooms and objects of the Underthing while preparing for an expected visit from Kvothe.

This novella is deliberately narrow and unconventional. It contains little traditional dialogue, avoids a standard adventure structure, and presents the world through Auri’s private logic and rituals.

Read it after The Wise Man’s Fear. A reader who starts here will receive almost no explanation of Auri, the University, the Underthing, or her connection to Kvothe.

The book is optional for understanding the main plot, but it adds significant emotional and thematic context to Auri’s character.

The Narrow Road Between Desires

The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): Bast spends a day bargaining, scheming, helping local children, and navigating the rules of favors and obligation in the village of Newarre.

The novella takes place around the present-day frame of The Kingkiller Chronicle. It explores Bast’s values, his Fae nature, and the difference between human customs and the deeper rules he follows.

It can technically be read after The Name of the Wind, but reading it after The Wise Man’s Fear provides a fuller understanding of Bast and his relationship with Kvothe.

The Narrow Road Between Desires is an expanded and substantially revised version of The Lightning Tree. Most readers only need the newer book.

The Lightning Tree and The Narrow Road Between Desires

These two works are not separate consecutive adventures.

The Lightning Tree

The Lightning Tree (2014): Bast moves through Newarre over the course of a day, arranging favors, influencing local children, and pursuing his own private interests.

The novella first appeared in the multi-author anthology Rogues. It introduced the central events and structure later revisited in The Narrow Road Between Desires.

The Narrow Road Between Desires

The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): Rothfuss retells and greatly expands Bast’s day, adding new scenes, character material, illustrations, and a more developed examination of bargains and desire.

The newer book is not a sequel to The Lightning Tree. It is a reimagined and enlarged version of the same basic story.

For a normal reading order, choose The Narrow Road Between Desires and treat The Lightning Tree as an earlier version. Reading both is mainly useful for readers interested in comparing how the story changed.

How Old Holly Came to Be

How Old Holly Came to Be (2013): This lyrical short story follows an ancient holly tree and the changing beings, relationships, and dangers surrounding it across a long span of time.

The story is set in the broader Kingkiller world, but its connections are indirect. It does not feature Kvothe as the central character and does not function like a missing chapter from the novels.

It first appeared in the anthology Unfettered. The story is optional and can be read after The Wise Man’s Fear.

Its unusual narrative style makes it better suited to readers already interested in the deeper mythology and atmosphere of the setting.

Kingkiller Books in Chronological Order

A precise chronology is difficult because the main novels use two timelines. Kvothe narrates his younger life from the present-day Waystone Inn, while the companion stories occupy different points around those narratives.

The most practical approximate chronology is:

1. How Old Holly Came to Be (2013): The story appears to draw on a much older layer of the world’s history, although its exact placement is deliberately unclear.
2. The Name of the Wind (2007): Kvothe tells the first portion of his life story while events continue around the Waystone Inn.
3. The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): His account continues into later stages of his education and travels.
4. The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014): Auri’s novella takes place during a period connected to Kvothe’s University years.
5. The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): Bast’s story occurs in Newarre during the frame-story period.
6. The Doors of Stone (Forthcoming): The third novel is expected to continue both Kvothe’s narrated past and the Waystone Inn present.

This is not the best first-reading order. Publication order preserves the intended introductions, uncertainties, and character revelations.

Should You Read the Novellas Between the Main Novels?

No. Read The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear together before pausing for companion material.

The main novels form a continuous account. Inserting a stylistically different novella between them can interrupt Kvothe’s narrative without supplying information required for the second book.

The strongest sequence is:

1. The Name of the Wind (2007): Establishes Kvothe’s identity, childhood, education, and central mysteries.
2. The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): Continues his story without a major narrative reset.
3. The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014): Revisits the University from Auri’s intimate and unconventional perspective.
4. The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): Returns to the frame-story location through Bast’s experiences.

The shorter stories are expansions, not bridges between the main novels.

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle Books in Order

Separate continuity

These illustrated books were created by Patrick Rothfuss and illustrator Nate Taylor. They resemble children’s picture books, but their dark humor and unsettling turns make them better suited to older readers and adults.

1. The Thing Beneath the Bed

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed (2010): A young princess and her teddy bear investigate something hidden beneath the bed, leading to a deliberately twisted conclusion.

The book depends heavily on visual details and rereading. Its apparent simplicity conceals clues that change the meaning of the story.

It is not connected to The Kingkiller Chronicle.

2. The Dark of Deep Below

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Dark of Deep Below (2013): The princess returns for a darker illustrated adventure involving hidden spaces, ominous creatures, and another reversal of picture-book expectations.

Read it after The Thing Beneath the Bed. It continues the visual language and dark comic sensibility of the first book.

The two Princess and Mr. Whiffle books form their own small series and share no continuity with Kvothe, Auri, or Bast.

Princess and Mr. Whiffle Reading Order

1. The Thing Beneath the Bed (2010): Introduces the princess, Mr. Whiffle, and the series’ misleadingly innocent picture-book format.
2. The Dark of Deep Below (2013): Builds on the first book’s visual storytelling and pushes the characters into a more elaborate dark-fantasy scenario.

The books should be read in publication order. The first establishes the tone and teaches the reader to pay close attention to background details.

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons

Separate continuity, co-written comic

Patrick Rothfuss co-wrote the first Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons comic series with Jim Zub. This work belongs to the Rick and Morty crossover continuity, not the Kingkiller world.

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons (2019), with Jim Zub: Morty’s attempt to learn Dungeons & Dragons draws Rick and the Smith family into increasingly elaborate role-playing scenarios involving fantasy worlds, gaming culture, and family conflict.

The collected edition contains the original four-issue crossover. Rothfuss co-wrote this first storyline.

Later Collections

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: Deluxe Edition (2021): This larger collection combines the original Rothfuss and Zub crossover with later material, including the sequel storyline and an additional adventure.

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons: The Complete Adventures (2022): This paperback collection gathers the available crossover stories into one volume for readers who want the full comic sequence.

Rothfuss did not co-write every later installment included in the expanded collections. Readers interested specifically in his contribution can choose the 2019 collection of the original series.

Patrick Rothfuss Books in Publication Order

This list separates original books and major collected works from short stories published only inside anthologies.

1. The Name of the Wind (2007): Kvothe begins narrating the experiences that transformed him from a gifted child into one of his world’s most famous and controversial figures.
2. The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed (2010): A darkly comic illustrated tale turns a familiar childhood fear into a carefully staged visual surprise.
3. The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): Kvothe’s second day of storytelling carries him beyond the University and deeper into the events behind his legend.
4. The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Dark of Deep Below (2013): The princess and her companion return for another deceptively presented story with darker fantasy elements.
5. The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014): Auri prepares for Kvothe’s arrival while moving through the hidden spaces and private order of the Underthing.
6. Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons (2019), with Jim Zub: The animated science fiction characters enter a comic crossover built around tabletop role-playing culture.
7. The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): Bast’s day in Newarre becomes a study of bargains, favors, desire, and the obligations created by accepting gifts.
8. The Doors of Stone (Forthcoming): The planned third Kingkiller novel remains unpublished and has no confirmed release date.

The 2013 story How Old Holly Came to Be and the 2014 novella The Lightning Tree appeared in anthologies rather than as standard standalone books at first publication.

Stories Published in Anthologies

Optional

How Old Holly Came to Be

How Old Holly Came to Be (2013): An experimental narrative follows Old Holly through long cycles of companionship, loss, danger, and transformation.

It appeared in Unfettered, an anthology containing stories by multiple fantasy authors.

The Lightning Tree

The Lightning Tree (2014): Bast spends a day trading secrets and favors with the children of Newarre while pursuing several overlapping plans.

It appeared in Rogues, another multi-author anthology. The story was later expanded into The Narrow Road Between Desires.

Readers do not need to buy Rogues solely for continuity if they already own the newer Bast novella.

Books That Are Not Kingkiller Sequels

Several Rothfuss titles are sometimes grouped together by retailers, but they do not all advance Kvothe’s main story.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014): This is an Auri-centered companion novella, not The Kingkiller Chronicle Book Three.

The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): This is a Bast-centered companion story, not a continuation of Kvothe’s second day.

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle books: These illustrated dark tales belong to a completely separate continuity.

Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons (2019): This is a licensed comic crossover co-written with Jim Zub.

Only The Doors of Stone is intended to serve as the third main Kingkiller novel.

Latest Patrick Rothfuss Book

The latest original Rothfuss book is:

The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): This illustrated Kingkiller novella expands the earlier story The Lightning Tree and follows Bast through one eventful day in Newarre.

It is the newest published fiction book by Rothfuss as of August 5, 2026.

No later Kingkiller novel had received a confirmed publication announcement by that date.

The Doors of Stone Release Status

The Doors of Stone remains forthcoming.

No reliable publication date has been confirmed as of August 5, 2026. Online dates attached to product pages frequently function as placeholders and should not be interpreted as official announcements.

The book is intended to be the third volume of The Kingkiller Chronicle. The published companion novellas do not change that structure.

Readers waiting for the main story should follow this order:

1. The Name of the Wind (2007): Day One of Kvothe’s narration.
2. The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): Day Two of Kvothe’s narration.
3. The Doors of Stone (Forthcoming): Planned Day Three and the expected completion of the trilogy’s central account.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Patrick Rothfuss book should I read first?

Begin with The Name of the Wind (2007).

It introduces Kvothe, the frame narrative, the University, naming, sympathy, the Chandrian, Denna, Bast, and the unresolved crisis surrounding the Waystone Inn.

What comes after The Name of the Wind?

The Wise Man’s Fear (2011): Kvothe continues his life story, leaving the University for extended periods and gaining experiences that add to both his skills and his reputation.

It is the direct second book and should be read before any companion novella.

What comes after The Wise Man’s Fear?

The intended next main novel is The Doors of Stone, which remains forthcoming.

Readers who want currently available material can continue with The Slow Regard of Silent Things and The Narrow Road Between Desires, but neither book advances Kvothe’s main narration as Book Three.

Is The Slow Regard of Silent Things Book Three?

No.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014): This is a companion novella focused almost entirely on Auri and her life within the Underthing.

It does not continue the main series in place of The Doors of Stone.

Is The Narrow Road Between Desires a sequel?

It is a companion story rather than the next main Kingkiller novel.

The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023): The novella follows Bast in Newarre and expands an earlier version of the story published as The Lightning Tree.

Do I need to read The Lightning Tree first?

No.

The Narrow Road Between Desires retells and significantly expands the same central story. New readers should choose the 2023 version.

Reading both is optional and mainly useful for comparing the original novella with its later revision.

Can I read The Slow Regard of Silent Things first?

It is possible, but not recommended.

The novella assumes the reader already knows Auri, Kvothe, the University, and the Underthing. Begin with The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear.

Are the Princess and Mr. Whiffle books for children?

They use the format and appearance of illustrated children’s books, but their dark humor, frightening imagery, and twisted conclusions make them more appropriate for older readers and adults.

They are also completely separate from The Kingkiller Chronicle.

Is How Old Holly Came to Be essential?

No.

How Old Holly Came to Be (2013): The story adds mythic texture to the world but does not provide information required to follow Kvothe’s main narrative.

Has The Doors of Stone been released?

No. It remained unpublished as of August 5, 2026.

Any claimed release date should be treated cautiously unless it comes with a formal announcement from the author or publisher.

Will The Doors of Stone finish the entire Kingkiller world?

It is intended to complete the three-day account at the center of The Kingkiller Chronicle.

That does not necessarily mean Rothfuss could never write other stories in the same world. The companion novellas already demonstrate that the setting can support narratives beyond Kvothe’s main trilogy.

Final Reading Path

Begin with The Name of the Wind (2007) and continue directly to The Wise Man’s Fear (2011).

After those novels, read The Slow Regard of Silent Things (2014) for Auri and The Narrow Road Between Desires (2023) for Bast. How Old Holly Came to Be is an optional mythic side story, while The Lightning Tree is an earlier version of the Bast novella rather than a separate required installment.

The Princess and Mr. Whiffle books and Rick and Morty vs. Dungeons & Dragons belong to separate continuities. The Doors of Stone remains the missing third main novel, with no confirmed publication date as of August 5, 2026.