Bast knows how to bargain. The give-and-take of a negotiation is as familiar to him as the in-and-out of breathing; to watch him trade is to watch an artist at work. But even a master's brush can slip. When he accepts a gift, taking something for nothing, Bast's whole world is knocked askew, for he knows how to bargain—but not how to owe.
From dawn to midnight over the course of a single day, follow the Kingkiller Chronicle's most charming fae as he schemes and sneaks, dancing into trouble and back out again with uncanny grace.
The Narrow Road Between Desires is Bast's story. In it he traces the old ways of making and breaking, following his heart even when doing so goes against his better judgement.
After all, what good is caution if it keeps him from danger and delight?
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The Kingkiller Chronicle
8 books in catalog
The high fantasy subgenre was deeply influenced by the 2007 debut novel The Name of the Wind, an intricate framed narrative recounting the life of legendary arcanist and musician Kvothe. Author Patrick Rothfuss established a vibrant secondary world in The Kingkiller Chronicle series, earning acclaim for rich prose, precise magic systems, and layered storytelling.
Born on June 6, 1973, in Madison, Wisconsin, Rothfuss developed an early passion for reading and writing. He enrolled at the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point, where he spent nine years taking diverse courses and writing a humor column titled 'Your College Survival Guide' for the student newspaper before completing his Bachelor of Arts in English. He earned a Master of Arts from Washington State University in 2002 and returned to teach at UW–Stevens Point before focusing fully on his literary career.
Rothfuss originally envisioned his epic fantasy narrative as a single massive manuscript called The Song of Flame and Thunder. The project was eventually restructured into a trilogy named The Kingkiller Chronicle. Following the release of The Name of the Wind, his 2011 sequel The Wise Man's Fear reached the top of The New York Times Best Seller list, consolidating his reputation within modern speculative fiction.
Rothfuss is known for his poetic phrasing, meticulous worldbuilding, and meta-narrative framing. His central novels rely on a story-within-a-story structure in which an older Kvothe dictates his autobiography, emphasizing themes of mythmaking, memory, personal reputation, and the distortion of history over time. Magic in his world, including disciplines like Sympathy and Naming, operates under clear internal logic while maintaining a sense of wonder.
In addition to his core novels, Rothfuss explores side characters in standalone companion pieces. Novellas such as The Slow Regard of Silent Things and The Narrow Road Between Desires provide intimate, focused perspectives that broaden the lore of his main fantasy setting.
