A review by marklpotter
The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
5.0
The Slow Regard Of Silent Things is a testament to the sheer genius of Patrick Rothfuss. Coming in at just over 100 pages long this prosaic offering is nothing short of a work of art which means it's completely different than the other two books set in the same universe. Rothfuss' first two books are amazing and the way he uses the English language was exciting but this is something on a totally different level.
A week in the life of Auri might seem like a strange premise and maybe it is but the way the words weave together and in and out of themselves makes this such a fun read that I had to put it down. I know, that doesn't seem to make sense but what I did was put it down and walk away so I could let smaller batches of words play with themselves in my head for just a little longer before I was compelled to pick the book up and read again. It was hard to make this last three days, but I did it, and I didn't want it to be over at all, much less after only a scant 100 or so pages.
This whole book reminds me of Stephen Fry talking about putting words together, just for the sound-sex of it. I want to read this aloud to people, to make tongue trip over the words like my brain did my first time though. And while I'm still miffed that the third Kvothe novel isn't out yet, this will do for now. There is enough beauty in this offering that I will likely be reading it again before then end of the year because my first time through I was so excited about what was happening with the words themselves that I might have missed larger nuances in the story as a whole.
I cannot recommend The Slow Regard Of Silent Things with enough vigor. This should be the next book you read. It doesn't matter whether you've read anything else in this world, you should read this. Sure a thing here of a jot there might make more sense once you've read the rest of the stories but this stands on its own and does so with all of the proper attitude that a thing like this should have.
A week in the life of Auri might seem like a strange premise and maybe it is but the way the words weave together and in and out of themselves makes this such a fun read that I had to put it down. I know, that doesn't seem to make sense but what I did was put it down and walk away so I could let smaller batches of words play with themselves in my head for just a little longer before I was compelled to pick the book up and read again. It was hard to make this last three days, but I did it, and I didn't want it to be over at all, much less after only a scant 100 or so pages.
This whole book reminds me of Stephen Fry talking about putting words together, just for the sound-sex of it. I want to read this aloud to people, to make tongue trip over the words like my brain did my first time though. And while I'm still miffed that the third Kvothe novel isn't out yet, this will do for now. There is enough beauty in this offering that I will likely be reading it again before then end of the year because my first time through I was so excited about what was happening with the words themselves that I might have missed larger nuances in the story as a whole.
I cannot recommend The Slow Regard Of Silent Things with enough vigor. This should be the next book you read. It doesn't matter whether you've read anything else in this world, you should read this. Sure a thing here of a jot there might make more sense once you've read the rest of the stories but this stands on its own and does so with all of the proper attitude that a thing like this should have.