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Series · fantasy
The Kingkiller Chronicle
The Kingkiller Chronicle series by Patrick Rothfuss has 5 known books (4 published; 1 with an undated publication record) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Name of the Wind (2007). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Narrow Road Between Desires.
- Books
- 5 known books (3 novels + 2 novellas)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2007
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: The Name of the Wind (2007) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Name of the Wind
The Name of the Wind opened the Kingkiller Chronicle series in 2007 at 736 pages, ahead of The Wise Man's Fear. It introduces roadside innkeeper Kote, secretly the living legend Kvothe, as he begins telling a chronicler the true story of his life -- a childhood among traveling performers, sudden orphaning, and a scholarship to the University's school of practical magic.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Name of the Wind - Book 2:
The Wise Man's Fear
At 994 pages, The Wise Man's Fear is the longest entry in The Kingkiller Chronicle and appeared in 2011. It continues directly from The Name of the Wind as one uninterrupted story of Kvothe's early life, and stops mid-frame-narrative -- the promised conclusion, The Doors of Stone, remains unpublished more than a decade later.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Wise Man's Fear - Book 3:
The Slow Regard of Silent Things
The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a novella in the Kingkiller Chronicle series, released in 2014 (160 pages). It follows the University's strange scavenger character Auri as an atmospheric, largely plotless mood piece -- a side story best read after the two main novels rather than a jumping-on point.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Slow Regard of Silent Things - Book 4:
The Narrow Road Between Desires
Released in 2023, The Narrow Road Between Desires sits between The Slow Regard of Silent Things and The Doors of Stone in the Kingkiller Chronicle reading order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Narrow Road Between Desires - Book 5:
The Doors of Stone
The Doors of Stone is the third and concluding book in the Kingkiller Chronicle series, meant to finish the story The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear leave unresolved mid-frame-narrative. It has no announced release date after more than a decade in progress, making it one of fantasy's most famously unfinished trilogies.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Doors of Stone
About The Kingkiller Chronicle
In a roadside inn, an unassuming innkeeper named Kote is really Kvothe, a living legend whose reputation ranges from arcanist and musician to arsonist, thief, and possible murderer of kings. Over three days, he tells a chronicler the true story of his life: a childhood among traveling performers, sudden orphaning, years of feral survival on city streets, and a scholarship to the University, a school of practical magic ("sympathy") built on rigorous, almost scientific rules rather than wand-waving. Patrick Rothfuss writes prose that's as much the draw as the plot — lush, precise, frequently very funny — and builds a coming-of-age story that's really a mystery about its own narrator: Kvothe telling his own legend forces the reader to constantly weigh how much to trust a famously unreliable, self-mythologizing storyteller.
This is comfort-food epic fantasy for readers who want gorgeous sentences, a magic system with real rules, and a slow-burn academic-adventure structure (often compared to a grown-up Harry Potter with darker edges and unresolved romantic tension). It's also the poster child for the "unfinished trilogy" problem in fantasy: the story stops mid-frame-narrative at the end of book two, and the promised conclusion, The Doors of Stone, has had no announced release date for over a decade. Go in knowing that, and the first two books are still a complete, deeply rewarding read on their own terms.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Kingkiller Chronicle?
The main trilogy has two published novels, The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, plus the unreleased finale The Doors of Stone. There are also two companion novellas set in the same world (The Slow Regard of Silent Things, and The Lightning Tree / its 2023 expansion The Narrow Road Between Desires).
What order should I read The Kingkiller Chronicle in?
Publication order: The Name of the Wind, then The Wise Man's Fear. Save The Slow Regard of Silent Things and the Bast novellas for after you've finished both novels.
Is The Kingkiller Chronicle finished?
No. The third and final book, The Doors of Stone, has been in progress for well over a decade with no announced release date, making this one of fantasy's most famously unfinished trilogies.
When is The Doors of Stone coming out?
There is no announced release date as of August 2026. Patrick Rothfuss has periodically discussed the book's slow progress and the personal challenges behind the delay, but has not given fans a publication timeline.
Do I need to read The Slow Regard of Silent Things?
No. It's an atmospheric, largely plotless novella focused on a secondary character, Auri, and is a rewarding extra for fans but not necessary to follow Kvothe's main story.
If you like The Kingkiller Chronicle
Reading order last verified .