Pat Rothfuss' The Slow Regard of Silent Things

                                                            



It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to say about this book here. Part of that, I think, is due to my respect for Rothfuss and my deep love for his prose style. Like I've said in a previous post, it is like dark chocolate. Smooth and a little sexy.

Yet, much like the Great Bearded Man has said before, this book isn't for everyone. In fact, very little more needs to said beyond that.

However, despite the strangeness of this book I found it to be beautiful, a true exercise in the way words work and what they can mean or imply. Pat truly shows what it is that makes him so different than other writers in that he is a a wordsmith, something rarely found in American fantasy writers.

Yet, that clever dialogue is gone from this story. In fact, there is no dialogue. Or conflict. Honestly, there is no other character than Auri in the whole story. It lack so much of what makes Rothfuss so brilliant, so important, so different and, because of that, it is special.

Much unlike other fantasy novels this one read more like a prose poem that your classic novel. The way it plays with setting and description as well as the slow turnings of Auri's mind are beautiful and strange.

It may seem like I am being redundant here, however, there is very little that can be said. I could go over the ground of how strange a story this is. I could even tell you that this is such an unexpected little treat, much like getting an extra Reese's Cup in your candy bag on Halloween, but that all seems obvious.

No, what I will say is this; if you, like me, are waiting for the third book in this series and hope that this may give you some glimpse into future events, well, you are wrong. However, if you want to read something akin to epic poetry and glimpse how, in Auri's mind at least, the world works, then this is a story you should take.

It is, after all, slow and careful as Auri. It has its place and, perhaps, it keeps things on course. Or perhaps it is just the story of a broken person trying to fix everything around her. Regardless, it is something to be experience.


Any interested in buying check out the link on top of the page (this will also help to support the blog)