Probabilistic Graphical Models

The Kingkiller Chronicle

After "A Song of Ice and Fire" series by George R. R. Martin, "Bartimaeus Trilogy" by Jonathan Stroud, "The Kingkiller Chronicle" by Patrick Rothfuss is the third fantasy series I have read in the near past.

Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" needs no further introduction as it has been made amply popular by the ongoing television series "Game of Thrones". If you have watched the series and liked it - I assure you (as almost always), you would love the books better.

Stroud's "Bartimaeus Trilogy" is the only fantasy series I can recall that gave humor a high priority. This was one light, fun series of books.

I also vaguely remember reading a bunch of David Gemmel, David Eddings etc. But since they were not read as a complete series these stories have been long forgotten.

I started on Rothfuss' "The Kingkiller Chronicle" last week.
The two books that have been released are: "The Name of the Wind" & "The Wise Man's Fear".
Both books are a delight to read.
Even though they are huge manuscripts, the style of writing in these books makes for a very quick reading.

"The Name of the Wind" I have to admit, is more crisp and tighter than the second one.
Even with some character assassination around the second half of "The Wise Man's Fear", the story does pull itself together towards the end pretty well to set up the third book.

These books have elements that parallel J K Rowling's "Harry Potter" series, Christopher Paolini's "Inheritance Cycle", J R R Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings", Daniel Knauf's "Carnivale" etc.

An excerpt from an interview before Rothfuss' "The Wise Man's Fear" was released:

- "What can readers expect from the two sequels and the trilogy that will follow this one?"

- "Well.... I've already written them. So you won't have to wait forever for them to come out. They'll be released on a regular schedule. One per year.

You can also expect the second book to be written with the same degree of care and detail as this first one. You know the sophomore slump? When a writer's second novel is weaker because they're suddenly forced to write under deadline? I don't have to worry about that because my next two novels are already good to go"

But though the first book was released in 2007, the second one only came out in 2011.
The tentative, unconfirmed date for the third book in the series "The Doors of Stone" seems to be May 1, 2013.

Along with "The Winds of Winter", the sixth installment in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, Rothfuss' "The Doors of Stone" is another book to look forward to.

Modern & Contemporary American Poetry