Kingkiller Chronicle reading order
Patrick Rothfuss’s Kingkiller books in publication order — The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man’s Fear — plus the side novellas, labeled so they do not become book one.
Start here
The Name of the Wind
It is book one (2007). The Wise Man’s Fear is book two. The Doors of Stone is not on the shelf. Do not start with The Slow Regard of Silent Things.
Two novels published. A third announced for a long time. This page will not invent a date. Side novellas are extras about other rooms in the same building. They are not a prequel path that unlocks book one.
The novels
Read them in this order. Waiting for book three before opening book one is how people never start. The incomplete state is real; it is not a reason to skip to a novella.
Side books
| Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Slow Regard of Silent Things | 2014 | Auri novella. After book two if you want it. Not an on-ramp. | Amazon |
| The Narrow Road Between Desires | 2023 | Expanded Bast story (from The Lightning Tree). After you know the frame, not before Name of the Wind. | Amazon |
House rule: novels first. Slow Regard is optional aftercare with a very particular voice. Narrow Road is a later expansion of a short. Neither replaces The Doors of Stone, and neither is book 0.
Common mistakes
- Starting with Slow Regard because it is shorter.
- Treating the series as abandoned and therefore not starting.
- Searching “Kingkiller” and picking up a commemorative or art book as novel 3.
- Reading a spoiler-heavy theory wiki between books one and two.
What to read next
- Gentleman Bastards (Scott Lynch) — If you want another unfinished, voice-forward fantasy with a correct first heist.
- The Books of Babel (Josiah Bancroft) — If you want a climb that actually published its later volumes.
- Mistborn Era 1 (Brandon Sanderson) — If you want a finished trilogy about a gifted student in a hard system.
- [The Name of the Wind, then stop.] Two books is a complete visit until a third exists.
- The Locked Tomb (Tamsyn Muir) — If you want another series that will not explain its narrator on page one.
FAQ
Is there a book three?
Announced. Not a reading-order problem until it is a book.
Do I need the novellas?
No.
Can I start with Narrow Road?
No.
Sources
- Patrick Rothfuss — author site. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Penguin Random House, The Name of the Wind — publisher page for book one. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
