Patrick Rothfuss’ The Kingkiller Chronicle series is meant to be a trilogy, but there are only two books in the series, with fans still waiting for the third and final book. Even after over 14 years since the second book was released, there’s no news regarding when the third book will be out!
Many things have happened at this point, and fans have been asking whether the release date of The Kingkiller Chronicle book 3 has been announced!
The first book in the series, The Name of the Wind, was published in 2007 and was a big success. It is still considered one of the best fantasy novels by readers worldwide. It sold over a million copies worldwide and won the Quill Award in 2007.
The second book in the series, The Wise Man’s Fear, was published in 2011. It, too, became a roaring success, both critical and commercial, and appeared on the NY Times Bestsellers list the same week it was released.
But it’s now 2025; well over 14 years have passed since the second book was released, and there is no update on the third book’s progression.
We don’t have a release window; forget about a release date for the third book in the series. We don’t even know if Patrick Rothfuss is done writing the book or is still writing it. The fans have gotten quite mad and have genuine reasons to be angry, but the author hasn’t provided any potential release date for “The Doors of Stone,” which is the title of the Kingkiller Chronicles book 3!
Rothfuss has said that he hasn’t finished the series yet and has had to keep delaying the third and final book due to personal reasons.
There are also mental health issues he suffers from, especially the expectations fans have of him to deliver a final book that is just as good, if not better, than the previous books in the series. He says it will be finished, but he doesn’t know when.
What is The Kingkiller Chronicle Series About?
The Kingkiller Chronicles tells the story of Kvothe, who used to be known as a man called the Kingkiller. He was known all over the Four Corners of Civilization, which is the name of his world. Its actual name is Temerant, and it contains the countries of The Commonwealth, Ceald, Modeg, and Vintas.
One of the more interesting things about this story is its presentation from both third and first-person points of view. The present day, where Kvothe is now an innkeeper, is usually presented in the third person, while his past is in the first person.
He tells his story to someone known as the Chronicler, who has visited the Waystone Inn in Newarre, which he now runs. There are many side characters throughout the series, not to mention fantastic world-building that Rothfuss is great at.
It’s because of the insane work he has done in the first two books and the novellas that the fans can’t seem to wait for the third book!
What is the Kingkiller Chronicle Book 3 Called?
According to Rothfuss, this series’s third and final book will be called “The Doors of Stone.” The title is the only known thing about the last book in The Kingkiller Chronicles series.
While it doesn’t seem like the title is likely to change, given that it is not published yet and there is no mention of a release date, the current title could be known as just a working title.
Sometimes, authors and publishers announce a title while the book is still in the writing stage, only to change it later when the release date is announced. However, I don’t think that would be the case for the third book in the series.
For now, when people mention the still unreleased third book, they call it The Doors of Stone. It’s how it will stay until a statement from the author or publishing company comes out.
What is The Doors of Stone Release Date?
There is no confirmed release date for “The Doors of Stone,” the third and final book in the Kingkiller Chronicles trilogy.
The third book in the series is supposed to conclude Kvothe’s story and provide closure for those invested in the series.
The wait for the final book has been going on for over 14 years, as The Wise Man’s Fear was released in March 2011, just about four years after the first book, The Name of the Wind, came out.
All we can do now is keep hope in the author and trust his words. Hopefully, we’ll get some solid updates about the final book, and maybe the next update from the author might be an announcement of the release date. That’s just wishful thinking, but I hope we don’t have to wait longer!
The Controversies Surrounding the Kingkiller Chronicle Book 3:
The biggest controversy surrounding The Kingkiller Chronicle series and the third book, in general, is that it has yet to be finished.
The author has never shared public updates about the book for some time now: no snippets or anything like that.
His actual editor, Betsey Wollheim, even chimed in on this issue back in the fall of 2020. She made a Facebook post (which has since been deleted), making some very interesting claims. Rothfuss doesn’t get back to her, and his communication is poor. There are never any updates on how the story is going, leaving her and the publishing house in a state of limbo. She also said, “I’ve never seen a word of book three,” which is alarming.
She seems to think that he hasn’t written anything for quite a few years and that there might not be anything written in the third book. His lack of communication with her probably only reinforced her fears.
However, it’s been almost 4 years since Wollheim made those claims, so maybe the book’s status has changed. Again, as there have not been any updates from the author, we can feel there was some truth to the editor’s claims.
Rothfuss seems perfectly happy to avoid discussing the third book in his series. He doesn’t react well when it is brought up and doesn’t even communicate well with those who work closely with him.
The author has found himself in multiple controversies over the years, from the silence about The Doors of Stone’s release date to how he behaves with his fans, to how he hasn’t kept his promises to his publishing house!
If that wasn’t enough, another controversy had rocked the fandom. Every year, Patrick Rothfuss organizes a fundraiser for his charity.
In December 2021, he set the goal to read the “prologue” of “The Doors of Stone,” which was promptly met. So he added another stretch goal, which was to read a new chapter from the book, which was met, too. Further stretch goals kept getting added, all of which were completed.
The author tried to backtrack on his promise, but there was a significant backlash, and the author announced that the promised chapter would be released in 2023 by “February at the latest,” something that never happened.
To his credit, he read the prologue at the end of the fundraiser, but the promised chapter has still not been released. You can read all the details about this controversy in this Reddit post.
Considering there haven’t been any substantial updates regarding the development of the third book in The Kingkiller Chronicle series, fans are wondering if they will ever get the book in their hands.
The more time passes, the less likely it seems the Kingkiller Chronicle series will ever be finished. Only time will tell if it actually will be, but fans aren’t holding their breath.
Conclusion
The Kingkiller Chronicle series has become very popular since the first book came out in 2007. It sold millions of copies and has a dedicated group of fans. The third book is very anticipated, but the wait has been long and overdue.
Rothfuss’s lack of updates or transparency about the third book wouldn’t have become such an issue if he had at least kept his promises.
Even today, fans of the series are still eagerly waiting for the Kingkiller Chronicle book 3; most are ready to pre-order it as soon as it is listed. But as no one knows, not even the editor and the publishing house, when The Doors of Stone will be released, we can do nothing but wait!
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