The Slow Regard of Silent Things
Published by Penguin Random House Audio
4/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place.
Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries.
The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri's life, a small adventure all her own. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Aurir's eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows....
In this book, Patrick Rothfuss brings us into the world of one of The Kingkiller Chronicle's most enigmatic characters. Full of secrets and mysteries, The Slow Regard of Silent Things is the story of a broken girl trying to live in a broken world.
Editor's Note
Adventures in the Underthing…
This spin-off story from “The Kingkiller Chronicle” series follows one of trilogy’s most endearing characters, Auri. It breaks many conventions of storytelling as Rothfuss lyrically narrates Auri’s adventures in the Underthing.
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Reviews for The Slow Regard of Silent Things
1,078 ratings87 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The foreword of this book begins with "You may not want to buy this book". I suggest you read the foreword (either in a physical copy or in something like amazons samples) before deciding if you want to read this book. It may not be for everyone, and it most definitely will not make any sense to you if you have not read the previous two books, The Name of the Wind, and The Wise Man's Fear (which are both brilliant, and whyever would you not have read them yet? Read them right now and come back afterwards). I listened to the audiobook, narrated by the author, Patrick Rothfuss, himself. Sometimes you can tell that this is the first time he narrated an audiobook, but overall it went pretty well.
This book is hard to review. Not because it is hard to do without giving spoilers (hell, I am not even sure if spoilers in the traditional sense are technically possible for this book). It's because it is something completely different from almost every other book I have ever read. It focusses on Auri, who is one of my favourite characters of the Name of the Wind series, if not the favourite. It gives the reader a view into the head of that wonderful, broken girl.
I loved it. I did not love it like I loved Name of the Wind (which I loved for its lyrical language) or like The Way of Kings (which I loved for the Story and Worldbuilding), or like I loved A Memory of Light (which I loved (among other things) for how it managed to actually evoke the images of what was happening inside my head). No, I loved it for how it just perfectly fit the image I had of Auri. It was exactly as I expected, while being completely unlike anything I expected.
Now, I know that this statement may not make much sense. How can something be as expected, while not being as expected? Well, it's easy: Auri behaved like I expected her to, but it was completely unexpected how Pat described it. I am sure that there is more to this book than the first read shows. I am also sure that I missed out on some things by listening to the book instead of reading it (there are some plays on words which are hard to get right in an audiobook). I will have to read the eBook to get the other half of the experience.
Patrick Rothfuss managed to write a book completely different to the others, while staying true to them at the same time. He managed to write a book that completely defies all standards of what a story is supposed to be, while still writing something that I loved to listen to. And, most importantly of all, he managed to write in a style that completely fits one of the most mysterious, beautiful and broken characters I have ever read.
As Pat says: "This book may not be for you". But it most definitely was for me. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Totally different than what I have come to expect from Rothfuss. In this case, different is good. I have a much better understanding of Auri. As Rothfuss says in his closing remarks, Auri is broken and that is the beauty of the character since so many of us are and can identify with her.This is not a stand alone. You need to have read at least the first book in The Kingkiller Chronicle, The Name of the Wind, to understand what is going on. In addtion, there is not really a plot here. Just a glimpse in to the life of Auri. But the prose is soooo good and Ruthfuss does some of the best character development in the Fantasy genre.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thanks for letting me borrow this, Alissa! A short read, and now I feel like I need to reread Kingkiller Chronicles for better context, Slow Regard is a strange sweet peek into Auri's life in the Underthing. The illustrations remind me of Coraline somewhat (another short strange tale).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a very interesting book. It's about a character who has obviously suffered some trauma in her life and how she has found a way to cope with the world around her. It would be so easy to say that she is crazy and why would you write a book about crazy, but there is more to it than that. She is indeed different, but she is also brilliant. There is something warm and comforting in visiting with her.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The fact that there are so many reviews talking about how awful this book is and ragging on Rothfuss for not getting done quicker , just affirms for me that he is doing something right and that there is something special about him. When is genius truly recognized in its own time? When we people truly able to realize how great something is in its moment? And as far as time...Tolkien took 16 years to write Lord of the Rings, with multiple years between each book. People really need to calm down.
As for this book, it is amazing and beautiful. If you don't like this book then you fall into the category of people who are not broken and misplaced and trying to sort their way through the world like Auri is. And I don't think that there are many people that are like that really. Rothfuss is seeing himself in Auri and would we want Rothfuss's mind to be completely accessible to everyone? This book takes after the likes of Joyce and Faulkner, falling into a grand tradition of authors who break outside of the mold and create beautiful things. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I love Auri! This girl. I want to know all about her and I want to scoop her up and help her and love her. I was disappointed that we didn't learn more about her history and why she lives in the Underthing or why she is the way she is. So much to learn about her. I hope she shows up more.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A totally unusual novella about a charming young girl living all alone in the Underneath. She is eccentric, damaged but whole. It is beautiful and haunting and I loved the illustrations, too. The author warns not to read this one if you haven't read the first two in the Kingkiller series, but I did and it worked just fine as a stand alone. Definitely not plot driven, but I ate it up just the same. Now I want to go back and read the rest of the story.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Haunting novella about Auri. A strange strange story that is definitely not for everyone.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I liked the novella even though it is oddly written. Auri is a great character that I hoped would be developed more in the other books. I would have given it a 5 star review, but it was too short and didn't finish her story. There is more to be written on her still! It's like writing a quarter of the story and stopping.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Absolutely lovely.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lyrical and lovely.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weird, but good.8-)
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5More plot would have improved this for me. It helps set a tone for Auri's personality, but not much else. Or, if no more plot, cut out about 40 pages of repetitive "Auri went here, looked at this, moved this object" text. The first 20 pages of that set the tone, so we didn't need another 40 doing the same thing.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mediocre compared to the rest of the Kingkiller Chronicles. Auri is a boring character and this does nothing to make her more interesting. It's basically a stream-of-conscious nonsense piece.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This was a good story all about Aury, but not great. It was interesting to learn of her little quirks and a bit of her history, but it doesn't add anything really to the series. But beware, there is no dialogue in this story. No other characters. No action or plot. There are a couple of conflicts, but nothing special. Just Aury and the Underthing, and her experiences with it.
I listened to the audiobook for this, and I had a real hard time keeping my mind focused on the story. It kept drifting all over the place. So, I would restart the track, pick up the missing story due to my daydreaming, only to miss another part of the track. Yes, it's that dull.
But, it's not horrible. Some of her conflicts in various parts of the story were fun to listen to. It was interesting to learn about some of her history at the University, who she studied under, and what her focus was. In an odd way, actually, some of the story was actually really good, and I could relate with her OCD in areas. But then, this isn't a story written for the general public. This story will only find its home with a few niche readers who like this sort of oddity.
I liked it, but it didn't have the polish of Rothfuss' writing style. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Well, major book hangover. This book is a brief glimpse into Auri's world -- as shattered and as beautiful as you might expect. Not the same "lyrical" as usually used in reviews of Kingkiller series books; both plainer and more poetic somehow (despite the less than an hour it took me to read this). Definitely the best novella or short work I've read in a decade. It should not be; it's not what you'd expect from a story. I have no more idea how to explain or review than anyone else author mentions in the endnotes from publishers to editors to initial readers. I won't try to be original and just agree with everyone else that oh boy did I like this. And boy was it a mess of a tale that should not have worked.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A short(ish) story just about Auri, who we met in the KingKiller chronicles, but is mostly a side character/distraction. I think the author really loves this character, so I am glad he took the time to give her her own little book, as I really like her, too. It's not a long story, so easy to breeze through in a day or two and just enjoy this other side-world that Rothfuss created. When focused on one character, I think his writing is sometimes a little better.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5it is a wonderful, essential part of Rothfuss' world. READ
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The author, beloved to many of us for his two previous works, spends a significant amount of time both in the beginning and end explaining what is “wrong” and “crazy” about this story. I concur.
It is meandering repetitive tale of a dissociated person in angst and agony coping with fantastical OCD. If that is your thing, enjoy! - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderfully written, pleasantly narrated and a joy to peek into the world of a broken girl. The only annoyance was listening to Patrick Rothfuss defend a book that did not need it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5absolutely loved it!!!!!!!!
must read!!!!! unique format and love Ari even more now!! and he never even said Kvothe once! - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Was I supposed too understand any of that? I love Ari....but what?
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As special and lovely as Auri herself. I love how it is written in her way of understanding the world.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A wonderful jaunt through the underthing with an ethereal character. Hints of alchemy and deeper secrets and narrated by the author
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a beautiful story of ari's world I could listen to hours of this.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5quirky, but I love the character, and enjoyed the glimpse into her shattered world.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Breathtaking, haunting, unforgettable. The Slow Regard of Silent Things is an in-depth portrayal of actual unselfish AND unconditional love. Not just for another person, creature or place, but for EVERY other person, creature and place. Having said that, I must also say there wasn't a sappy or boring page in it. When I take that final step into insanity, I hope I am just like Ari.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I don't pretend to know how to write a review for a book, but if I did, this blurb would convince you to read this book. It is an extremely important work in the story that it has so little to do with.
As absurd as that sounds, its nonetheless true. You learn very little about the world outside of the underthing, but what you learn gives the world that much more depth, believability, and character.
If you miss this book, you miss the point of everything else, whether because of, or in spite of, its leaving that point just outside the iron door.
Don't miss this great read because, if you don't know what you're missing, you could be missing a lot! - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5NOT FOR ME. Gave up... onto greener pastures.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The author correctly notes that this does not follow the rules of successful fiction. But clearly, the rules were not written for Patrick Rothfuss. His problem with rules is my delight.
This is a lyrical daybook from Auri, who does not perceive things the way we do. There are no other characters and none of the usual aspects of plot. But there is beauty.
Best read in one sitting.