The Narrow Road Between Desires

by Patrick Rothfuss Narrated by Nick Podehl, Patrick Rothfuss

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Patrick Rothfuss stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of George R. R. Martin and Brandon Sanderson. This is a standalone that goes all in on Bast and his complexities, and it is an epic fantasy delight.

#1 New York Times-bestselling phenomenon Patrick Rothfuss returns to the wildly popular Kingkiller Chronicle universe with a stunning reimagining of “The Lightning Tree.” Expanded to twice its previous length, this touching stand-alone story is sure to please new readers and veteran Rothfuss fans alike.
No one taller than the stone.
Come to blacktree, come alone.
Tell no adult what's been said,
Lest the lightning strike you dead.
Follow the Kingkiller Chronicle's most charming fae as he schemes his way through the small town of Newarre. While Bast cares nothing for the laws of man, he is beholden to older, deeper laws. And despite his cleverness and care, Bast finds himself forced to choose between betraying his master and helping
a hated enemy.
Playful, sweet, and sly as Bast himself, The Narrow Road Between Desires explores a previously unseen part of Temerant, and shows a side of Bast we've only glimpsed before. Learn more about Bast as he goes against his better judgment and follows his heart's desire. For after all, what good is wisdom if it keeps
you from finding your way to danger and delight?

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for The Narrow Road Between Desires

"[Rothfuss] clearly has a heart for stories . . . His prose is the sort that forces you to stop cold and just savor the words." —Eric Pierce, Fanfare

"The Narrow Road Between Desires is a fascinating book . . . When I think about this book, the word I keep coming back to is 'beautiful' . . . Between the art and the additions to the prose, which roughly double the size of The Narrow Road Between Desires from The Lightning Tree, there’s no doubt that this is the ideal way to experience this story." —Daniel Roman, Winter is Coming

Praise for The Kingkiller Chronicle

“The best epic fantasy I read last year.... He’s bloody good, this Rothfuss guy.” —George R. R. Martin, New York Times-bestselling author of A Song of Ice and Fire
 
“Rothfuss has real talent, and his tale of Kvothe is deep and intricate and wondrous.” —Terry Brooks, New York Times-bestselling author of Shannara
 
"It is a rare and great pleasure to find a fantasist writing...with true music in the words." —Ursula K. LeGuin, award-winning author of Earthsea
 
"The characters are real and the magic is true.” —Robin Hobb, New York Times-bestselling author of Assassin’s Apprentice
 
"Masterful.... There is a beauty to Pat's writing that defies description." —Brandon Sanderson, New York Times-bestselling author of Mistborn
 
“[Makes] you think he's inventing the genre, instead of reinventing it.” —Lev Grossman, New York Times-bestselling author of The Magicians
 
“This is a magnificent book.” —Anne McCaffrey, award-winning author of the Dragonriders of Pern
 
“The great new fantasy writer we've been waiting for, and this is an astonishing book." —Orson Scott Card, New York Times-bestselling author of Ender’s Game

“It's not the fantasy trappings (as wonderful as they are) that make this novel so good, but what the author has to say about true, common things, about ambition and failure, art, love, and loss.” —Tad Williams, New York Times-bestselling author of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn
 
“An extremely immersive story set in a flawlessly constructed world and told extremely well.” —Jo Walton, award-winning author of Among Others
 
“Hail Patrick Rothfuss! A new giant is striding the land.” —Robert J. Sawyer, award-winning author of Wake
 
“Fans of the epic high fantasies of George R.R. Martin or J.R.R. Tolkien will definitely want to check out Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind.” —NPR
 
“Shelve The Name of the Wind beside The Lord of the Rings...and look forward to the day when it's mentioned in the same breath, perhaps as first among equals.” —The A.V. Club
 
“Rothfuss (who has already been compared to the likes of Terry Goodkind, Robert Jordan, and George R. R. Martin) is poised to be crowned the new king of epic fantasy.” —Barnes & Noble
 
“I was reminded of Ursula K. Le Guin, George R. R. Martin, and J. R. R. Tolkien, but never felt that Rothfuss was imitating anyone.” —The London Times
 
“This fast-moving, vivid, and unpretentious debut roots its coming-of-age fantasy in convincing mythology.” —Entertainment Weekly
 
“This breathtakingly epic story is heartrending in its intimacy and masterful in its narrative essence.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)
 
“Reminiscent in scope of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series...this masterpiece of storytelling will appeal to lovers of fantasy on a grand scale.” —Library Journal (starred)

JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile

Nick Podehl narrates this story, which takes place over one day. Bast, a cocky fae, is apprenticed to Reshi, the keeper of the Waystone Inn, who spends his day adventuring. Children with high-pitched voices visit the lightning tree, where Bast helps them with small problems in exchange for secrets and favors. Shouting and a trembling voice capture Rike's anger at his alcoholic father and his fear that he will share his father's affliction. Low, protracted tones add sensuality when Bast spies on a woman taking a bath. While Reshi's gentle, matter-of-fact manner with Bast gives their relationship a parental feel, this production maintains the sinister elements that make up its universe. L.M. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940159336910
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	11/14/2023
Series:	Kingkiller Chronicle
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	433,248

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