The Slow Regard of Silent Things Review

Watch my video review here.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss was a nice little surprise to see on the shelves of the local mainstream bookstore that I hadn't entered in a good long while. I had been waiting for Rothfuss to finish his Kingkiller Chronicles and seeing as it has still yet to be released, I gobbled this book up faster than you could say "Nerd!". This particular book is revolved around a rather minor character written in the Kingkiller Chronicles, Auri. From what I am assuming, and it is an assumption, is that this story takes place during the Kingkiller Chronicles time frame. I have no other information other than the reading of the novel so that is what my review will be based on.

It is definitely a different sort of read. There is no adventure or climax or conflict. It is very singularly focused on a day to day internal space of a very unique person. It is very enlightening if you have had read the first two books of the Kingkiller Chronicle and were wondering just what it was like inside the mind of this particular character. Now, Rothfuss does remind you that this is a unique read and will likely not be very popular. I think that this is due to the fact that there is no actual plot or story or character motivator. There is no growth or moral or any ups and downs that most all books do have. Auri is also a very meticulous and curious character and following such a fae like person can be difficult for many. But I have always had an appreciation for the magic and chaos that the fae embody and so for me, it was a rather nice and almost

nostalgic read.

One aspect I did like about the book was that it was very poetic in flourish much like Rothfuss' style that attracted me to his previous works. Although it was very much Auri and less Kvothe (the main character from Kingkiller) it was still that amazingly romantic style of writing that I adore! Seriously, his writing is incredibly unique and I highly recommend you checking out his work.

Auri is an amazing character to follow because she is an enigmatic curiosity. I love reading characters that are not transparent and have a lot of depth that doesn't have to be spelled out for you. Rather, you have to make your own interpretations based on what information you are given. Auri may seem as though she doesn't make sense but I think that her character is very important to figuring out the kind of magic that Rothfuss created for his universe. It is my opinion that she understands things in a more true way than others do and to not understand Auri is to not understand a huge element of this kind of magic. She is also very complex in a way that hidden between the queer things she says is a story. Such is to say that I believe that Auri is way more powerful than we are led to assume due to her small and emaciated frame. I also believe that there are also hints of trauma in her past that may have contributed to what we may view as "madness". Because of this we see her slip into states that I can only describe as dissociative panic attacks. These states are very similar coping mechanisms to what it is that I go through and therefore she instantly becomes a relatable character for me.

This book is an overall charming read and it brings me back to the way I was able to view things as a child. When you were so in tune with everything that you knew what was at ease and what wasn't even if it were an non living object such as our toys and other random things we were fond of as children. You simply knew the truer way of things as a child and I feel that this is very much how Auri comes off although she is no child. I consider her a very fae type of character so this book is a very challenging read for many reasons but I feel can still be appreciated depending on your reading preferences and how flexible you are delving into different and unique styles of reading.

I love how the book also includes charming little pictures and they are equally as artistic as they are literal tidbits of what is going on in the book. I feel in the illustrations help contribute the the character of Auri and are just as charming, empty, sad, and full of adoration as the character herself. The book ends to what I believe will be a setup for the next book that has yet to be released, and even given a release date! So it is an in-between book of sorts; although very short and not at all a proper way to sate my needs for book 3.