Patrick Rothfuss’s ‘The Slow Regard of Silent Things’ cover reveal

Our good friends over at Gollancz have finally released the cover for Patrick Rothfuss’s brand new novella, The Slow Regard of Silent Things.

Fantasy-Faction covered just what this story is in quite some detail a few months back, but to summarise it is a short, sweet story about fan favourite Auri. Although we’ve said ‘short’ there, the novella is still a good 30,000 words, longer than Gaiman’s Coraline, so there is a fair amount of scope for some detailed backstory.

From what we’ve heard of this tale, this cover should suit it perfectly. Pat has said that he feels it is good (and had it confirmed by friends), but very strange and even a bit weird – which has us getting a kind of fairytale vibe. Auri is a bit of a rogue, a trickster and you see that in the cover too. Certainly, I think this design is a lot more ‘Auri’ than the American version, which looks quite dark and mysterious, but not quite ‘sweet’ or centred on its protagonist. I think the Americans have tried hard to ensure their book matches with the others in the series, whereas Gollancz have felt brave enough to differentiate it. Here is that American cover and the synopsis the Americans have treated us to:

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 Auri’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.

Inevitably, fans will be asking how Rothfuss has time to do a novella when he still hasn’t given us a date for but three, but I’ve always been a big fan of lateral development in a series. I remember reading that Auri was added into the series after Rothfuss had already finished the thing. Seeing as she played such a big part, to me, it makes sense he has had to back track a little, or at least wanted to really explore this new character. I’m wondering if it means Auri will have an even bigger part in book three.

What do you guys reckon?

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