Kingkiller Chronicle reading order: The Name of the Wind (2007)
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The Name of the Wind
2007
Kingkiller reading order: start with The Name of the Wind (2007), then The Wise Man’s Fear. Side novellas are optional aftercare — not book one. No invented book-three date.
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The Name of the Wind
Kingkiller Chronicle reading order: start with The Name of the Wind (2007), then The Wise Man’s Fear (2011). The Doors of Stone is not on the shelf. Do not start with The Slow Regard of Silent Things.
Two novels published. A third announced for a long time. This page will not invent a date. Side novellas are extras about other rooms in the same building. They are not a prequel path that unlocks book one.
The novels
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  The Name of the WindStart here | 2007 | Start here. | |
| 2 |  The Wise Man's Fear | 2011 |
Read them in this order. Waiting for book three before opening book one is how people never start. The incomplete state is real; it is not a reason to skip to a novella.
Side books
| Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Slow Regard of Silent ThingsDo not start here | 2014 | Auri novella. After book two if you want it. Not an on-ramp. | |
| The Narrow Road Between Desires | 2023 | Expanded Bast story (from The Lightning Tree). After you know the frame, not before Name of the Wind. |
House rule: novels first. Slow Regard is optional aftercare with a very particular voice. Narrow Road is a later expansion of a short. Neither replaces The Doors of Stone, and neither is book 0.
Common mistakes
- Starting with Slow Regard because it is shorter.
- Treating the series as abandoned and therefore not starting.
- Searching “Kingkiller” and picking up a commemorative or art book as novel 3.
- Reading a spoiler-heavy theory wiki between books one and two.
What to read next
- Gentleman Bastards (Scott Lynch) — If you want another unfinished, voice-forward fantasy with a correct first heist.
- The Books of Babel (Josiah Bancroft) — If you want a climb that actually published its later volumes.
- Mistborn Era 1 (Brandon Sanderson) — If you want a finished trilogy about a gifted student in a hard system.
- [The Name of the Wind, then stop.] Two books is a complete visit until a third exists.
- The Locked Tomb (Tamsyn Muir) — If you want another series that will not explain its narrator on page one.
FAQ
What is the Kingkiller Chronicle reading order?
Start with The Name of the Wind (2007), then The Wise Man’s Fear (2011). Novellas are optional aftercare. There is no honest book-three placement until a third novel exists.
Is there a book three?
Announced. Not a reading-order problem until it is a book.
Do I need the novellas?
No.
Can I start with Narrow Road?
No.
Sources
- Patrick Rothfuss — author site. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Penguin Random House, The Name of the Wind — publisher page for book one. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
