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The Narrow Road Between Desires

By: Patrick Rothfuss
Narrated by: Nick Podehl, Patrick Rothfuss
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Publisher's summary

#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 and lavishly illustrated by Nate Taylor, this touching stand-alone story is sure to please new audiences 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 judgement 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?

©2023 Patrick Rothfuss (P)2023 Recorded Books

What listeners say about The Narrow Road Between Desires

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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lightning tree expanded.

it's literally the lightning tree expanded. wish I could get my credit back. my favorite series tho wish he would come up with something new it's been years!

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Indulgent in its pointlessness

Rothfuss has a beautiful grasp on language and he seems to know it. The book gets wordy when considering the plot density (which is light). The magic systems are weak. The main character is mediocre.
With that said, it is not a bad story. It is just not really necessary in the kingkiller universe

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I want more!

what a fantastic book, while it feels too short because I felt cheated when it was over I sincerely loved this short story and glimpse into a day of the life of Bast.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Worth the wait!

Thank you Pat for sharing your beautiful gift of storytelling! Your use of words are a delight once again from start to finish!

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A well told story

Rothfuss is just such a great writer. This story is a joy to listen to. The narrator reads it perfectly.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!!

I have been immensely curious about Bast. It gives a good idea of what he does with his day and how he thinks. I would still love to hear more about how he came to be in his current predicament. Nick Podell is one of my absolute favorite now readers. I am legally blind, so a good performance is important. He sets the stage with inflections and gives the characters a life of their own. That would be difficult to do otherwise.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Thank you

Thank you for your words and your stories.

Also Nick Podehl is my favorite voice actors for audiobooks.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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The sweetest story

I loved the story, as I have loved every book Rothfuss has written. It seems like every single sentence is carefully written and caries deep and multilayered meanings. I found myself frequently rewinding and relistening to sections when I wasn’t entirely focused the first time through, wanting not to miss a thing. The author’s end note is poignant and sweet and helps me forgive how long Book 3 is taking to write.
Now for the critique: Having just listened again to the other books, it was jarring to switch voice actors. Once I adjusted, my only critique of the audio performance is the children’s voices. They are just grating, and I got the impression the narrator had never actually spoken to a child. But, overall, the story is well worth a listen or a read, a satisfying little interlude that sheds light on Bast.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Characters

Delightfully different fantasy book! It didn’t include knights, elves, trolls, swordfights, quests, battles, or an evil bad guy. It could be its own genre.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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No one does it better

Thank you for sharing with us, Pat. I hope you also know how truly special you are.

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