KKC Theory Wiki

The Kingkiller Chronicle Is Secretly a Prequel to Bast's Own Story

fringe other · popularity 419 · 1 source thread

Kvothe is a Merlin-figure advisor and Bast the Arthur-figure who will reunite the world after the Creation War.

About: Bast, Kvothe

Also involves: The Creation War

The theory§

This reading reframes the Kingkiller Chronicle as a prequel to a larger, unwritten story in which Bast, not Kvothe, is the central figure. Borrowing the Arthurian frame, it casts Kvothe as a Merlin-archetype mentor whose biography is merely the backstory needed to understand how Bast, an Arthur-figure, will reunite a world fractured by the Creation War. Under this view the slow-burning conflict of the frame story at the Waystone Inn is the 'real' narrative, and the trilogy's purpose is to deliver the deep history of the advisor behind the coming king. Support is drawn from Rothfuss's joking remark that he has 'tricked readers into reading a million-word prequel,' taken as a hint of planned stories beyond Kvothe's life. The leap rests almost entirely on this authorial aside and the imposed Merlin-Arthur mapping, neither of which is grounded in the text, and it sits uneasily with Rothfuss's stated intent that Kvothe's story conclude in three books and that the world not be 'used up' by a single tale.

Evidence§

  • If this is true, then Bast is the 'King Arthur' character in this story. We are reading the entire backstory of Kvothe, the 'Merlin' character so we can understand how Bast, the 'King Arthur' character, will unite the kingdom (and 8 worlds that were split in the Creation War).
    OP's core claim: Merlin-Arthur mapping casts Kvothe as advisor to Bast the future king. — u/Jkushner27
  • We have only read the story of the wizard, but what about the once and future king? This is just a prequel.
    OP frames the trilogy as backstory; the real story is the coming king's. — u/Jkushner27
  • Quoting PR directly: "I am an author who has tricked you into reading a trilogy that is a million-word prologue."
    Authorial aside supplied as the key evidence that more story is planned. — u/kguilevs
  • more recently in the last couple years he joked that he's tricked us all into reading a million-word prequel. That says to me a couple things: * He's got a lot more planned in this world * Kingkiller is a "prequel" for a series about "the war" that is currently raging in the frame story.
    Refines theory: prequel points to a war series, not necessarily Bast's. — u/radynski
  • And I sincerely doubt random fae dude Bast is going to turn into some sort of ultimate hero.
    CounterCounter: rejects Bast as future hero while accepting a sequel series. — u/radynski
  • This is a creative idea but it doesn't really seem like the kind of thing Rothfuss would want to do, just with respect to how epic the scope would be. … Rothfuss' writing is a lot smaller in scope and more personal.
    CounterCounter: a war-time epic clashes with Rothfuss's personal, small-scope style. — u/scottman29
  • everything here hinges on Kvothe being a Merlin-esque character which seems wildly unlikely.
    CounterCounter: the whole theory rests on an unsupported Merlin mapping. — u/Kharadin92
  • If there were not already a novella on Bast, I would give this idea better odds.
    Context: existing Bast novella weakens the prequel framing. — u/YauponHedge

Book refs: NOTW, WMF

Tier reasoning§

distinct theory; fringe correct, rests on a paraphrased authorial joke

Contributors§

Source threads§