I generally try to avoid paying more than ten dollars for an e-book, but I do make exceptions. One of them will be Patrick Rothfuss’s The Wise Man’s Fear, which I just pre-ordered for $14.99 and which is due out on March 1. This is the sequel to The Name of the Wind, which I would have to say was the best new fantasy novel I read in the last two years — or maybe more (and which is currently priced at $8.99). From the Publisher’s Weekly review:

Starred Review. As seamless and lyrical as a song from the lute-playing adventurer and arcanist Kvothe, this mesmerizing sequel to Rothfuss’s 2007′s debut, The Name of the Wind, is a towering work of fantasy. As Kvothe, now the unassuming keeper of the Waystone Inn, continues to share his astounding life story—a history that includes saving an influential lord from treachery, defeating a band of dangerous bandits, and surviving an encounter with a legendary Fae seductress—he also offers glimpses into his life’s true pursuit: figuring out how to vanquish the mythical Chandrian, a group of seven godlike destroyers that brutally murdered his family and left him an orphan. But while Kvothe recalls the events of his past, his future is conspiring just outside the inn’s doors. This breathtakingly epic story is heartrending in its intimacy and masterful in its narrative essence, and will leave fans waiting on tenterhooks for the final installment.

I’ll probably start re-reading The Name of the Wind tonight, so that I’m ready to start The Wise Man’s Fear on Tuesday.

PS: The author’s web site has a graphic synopsis of The Name of the Wind for those who don’t want to re-read it. OK, really it’s more for those who have read it and would enjoy a bit of a chuckle.