THE ADVENTURES OF THE PRINCESS AND MR. WHIFFLE is a bit of a departure for Patrick Rothfuss. His excellent debut novel -- entitled THE NAME OF THE WIND -- is a doorstopper of a book, coming in at close to eight hundred pages in its mass-market paperback version. This time out, Rothfuss has created a children’s story that starts out sweet and gets progressively darker in nature. The tale recounts the exploits of a Princess and her stuffed teddy bear, Mr. Whiffle. The opening pages are reminiscent of Christopher Robin playing with Winnie the Pooh while staging numerous imaginative adventures. But herein lies the difference: there’s a creature that lives under the Princess’s bed. It lurks in the shadows, waiting for complete darkness so it can sneak out of its hiding place. Before going to sleep the Princess lights a candle by her bedside to keep the monster at bay, but one night the wind snuffs it out…and the creature comes out to play.
A fun aspect of the book is that it has three endings – the first comes about halfway through the book, the second at the three-fourths mark, and then the finale. The text up to the first ending is tame and could be shown to kids of all ages (in fact, it would probably work as a suspense “primer” because there’s a small amount of tension before Rothfuss finishes with a cute wrap-up). At this point the reader could duck out of the story having read a nice standalone fairy tale. For those choosing to continue, the second section builds upon the first and finishes with a darker ending. By continuing to the third section the reader can see how the author intended to close out his story, and it’s here that Rothfuss bares his teeth. The conclusion is humorous and pitch-black, earning its “not for kids” moniker.
THE ADVENTURES OF THE PRINCESS AND MR. WHIFFLE is around seventy pages in length. While Rothfuss provides readers with a good story, my only disappointment is that there wasn’t a little more text. In total there can’t be more than a few hundred words. That being said, the book is lavishly illustrated by artist Nate Taylor, who perfectly captured the scenes of this twisted tale. He truly outdid himself when it came to bringing the story to life. With luck, this duo will come together again and create a new tale involving the Princess and her furry friend.
Subterranean Press, which published THE ADVENTURES OF THE PRINCESS AND MR. WHIFFLE, pulled out all the stops on this oversized children’s book. I honestly can’t recommend it enough. At this point the $25 trade hardcover is still available, but is well on its way to being out-of-print in its initial run. Head over to Sub Press’s website to grab a copy while you can.
(9 out of 10)
A fun aspect of the book is that it has three endings – the first comes about halfway through the book, the second at the three-fourths mark, and then the finale. The text up to the first ending is tame and could be shown to kids of all ages (in fact, it would probably work as a suspense “primer” because there’s a small amount of tension before Rothfuss finishes with a cute wrap-up). At this point the reader could duck out of the story having read a nice standalone fairy tale. For those choosing to continue, the second section builds upon the first and finishes with a darker ending. By continuing to the third section the reader can see how the author intended to close out his story, and it’s here that Rothfuss bares his teeth. The conclusion is humorous and pitch-black, earning its “not for kids” moniker.THE ADVENTURES OF THE PRINCESS AND MR. WHIFFLE is around seventy pages in length. While Rothfuss provides readers with a good story, my only disappointment is that there wasn’t a little more text. In total there can’t be more than a few hundred words. That being said, the book is lavishly illustrated by artist Nate Taylor, who perfectly captured the scenes of this twisted tale. He truly outdid himself when it came to bringing the story to life. With luck, this duo will come together again and create a new tale involving the Princess and her furry friend.
Subterranean Press, which published THE ADVENTURES OF THE PRINCESS AND MR. WHIFFLE, pulled out all the stops on this oversized children’s book. I honestly can’t recommend it enough. At this point the $25 trade hardcover is still available, but is well on its way to being out-of-print in its initial run. Head over to Sub Press’s website to grab a copy while you can.
(9 out of 10)
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