The Thing Beneath the Bed by Patrick Rothfuss (The Adventure of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle)

9/10

Though possibly not strictly a fantasy book, Patrick Rothfuss’s The Adventures of the Princess and Mr Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed is definitely worthy of comment here. Not only because Patrick Rothfuss is author of one of the better fantasy novels, but also because the book has ... a ... castle.

Image: The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle by Patrick Rothfuss

OK, so no, there’s no real reason other than the author that we’re reviewing it here.

At 72 pages in length and 10 inches by 8.5 inches, this might look to the casual observer like a kid’s book. The front cover might convince you that it’s a kid’s book. The first 64 pages could possibly lead you to believe that this is a kid’s book.

Let’s make something very clear though: This. Is. Not. A. Kid’s. Book.

The Adventures of Princess and Mr Whiffle: the Thing Beneath the Bed is proof positive that Patrick Rothfuss has a warped mind. If you read his blog, you probably already had a hint that this was true. Reading The Name of the Wind probably wouldn’t give you any hint, though I haven’t read it with intent to see.

Read the Adventures and you’ll know for certain.

I actually loved this book. I read it in about five minutes and will probably read it several more times. The story is clever, ingenious and lots of fun.

The ending...

The ending... is...

Interesting.

The art by Nate Taylor is beautiful. I can see actual kid’s books drawn by Nate being very popular. Parents will love his sweet innocent lead character, the un-expressions on Mr Whiffle, and the fight scenes. The scenery is beautiful and charming.

And the “interesting” is just as good.

So let’s be clear again. This book is not a kid’s book. I would not give this to a kid that hasn’t at least made it out of primary school, and even then the morbid curiosity of a 14 year old boy may not be the best place to put this book. Either way, if you’re over 18 and a fan of fun and twisted humour, then this book is for you.

Unless you like cats.