What do you think?
Rate this book
The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle #2
The Dark of Deep Below
: In the first volume of The Adventures of The Princess and Mr. Whiffle, we learned what lurks beneath our beds. What's more, we learned that little girls are not helpless, and that princesses are not always what they seem. In this second installment of the Princess's adventures, we learn a little more about the Princess's family. We learn how dark it is in the Deep Below… And we learn what happens when the Princess gets a little brother. The Adventures of The Princess and Mr. The Dark of Deep Below is a dark twist on the classic children's picture book. Perfect for geek children and adults who love dark faerie tales, international bestselling author Patrick Rothfuss has described the Princess's adventures as, 'Calvin and Hobbes meets Coraline, with a healthy dose of Edward Gorey mixed in.'
159 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2013
14 people are currently reading
4123 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Rothfuss
80 books242k followersIt all began when Pat Rothfuss was born to a marvelous set of parents. Throughout his formative years they encouraged him to do his best, gave him good advice, and were no doubt appropriately dismayed when he failed to live up to his full potential.
In high-school Pat was something of a class clown. His hobbies included reading a novel or two a day and giving relationship advice to all his friends despite the fact that he had never so much as kissed a girl. He also role-played and wrote terrible stories about elves. He was pretty much a geek.
Most of Pat's adult life has been spent in the University Wisconsin Stevens Point. In 1991 he started college in order to pursue a career in chemical engineering, then he considered clinical psychology. In 1993 he quit pretending he knew what he wanted to do with his life, changed his major to "undecided," and proceeded to study whatever amused him. He also began writing a book....
For the next seven years Pat studied anthropology, philosophy, eastern religions, history, alchemy, parapsychology, literature, and writing. He studied six different martial arts, practiced improv comedy, learned how to pick locks, and became a skilled lover of women. He also began writing a satirical advice column which he continues to this day: The College Survivial Guide. Through all of this he continued to work on his novel.
In 2000 Pat went to grad school for English literature. Grad school sucked and Pat hated it. However, Pat learned that he loved to teach. He left in 2002 with his masters degree, shaking the dust from his feet and vowing never to return. During this period of time his novel was rejected by roughly every agent in the known universe.
Now Pat teaches half-time at his old school as an assistant-sub-lecturer. He is underpaid but generally left alone to do as he sees fit with his classes. He is advisor for the college feminists, the fencing club, and, oddly enough, a sorority. He still roll-plays occasionally, but now he does it in an extremely sophisticated, debonair way.
Through a series of lucky breaks, he has wound up with the best agent and editor imaginable, and the first book of his trilogy has been published under the title "The Name of the Wind."
Though it has only been out since April 2007, it has already been sold in 26 foreign countries and won several awards.
Pat has been described as "a rough, earthy iconoclast with a pipeline to the divine in everyone's subconscious." But honestly, that person was pretty drunk at the time, so you might want to take it with a grain of salt.
In high-school Pat was something of a class clown. His hobbies included reading a novel or two a day and giving relationship advice to all his friends despite the fact that he had never so much as kissed a girl. He also role-played and wrote terrible stories about elves. He was pretty much a geek.
Most of Pat's adult life has been spent in the University Wisconsin Stevens Point. In 1991 he started college in order to pursue a career in chemical engineering, then he considered clinical psychology. In 1993 he quit pretending he knew what he wanted to do with his life, changed his major to "undecided," and proceeded to study whatever amused him. He also began writing a book....
For the next seven years Pat studied anthropology, philosophy, eastern religions, history, alchemy, parapsychology, literature, and writing. He studied six different martial arts, practiced improv comedy, learned how to pick locks, and became a skilled lover of women. He also began writing a satirical advice column which he continues to this day: The College Survivial Guide. Through all of this he continued to work on his novel.
In 2000 Pat went to grad school for English literature. Grad school sucked and Pat hated it. However, Pat learned that he loved to teach. He left in 2002 with his masters degree, shaking the dust from his feet and vowing never to return. During this period of time his novel was rejected by roughly every agent in the known universe.
Now Pat teaches half-time at his old school as an assistant-sub-lecturer. He is underpaid but generally left alone to do as he sees fit with his classes. He is advisor for the college feminists, the fencing club, and, oddly enough, a sorority. He still roll-plays occasionally, but now he does it in an extremely sophisticated, debonair way.
Through a series of lucky breaks, he has wound up with the best agent and editor imaginable, and the first book of his trilogy has been published under the title "The Name of the Wind."
Though it has only been out since April 2007, it has already been sold in 26 foreign countries and won several awards.
Pat has been described as "a rough, earthy iconoclast with a pipeline to the divine in everyone's subconscious." But honestly, that person was pretty drunk at the time, so you might want to take it with a grain of salt.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
November 12, 2014
I have to admit, I'm really proud of how this one turned out. The Illustrator, Nate Taylor, really outdid himself....
But you can't trust my opinion. It's my book after all.
So here's a couple people who have no particular reason to lie about it.
Like Bill Willingham:
"Patrick Rothfuss and Nate Taylor seem determined [...] to bring back the lost but lovely tradition of bedtime stories that make children afraid to sleep. After my second outing with the Princess and Mr. Whiffle, I have one more comment to add: More, please."
Paolo Bacigalupi said it, "Damaged my soul."
"There's something wrong with Patrick Rothfuss. I mean that as a compliment." - John Scalzi.
Honestly? These are some of my favorite promo blurbs ever....
June 12, 2018
Creo que esta serie de The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle se ha convertido en una de mis favoritas. Las ilustraciones, la historia, el humor negro, los finales abruptos y macabros... ¡todo es perfecto!
En esta ocasión, nuestra querida y macabra princesa recuerda que tiene un hermano menor al que debe cuidar... muy a su pesar. El pequeño príncipe es un bebé que lo único que sabe es babear, llorar y mojarse todo el tiempo, pero todo va a cambiar cuando desaparezca del castillo y su hermana deba ir a rescatarlo... ¿o no?
De verdad amo cómo estas historias tienen tres finales diferentes y cada uno es más sorprendente y oscuro que el anterior. Ahora, debo admitir que quedé mucho más en shock con los giros del primer libro, pues no sabía qué esperar. Con este estaba un poco más prevenida y no me dejaron mirando la página como atolondrada durante mucho tiempo... aunque el último giro es como WHAT?
Patrick, I love you.
En esta ocasión, nuestra querida y macabra princesa recuerda que tiene un hermano menor al que debe cuidar... muy a su pesar. El pequeño príncipe es un bebé que lo único que sabe es babear, llorar y mojarse todo el tiempo, pero todo va a cambiar cuando desaparezca del castillo y su hermana deba ir a rescatarlo... ¿o no?
De verdad amo cómo estas historias tienen tres finales diferentes y cada uno es más sorprendente y oscuro que el anterior. Ahora, debo admitir que quedé mucho más en shock con los giros del primer libro, pues no sabía qué esperar. Con este estaba un poco más prevenida y no me dejaron mirando la página como atolondrada durante mucho tiempo... aunque el último giro es como WHAT?
Patrick, I love you.
October 26, 2014
Story
I liked this one a lot more than the first. It was less depressing for one. It's still quite twisted in places though, and definitely dark. I thought it was a lot of fun though, and as a picture book, a very quick/easy read.
If you liked the first one, you'll likely enjoy this, and if you were so-so on the first, you should give this one a shot, you may find it an improvement like I did.
It's still a borrow from the library book thing for me though. It's not something I'd read a bunch of times, which is the only real way to get value out of owning it in my opinion.
Artwork
Nate Taylor again does an excellent job with the artwork. There are a few pages without narration that really shine, but more importantly the facial expressions are really excellent. The art fits well with the story too. It has the look of a children's book while really being dark and fiendish.
I liked this one a lot more than the first. It was less depressing for one. It's still quite twisted in places though, and definitely dark. I thought it was a lot of fun though, and as a picture book, a very quick/easy read.
If you liked the first one, you'll likely enjoy this, and if you were so-so on the first, you should give this one a shot, you may find it an improvement like I did.
It's still a borrow from the library book thing for me though. It's not something I'd read a bunch of times, which is the only real way to get value out of owning it in my opinion.
Artwork
Nate Taylor again does an excellent job with the artwork. There are a few pages without narration that really shine, but more importantly the facial expressions are really excellent. The art fits well with the story too. It has the look of a children's book while really being dark and fiendish.
July 29, 2015
I just love the author's wicked picture books that aren't for kids! This adventure was almost as fun as the first. The first was a bigger shock with the surprise ending. This one, I already knew it would be dark, but it was longer and loads of fun. Definitely NOT for young children.
June 29, 2016
Con esto puedo decir que he leido todo lo de Rothfuss, lo cual solo es algo que me produce satisfaccion propia, no gane nada, pero aun asi, lo hice :D
Sobre el libro, lo usare en un futuro y se lo leere a mi bastardo si llego a tener uno, para empezar a corromperle la mente de a poco.
Sobre el libro, lo usare en un futuro y se lo leere a mi bastardo si llego a tener uno, para empezar a corromperle la mente de a poco.
February 15, 2014
Genius is in the details!
August 8, 2020
I enjoyed the extended world building in this sequel. I also enjoyed the illustrations more, which seemed less stiff.
September 16, 2017
Well, I didn't get all the information I was looking for, but I think I got the story I didn't know I wanted.
September 11, 2014
Well, where do I begin? Most reviews of this book state it's longer than the first one, but the twist isn't as good, and you know what? That's pretty spot on. The first book will take you about 5 minutes to read, and has a surprising twist, that makes since if you read it again. This book will take you about 30 minutes to read, and has a very, very, VERY confusing twist, I've read the book twice, and I still don't understand the ending twist. Maybe a third read will do it? Who knows. Probably the best aspect of these books is that they technically have three different endings, depending on where you stop reading. In the first book, the first ending is happy, the second ending is immoral, the final ending is terrifying. In this book, the first ending is immoral, the second ending is even more immoral, and the third ending is happy. Credit where credit is due, this book made me sympathize with the princess, which after the first book is REALLY hard to do, but in the end, if you have a choice between the first book and this one, take the first one.
May 13, 2014
My first thought when I opened this wonderful book, was "Yeah! More craziness from Mr. Rothfuss!" What I really got was another crazy story but it lacked the punch like the first did! I still give it 4 stars because of the illustrations which are spot. Now the Princess has a baby brother to deal with and let's just say it's typical older sister not liking to have share and do things for her little brother. He ends up getting into trouble and she has to step up and be the big sister in order to save him. That's it! There is one surprise, the little brother has his own gift and "shines on" with it. I was wanting so much more from this book!
September 7, 2014
2.49 stars (That's why I can't round up to 3 stars)
O.K. - I have to say I am a little disappointed. The first book was a complete masterpiece, and absolutely brilliant. This one was not poor, but it suffers since the first one was SO good. It makes me kind of wish he stopped at the first book. The twist, and the clues made it brilliant, and I use it to teach kids to make inferences in Grade 7/8. This one entertained me slightly, but just didn't pack the same punch. I wonder what I would say about this if it was written by someone other than Rothfuss whose work I truly admire? Decent book, but if you didn't read the first one, you would probably not "get" it...I hardly did.
O.K. - I have to say I am a little disappointed. The first book was a complete masterpiece, and absolutely brilliant. This one was not poor, but it suffers since the first one was SO good. It makes me kind of wish he stopped at the first book. The twist, and the clues made it brilliant, and I use it to teach kids to make inferences in Grade 7/8. This one entertained me slightly, but just didn't pack the same punch. I wonder what I would say about this if it was written by someone other than Rothfuss whose work I truly admire? Decent book, but if you didn't read the first one, you would probably not "get" it...I hardly did.
October 7, 2016
The adventure continues and I love it.
September 15, 2017
Cute and dark.
September 27, 2016
Exactly what having a younger sibling is like! Ha ha.
Ending one is just so... oh my, as George Takei would say. Those of us with a dark humor streak will want to run right out and read this to the younger sibling. Evil. Grounding! Okay, it'd be a bad idea.
But it's okay, it goes back to where you figured. And then, page 76, ... well, you really should read the first book before reading this second book. Otherwise you'll miss the hilarious moment, or at least not understand it as well as you might have.
Suspense! Heart pounding suspense! By the second ending I was deeply grateful that the book still had more pages. Talk about a cliffhanger.
I LOVED the next part. If I wasn't already shipping this author, I assure you, I'd have signed up for the fandom right then and there.
The final pages give a serious case of the "awws."
A fantastic book. Difficult to get a copy, but completely worth the effort.
Ending one is just so... oh my, as George Takei would say. Those of us with a dark humor streak will want to run right out and read this to the younger sibling. Evil. Grounding! Okay, it'd be a bad idea.
But it's okay, it goes back to where you figured. And then, page 76, ... well, you really should read the first book before reading this second book. Otherwise you'll miss the hilarious moment, or at least not understand it as well as you might have.
Suspense! Heart pounding suspense! By the second ending I was deeply grateful that the book still had more pages. Talk about a cliffhanger.
I LOVED the next part. If I wasn't already shipping this author, I assure you, I'd have signed up for the fandom right then and there.
The final pages give a serious case of the "awws."
A fantastic book. Difficult to get a copy, but completely worth the effort.
November 27, 2013
A story of three parts.
The Princess and Mr. Whiffle find adventure once again! Anything can happen as the princess fights between her freedom to go on adventures with Mr. Whiffle uninhibited or rescuing her new prince brother from the mess he's fallen into. In the deep dark.
Her deepest fear tests her once again, but for her annoying younger brother, the princess just might face anything.
This shit's not for kids. Seriously.
The Princess and Mr. Whiffle find adventure once again! Anything can happen as the princess fights between her freedom to go on adventures with Mr. Whiffle uninhibited or rescuing her new prince brother from the mess he's fallen into. In the deep dark.
Her deepest fear tests her once again, but for her annoying younger brother, the princess just might face anything.
This shit's not for kids. Seriously.
November 19, 2016
A much more involved story than the Princess' first adventure. And with 33% more characters! Yet somehow not quite as satisfying. Still a good read, however.
August 21, 2025
Este es el segundo y último libro de las aventuras de La Princesa y su osito Mr. Whiffle, y al igual que el libro anterior, mantiene la peculiaridad de tener 3 diferentes finales. La primera parte que lleva al primer final, es bien corta, y mantiene un tono similar al primer libro, pero conoceremos un nuevo personaje. La trama que lleva al segundo final es algo extensa, y bastante tensa y tétrica, y es mi parte favorita del libro. Ya el final del libro si es bastante diferente al del libro anterior, y es un buen final para estas aventuras.
Definitivamente que gran escritor es Patrick Rorthfuss, al crear estas historias con una trama macabra y finales inesperados. Disfrute mucho ambos libros, pero este me gustó mucho mas que el primero.
Las ilustraciones al igual que las del libro anterior, son geniales, sobre todo en la segunda parte del libro. Un gran trabajo del ilustrador Nate Taylor.
También este libro lo encontré en eBay a buen precio, lo cual fue un gran hallazgo, porque este libro es muy escaso, mucho mas que el primero, y las otras copias que encontré están bastante caras.
Definitivamente que gran escritor es Patrick Rorthfuss, al crear estas historias con una trama macabra y finales inesperados. Disfrute mucho ambos libros, pero este me gustó mucho mas que el primero.
Las ilustraciones al igual que las del libro anterior, son geniales, sobre todo en la segunda parte del libro. Un gran trabajo del ilustrador Nate Taylor.
También este libro lo encontré en eBay a buen precio, lo cual fue un gran hallazgo, porque este libro es muy escaso, mucho mas que el primero, y las otras copias que encontré están bastante caras.
May 14, 2025
Es una secuela significativamente mejor en bastantes cosas que la primera entrega, especialmente la trama.
El concepto sigue siendo original ya que el primer libro era bastante cortito, mientras que este es casi el triple.
En general, está bien, es interesante y tiene su punto, pero poco más.
Y con este libro termino de leer todas las obras (relevantes en mi opinión) de Patrick Rothfuss.
Definitivamente nada se acerca al nombre del viento y el temor de un hombre sabio, pero los libros a modo de spin-off son interesantes, especialmente el estrecho sendero entre deseos.
También es interesante ver qué tiene un par de obras como esta, que aunque diametralmente diferentes a sus novelas fantásticas, se mantienen originales.
El concepto sigue siendo original ya que el primer libro era bastante cortito, mientras que este es casi el triple.
En general, está bien, es interesante y tiene su punto, pero poco más.
Y con este libro termino de leer todas las obras (relevantes en mi opinión) de Patrick Rothfuss.
Definitivamente nada se acerca al nombre del viento y el temor de un hombre sabio, pero los libros a modo de spin-off son interesantes, especialmente el estrecho sendero entre deseos.
También es interesante ver qué tiene un par de obras como esta, que aunque diametralmente diferentes a sus novelas fantásticas, se mantienen originales.
May 8, 2017
This is so cute. I love it. It really tells a fantastic story full of magic and adventure and a little touch of creepiness. I love the morals behind it, that you never really know how much you love your sibling until they are gone, then you realize you would do anything to get them back, like conquering your fears or creating a light in the dark to scare away the monsters. I love the parallelism that Rothfuss creates within this story, between the point of view of the princess and her little brother Gubby. It is just so cute and heartwarming.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 20, 2020
I love this book! I again bought this from the illustrator, Nate Taylor, at the Rose City comicon in Portland, Or (although sadly, i picked up the wrong book ... a blank one, not the one signed by Mr Taylor). Again there are 3 endings although IMO it's really just one ending with two places to pause your reading. I LOVED IT.
Very old school fairy tale and refreshing story of overcoming fears and the love of family. Anything more said will delve too much in the plot. I highly recommend everyone read it.
Very old school fairy tale and refreshing story of overcoming fears and the love of family. Anything more said will delve too much in the plot. I highly recommend everyone read it.
December 22, 2017
I love the second installment of the princess and Mr. Whiffle. I treated myself to an autographed copy from Worldbuilders.org for an early Christmas gift and I’m so happy that I did. I loved that it was longer than the first. It expands on the princess’s family too. The illustrations are wonderful! I do hope that there will be a third book. They are so much fun and frankly, the princess is a badass too.
October 12, 2017
I actually think this one was a big improvement on the first Princess and Mr. Whiffle book. I loved the glimpses of the parents and the whole Goblin scenario. The Mr-Whiffle-as-Scout gag actually made me laugh. It took the interesting mood of the first book and glossed it over a more substantial plot. Highly recommend for creepy children or adults who like picture books.
October 17, 2017
Mr Whiffle is my favorite bear and I want a Mr Whiffle!!
I think I could read about their adventures everyday for the rest of my life and never get bored of this. It's such a nice story even though THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR CHILDREN!!!
I think I could read about their adventures everyday for the rest of my life and never get bored of this. It's such a nice story even though THIS IS NOT A BOOK FOR CHILDREN!!!
April 26, 2019
I love Pat Rothfuss' "not for children" children's books. It's dark, it's fun, it's lovely, it's hilarious. The illustrations are great, full of small details that will make you go back and reread it from the beginning.
July 31, 2019
The Princess has a little brother that's she's not too fond of. She does follow him into the deep, down dark to rescue him from the goblins. She's able to kill all the goblins, no problem, but is afraid of the dark. Luckily, her little brother will solve that problem for her.
November 8, 2019
This was leaps and bounds better than the first. It was much longer and more in-depth. The endings were very reasonable stopping points for a normal story, but it was cool to see it all the way through Having two living characters really expanded the capabilities.
November 4, 2024
The way this started made me think that it was meant for kids since the main character is a little girl. Then the further I read the more I realized that nope not for kids. The characters are adorable, yet resourceful. Both grow as the story goes on. An amazing, quick read.
January 9, 2018
I love dark children's bedtime stories, I hope that there will be a third "The adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle" book!
October 9, 2017
Another installment of not so childlike children's stories not at all meant for children by Mr. Rothfuss. Adorabley diabolical.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews