Book Review – Season of Storms

10 Mar 2023 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Season of Storms by Andrzej Sapkowski is the most recently published book in The Witcher Saga, but is not the end chronologically. This could almost be read as a stand-alone novel and is set sometime after the initial relationships in the series have been formed, but before Geralt takes up his quest to protect Ciri. I listed to this as an audiobook, narrated by Peter Kenny.

Here are my reviews for the other books in the series:

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Here is the blurb:

Geralt of Rivia. A witcher whose mission is to protect ordinary people from the monsters created with magic. A mutant who has the task of killing unnatural beings. He uses a magical sign, potions and the pride of every witcher — two swords, steel and silver. But what would happen if Geralt lost his weapons?

In this standalone novel, Geralt fights, travels and loves again, Dandelion sings and flies from trouble to trouble, sorcerers are scheming … and across the whole world clouds are gathering – the season of storms is coming…

This last Witcher novel was a lot of fun to read and felt like a side quest. Geralt’s two special swords are stolen and he suffers a series of unfortunate events as he attempts to find them. While this is a conceptually simple plot, other complications arise, both from the local politics, the attentions of a sorceress, and a mad wizard who lives by the credo that the ends justify the means.

One of the best parts of Sapkowski’s writing is how he comments on the genre while clearly being a fan of it and all that it entails. In this novel he jokes around with the trope of the magical or otherwise special sword, with Geralt refusing to ever truthfully answer what powers his swords have beyond functioning as well-made blades.

Those readers not familiar with this series could likely read this book with no prior knowledge of the story. But anyone who has read the main series will get more out of this one with multiple references to minor characters throughout the text. I suspect that at least one part of the ending won’t make sense unless you know how Geralt and Ciri’s story ends in The Lady of the Lake (although it doesn’t give anything away about that ending).

Overall, if you have read the rest of the books, Season of Storms is one not to miss. It mixes the best parts of Sapkowski’s craft while putting Geralt into ever-worsening situations with Dandelion, and taking new twists as he struggles to survive magic and monsters.

Have you read any of The Witcher Saga? What did you think? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – The Tower of Swallows

17 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

This review is for the 6th book (publication order) in The Witcher Saga by Andrzej Sapkowski and I have seen it titled both The Tower of Swallows and The Tower of the Swallow. I listened to this as an audiobook narrated by Peter Kenny.

You can find my reviews of the earlier books in this series here:

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Here is the blurb:

The world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life.

But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies including Dandelion, Milva, Regis, and Cahir, to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down. Her crimes have made her famous.

There is only one place left to run. The tower of the swallow is waiting. . .

As the author has done in other parts of this series, the scenes are not told in chronological order for much of this book. Ciri relates her story to a hermit as he cares for her during recovery from a horrific injury. She eventually opens up to him and relates the events that led her to him. Despite all the trauma Ciri has withstood, it felt like she was actually safe for the first time.

As I read this book, I began to realize that I had no idea where this story was going and how it might end. Everything about this book hints at a tragic end. Ciri’s story continues to become darker, while Geralt and his companions stick with him through increasingly dire situations.

One small issue that I’ve had with this series is that Ciri is often a victim of circumstance and runs from her power and her problems. Finally, she begins to take charge of her own situation in this book, which was a welcome change to her character.

The author also continues to use the fantasy genre to comment on itself, and the time spent in the land of Toussaint was a dive into a land of over-the-top chivalry used to excuse and mask human nature. The way that the author writes about the fantasy genre is a large part of why I don’t have a good feel for how this will end. Much of the focus in the series has been on destiny and prophecy, with Geralt obstinately refusing to believe in either. Will the finale lead to the fulfilment of prophecy or characters that somehow defy their destinies? At this point, I didn’t know, and that is why I had to read on.

How many books in this series have you read? Do you think the show will try to adapt these later books accurately? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

Book Review – Baptism of Fire

08 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

by Clare in Books, Reviews Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Next up for review is Baptism of Fire, the 5th book (publication order) in The Witcher Saga by Andrzej Sapkowski. I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Peter Kenny.

You can find my reviews for the other books in this series here:

Paid links help to support this blog.

Here is the blurb:

The Wizards Guild has been shattered by a coup and, in the uproar, Geralt was seriously injured. The Witcher is supposed to be a guardian of the innocent, a protector of those in need, a defender against powerful and dangerous monsters that prey on men in dark times.

But now that dark times have fallen upon the world, Geralt is helpless until he has recovered from his injuries.

While war rages across all of the lands, the future of magic is under threat and those sorcerers who survive are determined to protect it. It’s an impossible situation in which to find one girl – Ciri, the heiress to the throne of Cintra, has vanished – until a rumor places her in the Nilfgaard court, preparing to marry the Emperor.

Injured or not, Geralt has a rescue mission on his hands.

Geralt begins this book recovering from his injuries, yet he is desperate to discover the fate of Ciri and Yennefer after the events at the conclusion of the previous volume. Finally he sets out from his refuge and follows rumor in an attempt to track down Ciri in Nilfgaard.

This book isn’t about reaching Ciri, but rather about the relationships that form on the journey, and how a war that spreads over a continent affects the everyday people trying to live there. Geralt slowly changes as a character and even though he is a Witcher, he is propelled more by his drive to see Ciri safe than his former mercenary lifestyle of monster-slaying.

Several characters are introduced in this book who will feature through the end of the series: Milva the archer, Cahir the outcast Nilfgaardian knight, and Regis – an aloof hermit with valuable medical skills. Geralt has always tried to handle danger alone, but through this story we can see how he starts to accept help from others, a theme that continues through the finale of the books.

Ciri and Yennefer take more minor roles in this book, so it came as a surprise that Sapkowski brings in issues of reproductive rights and pregnancy loss in this story. This topic becomes relevant in later books in a more indirect sense, so I can see why he has a direct conversation between the characters in this one.

Despite being an epic fantasy tale, this series uses stories to also make fun of fantasy in a very self-aware sense. Is Geralt of Rivia from Rivia? This book will finally explain his title.

While most of this book moves slowly in terms of plot, the characters are the high point here. Yet, action lovers can be satisfied with a fantastic scene near the end of the book in The Battle for the Bridge. I enjoyed this book and thought it was a solid installment in the series as it continues to add complexity and higher stakes.

Have you read any books in The Witcher Saga? What did you think? Let me know in the comments (above).

Find more of my reviews here.

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