Baptism of Fire (The Witcher)

I've enjoyed all the books in the Witcher series & saga enormously, and this one was no exception.. I've found them all to be exquisite in their combination of fantasy and satire, story tales of old and parody, and don't understand the negative reviews this book has received.

The charm of the world Sapkowski has created for Gerlat of Rivia and co., that makes it so different (and so much richer and more entertaining, from my point of view) from the Lord of the Rings, for instance, is the moral ambiguity, the shades of grey, the lack of clear, over-simplified, unambiguous themes (good vs. evil, for instance). The Witcher's world is much more nuanced, complex, and often confusing - much more "realistic", in a sense, if such a term can actually be used when speaking of fantasy. The "good guys" aren't always all that good, nor are there motives necessarily dignified, transparent or known to the readers or the characters themselves. Rulers' and players' moves and alliances are often the result of strategic geo-political decisions; characters' intentions are often veiled, serving individual ambitions, personal agendas or deceitful plots. Random events change the course of the story, characters doubt, fear, adapt, change, learn, mature...

And then...there's the SATIRE. The mocking of all the real-world or fantasy-world stereotypes and clichés, which personally, I just can't get enough of. Perhaps this one IS a bit more slow-paced than some of the previous books in the saga, but definitely not less interesting. If you're reading these books just for the monster-slaying, the parries, pirouettes and humming of Geralt's blade, you're missing out on the best part of these books.

If you're read the first books of this saga and are wondering whether to buy this one or not, just judge what you're into the saga for, and how much you value fast-paced action, as opposed to well-constructed atmospheres, great, witty dialogues and tons and tons of irony.

***SPOILER ALERT***

From the elves' far from idyllic nature and ultimate cooperation with Nilfgaard to the Regis' refusal to cave into his vampiric addiction to blood or the Sorcerers' elitist group and centennial conspiracy to get one of their own on the throne , I found this book to be as funny and stimulating as any of the others. I also enjoyed Geralt's internal struggle, the sociological and psychological hints about cooperation and teamwork, as opposed to individualism, or the crudity and cruelty with which war is portrayed - far from the glorious battles in LOTR.

Really hoping Gollancz/Orion house will choose to translate the next book in the saga, hopefully SOON. Not sure whether I could wait, I checked out the Spanish edition (all 7 books of the saga are already in Spanish), but they're nowhere near the kind of rich language David French has endowed his English translation with. I don't speak Polish and haven't read the original, but you can tell he's put a lot of hard work into his translation, and has done a fantastic job!

Another chapter in the saga of Geralt of Rivia, this volume details the aftermath of the battle at Garstang and Nilfgaard's ongoing incursion into the northern kingdoms. The book is well-written, as all of the ones in the series have been to date; Sapkowski actually employs a number of narrative devices such that many chapters are presented either as flashbacks or as stories told by itinerant wanderers.

This is, in my opinion, one of best installments of the Witcher series. The dynamic of the little group formed to rescue Ciri is wonderful.

My only complaint is that this group of diverse, widely fascinating characters makes it a tad difficult to get through the chapters that don't involve them, which aren't quite as interesting (although still a good read). I could have easily read another 100 pages about the altruistic Zoltan and his group of dwarves, a gnome, and his profane parrot. And then yet another 100 getting to know Cahir, Milva, and of course, Regis (who may very well be the best character of the Witcher universe, and perhaps one of the most original takes on a vampire).

Like all of the Witcher books, this is a joy to read.

Highly recommend.

Excellent exciting reading. The book moves along quickly without leaving the reader behind. What more could a reader ask for? The Witcher plus more new and exciting characters to add to the mix. Hard for me to put the book down, no dull parts to complain about.

wonderful - Sapkowski is a delight to read. All of his other Witcher books have been great fun, and this one does not disappoint, There is evolution of an already complicated set of characters. I just wish he had an english translator for the rest of the books...

Excellent exciting reading. The book moves along quickly without leaving the reader behind. What more could a reader ask for? The Witcher plus more new and exciting characters to add to the mix. Hard for me to put the book down, no dull parts to complain about.

wonderful - Sapkowski is a delight to read. All of his other Witcher books have been great fun, and this one does not disappoint, There is evolution of an already complicated set of characters. I just wish he had an english translator for the rest of the books...

My favourite volume of the saga, finally in English! It's where the witcher meets his merry company and we begin to grasp the full meaning of the events on Thanedd. Can't wait for the last two books to get translated, and I hope the second volume of the short stories, The sword of destiny, will be one day too, without it the whole story makes less sense.

I was expecting an epic conclusion to the events which occurred in "A Time of Contempt". What I got was a disappointing attempt to fill in some plot. The action was few and far between, it was like playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons and role-playing the journey from point A to point B and never reaching your destination.

Excellent book plot-wise and character-wise, but the person who has been translating the past couple (David French) has done a horrendous job to the point of it being immersion-breaking at times. The translator of the first few, Danusia Stok, needs to make a return.

Some great action, great writing and story telling. Milva is an awesome character and Geralt is great again as well. This book just really doesn't advance the story all that much. It's still very entertaining but it's probably the weakest installment in this series as far as the overall arc.

Sapkowski's writing style is sometimes hard to follow because he ends the narrative unexpectedly and refers back to other things that have happened in the story but were not explicitly told to the reader. Very tarantino.

I like the book but sometimes the author goes into long dialogues with Kings or such which I guess is for story development but rather boring. I glance read those sections. Aside from that I liked it a lot.

IMPORTANT - This is the fourth in a series of books; you need to read the others first to get a clear picture of what's going on. There is some catch-up, but it's assumed you know the story thus far.
You may consider me biased in my five star rating, but I will proudly admit that I'm very enamored with the world of the Witcher and his companions. I was introduced to Geralt via the Witcher video games. Because of so many allusions in the games to the events of these novels, I've made it a point to get them and read them as they become available in English. They have not disappointed. Even though I know where these stories ultimately lead, I've loved the journey and still find ways to be surprised by the plot twists and oftentimes jarring turns of event.
The writing can be challenging at times, possibly because the sentence structure is different in Polish, but it doesn't cause me any real problems. I suspect that a lot of effort goes into the translation because I often forget that these books were not originally written in English. Great attention is made to creating a detailed world, from the eco-system of the particular setting, to every thrust and parry of a sword fight, all the way to the politics and military strategies of the various countries. I will make the same comparison everyone else makes...I'm often reminded of a modern day Tolkien when reading these novels.
This book continues to tell the story of Geralt attempting to reunite with his loved ones. He meets many unusual companions along the way and fans of the video games will be happy to meet a few familiar faces. It's somewhat confirming of just how much care went into preserving the "correct" personalities throughout the video games. I thought about four stars because this story almost places Geralt into the background and puts others in the forefront, but I think that's expected when you have so many important and even pivotal moments, though perpetrated by others, directly effecting Geralt and his quest. If you already love the Witcher, you don't need my recommendation. But if you were on the fence about jumping into these novels...DO IT.