Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Kohtalon miekka

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Kohtalon miekka by Andrzej Sapkowski

33 reviews

literatureleaf's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Age: 14+

Reading time: 15 days

Difficulty level: 2.5/5

Rating: 2/5

Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski is simultaneously the first and second novel in The Witcher series. Published a year prior to The Last Wish, it serves as both the first book in a famous saga, and the continuation of the beloved character of Geralt of Rivia. Each chapter is its own separate, contained story, containing small glimmers of a larger tale that, as the reader falls more and more in love with Geralt and his companions with each turn of the page, simply begs to be told.

In classic Sapkowski fashion, Sword of Destiny proves to be an entertaining loose continuation to The Last Wish. Told in the same short story format, there is no major overarching plot, but rather bite-sized glimpses into the daily happenings of Geralt of Rivia that delight and charm the reader.

A fun read through and through, Sword of Destiny not only serves to entertain, but to promote deeper thinking and discourse. Told through the unique and inventive lens of reimagined fairy tales, themes of good and evil, the natural order of the world and who has a right to disrupt it, corruption, political order, and the circle of life can be found hiding amongst the gritty and glamorous monsters and fantasy worlds of the stories.

Sword of Destiny may be considered the second novel in The Witcher series, but it is Sapkowski’s first book, and throughout the reading process, it becomes evident that he had not quite found his footing as an author yet. The writing is clunky and at times limited, particularly in the first half of the book, and the flow of the stories feels choppy and forced.

Many of the same flaws that can be found in The Last Wish are even more pervasive in Sword of Destiny. Stilted, emotionless dialogue continues to be an issue, and repetition, both in conversation between characters and as a general literary device, is overused and contributes to the stale feeling that permeates the pages of the novel.

Sadly, the characterizations have a more cookie-cutter feel that is not as present in his other works. At times the characters, particularly Geralt and Yennefer, act in ways that are contrary to how they have been set up by Sapkowski to behave, and they seem to waffle back and forth between extremes when it comes to their decision making.

For instance, often a character will state whether they will or will not do something or explain how they are feeling about a certain action, then act in a completely contrarian way to what they have just said, with no further explanation for why they have made the decision. This leads to a jarring reading experience that results in feeling a central disconnect from the main characters.

Despite its flaws, Sword of Destiny is considered by many fantasy fans to be a must-read in the genre. Featuring beloved characters and plotlines that have been adapted for video games and television, the antics and adventures of the Witcher shine in the novels in a way that is unique to written media. Enmeshing adventure and fantasy with a grander understanding of the inner workings of humanity and love, Sword of Destiny captures what many fantasy readers love in a novel.

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pvbobrien's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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readbyella_'s review against another edition

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adventurous tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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taraltofrivia's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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kevin_the_intern's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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puzzle_ad's review against another edition

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2.5

I liked this less than the first one. Here are some random notes that were taken while listening to it:

• It's the casual sexual assault sprinkled in there for funsies for me.
• The story about Geralt and Istredd's dick measuring contest is absolutely ridiculous and I am so happy they cut that shit out in the show.
• The mermaid singing was fucking awful to listen to in the audiobook specifically my god.
• I don't buy Yennefer and Geralts epic love story I'm sorry. This goes for the show too tbh.
• When does Ciri come in on all of this?
•

It seems we said not today to the god of death

So those were overall my thoughts. Much the same as for the previous book, though this one feels much more disjointed and seems to have more random stories, which were cut from the show, understandably so. I just hate how often women are assaulted in fantasy and this series specifically I'm sorry. Did those people really need to stip Yennefer and grope at her, I really don't think so. Also seeing everything from only Geralt's POV is really hindering any character development on anyone and it definitely makes it harder to buy his epic love story with Yennefer. I am writing this review after having read Blood of Elves as well, and it definitely is much better.

I will continue on though. I am somewhat interested in how this story will play out.

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beebeewin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had a hard time with the beginning of this novel but by the end I was on the edge of my seat wanting to read as much as I could. I really appreciate how deeply Sapkowski builds these worlds, while also making it feel eerily familiar. I am so excited to keep reading more and get deeper and deeper into the lore.

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zulixe's review against another edition

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Just way to much sexisim and objectification of women. This is so horrible
The stories are fine, but I just could not get over how every male character sees every woman only as a fuckable thing. No just no

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anni_swanilda's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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tilo's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Spannende Fantasy mit kreativen Geschichten und einer glaubwürdigen sowie etablierten Welt - das war nach dem ersten Buch zu erwarten. Besonders die letzten Geschichten im Buch waren auf schöne Weise emotional und ich freue mich sehr auf den ersten Teil der Hauptreihe.
Abzug in der Bewertung gibt es für die erste Geschichte, die ich absolut nicht ausstehen konnte und mehrmals überlegt hatte zu überspringen, bis ich nach einer längeren Lesepause mich mühevoll durch den Rest durchgekämpft habe. Anders als im ersten Buch und in den Geschichten dieses Buches wurden die weiblichen Charaktere in der erste Geschichte (Serrikanerinnen) unglaublich sexistisch durch den Erzähler beschrieben und nicht nur durch die Charaktere. Am schlimmsten war jedoch die durch den Erzähler nahezu verheerlichte Vergewaltigung von

Yennefer

, die an keiner stelle auch nur annähernd problematisiert wurde. Eine leichte Aufwertung des Abzug gab es für die überraschend klare Positionierung von

Geralt und Calanthe

zu dem "heiligen und unanfechtbaren" Recht einer Frau, entscheiden zu können, ob sie ein Neugeborenes weggeben möchte, was aus feministischer Sicht sehr gut thematisiert wurde, denn hier wurde auf den Frust des Kindes eingegangen, ohne das Verständnis auszulassen, das man einer Frau in einer solchen Situation gegenüberbringen sollte.

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