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chris_chester 's review for:
The Tower of the Swallow
by Andrzej Sapkowski
I was going to say this is the Witcher book I like most since [b:The Last Wish|40603587|The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5)|Andrzej Sapkowski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529591917l/40603587._SX50_.jpg|2293675], but I was surprised to find I only gave it three stars way back when.
The success of this one I think comes from well established characters finally achieving some perceptible personal growth -- which can be challenging I think when the whole shtick at the beginning was that no character was totally good and even your best characters deals in areas of moral ambiguity.
There is a lot of meta-narrative to plumb through, but Sapkowksi does a good job of using individual chapters to build up to a larger picture. I really loved the cadence of the chapters with Ciri in the swamp for example. It had a very storybook feel to it but allowed Sapkowski to jump around in time and space to get to his story from all angles.
Unlike previous narrative-focused books, I actually felt like I knew what was happening, which is a pleasant difference in a translated work.
There is, candidly, a good deal less Witcher and generally witching than I would normally have preferred, but at a certain point the series has become about more than that.
Looking forward to the next and last addition to the series!
The success of this one I think comes from well established characters finally achieving some perceptible personal growth -- which can be challenging I think when the whole shtick at the beginning was that no character was totally good and even your best characters deals in areas of moral ambiguity.
There is a lot of meta-narrative to plumb through, but Sapkowksi does a good job of using individual chapters to build up to a larger picture. I really loved the cadence of the chapters with Ciri in the swamp for example. It had a very storybook feel to it but allowed Sapkowski to jump around in time and space to get to his story from all angles.
Unlike previous narrative-focused books, I actually felt like I knew what was happening, which is a pleasant difference in a translated work.
There is, candidly, a good deal less Witcher and generally witching than I would normally have preferred, but at a certain point the series has become about more than that.
Looking forward to the next and last addition to the series!