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A review by sauvageloup
Baptism of Fire by Andrzej Sapkowski
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
this was excellent, easily my favourite Witcher book so far
pros:
- this was very gripping and the majority i read all on the 10th.
- the story, though complicated, was not as baffling as some of the other books, and I mostly got to grips with all the characters.
- I got more emotionally involved in this one, caring deeply for Milva, Regis, Cahir and all the others. It was good to have some other main characters introduced who were interesting, complex and likable people. It was also neat to meet Regis who'd I'd seen in fanfic.
- it had some relevant parts about humans making money off others' suffering, particularly when Zoltan says:
'Every sentient creature on this earth, when it falls into want, poverty and misfortune, usually cleaves to his own. Because it's easier to survive the bad times in a group, helping one another. But you, humans, you just wait for a chance to make money from other people's mishaps. When there's hunger you don't share out your food, you just devour the weakest ones.'
- overall, there was much less misogyny than in the very early books and I do appreciate how Sapkowski doesn't shy from talk of menstruation and abortion, making a point of saying it's the pregnant person's choice.
- I liked that Ciri became more complex, not just an angel but someone with an ability for great cruelty and yet still deserving of love. I'm interested to see how this'll turn out.
- I mostly remembered the events of the last book, so it was interesting to link to what happened at the overthrow of the sorcerers, with Ciri, the squirrels and whatnot.
- I do like Geralt's character, as someone who gives out mercy and won't leave people behind.
cons:
- it was still confusing, with too many characters and a lot of politics. Unlike in the program and the earlier books, Geralt does extremely little killing of actual monsters.
- Dandelion still makes gross talk about Milva (though Geralt does shut him up), and there's a great deal of rape.
- It really does flick around a lot, and the pacing is strange (but i didn't mind too much)
overall, very enjoyable read and definitely want to read the next one!
pros:
- this was very gripping and the majority i read all on the 10th.
- the story, though complicated, was not as baffling as some of the other books, and I mostly got to grips with all the characters.
- I got more emotionally involved in this one, caring deeply for Milva, Regis, Cahir and all the others. It was good to have some other main characters introduced who were interesting, complex and likable people. It was also neat to meet Regis who'd I'd seen in fanfic.
- it had some relevant parts about humans making money off others' suffering, particularly when Zoltan says:
'Every sentient creature on this earth, when it falls into want, poverty and misfortune, usually cleaves to his own. Because it's easier to survive the bad times in a group, helping one another. But you, humans, you just wait for a chance to make money from other people's mishaps. When there's hunger you don't share out your food, you just devour the weakest ones.'
- overall, there was much less misogyny than in the very early books and I do appreciate how Sapkowski doesn't shy from talk of menstruation and abortion, making a point of saying it's the pregnant person's choice.
- I liked that Ciri became more complex, not just an angel but someone with an ability for great cruelty and yet still deserving of love. I'm interested to see how this'll turn out.
- I mostly remembered the events of the last book, so it was interesting to link to what happened at the overthrow of the sorcerers, with Ciri, the squirrels and whatnot.
- I do like Geralt's character, as someone who gives out mercy and won't leave people behind.
cons:
- it was still confusing, with too many characters and a lot of politics. Unlike in the program and the earlier books, Geralt does extremely little killing of actual monsters.
- Dandelion still makes gross talk about Milva (though Geralt does shut him up), and there's a great deal of rape.
- It really does flick around a lot, and the pacing is strange (but i didn't mind too much)
overall, very enjoyable read and definitely want to read the next one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Rape, Violence, and Sexual violence