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baileyvanclieaf 's review for:
Warriors of God
by Andrzej Sapkowski
This series is very different from the Witcher books so if you're going into this looking for more of the same thing, you're going to be disappointed. That being said, I do also really like the Hussite trilogy so far. It's very different from anything else I've read in recent memory and despite the fact that he's a bit of an idiot, I love Reynevan as a narrator.
There's quite a bit of a tone shift between the first and the second book. If I'm being honest with myself, it comes off as a bit jarring as the story moves from being very character driven to very plot driven right from the get to. I'm not sure if that's a result of the translation or if it's also present in the original Polish version. The very whimsical beats of the first book morph into an incredibly expansive cast who are deeply entrenched in a complex war campaign revolving around the prevalent religious ideologies of the time. There is no hand holding in this book so be prepared to put in the leg work. I'd highly recommend keeping a running list of personages and a vague timeline because characters and events that are mentioned in passing can come back hundreds of pages later to play a much larger role. Also, there are about seven characters named Jan. Sapkowski is not afraid to have characters who share names. Which is realistic, but it does make it a bit more challenging to keep track of things.
My one complaint with this book probably has to be with our lovely Reynevan. In the first book he's a very headstrong young man with extravagant ideas about the world and how it should be. In the second book, he really dives headfirst into joining the Hussites and adopting their religious beliefs as his own. As he's incredibly selfish in the first book (a point that drives forward the plot for the majority of the story), it's a bit strange to see him declaring in the second book that he's willing to do whatever needs be done to win the war - including sacrificing himself. I really would have liked to see more time spent exploring this shift. Instead it's just explained away as Reynevan growing up in the three years between when the first book ends and the second begins.
Warriors of God is one of those books where your experience of it will be determined by how much time and effort you're willing to put into it. Sapkowski is a master of foreshadowing so the more attention you give to the narrative, the higher the reward. These are my favorite types of stories, so I really had a bit of fun with this one.
The real star of this book for me was Samson Honeypot. Originally a simpleton living at a monastery, he is possessed by a demon due an accidental summoning that Reynevan and Sharley perform in the first book. Despite his evil origins he's a gentle soul. A philosopher, an avid lover of literature, and an incredibly eloquent speaker. There is a running bit through the books where he pretends to be an idiot to get information, and then in the eleventh hour reveals his true self - much to the shock of anyone who doesn't know him.
There are a lot of loose ends left at the end of this book, so I'm excited to see how they get tied up in the third and last book of the series.
There's quite a bit of a tone shift between the first and the second book. If I'm being honest with myself, it comes off as a bit jarring as the story moves from being very character driven to very plot driven right from the get to. I'm not sure if that's a result of the translation or if it's also present in the original Polish version. The very whimsical beats of the first book morph into an incredibly expansive cast who are deeply entrenched in a complex war campaign revolving around the prevalent religious ideologies of the time. There is no hand holding in this book so be prepared to put in the leg work. I'd highly recommend keeping a running list of personages and a vague timeline because characters and events that are mentioned in passing can come back hundreds of pages later to play a much larger role. Also, there are about seven characters named Jan. Sapkowski is not afraid to have characters who share names. Which is realistic, but it does make it a bit more challenging to keep track of things.
My one complaint with this book probably has to be with our lovely Reynevan. In the first book he's a very headstrong young man with extravagant ideas about the world and how it should be. In the second book, he really dives headfirst into joining the Hussites and adopting their religious beliefs as his own. As he's incredibly selfish in the first book (a point that drives forward the plot for the majority of the story), it's a bit strange to see him declaring in the second book that he's willing to do whatever needs be done to win the war - including sacrificing himself. I really would have liked to see more time spent exploring this shift. Instead it's just explained away as Reynevan growing up in the three years between when the first book ends and the second begins.
Warriors of God is one of those books where your experience of it will be determined by how much time and effort you're willing to put into it. Sapkowski is a master of foreshadowing so the more attention you give to the narrative, the higher the reward. These are my favorite types of stories, so I really had a bit of fun with this one.
The real star of this book for me was Samson Honeypot. Originally a simpleton living at a monastery, he is possessed by a demon due an accidental summoning that Reynevan and Sharley perform in the first book. Despite his evil origins he's a gentle soul. A philosopher, an avid lover of literature, and an incredibly eloquent speaker. There is a running bit through the books where he pretends to be an idiot to get information, and then in the eleventh hour reveals his true self - much to the shock of anyone who doesn't know him.
There are a lot of loose ends left at the end of this book, so I'm excited to see how they get tied up in the third and last book of the series.