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The Time of Contempt

(The Witcher #2)

Andrzej Sapkowski,

David French (Translator)

4.17 · Rating details · 107,002 ratings · 4,929 reviews

The New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher
Geralt is a witcher: guardian of the innocent; protector of those in need; a defender, in dark times, against some of the most frightening creatures of myth and legend. His task, now, is to protect Ciri. A child of prophecy, she will have the power to change the wor ...more

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Paperback, 331 pages

Published August 27th 2013 by Orbit (first published 1995)

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Jan 26, 2018 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, machalo-tbr-cleaning-challenge-2018, set-sail-for-disappointment, horrendous-translations-r-us, aw-hell-no, feminism-just-committed-suicide, awakens-the-homicidal-maniac-in-me, someone-please-pass-the-booze, lickable-covers, blah-blah-blah-heaven

Actual rating: 1.5 stars. I may or may not be a teensy little bit pissed off right now. Perhaps.

① The ranting is strong in this one. Consider your little selves warned.
② Yes, I know, I read this book wrong.
③ You're welcome.

I wasn't going to write this review today but there's a slight chance my exoskeleton is going to implode if I don't get this out of my system now, so here goes.

This series started out with one of my mostest favoritest awesomest amazingest Fantasy book ever, aka The Last Wish. ...more

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Nov 18, 2018 James Tivendale rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

"I mistook stars reflected in a pond at night for those in the sky."

The narrative commences at what seems like a time of contempt indeed. The Kings aren't conversing with the Mages as they have previously, the Nilfgaardian army is still planning for war, and the Scoia'tael (Squirrels) are attacking humans in forests and villages. Many parties are all still looking for the elusive Lion Cub, the child of Destiny, Cirilla.

After an interesting and quite tragic point of view chapter following a Kin "I mistook stars reflected in a pond at night for those in the sky."

The narrative commences at what seems like a time of contempt indeed. The Kings aren't conversing with the Mages as they have previously, the Nilfgaardian army is still planning for war, and the Scoia'tael (Squirrels) are attacking humans in forests and villages. Many parties are all still looking for the elusive Lion Cub, the child of Destiny, Cirilla.

After an interesting and quite tragic point of view chapter following a King's messenger called Aplegatt, where the worrying and uneasy times that the world is currently facing are expressed, we are introduced back to Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer. Geralt is doing typical Witcher work and trying to find out more about the mysterious magician Rience. We are unfamiliar with the mage's motives or who his employer may be but it's clearly known he wants Ciri. Yennefer and Ciri are travelling to Thanedd which is where a conclave of mages and enchantresses is set to take place shortly to discuss these times of contempt and how it affects the magic-wielders of the world. Whilst here, it transpires that Ciri may be left with the enchantresses to study at the female magic school of Aretuza.

This is a difficult book to review, not because it is bad but because the book seems to be split into two distinctive styles of telling the story. One of these two styles generally features fan favourites such as Dandelion (although not as much as I would have liked), Geralt, Ciri, Triss, and Yennefer and includes some of the finest and well-crafted scenes that have been created in the series to date. Two of my favourites include a spectacular dual with someone who I'm sure is going to become a huge character in the saga, and also reading into the intrigue, politics, backstabbing, and agendas at the mages 'meet-and-greet' buffet prior to the conclave. A war is brewing and through unfamiliar point of view characters or slightly boring chapters where a member of the ensemble talks to another we are relaid complex political happenings that are occurring in all states across this world. These often include many complex and unfamiliar names of people, places, alliances, etc... It was difficult to keep track of who was supporting who. It also wasn't really obvious that some of the point of views were from the Nilfgaardian perspective until I was halfway through that segment and had to reevaluate what I'd just read. These later sections take up about 25% of the book. Honestly, I just forced myself through them knowing that I wouldn't follow every exact detail but it wasn't enough to truly affect my enjoyment when the scenes with less info dumping were reintroduced a few pages later. There are also a lot of names of mages to remember when the magicians' meeting arrives about forty percent through the story.

Of the scenes that aren't information dumps, I'd estimated that seventy-five percent follows the Witcher and Ciri although not necessarily following the same storyline, and the rest tracks the action of Yennefer, Dandelion, and others. Geralt and Ciri are my favourite characters so this was fine for me. Please be warned, that as well as typical fantasy violence presented in line with what has been presented previously, there is a potential/ implied rape scene towards the end of Time of Contempt. Although it is not graphic it is not for everyone so I thought I'd make you aware. This happens around the ninety-five percent mark and if you don't want to read that, it doesn't actually take that much away from the story to pass it by.

Ciri is still having her visions and nightmares, we meet the Wild Hunt for the first time, Geralt slays a few monsters, Yennefer is still beautiful, charming, powerful and manipulative, Dandelion is still a world-renowned poet. We are also introduced to some very interesting new characters including Vilgefortz and Nilfgaard's ruler. This book feels more like a progression than a full story in its self. Unlike some fantasy, I've found that these books don't really have gut-wrenchingly tragic or 'oh-my-god-I-did-not-see-that-twist-coming' endings. I believe that these should be read as one huge novel that same way that Stephen King thought of his The Dark Tower books. That being said, the ending does set up things nicely for Baptism of Fire and it looks like it might introduce a new dynamic for one of the main players.

So far this isn't my favourite fantasy series of all time yet, something does seem to click with me. I love the characters and the tales are utterly addictive. Every single one of the four entries I have read so far has only taken me two days apiece to complete. My original aim was to read this series before the Netflix show is released next year and I don't think I'll be the only person who has these thoughts. If you weren't sure whether to dive into the Witcher's world then I would personally recommend you take the leap. ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Gene rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

The person everybody was searching for in the previous book was still at large with Geralt being one of the two people who could guess the whereabouts.
Dead or Alive

This means everybody was still conducting the search, but this time it became clear that the aim was to make sure the person in question is really dead just like the rumors started by Geralt stated. As we all know sometimes little people can get in the way of movers and the shakers of the world and make them very much inconvenienced by just being alive and breathing. This was exactly the case here. A big political game went on with different parties hoping to outsmart and backstab everybody else. In this climate nobody wanted any additional complications which Geralt and his protégé seems to bring despite the fact that he continued to do his damned to remain neutral. Would it be a big spoiler to say he miserably failed at the end?
True Neutral

The first half of the book looked exactly like the previous one: lots of talk and behind-the-scene machinations, but not much action. Some secondary players that happened to be in the way of the mighty got removed, but nothing major happened. The moment I hit 50% (according to my ereader) I was sure I would rate this one with 3 stars as I already saw practically the same happenings in book 3.

In the second half it all began innocently enough. Geralt woke up in the morning in a castle and decided to play a sophisticated person. So instead of peeing in the first available quiet corner of the castle (yes, this is what the nobility did in the Middle Ages) he went looking for a real toilet. The result made me gave one extra star to the rating: the double-crossings and back-stabbings that followed would not put to shame even the true master of those in fantasy, Glen Cook – read his Black Company if you do not believe me.

My minor complaint would be that the most interesting characters do not get enough screen time, Geralt included. It is not that the ones that do are boring, but in this case others are more exciting.

Anyhow after all the excitement the fallout that followed is shown in a very unusual way. The last part was a little too long in my opinion, but not long enough for me to lower the rating: 4 stars. I am very eager to start the next book of the series.

...more

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Mar 24, 2017 Joey Woolfardis rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: ce21, polish, myths-magic-and-mordor, bookshelf, 2017, intriguing-but-ultimately-naff

I am odds with this series. The Last Wish is a million miles away from what these have become, which is just generic fantasy that is badly written (or translated). In The Last Wish we have good battles with monsters, re-tellings of our own fairytales and interesting characters. In this series, which is made up of what are supposed to be full-length books, we have absolutely none of that and it's very disappointing.

The dialogue is the worst thing of all. There is an abysmal attempt at humour, and I am odds with this series. The Last Wish is a million miles away from what these have become, which is just generic fantasy that is badly written (or translated). In The Last Wish we have good battles with monsters, re-tellings of our own fairytales and interesting characters. In this series, which is made up of what are supposed to be full-length books, we have absolutely none of that and it's very disappointing.

The dialogue is the worst thing of all. There is an abysmal attempt at humour, and an attempt to make the characters-I suppose-"normal", or at least, not speaking in thees and thous. However, it goes too far and all the characters speak the same, swear the same, call every woman a slut the same and are just dull and ridiculous both. I don't know if it's the translation, the transcription or the original author, but a translator can only do so much with what they're given.

Beyond the dialogue, everything is is pretty much just generic fantasy with battles, swords, magic and men calling all females sluts or bitches. There is a small attempt to make interesting female characters, but just giving them magical powers doesn't do that. All the female characters are at odds with each other, bitching about them behind their backs, wanting their men, talking about men, doing nothing but bitching or talking about men. There is a wonderful opportunity here to make excellent female characters with power, working together, being helpful to each other, being friends, being wonderful. But no. They just bitch or get their tits out. It's getting old.

Of course, there is another female character who does none of these. Ciri. The most important character of all, (view spoiler)

There is also little or no need for Geralt to be in these books. It's supposedly about a Witcher, but I don't recall there being much Witchering going on. Geralt fights with around two monsters and gets paid for none of them. Instead, he kills humans and gets told off for doing so. There are elements of trying to philosophise about the Witcher profession and killing monsters in general, but it is lost in the deluge of mediocre writing.

However, to give the book a little credit, we do have a better omniscient narration here. We see the story through many different eyes and not just main characters, which is one of the best things about reading fantasy. We travel to different lands, as well, and experience them with the characters, so with these things this series has come on leaps and bounds because the last book was absolutely dire with those things. So hey-ho, can't have everything, can we? That'd be silly. That'd be a good, worthwhile book and apparently those don't exist.

Blog | Reviews | Instagram | Twitter ...more

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Oct 31, 2016 Sr3yas rated it liked it

If A Game of Thrones books were penned by Andrzej Sapkowski, he would've written a whole installment on Red Wedding. ...more

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Mar 15, 2022 Em Lost In Books rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 1990-99, 2-star, translations, 2022

What I wanted from this book was magic, action, Geralt blasting other world creatures with his witchering Yennefer burning some bad people with fire and more of Geralt/Yennefer instead I got was a lot of political talk, historical tales, wine, reunions, obsession/drooling over Geralt, and everyone hunting poor Ciri.

Yeah, I am disappointed.

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Feb 09, 2020 Edward rated it liked it

Shelves: reviews, fantasy

Check out my review for The Time of Contempt on Grimdark Magazine at: Grimdark Magazine

Time of Contempt, the second full-length novel in The Witcher universe continues where Blood of Elves left off, and thrust us back into the world that is now teeming with politics and inter-race war.

“Always takes action. Wrongly or rightly; that is revealed later. But you should act, be brave, seize life by the scruff of the neck. Believe me, little one, you should only regret inactivity, indecisiveness, hes ...more

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May 08, 2017 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: witcherverse

This is my favorite book in the series so far. Ciri and Geralt really go through some difficult changes which makes this novel all the more interesting. So whereas “Blood of Elves” sets up the idea of Ciri being at the center of courtly intrigue and politics, with Geralt and Yennefer trying to protect her -- “Time of Contempt” goes deep into that same intrigue and politics with an absolute cluster of a battle in the middle of the story. Though the focus is split halfway between Ciri and Geralt, This is my favorite book in the series so far. Ciri and Geralt really go through some difficult changes which makes this novel all the more interesting. So whereas “Blood of Elves” sets up the idea of Ciri being at the center of courtly intrigue and politics, with Geralt and Yennefer trying to protect her -- “Time of Contempt” goes deep into that same intrigue and politics with an absolute cluster of a battle in the middle of the story. Though the focus is split halfway between Ciri and Geralt, Ciri's tale is more interesting this time around. Her story manages to go through quite a lot of settings and conflicts over the course of the novel, which I really enjoyed.

For the first half of the book, things aren't happening as much as they are revealed. Yet when things finally kicked off, the book was impossible to put down. The reader gets to spend time in a relatively central position during the inciting incident, and most of the story after that -- up close and personal, instead of the typical description narrative afterwards.

Andrzej Sapkowski's writing, as always, is impressive. Whoever did this translation took painstaking care to make sure that the result is well written and beautiful. “Time of Contempt” is many things. It is a disturbing and deeply political novel about what life might really be like in a traditional fantasy world. It is a deconstruction of traditional fantasy tropes and it is a devastating critique of the racism, sexism and nationalism that have done so much damage to our world, and which are casually reproduced in much traditional fantasy. Yet though the book is gritty as hell, it's also funny, charming, and intimate. It's playful with the source material, not dismissive of it. This only makes its core pessimism all the more arresting.

Like the last book, “Time of Contempt” feels like simply another episode in a much larger story, without any real closure. But this time around, you get a better idea of what’s going on. Everything about this book is intriguing: whether it be the intricate characters, the deceptively complex plot, or the well crafted world. There are no absolute truths, and by the end of the book -- I can honestly say I am beautifully confused and excited for the next novel. The ending is a bit strange and unexpected, but I need to read the next book to properly judge. Nevertheless, an amazing read! ...more

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Jul 31, 2020 Lucy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

”You were all right. Only I, the naive, anachronistic and stupid Witcher, was wrong.”

4.5****

Wow this was a great book. This was action-packed, political and war-filled. There were also some important revelations in reference to why Nilfgaard is desperately searching for Ciri. Additionally, there was backstabbing and people turning on each other.

I really enjoyed this one as we were able to see more of Aretuza where all the mages confer and are trained. We also get to see Ciri really hone in her s ...more

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Jan 23, 2020 Dana Ilie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

After reading Blood of Elves, I was hooked! I could not wait to get my hands on The Time of Contempt. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. The action is non-stop! A war which was on the horizon in the first book is now in full force. And those that are trying to capture Ciri are getting closer every day. In book two we get a glimpse into why she is being hunted. Geralt The Witcher , is still trying to protect her from falling into the hands of those who want to use her powers for evil.
If ...more

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May 09, 2019 Natasha Polis rated it really liked it

Ummmm. These books are maybe not worth your time. I'm reading them to get ready for the show coming to Netflix. It's giving me great insight into the character, but since I've never played the game, I feel a piece is missing.

This one was more enjoyable than the first. I wish they weren't so chopping and spaced out as I feel the first three should have been condensed into one long story. I will keep chugging along but my DNF the next book. ...more

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Aug 25, 2017 Mili rated it it was ok

Shelves: own-the-book

Finally, sorry but this was nottttttttt my type of plot. I mean...Ciri her storyline is great but the rest ( and it was mostly the rest ) was so boring. Soooo political, too many names and I just dont know who is screwing who. So sadly I got detached from the plot.

Putting this series on a break till I get back from vacation. I still feel a connection with the main plot, I looove the witcher concept and all the wizards. But I need less politics...

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Sep 14, 2021 Hamad rated it liked it

Shelves: adult-books, good-covers, 2021-reads, paperbacks, fantasy

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷 Support me ☕

The Last Wish ★★★★
Sword of Destiny ★★★★
Blood of Elves ★★★ 1/2
The Time of Contempt ★★★ 1/2

Time of contempt takes place after the events of book one and follows the same style. It follows Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer and shows how their fates are entangled together.

I was warned about the translation in this book but I honestly did not sense a big difference between this one and the previous books. There were certainly lines that could have been ...more

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Mar 30, 2020 Zitong Ren rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, contains-romance, fantasy, 2020, epics, action, war, adventure

I personally found this book to certainly be a step up from book 1, which I already really enjoyed. For me, this did what book one did, but it better and some of the criticism and critiques that I did have for book 1 were sort of fixed or improved upon at the very least. I also really found the characters to be much more engaging and there is this one chapter at the end of the book with Ciri, which I personally could not take myself away from, it was that good.

There were honestly just lots of sc I personally found this book to certainly be a step up from book 1, which I already really enjoyed. For me, this did what book one did, but it better and some of the criticism and critiques that I did have for book 1 were sort of fixed or improved upon at the very least. I also really found the characters to be much more engaging and there is this one chapter at the end of the book with Ciri, which I personally could not take myself away from, it was that good.

There were honestly just lots of scenes between different characters that were, in my opinion just straight up, so enjoyable and like right now, I’m loving anything between Yennefer and Geralt, cause frankly, I love the two, and any scene between them is beautiful. BEAUTIFUL, I tell you. believe me, please. I love at how headstrong Ciri is of a character, yet at the same time, especially later on, the author is able show her insecurities and also at how important some of these characters are to her and yeah, it’s awesome. So far, the characterisation has been very strong, and I hope it continues on that way in book 3 and beyond.

Compared to book 1, there did seem to be slightly less dialogue and a bit more descriptions, not to say that there wasn’t still lots of dialogue, yet I certainly liked it much better in this book. While still dialogue heavy, it was able to provide some of the history and worldbuilding that I was craving for a bit more of from book 1 and we certainly received some more of that and I really liked that about the book. Thus far, I am really loving the world that I have been dutifully and lovingly exploring for the past two books, and it really feels quite epic and grand to me, with all the kingdoms and cultures, despite the books being fairly short. I didn’t realise how large the world was, until it mentioned at how two cities were 200 miles away, yet on the Netflix map I was referring to, it showed the two cities being pretty damn next to each other, that it really gave me a sense of the scale. Worldbuilding: greatly improved yet sill would have liked more.

I also really liked the sort of whole politicalness of this book(I know it’s not a word, but you get the idea, hopefully). There was a lot more politics and intrigue in that direction, which I know people sometimes complain about when there is too much of it, yet I really liked it in my fantasy books, especially is it done well, since as a reader, you really don’t know what is going on all the sort of decisions people are going to make or the sort of influence a person may have(in this case, I am largely referring to Ciri).

I think due to the way the book is constructed with each chapter acting as its individual thing instead of being straight one after the other, it makes it seem like more things have actually happened than the book beckons for, which I think is fine and works really well here, since it managed to give the reader a larger picture, while keeping the actual word and page count down. Now, I don’t know what it is like in Polish and what things may be different, but from an English perspective, the way the story is told works just fine.

9/10 ...more

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Mar 05, 2020 Trish rated it really liked it · review of another edition

In this second full-length novel of the The Witcher series, the tale of Ciri, Yennefer and Geralt continues.

Ciri and Yennefer are traveling together, Yennefer planning on putting Ciri in the school of mages, Aretuza, where she’ll learn more about her talent and be safe at the same time. Because people are still looking for the „Lion Cub of Cintra“ despite rumors of her death spreading.
We meet people working with Yennefer and Geralt (considering their professions, they were bound to have made al In this second full-length novel of the The Witcher series, the tale of Ciri, Yennefer and Geralt continues.

Ciri and Yennefer are traveling together, Yennefer planning on putting Ciri in the school of mages, Aretuza, where she’ll learn more about her talent and be safe at the same time. Because people are still looking for the „Lion Cub of Cintra“ despite rumors of her death spreading.
We meet people working with Yennefer and Geralt (considering their professions, they were bound to have made alliances), we also meet messengers to kings, we meet our favorite bard and we meet ordinary folk in market squares.
And we attend the Council of Mages after Yennefer and Geralt finally reunite.

The one moment that had me go „yay“ was when Yennefer and Geralt finally confessed their love for one another. Out loud. No tactics behind it. Just open honestly. We’ve all been waiting quite a while for this payoff.
And no, that still doesn’t make this story a love story per se. But they had proven their love for one another for a while and it was time they also confessed it in words to make it official (for themselves as much as each other).

I didn’t much care for the talk of breeding and blood lines at the beginning but the setting is medieval-ish so it did make sense. Moreover, I celebrate that this is not just a hard world and a hard place to live in for women (amongst others) but that there are some women here who hit back at the world (and at certain assholes) just as hard (in a realistic way).
The wyvern breaking free and wreaking havoc, Ciri bringing it down, the ongoing intrigue and Yennefer trying to stay one step ahead at all times because no amount of magic can save you all the time - just two examples of that.
Sadly, this development also meant a lack of monsters to be slain once again. Not least because certain creatures are all but extinct thanks to „progress“. I never enjoyed them being slain but I very much enjoyed the atmosphere they created. Thus, there was less of a mystical feel to the story here. We got more political talk in its place. At least we did get some magic to make up for that (and one hell of a mage kicking even the Witcher’s ass). Mostly though, it is about war preparations and the titular contempt everyone harbors for basically everybody else.

And then there was the war everyone had prepared for for so long. All the spying and betraying paid off, resulting in a coup and lots of dead mages, followed by all out conflict. It was inevitable but I wasn’t sure we’d be getting it in this 2nd novel already. And it didn’t stop there. From that moment on, we didn’t get a moment of rest. Chases, pursuits, sword fights as well as fights against mages, death and danger everywhere. The author knows how to make you afraid ((view spoiler)).

The writing continues to be extremely good - or so I can only assume since this is a translation. Add to that the gorgeous elvish songs and prophecies that all but light up the darkness. Moreover, the chemistry between the characters, the family ties (there is no other words for it) they’ve built, the locations (be they inns or schools or castles or towers or whatnot), the breathtaking fights … all of it was very lively again thanks to just the right amount of detailed descriptions. ...more

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Mar 04, 2020 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: epic-fantasy, fantasy, 2020-shelf

You know, when I come right down to this series, like any other epic fantasy I've read, it all hangs on how much I get into the characters.

No matter what kind of action sequences come around or how much cool magic gets thrown in our faces or what kind of war blows up, I'm still tied up in my love of Geralt, Yennifer, and Ciri. When things get dark and the contempt surrounds everyone, I'm rooting for them. And the bard, too. :) And little miss unrequited. :)

After that point, I'm honestly amazed You know, when I come right down to this series, like any other epic fantasy I've read, it all hangs on how much I get into the characters.

No matter what kind of action sequences come around or how much cool magic gets thrown in our faces or what kind of war blows up, I'm still tied up in my love of Geralt, Yennifer, and Ciri. When things get dark and the contempt surrounds everyone, I'm rooting for them. And the bard, too. :) And little miss unrequited. :)

After that point, I'm honestly amazed at how well I received this novel inside my head. Its structure and the way it flits from several different storytelling styles, its truly surprising (and awesome) jabs in the plot, and the wicked turns that come about later make me rather want to scream. But that's only because this book DOES NOT FOLLOW NORMAL STRUCTURE. Then again, neither did Blood of Elves. Or the two story collections. The way the tale comes out always keeps me on my toes, keeps everything feeling fresh, and there's no way I can't compare this against so many other epic fantasies, but one thing I CAN say is that it tells stories around corners. You may KNOW something is coming, but Sapkowski truly lulls you into believing that THIS cool scene here is the pinnacle of THIS section, and then he comes right around and slams your head against the table and you're either stunned or you get really pissed or it jerks tears out of you because the SCENE IS JUST TOO FREAKING GORGEOUS.

I'm sure some of you know what I mean. Yennifer and Ciri? As a mirror to a certain queen? OMG that just cut through all my defenses. And then the hits just kept coming and coming.

And coming.

Yes, this series has a hard world to live in. It's not just hard for the elves, but it's hard for women. But damn, if there aren't a lot of hard women in here hitting back!

The love story. I'm sorry, but I started blubbering like a little baby. I thought it was great in The Last Wish, but this just made me an ugly little mess.

I can't not give a book that affects me the way anything less than a full five stars. It not only holds up well against all these modern epic fantasies, but I see precisely where it blows the previous generation of fantasies out of the water, ushering in everything we now know and love. :) ...more

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Apr 09, 2020 Dannii Elle rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantastic-fabrications, adult-books-read

This is the second full-length instalment to The Witcher series.

Where has the story-line I was promised in The Last Wish gone? What happened to my beast-slaying Witcher?

Whilst not an unenjoyable read, this was also not the tale I thought I was signing up for. The first prequel short story collection seemed to set this series up as being one thing when in fact it was the the second collection, Sword of Destiny, which was far slower in pace and more romantically focused, that better gave an indica ...more

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Jul 09, 2015 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, magic, audiobook, action-adventure, review-copy

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/08/09/a...

For the first time ever, the English translations of the novels in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher Saga series are being made into audiobooks, and I have been enjoying them immensely. Thus far, four Witcher books have been published in this format, including the short story collection The Last Wish. Today I’ll be reviewing The Time of Contempt, the second full-length novel in the sequence.

The story beings where Blood of El 4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/08/09/a...

For the first time ever, the English translations of the novels in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher Saga series are being made into audiobooks, and I have been enjoying them immensely. Thus far, four Witcher books have been published in this format, including the short story collection The Last Wish. Today I’ll be reviewing The Time of Contempt, the second full-length novel in the sequence.

The story beings where Blood of Elves left off, following Yennefer and Ciri’s journey to Gors Velen where the sorceress hopes to continue her young apprentice’s education by enrolling her into a school for magic. Unhappy with these plans, Ciri devises a plan to escape and seek out Geralt, whom she has been told is not far from the city. However, on the way she is intercepted by the Wild Hunt and given an unexpected choice.

Meanwhile, more political intrigue and back-alley negotiations are happening in the shadows. A power struggle is developing, and the players must choose sides. How is a Witcher, sworn to neutrality, supposed to deal with this? Especially if that Witcher, a staunch and principled man, stumbles upon a coup that could lead to a bloody war that would tear apart the land? Gerald faces one of his hardest challenges yet in this novel, putting all his wits and fighting skills to the test.

If you’re even mildly interested in The Witcher video games, I would highly recommend picking up this series. Even if you’re not, you can still enjoy these novels for the excellent sword and sorcery fantasy books they are. Bottom line: these books are great, featuring plenty of spectacular action scenes along with magic and sword-wielding heroes; you really can’t ask for more than that. Geralt the Witcher is in especially rare form in this one, our favorite “white-haired fiend” demonstrating just how good he is at what he does – killing lots and lots of bad guys and monsters.

But of course, these books aren’t just about Geralt, even though he is often used as the face for The Witcher franchise. It’s easy to forget sometimes that the other characters are just as involved as he is, and once in a while, as in the case of this novel, they can even play a bigger role. In my eyes, The Time of Contempt is where Ciri truly gets her chance to shine. She may be destined for great and terrible things, but readers are reminded that despite all the grand prophecies about her, little Ciri is still a child. While still struggling to control the magic in her blood, she learns there is even more to her potential. It’s a lot to place on the shoulders of a young girl, not to mention all the people who want to kill her or use her in their political machinations. The development of her character in this novel shows that she is a strong-willed and spirited youth despite being burdened with a world full of troubles, and that in the face of danger she can still show plenty of good humor. For that reason, she was my favorite character in this book.

Also noteworthy is how much the story has matured over the course of this novel, raising the stakes in this world of shifting alliances and backroom deals. The plot comes alive, becoming more twisty and complex as the result of the lofty ambitions and power-hungry maneuverings of mages, rebels and kings. This book also sees a greater role for the Scoia’tael, the group of guerilla fighters mostly made up of elves, dwarves and other non-humans. Portending a time of war and misfortune, the spectral riders of The Wild Hunt also make their appearance in the sky, a promise that everything we see here is merely the beginning.

Narrator Peter Kenny continues to deliver a superb performance for this series, making the experience of listening to the audiobook memorable. He has a great voice for expressive storytelling, and is especially adept at doing accents and voices without drawing excessive attention. As a fan of the games, I had initial concerns that I would have trouble reconciling myself to anyone other than actor Doug Cockle as the voice of Geralt, but Kenny quickly dispelled them. He truly is a talented voice artist.

In sum, The Witcher series and its characters are a one-of-a-kind creation, and The Time of Contempt is another excellent novel in the sequence, not to mention a great experience in audio format. I’m enjoying them a lot, as you can probably guess; otherwise, I wouldn’t keep listening. Obviously this is a series I want to keep reading, and I’m already excited for the next one. ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 Sara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, translated, fantasy

Thankfully this had a lot more action and character development to elevate the plot compared to Blood of Elves.

As I said previously, this isn’t going to be a fantasy for everyone. You have to invest in the slow burn, dense plot that weaves together lots of characters, many of whom never meet, over multiple books. There’s often no immediate pay off, with events taking years to come to fruition. Our three main heroes, Geralt, Ciri and Yen also spend minimal time together (although it’s a pleasure Thankfully this had a lot more action and character development to elevate the plot compared to Blood of Elves.

As I said previously, this isn’t going to be a fantasy for everyone. You have to invest in the slow burn, dense plot that weaves together lots of characters, many of whom never meet, over multiple books. There’s often no immediate pay off, with events taking years to come to fruition. Our three main heroes, Geralt, Ciri and Yen also spend minimal time together (although it’s a pleasure to read when they are). However, if you do take the time to read these close together, it’s worth it.

Time of Contempt continues the problem of Ciri. What she is and also what to do with her to keep her safe from the many, many people who wish her harm. With the continued civil unrest across the country due to Nilfgaardian invasion, people want her dead because of her links to Cintra, but there are also those who want to use her unusual ‘gifts’ for personal gain. Her relationship with Yen plays an important part in the early stages of the novel, and they have a lot of anger and resentment towards each other at first. Ciri is at the age where she wants to discover who she is as a young woman, and have the freedom to make her own decisions. She also misses Geralt dearly (as does Yen, but she’d never admit it).

In the mean time Geralt is busy trying to investigate the main threats to Ciri and taking them down. This includes a mysterious wizard we briefly saw at the end of Blood of Elves, and his even more allusive employer. He’s busy killing monsters to earn money to, essentially, private investigators to give him the right information. There’s a lot of internal struggle for Geralt as he wars with himself over what he should do with Ciri, and what he wants to do.

Playing the Witcher games, I knew quite a bit of the plot to the series (and, unfortunately I already know some of the major twists to come) but I loved that this had a massive plot development in the middle of the book. I particularly love that it hinges on Geralt going to take his morning wee away from Yen’s flowers. I sometimes forget how funny the series can be, especially with Geralt’s dry wit. The plot development really moved the tension and characters forward, and leaves Ciri in quite a precarious position by the end.

Shout out to my new favourite character, the unicorn ‘Little Horse’. Any fan of the games will know unicorns have a special place in our hearts! ...more

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Feb 23, 2020 Deborah Obida rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, fantasy

I'm glad that this was better than Blood of Elves that was up and down. The writing here is slightly better cause I think it could have been better. There is finally a story progression. The fight scenes were great, I really enjoyed Geralt's scene at the summit. I still can't believe that happened, I expected more from the sorcerers.

“I mistook stars reflected in a pond at night for those in the sky.”

With the war still going on I wonder how the next book will be. None of the characters are i ...more

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Jan 03, 2014 Markus rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2013, extraordinary-gentlemen, the-white-wolf, to-reread, lovely-ladies

Strangely, perhaps my favourite of the Witcher novels (then of course not counting the ultimate masterpiece that is The Last Wish). There is something that draws me in about The Time of Contempt. Something I remember more fondly than the rest. It is slightly enigmatic, filled with intrigue and an overall sense of mystery.

As the most sorcery-centric and Yennefer-centric book of them all, it is no wonder that I would enjoy it quite a lot, but it also contains some rather memorable and world-shakin ...more

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Sep 27, 2021 myo (myonna reads) rated it liked it

maybe i’m tripping but Geralt feels like a side character instead of a main character

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Feb 10, 2019 Andrea rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, incredibly-boring

I think this is where I say goodbye to this series. There wasn't enough witcher-ing for me, too much "romance", and oh all the terrible women. I've had it with the bitching and the backstabbing, and the obsessing over looks. They just all feel very clichéd and interchangeable to me *shrugs* ...more

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Aug 26, 2018 Marianna Neal rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

3.5 out of 5 stars

So, here's the issue I'm having: I need more Geralt.
Don't get me wrong, I love reading about Ciri, and Yennefer, and the random people they encounter, and the politics... But I read these books for Geralt, and when he shows up the whole thing is just on a whole different level. Basically, what I'm saying is that I'm still really enjoying the series, but I'm really hoping we get more of the, you know, main character? That would be nice. ...more

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May 21, 2017 Celise rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy-adult, owned-read

I feel like doing a super informal review for this one, just because this writer makes me feel so many feelings and The Witcher is on the fast-track to becoming my favourite series so quickly that I don't know how to put my thoughts into presentable order. So here's a bunch of words for you, and a few run-on sentences most likely. It's not gushy, I promise, just ineloquent. My review of The Blood of Elves is probably a better recommendation of the series.

Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer are some of my ...more

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Aug 03, 2015 Alex rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Apparently these books are rather big in Poland. I know this because a Polish woman told me so. Apparently there are some rather successful videogames that have been based on these books. I know this because I've played one of them. It was good.

Clearly these books have never been that big in the West, they haven't even all been translated yet and they were written in the early 90s, and it makes you doubt what's going on in the fantasy book publishing world. It makes you wonder if there's a profo Apparently these books are rather big in Poland. I know this because a Polish woman told me so. Apparently there are some rather successful videogames that have been based on these books. I know this because I've played one of them. It was good.

Clearly these books have never been that big in the West, they haven't even all been translated yet and they were written in the early 90s, and it makes you doubt what's going on in the fantasy book publishing world. It makes you wonder if there's a profoundly US/UK-centric bias and that publishers don't love fantasy literature per-se they just love kissing the arse of George R.R.Martin and Steven King. No wait, they just love making money and you can't make money from a Polish book, can you?

It's a shame, the lack of hype surrounding these books, because they are really rather good; both well written, highly original and dare I say it ahead of their time. On the face of it these books are steeped in the usual cliche, magicians, elves, swordsmen, monsters and a chosen child litter the pages and you'll find a lot of what you expected to find when perusing an extended fantasy epic series. No, these books don't reinvent the wheel but rather than running around and around it, doing the same old song and dance, they certainly have a bit of fun with it.

Firstly, these books are a weird mish-mash hybrid of fantasy styles. The Witcher, Geralt, is your typical brooding, loner, Sword and Sorcery protagonist making his way in a dangerous world filled with monsters. You'd expect him to be out there earning money and bedding women. And he is, until he gets a fixation with the young child Ciri and decides to raise her as a Witcher. Genres clash and much of the tale is told from Ciri, the chosen one's point of view and we spend time watching her grow up in a dangerous and alien world. On top of this there are poltical machinations aplenty, perhaps not as indepth or steeped in history as ASOIAF but they colour a traditional S&S text in interesting ways and send the story veering off in directions at time one doesn't expect.

Secondly these books are stylistically very odd. It's a 5 book series but really they make up one whole rambling story and not individual chapters, each volume so far has just ended in the middle with no indicators or allusions to the end of this, or the beginning of the next volume. More relevantly, the books have a weird episodic feel to them and each chapter tends to tell a scene that is only loosely connected to those around it, but taken as a whole the larger narrative slots into place very elegantly. Each chapter tends to be told in a dramatically different style and the story can easily shift from action scene, to political intrigue, to coming of age tale to sketchy flashback narratives. It's audacious and I wonder sometimes if it really all works, but what's exciting is that the story constantly feels fresh and whilst one usually knows where these kinds of narratives are heading, there's an air of ambiguity and interest here that 80s fantasy epics began to lack.

This is a series that really bridges the high fantasy of the 80s with the gritty politics of the late 90s and as such it deserves to be read more. I've only so far read the first two volumes (didn't review 1 because it didn't feel self-contained( but at this point I expect the quality to be maintained and this to be a thrilling ride to the finish. Worth seeking out even though it hasn't actually been translated yet. Sorry, what's that all about again? ...more

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Apr 30, 2016 Leo Reich rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is where the series started to lose me. Geralt plays a minimal role, appearing rarely and doing little when he does. In fact, not much really happens in this book, other than the wizard's coup that is (in my edition) mentioned on the back cover. Characters and intrigue sprawl all over the novel, but Sapkowski seems always to be missing the mark with his coverage of the material. Many characters are built and introduced only to convey a minor plot point, never to return. This happens en This book is where the series started to lose me. Geralt plays a minimal role, appearing rarely and doing little when he does. In fact, not much really happens in this book, other than the wizard's coup that is (in my edition) mentioned on the back cover. Characters and intrigue sprawl all over the novel, but Sapkowski seems always to be missing the mark with his coverage of the material. Many characters are built and introduced only to convey a minor plot point, never to return. This happens enough that when a character appears that actually is important, I'm already in the habit of not remembering important details.

Which is bad, because 'key details' are what Sapkowski relies on to deliver his greatest emotional climaxes. The best example is that this book ends with a character, previously introduced for only a moment, learning an important piece of information that could change the setting of the stage for the next novel. But who is this character? They were introduced in this book, appeared only on several pages, and are absent from the Wikipedia summary. And yet the writing seems to imply to the reader that something momentous is happening, but I cannot for the life of me remember which obscure and until-now-completely-irrelevant character this nickname belongs to, and which of the increasingly-muddied and confusing factions that character belongs to.

The events in this novel are complex, but not difficult to understand. The problem is that so many ends are left for the reader to tie on their own that if you don't make the effort, the book becomes practically unreadable after a point. I had to check Wikipedia after I finished the book to find out why a character killed themselves and had a hugely important plot point explained to me that I would have to have actually been studying various characters' motivations and the strategic relationships between their factions to "get it" on my own without having it explained to me.

Now look, if you've read this far you're probably thinking "My god, what a dolt." But really, I promise I read these books attentively. I even read the whole Song of Ice and Fire series and was absolutely drawn into the myriad characters and their complex relationships. But this series is just not written as well. It starts out as a series of short stories that compares favorably to something like Law and Order: Monster Victims Unit or something. It's centered on the Witcher, an enigmatic but sympathetic working joe whose business happens to be monsters. That sounds awesome, right? It was. Both books of short stories were great. But as soon as the novels begin, the quality nosedives and Sapkowski seems to lose his step. Rather than digestible bits of action, philosophy and lore/world-building that seem to be slowly creating a cohesive narrative, he just dumps loads of heavy-handed political intrigue and uninteresting plot (Guess how many pages Ciri spends wandering the desert? More than you'd want to read) that all sort of collapses in on itself and creates something generally strange and unenjoyable.

Did I enjoy reading this book? Not entirely, but I'm sort of stuck in the series now. The material is cool in principle, but it's badly organized, everything is introduced badly and few characters seem developed enough for me to care about their fates. Pacing is god-awful, with the beginning feeling like the middle and the ending feeling like a slightly different middle and the middle also feeling like the middle. I might re-visit this after I finish the series to see how I feel, but I really came off this book with a bad taste in my mouth. ...more

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May 07, 2020 Elle rated it really liked it

This one felt like a lot of preamble. I gave some of the slower parts in Blood of Elves a pass because it had the more difficult task of transitioning from short stories to novels & being the first in the novel series, but what’s the excuse here?? The entire first half of the book felt like nothing was happening and wow it just draaaaaagged.

And maybe I was just zoned out for the relevant stuff, but by the time the big second-act battle started up, I had no idea what was happening. I didn’t know This one felt like a lot of preamble. I gave some of the slower parts in Blood of Elves a pass because it had the more difficult task of transitioning from short stories to novels & being the first in the novel series, but what’s the excuse here?? The entire first half of the book felt like nothing was happening and wow it just draaaaaagged.

And maybe I was just zoned out for the relevant stuff, but by the time the big second-act battle started up, I had no idea what was happening. I didn’t know who anyone was or why they were fighting or who was winning and which side I was supposed to be cheering for. Geralt, as usual, decided to sit on his hands when it came time to make ~*~dEsCiSiOnS~*, so I ended up just going along with whatever name I recognized. Oh, Triss! I know her! Get em, Triss! Wait, that’s Tissaia, I know her too! Are Triss and Tissaia fighting? Now I’m confused. Idk

And I am unable to not keep pointing this out—Sapkowski doesn’t grasp how women interact with one another. The way the enchantresses spoke and moved around that party in the third chapter was just cringy. “‘Oh you men . . . You don’t understand anything. How can you show off your dress or figure if you’re hiding behind a table in the glow and smoke?’“ Like, what woman would say this type of thing? Out loud?? To other humans??? They’re supposed to be all-powerful and brilliant! Unless, of course, they come across some jewelry or eyeshadow, then they devolve into squealing, vapid tarts, amiright?

I also absolutely hated the way he wrote Yennefer as a jealous, petty bitch and Triss as a skittish animal in need of a good kicking. Geralt comes off as absolutely pathetic here, like a lost, horny boy that’s never seen boobs before. How can you tell a fantasy series is written through the male gaze? No woman would end a description of a dress like this: “Fashion demanded it be split halfway up the thigh, but Sabrina wore hers split to halfway up her hip. And a very nice hip at that.” These errant thoughts are eyeroll-inducing, but hard to miss once you begin to notice them.

There was good stuff too, lest you think I’m just gonna rag on it the whole time. Dandelion playing interpreter for Ciri during Geralt and Yennefer’s fight was a bit of unexpected sweetness I didn’t know I needed. Dandelion, that little weed, has definitely grown on me. Yennefer when she’s not being possessive is wonderful, and I love Ciri’s feralness. Geralt was kind of lame in this one. (view spoiler)

At this point, I can’t really help imagining each scene as it would play out in the TV series. I just think Lauren Schmidt Hissrich is going to really nail some of parts where Sapkowski floundered, like the aforementioned party. I’m also going to need Netflix to announce some upcoming casting decisions ASAP so I can start pairing names with faces—hopefully that’ll help me keep some of these Polish names straight. ...more

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Jan 08, 2020 Jen - The Tolkien Gal rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobook, fantasy

Just when I thought the series couldn't get any better. The banter between Ciri and Yennefer warms my heart and their mother-daughter type relationship is amazing. But the action and extra plot contrivances that take place on the side are great. I like The Rats too - they remind me of Peter Pan's bunch of kids. ...more

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Jan 23, 2022 Derek rated it liked it

Ay yi yi... this series is frustrating. It's called THE WITCHER and we get so little of Mr Interesting.

These books need:
- more Geralt (the Witcher)
- more monsters (non-existent up to this point)
- more action
- less boring exposition by people sitting in one spot
- less military strategy and politics
- zero financial talk (No one gives a damn how Yennefer plans to pay for Ciri's schooling and how she'll move x funds to this bank and pull money from x place. POINTLESS.)

This was like reading a histo ...more

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About Andrzej Sapkowski

Andrzej Sapkowski

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Andrzej Sapkowski, born June 21, 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. Sapkowski studied economics, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior sales representative for a foreign trade company. His first short story, The Witcher (Wiedźmin), was published in Fantastyka, Poland's leading fantasy literary magazine, in 1986 and was enormously successful both with readers and critics. Andrzej Sapkowski, born June 21, 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. Sapkowski studied economics, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior sales representative for a foreign trade company. His first short story, The Witcher (Wiedźmin), was published in Fantastyka, Poland's leading fantasy literary magazine, in 1986 and was enormously successful both with readers and critics. Sapkowski has created a cycle of tales based on the world of The Witcher, comprising three collections of short stories and five novels. This cycle and his many other works have made him one of the best-known fantasy authors in Poland in the 1990s.

The main character of The Witcher (alternative translation: The Hexer) is Geralt, a mutant assassin who has been trained since childhood to hunt down and destroy monsters. Geralt exists in an ambiguous moral universe, yet manages to maintain his own coherent code of ethics. At the same time cynical and noble, Geralt has been compared to Raymond Chandler's signature character Philip Marlowe. The world in which these adventures take place is heavily influenced by Slavic mythology.

Sapkowski has won five Zajdel Awards, including three for short stories "Mniejsze zło" (Lesser Evil) (1990), "Miecz przeznaczenia" (Sword of Destiny) (1992) and "W leju po bombie" (In a Bomb Crater) (1993), and two for the novels "Krew elfów" (Blood of Elves) (1994) and "Narrenturm" (2002). He also won the Spanish Ignotus Award, best anthology, for The Last Wish in 2003, and for "Muzykanci" (The Musicians), best foreign short story, same year.

In 1997, Sapkowski won the prestigious Polityka's Passport award, which is awarded annually to artists who have strong prospects for international success.

In 2001, a Television Series based on the Witcher cycle was released in Poland and internationally, entitled Wiedźmin (The Hexer). A film by the same title was compiled from excerpts of the television series but both have been critical and box office failures.

Sapkowski's books have been translated into Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, and Portuguese. An English translation of The Last Wish short story collection was published by Gollancz in 2007.

The Polish game publisher, CD Projekt, created a role-playing PC game based on this universe, called The Witcher, which was released in October 2007. There is also a mobile version of the game which has been created by Breakpoint Games and is being published by Hands-On Mobile in Western Europe,Latin America and Asia Pacific.

The English translation of Sapkowski's novel Blood of Elves won the David Gemmell Legends Award in 2009. ...more

Other books in the series

The Witcher (6 books)

Books by Andrzej Sapkowski

The Tower of the Swallow (The Witcher, #4)

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Quotes from The Time of Contempt

“I mistook stars reflected in a pond at night for those in the sky.” — 72 likes

“Hmm…’ Ciri bit her lower lip, then leaned over and put her eye closer to the hole. ‘Madam Yennefer is standing by a willow… She’s plucking leaves and playing with her star. She isn’t saying anything and isn’t even looking at Geralt… And Geralt’s standing beside her. He’s looking down and he’s saying something. No, he isn’t. Oh, he’s pulling a face… What a strange expression…’ ‘Childishly simple,’ said Dandelion, finding an apple in the grass, wiping it on his trousers and examining it critically. ‘He’s asking her to forgive him for his various foolish words and deeds. He’s apologising to her for his impatience, for his lack of faith and hope, for his obstinacy, doggedness. For his sulking and posing; which are unworthy of a man. He’s apologising to her for things he didn’t understand and for things he hadn’t wanted to understand—’ ‘That’s the falsest lie!’ said Ciri, straightening up and tossing the fringe away from her forehead with a sudden movement. ‘You’re making it all up!’ ‘He’s apologising for things he’s only now understood,’ said Dandelion, staring at the sky, and he began to speak with the rhythm of a balladeer. ‘For what he’d like to understand, but is afraid he won’t have time for… And for what he will never understand. He’s apologising and asking for forgiveness… Hmm, hmm… Meaning, conscience, destiny? Everything’s so bloody banal…’ ‘That’s not true!’ Ciri stamped. ‘Geralt isn’t saying anything like that! He’s not even speaking. I saw for myself. He’s standing with her and saying nothing…’ ‘That’s the role of poetry, Ciri. To say what others cannot utter.’ ‘It’s a stupid role. And you’re making everything up!’ ‘That is also the role of poetry. Hey, I hear some raised voices coming from the pond. Have a quick look, and see what’s happening there.’ ‘Geralt,’ said Ciri, putting her eye once more to the hole in the wall, ‘is standing with his head bowed. And Yennefer’s yelling at him. She’s screaming and waving her arms. Oh dear… What can it mean?’ ‘It’s childishly simple.’ Dandelion stared at the clouds scudding across the sky. ‘Now she’s saying sorry to him.” — 69 likes

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