The Tower of Swallows

Sapkowski's fantasy world has everything which even some of the most famous fantasy universes lack: moral ambiguity, complex and highly developed characters that make it difficult to discern heroes from villains, and mature themes. The author is daring in his decision to constantly employ different narrative devices, and in Tower of the Swallow, he gets especially creative. I find the variety refreshing. At times you feel you have a birds-eye view. At times you feel as though you are literally sitting by the hearth fire listening to a story. The point has to be immersion, and its effective. These features are all accessories that accentuate the greatest aspect of the books: the characters. Sapkowski is a MASTER at creating unique, believable characters, who each have their own parlance, their own world view, and who's dialogue when put to page is authentic and true to these characters. You know its good when there are about ten characters whom, if I were to ask my peers their opinion on them, I would wager half would hate them with violent passion, and the other half would love them so much to the point of emulation. Surely we have all read authors who fail at captivating us with properly written characters. Furthermore, its clear that the author has an impressive grasp of philosphy, abstract thinking, politics, morality and ethics, social issues and more. I can promise you that you will be intellectually stimulated while reading these books, and you will be introduced to more angles and ideas and subjects with modern application than you ever thought possible from a fantasy series. I was never gratified in this way by LOTR or Harry Potter, or any other fantasy series. Pick up this book if you want the Tour De Force in fantasy. If you find the black and white, good vs. evil paradigm of LOTR or Harry Potter dreadfully boring, and are more of a Game of Thrones purveyor, then this is the series for you.

I am a HUGE fan of this series. The Tower of Swallows combines the stories of at least 5 different people that all seem to connect the more you read. The story grips you and keeps you wanting more. I have a hard time putting this book down. From Geralt's jolly party, to Ciri's ill fated journey and all the politics of The White Flame's war in between. If you are thinking about reading this then I already don't have to tell you how good it is. Sapkowski's world is brought to life with vivid imagery and a perfect blend of epic fights, light romance, hopelessness, tragedy, comedy, and the occasional horror.

The world is at war and Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Having taken the disguise of a bandit, Ciri believed herself to be free from her enemies and her destiny, but her freedom is short lived as friend and foe alike search for her. The witcher Geralt is scouring the land in search of the princess with help from a band of allies. Mercenaries have been hired from both sides of the war to find and capture her. There is only one place left for Ciri to run to: the tower of swallows. The ever-talented Andrzej Sapkowski has released yet another wonderful addition to his epic fantasy series with 'The Tower of Swallows'. While it does not hold as much action or humor as its predecessors, Sapkowski’s fourth installment still holds plenty of fantastical action while taking a more serious route. The war that has been foreshadowed has finally arrived and readers get to learn more about what is to come. The story as a whole is, once again, well-written and well-executed. As with previous books of the series, the characters really help to bring this story to life. Most of the main characters readers have come to know have equal amounts of spotlight time; however, one character receives more spotlight time than any other: Ciri. Ciri has been a vital part of the series since 'The Last Wish', but has only been given minimal attention. It is a pleasant surprise the amount of spotlight time Sapkowski gives to Ciri and readers will thoroughly enjoy learning more about her, even though her tale is not an entirely pleasant one. Even with the more serious route 'The Tower of Swallows' takes, there are still plenty of excellent action sequences and also more storytelling that will fascinate readers. The 'Witcher' series is known for incorporating well-known tales and legends within its books and more mythological tales are revealed in this one. The impending Frost that has been briefly mentioned in earlier books of the series is nearly upon the land as is the war. This is finally explained more in depth through what seem to be stories from Norse mythology. This is a wonderful addition to the tales and legends already hinted at within the series and one fans of mythology will love. The only somewhat downside of the story may be that parts can become confusing at times. Similar to the second installment of the series, 'The Time of Contempt', readers are given more politics about the war that can either be confusing or drawn out to the point of monotony. Also, many characters are mentioned whose names may sound familiar, but may be difficult for readers to place who said characters are. Regardless of how readers take this information, it is vital information to know for the main plot of the 'Witcher' series. Master storyteller Sapkowski has yet to disappoint in his epic fantasy series. With more information revealed to the readers about the war, the so-called “end times,” and the princess who is destined to bring about or stop that time, 'The Tower of Swallows' is an excellent addition to The 'Witcher' series. Readers will keep reading, longing for the time to come when Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri can be together as a family and for the time when Sapkowski’s amazing fantasy world is no longer at war. The story does end in a way that will make readers wish to read the next in the series, 'Lady of the Lake'.

Love the Witcher series of books. Highly recommend to anyone that likes a good adventure. This is my second time reading the books.

The Tower of Swallows is the best book so far in the witcher series. It's full of action, horror, sadness, defeat, and success. Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefers paths take unexpected turns. I read this book in 3 days, I couldn't put it down. I've loved every book so far, but this one, this one keeps you glued to the story. Hungry for more at every page.

The saga continues! If you’ve made it this far into the Witcher series, then I’m sure you plan to read them all. Please note an observation from me. While I would almost call the prior books “page turners,” this one is a slow burn. Don’t give in to ideas that it’s gotten stale and slow. Sapkowski writes with precision here. It’s all calculated and quite marvelous. Savor and enjoy!

This is the 4th book in the series of 5. There are 7 books in the Witcher Universe. Do not read this book out of order because the Saga books pick up exactly where the previous books left off. You wouldn't Start Watching Game of Thrones in Season 4, would you? The short story books are: The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, which set up the world and the main characters. The Saga books are: Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of Swallows, and Lady of the Lake. Read these in order! In this book Geralt and his party continue to look for Ciri, who is on the run and has been gravely wounded by bounty hunters. There have also been cataclysmic supernatural events occurring on Samhain as a ghostly cavalcade of wraiths, known as the Wild Hunt, appear. I'm a HUGE fan of the Witcher video games and books, and Geralt may be my favorite video game character of all time. I also really like Ciri from Witcher 3. If I did NOT like Ciri, I would not like this book because the entire book is centered around her. So, if you're looking for stories about Geralt killing monsters, you're much better off playing the games. With all of that said, Tower of Swallows is an exciting, fast paced adventure, where Ciri and her fellow gang of bandits is on the run from professional bounty hunters. They ride across the country, while being hunted down. It almost feels like a western. The writing style is engaging, the action is brutal, and there are many twists and turns. If you've been a fan of the series so far, this book doesn't disappoint... unless you want a book about Geralt killing monsters. Speaking of which... I am downloading the Witcher 3 Blood and Wine DLC as I write this. I’m really looking forward to the final book, The Lady of the Lake.

I'm currently reading it, reached all the way to chapter 4, so far I'm enjoying every minute of it, it's a captivating story and this one is unique compared to the previous ones in the way it's formatted, the beautiful hard cover edition definitely worth the little extra it costs but be ready for a long commitment if you plan on reading this.