Does "The time of contempt" live up to "The Witcher" fan's expectations?

                     Does “The time of contempt” live up to “The Witcher” fan’s expectations?

                                                              Date: 13.01.2024

                                                         Reviewer: Ignacy Kielek

   I am an eager fan of “the witcher saga” and I believe it’s one of my favourite. Not only is it very engaging due to its vivid descriptions of fight scenes (often brutal) and its atmosphere of mystery, but it also presents multiple perspectives and viewpoints. Every character has pros and cons. Each of them comes from a different background which shapes who they become. However, in this review I will focus solely on the main protagonist’s past experiences and how they shape his emotional journey and transformation. Obviously I mean the Geralt of Rivia - the witcher. This is the gist of what I would like to talk about today and because of that I would like to evaluate whether “the time of contempt” lives up to the saga’s reputation and some of the expectations a fan may have towards the book.

  “The time of contempt” is a second novel from “the witcher” saga, which develops the events from the previous novel: “the blood of the elves”. To recap, Geralt is seperated from Ciri, his adopted daughter, as he searches for the mage who is hunting her. Ciri, on the other hand, is going to Aretuza, the magic school, with Yennefer to further develop her magic skills. I would like to highlight that Geralt’s character development does not disappoint. We can clearly see that the character transforms. Throughout the book, we can identify with Geralt’s emotions and struggles. Nevertheless, the writer doesn’t forget about Geralt’s past and we can see regular references to events which were mentioned in the previous books. This enhances the story’s depth -the events intricately intertwined , especially those that shape the Witcher’s character arc.

  However I would like to emphasize a couple of flaws or things which may be inconvenient for some readers. First of all there is a multitude of events which don’t necessarily

seem to be obviously connected with each other (they are mysterious). Only after we read

the next books will we probably find out why these events happened. Some may argue that this overcomplicates the story. However, I believe it enhances the saga’s ambiance. I would argue that this goes hand - in - hand with the fast - moving plot. Basically the plot is entertaining and involving, however for some readers, it may seem too involving. I am mentioning this, because it is an iinherent part of the character development of Geralt. Moreover, sensitive readers may find this book particularly disturbing. To elucidate, for these readers the most fundamental and inherent flaw of the whole book is that it is dark and brutal (even more than the previous books, hence the title: “The time of contempt”). There are vivid descriptions of fight scenes (as we all know Geralt is unstoppable during a sword-fight) and the events which take place in the book may be unpleasant to read about. This is both a pro and con. The writer - Andrzej Sapkowski tries to convey as much of the real - world context as possible (even though it is a fantasy world), including all of the unethical things which happened during medieval times.

  In conclusion, the novel is skillfully written and highly engaging, making it difficult to put down once started. However, before you decide to read the book, remember about the warnings about the harsh reality, which is omnipresent.