Sword of Destiny: Tales of the Witcher – Now a major Netflix show Paperback – 10 Mar. 2016

I think I was drawn to the first book in this series, The Last Wish, by the novelty. There is noting new about twisted fairytales, but the way Sapkowski so thoroughly subverts and turns the genre on its head is really quite unique. The writing (or perhaps the translation) was a little clunky and the structure felt overly constructed. This book, the second in the series, is much more story driven. It is still episodic, but they hang together in a more meaningful way, I started to get pulled along by the flow of the story arc.Geralt continues his search for purpose in a world that despises him, amongst those who see him only as a tool for killing to used for their own end. There are some absolutely cracking short stories in here, and great character development. We start to get more invested in the main characters, but some of the minor characters, that only stick around for a single chapter are so beautifully drawn, Essi Draven, the feisty love lorn bard, and Villentretemerth, really stood out. The world that the author creates for these characters to inhabit it complex and coherent, immersing yourself in it and unravelling its mysteries is a real buzz.As soon as I had finished this book I downloaded the next - two books on, I haven't stopped yet, they keep getting better and better.

If you have read the other Andrzej Sapkowski books then you will really enjoy this one too. Or it can be read separately and still be enjoyed! It is another book of short stories from the author, following on from The Last Wish and leading you on to the mail story line throughout the other three books involving Ciri. Having read all of the others before this one I found it to really tie the stories together and found it a really enjoyable read. Even if it did continue my hating of Yennefer!I am not going to give any of the story away but I would recommend these books to anyone interested in fantasy novels and can promise you that you will not be disappointed by the Witcher stories. They have some really good characters involved and there is plenty of unexpected twists throughout the whole saga. I haven't played the games as yet but the more I read these books the more I am tempted to buy them and give them a go, if they are anywhere close to being as good as the books then they should be really epic games.If you are new to the author, I would recommend starting with The Last Wish, then the Sword of Destiny, followed by the other 3 in order. This gives you the story chronologically and should cover the whole story. As far as I know, they have released another book in the series a few months ago that I haven't got round to getting yet but am very excited by the prospect of carrying on the story.

This is a largely well-written set of Witcher short stories, which start to piece together some of the stories in the Last Wish with the main books (which I have yet to read!). While this time there is no over-arching story linking them together this is to the book's credit. I got annoyed with the Last Wish/Season of Storms's clumsy attempt to sew together a number of different stories - like those old episodes of a sitcom that was just a hashing together of different flashbacks. Though it does mean you could struggle with the chronology, but I think assuming the stories are after the Season of Storms is a safe bet. All of the stories are reasonably exciting, but Sapkowski does have a tendency to start these stories with the Witcher's triumph over another creature, and focus on the aftermath - sometimes you long for the thrill of the preceding hunt. The final story, which I feel is the main link into the first book, includes a number of sections where the Witcher is hallucinating. The segue between these isn't always clear, and while this adds to the atmosphere and feel of the Witcher being drugged, it does leave you a little confused at times (though this passes briefly). A good set of stories and a decent translation with few clunky parts. I would recommend these are read after the main books (i.e. in published order) - while I haven't read those, I have probably taken some characters/stories for granted and not appreciated how they feed in to the overall canon of Witcher works (without googling for spoilers).

I was first introduced to the Witcher world through the series of games when they came out. Last year I read last wish and watch season 1 on netflix, and this year I watch season 2 and sword of destiny.It is unfair to compare the TV show with the books because they are very different but this is not bad. I think the TV show does a good job of taking the anthology books of The Witcher and weaving it with the main series.This is the second book of anthology tales. Thoroughly enjoyable. I find Andrzej (maybe it's the translation) meandering in his storytelling at times. But they are a really good way to immerse yourself into the world of Witcher before getting into the main series.As with last wish most of the stories are self-contained although there is a thread that runs through some of these stories with plot points picked up from the previous book.The next book in publication order is blood of elves, which starts the main story arcs. But the next book in the chronology of the world is actually the last book written: season of storms.

Everything as described by the seller

Produto chegou sem nenhum estrago. Ótimo livro.

I became aware of this collection of books through watching the Netflix series, The Witcher. It was somewhat hard to completely appreciate the feelings and motivations of the characters in the series. What a revelation to read these stories in their original form. The feelings and motivations of the characters (tortured and driven by their destiny) are clearly laid out in a thrilling way. This series ranks among the best fantasy series that I have read.

Mein Sohn liebt seine Witcher Bücher.

Kanterna och några sidor var lätt nötta/ böjda vid ankomst, men annars i bra skick.

While the stories contained in “Sword of Destiny” are undeniably part of the Witcher continuum and undeniably awesome, they also undeniably take second place to those in “The Last Wish.” Qualifier: nothing in “Sword of Destiny” is bad. Quite the contrary: it’s a great read and worth every one of its five stars. Each story in this anthology is entertaining, well told, has a message and is very much worth reading. Compared to the absolutely top-shelf quality and originality of every story in “The Last Wish,” however, “Sword of Destiny” can’t help but feel a bit wanting. Part of this is successor syndrome (i.e., the preceding installment was JUST SO GOOD the sequel can’t really compare), part of it is Sapkowski finding his voice and dialing in his style.There are two very notable exceptions: “Little Sacrifice” and “Something More.” Those two stories rank among the very best of the Witcher short stories contained in either of the aforementioned collections. Holy wow do those stories hit the reader right in the feelz.Geralt of Rivia returns for another foray into Sapkowski’s brilliant fantasy world; a world as vibrant and real as our own, full of metaphor, allegory and relativism, where everything exists only in some wonderful shade of gray. Are dragons inherently evil and what exactly does that mean? What do you do with a creature that clones a person, but only copies said person’s good behaviors? What precisely constitutes a little sacrifice? How do you define destiny or if it even exists? The Witcher series is making fairy tales relevant again, but with grown-ups as the audience.With “The Last Wish” (Witcher #1) and “Sword of Destiny” (Witcher #2) finished, time to move onto the novels. “Blood of Elves” (Witcher #3) is already on this reviewer’s short list.“The Witcher nodded. Not for the first time, the criteria by which women judged the attractiveness of men remained a mystery to him.”- - - - - -“It’s not worth worrying about storytellers. If they don’t have enough material they’ll make things up anyway. And if they do have authentic material at their disposal, they’ll distort it.”- - - - - -“The Sword of Destiny has two blades… You are one of them.”- - - - - -“She stood before him and Geralt regretted it was her and not the fish-eyed creature with a sword who had been hidden beneath the water. He had stood a chance against that creature. But against her he had none.”- - - - - -“Aha,” he said calmly. “Essi Daven, also known as Little Eye. The alluring little eye of Little Eye fixed its gaze on the Witcher and caused confusion in the Witcher. The Witcher behaved like a little schoolboy before a queen. And rather than blame himself he is blaming her and searching for her dark side.”- - - - - -“For me,” Dandelion fantasized, “a palliasse without a girl isn’t a palliasse. It’s incomplete happiness, and what is incomplete happiness?”- - - - - -“You’re sensitive,” she said softly. “Deep in your angst-filled soul. Your stony face and cold voice don’t deceive me. You are sensitive, and your sensitivity makes you fear that whatever you are going to face with sword in hand may have its own arguments, may have the moral advantage over you…”