Сезон гроз

I think this is a pretty good balance between the earlier clever action-packed short story collections and the later epic world-spanning novels. It pays homage to both while telling a story about Geralt all the way through, yay! This serves as a stand-alone story and could be read at absolutely any time in the series. I like reading books in publication order, so this one is Witcher #8 for me.

Season of Storms was written after the main series of Witcher novels but set before most of Geralt’s adventures. I’m reading these books in terms of their internal chronology rather than the order of publication. While I got the sense that there were some Easter Eggs left for fans who had read the other books, the story stood well enough on its own.

The plot itself was sort of a reverse Picaresque. Geralt is perhaps the most moral and scrupulous figure in the story, and he’s thrown about by the lies and manipulations of the corrupt people and authorities around him. He’s framed for a crime, railroaded through court proceedings, and has his swords—the instruments of his trade—stolen from him. He just wants to be left alone, but the politicians and mages around him see a tool they can use to further their own schemes.

It took me a while to notice, but despite the magic and monsters, Season of Storms doesn’t have a typical fantasy novel plot. It has a noir plot. It’s all there. The protagonist is cynical and tarnished but still abides by a code. There is a femme fatale. The cops (er, “town guard”) are the biggest gang around. The ruling class run roughshod over the commoners without a care for the collateral damage. Loyalties and motives are uncertain, and the plot takes a number of twists and turns.

Season of Storms was a fun and exciting read, and I look forward to continuing the series.

What you used to be means more to people what what you are.

Thus ends my two month journey in The Witcher universe. On the whole this was a really enjoyable story and any annoyances I had about writing style or how the timeline unfolded are forgotten. There was a central plot and each book continued to move the story along so the differences from one book to another are hard to differentiate but in the end it delivered.

The final (maybe not for Sapkowski but I feel like it is for me) Witcher story jumps back in time and delivers a fun side story. I couldn't shake the feeling that the story was inconsequential and nothing mattered, and at times I coasted through pages. When the story got back on track I was locked in and along for the ride.

There may have been plot points or stories that Season of Storms complimented from the main Witcher story line but I didn't pick up on it. It felt like a one off and because of my comments above I felt it was worthy of a three star rating instead of the typical four the others got.

However, that Epilogue! This was short and sweet and ended on an incredibly high note. The final paragraph is quoted below because it was a perfect finish to the Witcher story.

She looked back. Behind her was the black forest. Before her was the road, running between an avenue of willows. A road towards destiny. The story goes on, she thought. The story never ends.