Title: Baptism of Fire

Author: Andrzej Sapkowski

Category: Fiction

Page Count: 346

Rating: 4/5

This book was a nice surprise, because I’ve been putting it off for a little while. I’ve enjoyed the Witcher books up to this point, but I’ve found that I prefer the short stories to the novels. This one broke the mould, perhaps because it finally feels as though some of the storylines that have been ticking along in the background are now finally coming to fruition.

Plus there’s the fact that we have all of the cool stuff that I know and love the Witcher for, like the moral questions that it asks of its readers and the way that there are so many three-dimensional characters with their own motivations. When reading this one, I rarely remembered that I was in a fictional world, except for the notable time when someone called someone a plonker. That felt weird, as though Tolkien had sent Del Boy to meet Elrond, but I’m pretty sure that’s a translation thing.

Other than that, I thought that the action was engaging and the little details were phenomenal, such as when Sapkowski had a little chat about one of his characters’ approach to bows. The expertise came across, to the point at which I’m pretty sure that Sapkowski would be a good guy to have with you in the event of a zombie apocalypse. He clearly knows how to kill a man.

There was even one scene where someone got shot in the head with an arrow that had so much force behind it that it shot straight through someone’s skull, taking their brains and part of their helmet with it. That might not sound appealing if you’ve got a weak stomach, but I liked it. Maybe I’m just a psychopath.

I can’t randomly recommend this one because it’s about four books into the series, but  I will say that it’s worth looking forward to because after a couple of so-so entries, it feels like the series is finally taking off.

Learn more about Baptism of Fire.