The Lady of the Lake (The Witcher, 7) Paperback – March 14, 2017

The Lady of the Lake is the final book in the Witcher Saga, but the story is extended in the Award Winning Witcher Video Game Series. Reading these books makes me appreciate the stories of the games even more. If you're not a gamer, this is the glorious end of an epic adventure.The Witcher Saga is a complex story about powerful kings, sorceresses, emperors, lords, assassins, spies, and criminals battling each other in wars, diplomacy, rhetoric, and deceit. This battle is set in a dangerous world based on folklore with mythical monsters and powerful magic. Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster slayer, is drawn into a tangled web of intrigue when his adopted daughter from a unique and powerful bloodline draws the attention of the major powers in the world. Accompanied by his most loyal friends, Geralt battles his way to the end of the world to help Ciri as she tries to evade enemies as ambitious as they are deadly.The world of the Witcher is populated with greedy simple minded peasants, deadly beasts, ancient evils, curses, and almighty kings. This story adds credibility to the old folktales and brings them to life. Because this series is rooted in folklore, it seems more genuine.The characters are complex with their own motivations, emotional scars, rivalries, and alliances. You get to know them so well, you’ll start laughing out loud at their mannerisms and grumblings.The story structure jumps all over the damn place, but it seems to work. A major event will happen with the main characters. A scholar from Oxenfort will discuss its impact on history 100 years in the future, a band of mercenaries at a campfire will talk about the legend, and the saga will resume with the main characters. This ads depth and broadens the world, and it works. In any other book series, this would have been a terrible distraction.The action is visceral and has dire consequences. There are wizard duels, beasts, skirmishes, brawls, wars, battle tactics, chases, and assassinations. It's all very well written and puts you in the middle of the action.These books have some swearing, torture, sex, graphic violence, and horror. They are not for kids.You'll need to read the other books in the series to understand The Lady of the Lake. Reading these out of order would be like taking all of the Game of Thrones Episodes and shuffling them. It's not something you should ever do.Overall, this is a great saga about a drinking, whoring, gambling, lout, who proves his love for his adopted daughter by risking everything and battling his way to the ends of the world for her. The characters and world are complex. The action is great. The fantasy and lore is very well developed. The pacing stalls at times and the story skips around a bit, but these are the only gripes I have with this series. Geralt of Rivia is one of my all-time favorite characters and his story is legendary.If you enjoyed these books, I highly recommend the Witcher Games. The stories in the books act as "Choose your own adventure" and the decisions you make ultimately determine who lives and who dies. The Witcher 3 is the greatest game I have ever played.

Ciri, the witcher girl, Princess of Cintra, and Child of the Elder Blood escaped from her pursuers through a portal in Tor Zireal, the Tower of the Swallow. Rather than finding freedom on the other side, Ciri found herself imprisoned in the world of the elves who wished to use her powers for their own gain. To escape the horrors that await her, Ciri delves deep within herself to discover her true power: the power to travel through space and time. With so many ill intentions pursuing her, Ciri must travel across different worlds to reunite with the ones she longs to see most: Geralt and Yennefer.After nearly ten years of translating four books and two short story collections, the final installment to writer Andrzej Sapkowski’s popular 'Witcher' series has finally arrived in the States and it was well worth the wait. Geralt is closer than ever to finding Ciri, the ongoing war between the North and the South prepares to fight the deciding battle, and Ciri is discovering the powers she has always been told she possesses. While the previous books were most certainly Sapkowski at his finest, The Lady of the Lake was Sapkowski at his absolute best, completing his series in a near-perfect way.Readers will get so much more out of 'The Lady of the Lake' if they reread the entire series first for Sapkowski pulled out all the stops for the final installment. If readers have kept up with the, at times, confusing pages of politics of this fantasy world, the deciding battle is finally fought between the North and the South. Battles and wars are a norm in the fantasy genre and these scenes can be rather tricky to write effectively; however, Sapkowski wrote his deciding battle, the Battle of Brenna, in a very intriguing way. Rather than just focusing on the fighting, Sapkowski jumps between many different points of view, having readers witness the battle as a soldier, as a medic, and as an onlooker. While politics have played a crucial role in the Witcher series, The Lady of the Lake has a minimal focus on it and more of a focus on the characters.Nearly every character that has been introduced in the previous six books makes an appearance, with some playing larger roles while others make a small cameo. As for the major characters, all receive an equal amount of attention; however, for the readers who have eagerly awaited this conclusion, the fate of three characters is what they may be most curious about. Witcher Geralt of Rivia and sorceress Yennefer of Vengerberg have traversed half the world, desperately searching for the one who they see as their own daughter and readers are anxious to know if the three most deserving of a happy ending finally get one. While readers will spend a good amount of time with Geralt and his companions as well as with Yennefer in her imprisonment by the powerful sorcerer Vilgefortz, readers will learn more about Ciri than ever before. Readers will learn the reasons why so many want her power and will follow Ciri as she discovers the true power that lies within her.'The Lady of the Lake' is a story one will want to complete, but at the same time, a story one will not want to have end. For readers who have followed the series since The Last Wish, it is strongly encouraged they experience its finale for themselves. All one who has read it can really say without spoiling major plot points is that Sapkowski concluded his well-received fantasy series in a near-perfect way. His masterful storytelling is the strongest it has ever been with countless twists and turns in the plot to keep readers turning the page. One can look forward to a final collection of short stories of Geralt’s adventures in Season of Storms next year, but as the curtain finally falls on the 'Witcher' series, one can truly say… it was well worth the wait.