Sword of Destiny Audio CD – Audiobook, 1 Dec. 2015

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.

Bought this book as a gift and receiver was really happy with it! As per quality- good, but I don't know what else I can say about book, if you are interested in fantasy, then you should go for it, it's good as product and good as book itself!

Much like The Last Wish before, Sword of Destiny is a collection of short stories following a talented witcher called Geralt of Rivia. Although you can start the series with Blood of Elves which is where the full-length novels commence, I can't recommend enough that even though a handful of these short stories are hit-and-miss, that they will add considerable depth to the future narrative arcs.The Last Wish featured mostly isolated stories with the Witcher tackling a certain monstrosity for a set payment. He travels around the world to where his peculiar killing and magic techniques are needed to tackle a problem and individuals will hire him. In the first book, apart from a couple of brief interludes, there were no recurring characters. It was solely about a certain adventure at one end of the world and then another a thousand miles away. Sword of Destiny features a handful of main characters from the series who become more fleshed out as there presence recurs. Geralt's friend and lady loving bard Dandelion, his mysterious sorceress love interest Yennefer and a potential child of destiny called Ciri. If you've played The Witcher computer games I imagine you a familiar with these characters, the sort of missions set and the monsters the Witcher is assigned to eradicate, and how beautiful and vast this created world is.I found the stories in The Last Wish more consistent but two or three of my favourites are from this entry. If you decide to read the short story collections first I'd truly recommend starting with The Last Wish and not Sword of Destiny. Two stories in The Witcher #1, one including Yennefer and one including a Queen and a Princess, add huge depth to the action and events that occur in this collection, especially with certain relationship complexities.The Witcher tales are exciting and addictive to say that a story can be finished within about half an hour. Sapkowski doesn't dumb down the world and there are a plethora of complex characters and demons throughout these pages. My favourite story is here is The Bounds of Reason and it features about twenty-five different well-crafted characters who set off on a mission to kill a wounded dragon. I found this narrative exceptional, unpredictable, thrilling with a hell of a twist at the end. This sets Sword of Destiny up brilliantly. This constructed world does feature typical fantasy tropes but nothing feels forced. It all feels enticing and original. I'm not looking forward to seeing more of the Elves in the next book!I won't go into the details of the stories too much as it might approach spoiler territory. I will confirm that these tales feature many fantasy races as well as mermaids and underwater warriors, showdowns with sorcerers, a group trying to trace a doppleganger, and also meeting Ciri. It features monster hunting of course but not as much and as frequent as The Last Wish. Each The Last Wish story played like a level on the Witcher games. These are less standalone and cleverly building up for the full narrative which will start with Blood of Elves.I adored The Bounds of Reason, A Little Sacrifice and Sword of Destiny. Eternal Flame and A Share of Ice were very average. The final story Something More I really struggled with initially. It follows two timelines as Geralt in a fevered state and I sometimes got confused where and when we were. If it was a full-length story I wouldn't have finished it but I did and I'm glad I fought through as the ending is highly satisfying with setting up what can possible happen in the next outings.I decided to read all of the Witcher books before the TV series is released and I am glad that I have taken on this venture. I've read the first two books within four days and I can't wait to move on further. I often struggle with short stories but I can recommend these highly. The Bound of Reason is one of the top two finest short stories I've ever read alongside Sebastian De Castell - The Fox and the Bowman.

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.

The Witcher Sword of Destiny was another brilliant read, and anyone who likes The Witcher on Netflix I recommend these books, because they are really great.

Somewhat different from the tv series, but worth a read

Produto chegou sem nenhum estrago. Ótimo livro.

Fan of the Witcher games, so decided to start the book series. Great so far.

The book is great and the series is fantasy at it's best!

Mein Sohn liebt seine Witcher Bücher.

Man O Man. What a World, What a lore.I got into the Witcher Universe back in 2018 with Witcher 2:Aok, then I Watched the Netflix Series, played Wild Hunt and now Halfway through this Book.Also I just ordered The Last Wish.(If you wanna Start with Witcher books Either start with 'Sword of Destiny' or 'The Last Wish' then Move on to the Witcher Saga with 'Blood Of Elves' and then end with 'Season of Storms')