Season of Storms - Andrzej Sapkowski

⭐ 7.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

So this is a standalone witcher novel that takes place between some of the earlier short stories. It is the last bit of witcher writing currently available in English and so I was putting it aside for a rainy day.

It was a bit of a mess. I suspect that because this was published during the time of rising witcher popularity, Sapkowski kinda tossed together some shorts or half-written novel ideas and cashed in. There are a few threads here, but they never really intertwine much and feel disjointed. As short stories, some are quite good. As a novel, it never really works. Geralt has little in way of motivation (get his swords back, I guess?) and nothing really spurring him on or tying things together. He just meanders around and does witcher stuff.

That, plus i think this was some of his weaker writing. It includes a lot of his bad habits from his earlier stories (which is why I suspect these were written well before publication) such as poorly written women and some outdated philosophies. A big draw has always been his sense of humor, and while it's still present here, it almost feels more like fan-service.

All that said, I can't give it too low of a score because it still has many of the qualities that made me fall in love with the series. Great universe, unique and interesting writing/ storytelling methods, ambiguous moral dilemmas, and it simply features an all-time fantasy protagonist in Geralt. Maybe not Sapkowski's finest hour, and certainly not the one I'd recommend to new readers, but still a fun enough read.