The Tower of Swallows
Reviews (165)
Could Not Put Down
This was probably the first book in this series that I absolutely could not stop reading!! The others took me weeks to get through. Not this one! Less than a week … and I want more!! Love this series!!
Love this book series
fantastic read of fantasy
A complex tale
This story follows our heros journey as they are now separated from each other. This is Ciri's tale. Gerald is only a side note. Here Ciri grows up and gains knowledge and skills needed to reshape the world.
Ciri is mostly the focus....
Book 6, or is it 4. was just as good as Baptism of Fire. In fact it was so good I had a hard time putting it down and will be going straight to the next book - Lady of the Lake. Hard to explain why I loved this story so much without spoiling it. Most of the book is Ciri explaining what happened to her when she joined with the bandits in book 5...or is it 3? And we meet Bonhart. In fact I want to know more about Bonhart. You will want to know more about him to. Trust me. If the rest of the books are as good as this one it should be a wonderful read.
Fourth in fantasy series reveals key points on main plot
The world is at war and Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Having taken the disguise of a bandit, Ciri believed herself to be free from her enemies and her destiny, but her freedom is short lived as friend and foe alike search for her. The witcher Geralt is scouring the land in search of the princess with help from a band of allies. Mercenaries have been hired from both sides of the war to find and capture her. There is only one place left for Ciri to run to: the tower of swallows. The ever-talented Andrzej Sapkowski has released yet another wonderful addition to his epic fantasy series with 'The Tower of Swallows'. While it does not hold as much action or humor as its predecessors, Sapkowski’s fourth installment still holds plenty of fantastical action while taking a more serious route. The war that has been foreshadowed has finally arrived and readers get to learn more about what is to come. The story as a whole is, once again, well-written and well-executed. As with previous books of the series, the characters really help to bring this story to life. Most of the main characters readers have come to know have equal amounts of spotlight time; however, one character receives more spotlight time than any other: Ciri. Ciri has been a vital part of the series since 'The Last Wish', but has only been given minimal attention. It is a pleasant surprise the amount of spotlight time Sapkowski gives to Ciri and readers will thoroughly enjoy learning more about her, even though her tale is not an entirely pleasant one. Even with the more serious route 'The Tower of Swallows' takes, there are still plenty of excellent action sequences and also more storytelling that will fascinate readers. The 'Witcher' series is known for incorporating well-known tales and legends within its books and more mythological tales are revealed in this one. The impending Frost that has been briefly mentioned in earlier books of the series is nearly upon the land as is the war. This is finally explained more in depth through what seem to be stories from Norse mythology. This is a wonderful addition to the tales and legends already hinted at within the series and one fans of mythology will love. The only somewhat downside of the story may be that parts can become confusing at times. Similar to the second installment of the series, 'The Time of Contempt', readers are given more politics about the war that can either be confusing or drawn out to the point of monotony. Also, many characters are mentioned whose names may sound familiar, but may be difficult for readers to place who said characters are. Regardless of how readers take this information, it is vital information to know for the main plot of the 'Witcher' series. Master storyteller Sapkowski has yet to disappoint in his epic fantasy series. With more information revealed to the readers about the war, the so-called “end times,” and the princess who is destined to bring about or stop that time, 'The Tower of Swallows' is an excellent addition to The 'Witcher' series. Readers will keep reading, longing for the time to come when Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri can be together as a family and for the time when Sapkowski’s amazing fantasy world is no longer at war. The story does end in a way that will make readers wish to read the next in the series, 'Lady of the Lake'.
Great series
Great series
Not the best of the Witcher series
This book had a few things going for it and a few things he going against it. The positives: Ciri is a bad ass. Sapkowski has a very creative narrative style of writing which is super enjoyable The negatives: The over explained political sections of the book. You get very little Geralt. The book is a connector book that does not stand alone without the others. I am mostly just hoping this book pays off in the long term of the story, because it was not my favorite of the Witcher series.
Action
This book is full of action and answers. But the questions presented at the end promise the next book will continue to entertain.
Building up for the big finish.
Written much like the previous books, you should already know what to expect. It clearly isn't the last book so you can expect little resolution. There is a fair amount of action and adventure, intrigue and anticipation in the story as well as the political situations typical to the witcher books. The English translation is poor and incorrect in some cases leading to inconsistencies in the timeliness of the story primarily. Stick to the story for enjoyment and avoid looking too deeply into finer details.
A rich, complex, immersive fantasy world. A real achievement.
Sapkowski's fantasy world has everything which even some of the most famous fantasy universes lack: moral ambiguity, complex and highly developed characters that make it difficult to discern heroes from villains, and mature themes. The author is daring in his decision to constantly employ different narrative devices, and in Tower of the Swallow, he gets especially creative. I find the variety refreshing. At times you feel you have a birds-eye view. At times you feel as though you are literally sitting by the hearth fire listening to a story. The point has to be immersion, and its effective. These features are all accessories that accentuate the greatest aspect of the books: the characters. Sapkowski is a MASTER at creating unique, believable characters, who each have their own parlance, their own world view, and who's dialogue when put to page is authentic and true to these characters. You know its good when there are about ten characters whom, if I were to ask my peers their opinion on them, I would wager half would hate them with violent passion, and the other half would love them so much to the point of emulation. Surely we have all read authors who fail at captivating us with properly written characters. Furthermore, its clear that the author has an impressive grasp of philosphy, abstract thinking, politics, morality and ethics, social issues and more. I can promise you that you will be intellectually stimulated while reading these books, and you will be introduced to more angles and ideas and subjects with modern application than you ever thought possible from a fantasy series. I was never gratified in this way by LOTR or Harry Potter, or any other fantasy series. Pick up this book if you want the Tour De Force in fantasy. If you find the black and white, good vs. evil paradigm of LOTR or Harry Potter dreadfully boring, and are more of a Game of Thrones purveyor, then this is the series for you.
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