The Tower of Swallows

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!!

fantastic read of fantasy

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.

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.

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

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.

This book is full of action and answers. But the questions presented at the end promise the next book will continue to entertain.

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.

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.

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!!

fantastic read of fantasy

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.

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.

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

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.

This book is full of action and answers. But the questions presented at the end promise the next book will continue to entertain.

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.

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.

A little confusing at times from popping back and forth between characters and times but it kept you guessing and was a great read can't wait to find out what happens next

The author is really hitting his stride, interweaving all the story lines with a great swashbuckling tale but also a good dose of magic

Tower of Swallows is another epic installment in the Witcher series! Everyone is looking for Ciri, all of the major nations, the Nilfgardians, Vilgefortz and many other foes as well as her old companions. It’s a race to find Princess Cirilla. Ciri has been living as a mercenary with a group like her that want to live free and take what they want and protect the innocent. The story follows Ciri for sometime. Geralt and his companions are still traveling in search of Ciri and must traverse perilous realms while trying to escape the clutches of the Nilfgardians. In the Tower of Swallows we see how Yennerfer survived what was thought to be certain death in the previous installment. Yennerfer is now trying to locate Ciri through unorthodox means. What unfolds in the final chapters reveals how badass Ciri has become! I am ready to jump head first into the next book in the series!

I’ve read Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, and the first 4 of the 6 book series. This one is definitely the least enjoyable to read of all of them. The rest of the series is decent. The writing is only mediocre in my opinion, but I think some of that has to do with things being lost in translation. For the books translated by Danusia Stok were a better read than those translated by David French (such as Tower of Swallows). The overall story and the world building are pretty good for an epic fantasy series. I do wish they made up a map of the “world” and included it like most high fantasy books do, but that might not bother some people. I, personally, like to know where the characters are in relation to everything else as well as when depicted events are taking place on the timeline of the story arc. Which leads me to the problem I have this book in particular. The timeline jumps around CONSTANTLY! And I don’t mean there’s just the main story and then flashbacks throughout. That I wouldn’t mind. In this book, there’s constant bouncing around on the timeline. And while sometimes dates are offered within the narrative or dialogue, they aren’t stated straight out at the beginning of the scene and since the timeline jumps around multiple times each chapter, it can be easy lose when the scene your reading is taking place unless you’re vigilant about keeping track. In my opinion, this heavily detracts from the reading experience and only serves as a distraction. If the book were set up in a more linear sense with only a couple flashback character arcs, that would be a much easier read. While this book is my least favorite of the series so far, it was still decent overall and I liked the ending. The character arcs end with enough suspense to make me look forward to the next book, but also ‘stops’ at a point where the conclusion of the book is satisfying. Despite the issues I had with this particular installment of the series, I still intend to read the last 2 books. For if nothing else, I can’t stand leaving a story unfinished. ...Plus, I really want to see Vilgefortz get his ass kicked.

The sixth book of The Witcher saga is chaotic, frenetic and fun. The story centers around Ciri, though there are updates about what Geralt and Co. are up to. Sapkowski also touches base with Yennifer and Triss. A significant portion of the book happens from the POV of new(er) characters and how they interact with important events that occur around the time of the equinox. This staggered/fractured presentation of story is a style Sapkowski makes frequent (and good) use of. As other readers have pointed out, the frequency of those interspersed POVs is at all time high, but this isn't a bad thing. In fact, once the reader adjusts to this change in presentation, s/he will have a much better understanding of the impact and scope of the forces at work around Ciri. Recommended for: those already taking the ride and wanting to see it through. Where, oh where, will this fateful journey lead our intrepid hero- er, protagoni- er, characters of note? 'No one wants to suffer. But yet it is our lot. And some suffer more. Not necessarily by choice. The point is not the bearing of suffering. The point is how it is borne.' "On the way to eternity everyone will tread their own stairway, shouldering their own burden." "It's impossible to utterly destroy humans and cockroaches; at least one pair always remains." 'It isn't the evil and indecent who are flung down into the depths, no! Oh, no! The evil and decisive fling down those who are moral, honest and noble but maladroit, hesitant and full of scruples.'

After watching the Netflix show, I knew I had to read the books. I was really happy with my purchase. All the books were in great condition (a necessity as a collector). I also received the exact cover that was displayed for sale (including the somewhat-ugly red sticker that is part of the cover art and non-removable). Shipping-wise, I received my order in 4 days, which I was really impressed with. If you plan on getting these books and can afford to buy them all at once, do so. I received a multi-buy discount which saved me $5. A series that is really easy to read and expands on the world of The Witcher.

Love anything to do with THE WITCHER SERIES. Even have the posters !!

This is the 4th book in the series of 5. There are 7 books in the Witcher Universe. Do not read this book out of order because the Saga books pick up exactly where the previous books left off. You wouldn't Start Watching Game of Thrones in Season 4, would you? The short story books are: The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, which set up the world and the main characters. The Saga books are: Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of Swallows, and Lady of the Lake. Read these in order! In this book Geralt and his party continue to look for Ciri, who is on the run and has been gravely wounded by bounty hunters. There have also been cataclysmic supernatural events occurring on Samhain as a ghostly cavalcade of wraiths, known as the Wild Hunt, appear. I'm a HUGE fan of the Witcher video games and books, and Geralt may be my favorite video game character of all time. I also really like Ciri from Witcher 3. If I did NOT like Ciri, I would not like this book because the entire book is centered around her. So, if you're looking for stories about Geralt killing monsters, you're much better off playing the games. With all of that said, Tower of Swallows is an exciting, fast paced adventure, where Ciri and her fellow gang of bandits is on the run from professional bounty hunters. They ride across the country, while being hunted down. It almost feels like a western. The writing style is engaging, the action is brutal, and there are many twists and turns. If you've been a fan of the series so far, this book doesn't disappoint... unless you want a book about Geralt killing monsters. Speaking of which... I am downloading the Witcher 3 Blood and Wine DLC as I write this. I’m really looking forward to the final book, The Lady of the Lake.

This book deserves a five star rating. Sapkowski's storytelling is fantastic, and reading it flows like a smooth river - or it would, if it had been properly translated. I cannot speak for accuracy as I do not speak, let alone read, Polish. As far as I know, he may have translated it perfectly. But somewhere along the line, whether it be the editor or just French himself nodding off, he gave up on having any degree of spelling consistency or respect for grammar. This is a problem noticeable since Time of Contempt, where the translation suddenly shifts the spelling of several names, as French clearly gave no regard to the standards put in place by Danusia Stok (who, by the way, did a stellar job in Blood of Elves). Not only that, but he constantly contradicts himself by switching the spelling of names from Y to V, from J to Y, and sometimes even blatantly changing the sound of a word entirely. Within a single paragraph. Not to mention the growing number of grammatical errors that any degree of proof-reading could have caught. It has been an issue since reading Time of Contempt, but it has reached a point where I simply must comment on his shabby work. Not five pages go by without a preposition or apostrophe missing, which completely shatters the flow of the reading. I strongly recommend that Orbit Books do a better job with their pre-publishing work, and I beseech Sapkowski and all other authors to pay very close attention to these kinds of things. To make it absolutely clear, I will even state that the edition I have is of May 2016, and beg that Orbit please revise it before doing any more printings. Typos are not okay in an industry where your entire career is based around reading the same thing dozens of times to make sure it is correct.

I really enjoyed this one. The story is told from several different points of view and some are better than others. Geralt's, unfortunately, is not the best. However, Ciri's story moves forward and you could say this is her book. The last few chapters are fast paced and hard to put down.

The writing is perfect. This tale becomes more interesting as it progresses. All the characters are impressive and very human. I strongly recommend this book.

The Witcher is a fantasy novel that gives a different picture of high fantasy from both Tolkien and Martin. A flawed world, like the others, but with different flaws. The secondary characters have depth and personality and don't feel like mere props to be tossed aside once their scene is done. The Witcher's world has an underlying sadness to it, which rises to the fore at a number of points.

Love this series. You learn so much about the characters this time. Would definitely really recommend to anyone reading this series

I'm a book collector so this was on my shelf for some time. Untouched. The cover started to peel off (I have every Witcher book and only this one did it) They were incredibly helpful and swapped it out for me 10/10 service

I love the series! All of the books are well written and very immersive. Must read.

While Andrzej Sapkowski is a splendid writer of short stories - as The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny prove - he is a mediocre novelist. How bad could it be, you might wonder, if I made it through all of his translated novels, plus The Lady of the Lake which you can find in PDF format though, as yet, unpublished? Because there are wonderful moments of in all of his works. His strengths as a short story writer appear to work against him as a novelist. The tight plots, vivid portrayal of people and scenes employing such a clever economy of words, gripping fighting scenes with stark and often unexpected outcomes are close to brilliant. In his novels, however, there is often endless exposition and long, LONG conversations among too, too many characters, many of whom are introduced long after Act I. And just when matters FINALLY become interesting, he switches to another group of too many people, talking much too much in another over-described place, far, far away from events you've been reading about for the previous 50 pages. The technique is as valid as it is venerable. And it would work with fewer words. What Sapkowski, desperately, needed was an editor. These novels need to be cut by at least 100 pages each just for pacing alone. Finally, his female characters never approach the dimensions and depth of many of the males. Plus, if the females are not attractive they rarely exist at all. We journey with myriad interesting male dwarves, gnomes and assorted halfings with no sexual appeal. But, except for a couple of occasional matronly women, all the gals simply must be beautiful. Sapkowski especially has a thing for female breasts and hair. Where this becomes a huge problem is with the female teenage protagonist, Ciri. She's, to use the current term, emo. She reacts intensely and emotionally to EVERYTHING and quickly becomes a bit of a bore. Apart from the fact that she has large green eyes and mousy hair we get little sense of what she looks like. We get more detail about thugs, introduced one page before they're gruesomely killed, than we ever get about this all important central character. In short, these novels are far from being literature by any measure but Sapkowski is a great story teller if the story is brief.

I enjoyed Tower of Swallows but didn’t love it. There are a LOT of loose ends to wrap up in the final book, so it will be interesting to see how well this is accomplished. This book is much more about Ciri than the other main characters and the way it is written (jumping around in time and between multiple narrators) is sometimes hard to follow. Ciri becomes a real badass by the end and a couple of bad guys get their just desserts, but a new very bad guy makes his presence felt. But if you’ve made it to this point in the Witcher saga, you need to read the last two.

All I can say is if your interested in the witcher at all, these are must reads.

The author writes a vivacious story about our heroes, Geralt, Ciri, and Yennifer. It's a good read for anyone looking for stimulating thoughts with contemporary implications in an atavistic and mystical setting.

The writing style is getting even more crowded in this 6th book in the series. Besides the rather random way the author names people (there seems to be no method to it) there are so many confusing nations, provinces and side storylines that have little or nothing to do with the main plot. Sporadic changes in story or current theme are quickly read and passed by…and makes you wonder “why is the author telling me this?” For instance, the fight between Cahir and Geralt…it made no sense. However, the end of the book was pretty cool and if you’d invested in the series you know you’re going to finish it. Still, I wish the author would present more coherent storytelling.

Great book

I bought the whole series for my brother's fiance and she loves all of them. Same for the other books in the series.

Spoilers ahead... This is truly a book about Ciri. She meets an Archnemesis who throws what little bit of semblance and order she has found upside down in a traumatic way. She finds refuge with an old hermit who listens to her tale and we are like flies on the wall hearing it along with him. She goes to seek her destiny and shows those who wish to do her harm in her path that She is true to her chosen name of Falka and lives up to that bloody mantle. The Witcher series has quickly risen to one of my favourite series I've read and I've read quite a few.

The author does not hold back from expressing his nihilistic and postmodern views the most in this novel. He doesn't she away from moral relativism, nihilism, death, Will to Power, Neitzche, humanism, autonomy, the whole shebang....and contradicts himself several times, in what probably seems appealing to the dull, standard postmodern reader. Except it is utter garbage, distracting, unconvincing, intrinsically contradictory, emotion bating...... Author make it clear he thinks women should have the right to choose to kill their unborn child...it's their body right. But then also makes it clear it would be a sad event. Why sad if nothing is wrong with it. In the end an abortion doesn't happen but a miscarriage does... Author makes it clear he doesn't believe in right and wrong....good and evil....because it restrains you from being able to punish the evil....but if there is no evil then what are you punishing and mad about? One character is very confusing, Vysigoto. it clear he doesn't believe in Gods or Goddesses, he says so multiple times, then Ciri insinuates that he actually believes in One God I in a sort of deistic type of way...hmm.. Yennefer is the most confusing. She doesn't believe in Gods or Goddesses. But then the Goddess grants her her wish? Telepathic or empathic energy? What?.... Don't get me wrong the story is still great, but the character development is hopelessly postmodern and pointless, aimless, hopeless, yet it still aims and fights...for which we keep reading with great interest, yet all the characters don't believe in any purpose for which they fight, but their still fighting...for justice of course, even though they don't believe in it. If I confused you don't blame me, this author is confused, he might be older and have some wisdom, but there is definitely a hard-hearted antagonism towards righteousness and justice, hope, and truth, light, and peace, love and good. Reader you are warned.

There are a plethora of spelling and grammatical mistakes in this book as well as the others I’ve purchased from this publisher. It’s not a huge problem but it is a bit irritating having to go back to read a sentence over again thinking I misread it when in reality it was a mistake. The books are decent but they do feel a bit cheap which again isn’t terrible with the price point

This book was hard to put down. You truly felt for the characters, and despised others. I became completely engrossed in this world and it’s inhabitants

I eagerly await reading these books. Each one brings you one step closer to what happens in the lives of Ciri, Geralt, and Yennefer. This books has surprising changes for Geralt and unfortunate consequences for Yen. Ciri faces more trials, but also becomes more confident in her abilities and her vision of the world around her.

My son told me about this book series, so I thought I'd give it a try. Suspenseful, entertaining and I can't wait to see how it all ends!

The entire Witcher series of books by Andrzej Sapkowski are some of the best fantasy novels ever written in my humble opinion. You can't go wrong with any of the books in the series though I would recommend starting at the beginning and working your way through them all from first to last. Start with the Last Wish and go from there I believe at least one or more of his books in the series has yet to be translated from Polish to English but you can find unofficial PDF translations online like I did when I first started getting interested in these books. It is great writing told from the perspective of Geralt of Rivia's, the Witcher, best friend and traveling companion Dandelion who happens to be a bard and poet himself. If your into this sort of thing and you know if you are then just buy the books get the entire series and start reading. I couldn't put them down and I doubt you will be able to either.

Great story! Quick read and really have enjoyed reading this book. This book has every people I could ask for in a fantasy book. It has revenge, it has justice, it has it all.

I am a HUGE fan of this series. The Tower of Swallows combines the stories of at least 5 different people that all seem to connect the more you read. The story grips you and keeps you wanting more. I have a hard time putting this book down. From Geralt's jolly party, to Ciri's ill fated journey and all the politics of The White Flame's war in between. If you are thinking about reading this then I already don't have to tell you how good it is. Sapkowski's world is brought to life with vivid imagery and a perfect blend of epic fights, light romance, hopelessness, tragedy, comedy, and the occasional horror.

I think the cost was ridiculous, I could go to a bookstore and get 25-30% off, i wondered why it was SO much, now I know! Amazon charges full price! From now on I'll be going to B&N or Boarders, or other local shops! That said, these are nice, thick, books, and i REALLY hope my son reads and appreciates them, they were a Christmas wish!

There's much happening in this book, with the story concentrating more on the main three characters. The story turned even darker, with significant damage being done to many, physically as well as mentally.

Seemed a little slow at times, but never missed, kept my curiosity, and killed it for the finish. Wow! Great read! Can’t wait to start the next book.

So easy to get immersed in the witcher universe. I start to see what's happening rather than just reading to story. On to the next book!

In Book 4, things look bleak for Ciri, Yennefer and Geralt. All the forces are aligned against them and at times it seems hopeless. This book is another thrilling page turner. Great series!

Although it’s a bit difficult to keep track of all the characters (much like Game of Thrones) the story and complexity keeps me going for the next book in the series. Amazing to see Ciri progress from a spoiled brat to an amazing heroine. Very good read.

The tale of the sorceress, the witcher and the girl they love as daughter continue to unfold. This book is broken mainly in between those characters, given us a look into what they believe and they do, and how that's end up being seeing by the others, this enrich the perspectives, and lets you see what the truth may be in this world. The writing doesn't dwindle to much into description, and focus more in the character interaction with their world, and in between them, as they are usually rushing from one bad situation to next. Frantic action, with a study on the characters motivation gives this book its form, with a world that it is ugly as it is human. My only complaint with the book would be that I have to wait until next translation is ready. Great read, particularly better than the previous entry on the series, at least from my perspective.

I ordered 2 of each Witcher Books 1 son in jail the other in prison they live the books they pass them to others like a book exchange barrow type thing the men in the jail/ prison kept asking when is your mom going to order you the next book. LOL

Is it odd the reason I'm dinging this book a star is also a reason I like the book? If this is your first Witcher book, put it down, look up the order to start reading these stories (starting with the two books of short stories) and then catch up to this one. Tower of Swallows is the first novel in this series that brings back the feeling of the original short stories for me. Although in the novel format, it can get a bit confusing the way he bounces around but as always Andrezej is a master story teller, the kind of stories you'd want to hear around a campfire. Now I can't wait for the final book to be translated. Well I can I guess, I don't want to take a chance with a fan translation.

My son read this. Said he really enjoyed the plot. He is excited to have the next one in the series

I will be honest, I really enjoyed this book but there were parts that really rankled me as well. It starts a bit ponderously and tends to meander at parts, however at the conclusion of the book, you will realize that everything was being cleverly and carefully laid out in for some big reveals later on. A lot happens in this book. We get to see a lot of characters and their points of views. A lot of plot threads were developed significantly so I was very satisfied. Sapkowsi's characters are outstanding as usual. To summarize things, I loved the book and would greatly recommend it, if like me you struggle with the beginning, just stick it out and I promise it will become somethings mind blowing. On to the next!

I see this series is starting to go the way of almost all good ones. The writer is over writing the main story, getting caught up in meaningless side stories and starting to muck it up. Still salvageable but I think the next book will be a disappointing mess. Why do writers do this?

Playing the games kind of ruined the experience with the books, since, in a general perspective, the gamer knows everything that will happen in the book. But maybe those “spoilers” are actually allowing me tonoay attention to other aspects of the books. The stoytelling, as usual, is simplistic in a pleasent way. It feels like a dark fairy tale, albeit heavy on subconcious historic dramas of World War Poland, there’s always enough comic relief from most characters. This book in particular, however, gives quite a twist as it abandons p, for the most part, Geralt’s journey and focuses on Ciri as she grows from a cunning small time criminal, to a high priority individual with a most convoluted past.

Was much better than a time of contempt, but not much happens. A lot of political moving, tertiary characters, and a lack of plot progression. This is basically a spy thriller, with a lot of intrigue and visceral violence.

Best one yet. Well, tied with Baptism of Fire. The only thing that I can think of that is a negative is that there gets to be so many characters that you really need the search function of an e-book to keep track who is on who's side and what their motives are and why they are doing what they are doing. I wouldn't read this in paperback. E-book all the way.

Cant whait to star reading them!

It's a little bit of a slow start, but this book is well worth sticking with. I'm looking forward to starting the next book.

Just finished the book, I have read all the books in the witcher series and I am an avid fan. I was attracted to this series after I played Witcher 3 and man this universe is amazing. I am a fanboy of Geralt and he is my favorite videogame character. This book like others was a roller coaster of a ride and loved every minute of it. Man I hate that I don't know polish language and was appalled that I will have to wait till Sep 2017 for the next book 'Lady of the Lake' in English, how infuriating. Well nothing I can do , so I will wait anxiously. Highly recommend this book and all in the series. PS: These books make the game even more enjoyable.

I bought the set of these books. It is a great read! Highly recommended!

All characters good or evil have an identity, they have a story, they have a reason to be in the book. They are not mere extras or burglars, they are someone and you want to know what will happen to them; you want to know if they will be victorious or if they will finally hang from a noose

Like all of Mr. Sapkowski's books, The Tower of Swallows is generally well-written with crisp dialogue and action. Unfortunately, this is not a book about Geralt - it is a book very much about Ciri, with the overall political situation of secondary importance, and Geralt a very distant third place. While the author has for some time been explicitly shifting focus away from Geralt to other characters and issues, this book takes this trend to an unsatisfying extreme - there are lengthy narratives for at least 7 characters (off the top of my head, possibly more, plus multiple pages in multiple sections of bald historical exposition) of varying importance and Geralt's narrative is perhaps 20% of the book. Perhaps because of the small focus on Geralt (and the lack of Dandelion) this book lacked much of the humor that prior books do. I have read all the books (and played all the games), and one of the best points of the Witcher series has always been how Geralt's choices and actions affect (and are affected by) the broader world he lives in. But it has always been a story about Geralt, and that is no longer the case with the Tower of Swallows. While the machinations of Nilfgaard and the Northern Kingdoms are interesting, that is not what I look for in these books. Count me out for the next book if nothing changes (I certainly won't be pre-ordering it). If you are looking for more on Ciri, Yennefer and the broader world building, this book is for you. If you are looking for more on Geralt (or witchers generally), you won't be missing anything by passing on this one.

I have read the five Witcher books that end with Lady of the Lake. They all have the same strengths and weaknesses. The potential for a great story is there. Some great characters but some major storytelling flaws. Sometimes I skipped through nearly an entire chapter of banal conversations. Overly complex names. Tries too much to show some linguistics by mentioning multiple names for a single location. Names have odd and difficult to pronounce spellings, so good luck having a conversation about some characters. My hope is that the screenwriters for the television version are given liberties to clean up a story that has some great characters to build on.

I saw some critical reviews for this book, and I personally think they're really wrong in the sense theyre making out to be. Nothing in the writing changes, honestly gets better and the story really begins to pick up. The only difference compared to the others is that most of the book (a little more than half) focuses on other characters journeys outside of geralts; like tawny owl/mercs, yennefer/triss, ciri/vysogota, dijkstra/Esterad Thyssen. If anything, it's similar to the first two books but with a consecutive timeline of events. Cant wait to finish.

Great story to match great stories. None of them have been a let down so far!

I found chapter 8 hard to get through. The rest was fine.

After completing The Witcher game series, I started diving into the books for a little bit of additional content from the series. and what I found was the humor that I enjoyed so much and the third game, as well as a lot of world-building that informed much of my enjoyment in replays of the game. If you enjoyed the games you will enjoy the book series so much!

Please know that the reading order for these books is different on Goodreads. Very good world building, however all the different kingdoms, rulers, spymasters, and other characters take away from the main story & main characters. Author goes into long convoluted political dissertations that really take away from the book. Expect to skip long passages of the political stuff. It really gets you nowhere in the end. Spymasters will be spymasters and their political machinations just muddy these books. And now, lets ad some Arthurian legends into the mix.

Started strong then in the middle really slowed down, just when it was really starting to bore me, it got crazy 3/4 of the way and hold strong till the end

Another very good installment of the Witcher series. It is good heroic fantasy, but quite dark and brutal. I get the impression that some of the myths that are woven in may be familiar to eastern Europeans, but some are quite new to me, which ads to the appeal. If you like fast paced heroic fantasy with a definite bitterness of reality this is good. The nice guys usually end up suffering, much like reality. Not the deepest and most developed characters, but pretty much better than typical in modern writing.

I enjoy the interweaving of history with the European folklore, horror / fairytales.

I did enjoy this. Parts of the story are in the Witcher 3 video game so some of plot was old news. There was a little padding during the book. Especially about no one being able to hear Ciri's side of the story she told in the swamp.

Actually, there aren't a lot of characters that are wholly likable. Still a great story and good characters. I'll keep reading the series. I can recommend. Gbash

Sapkowski is hard to figure out when it comes to writing style -for me at least. His books come across as a mash-up of different formats, and occasionally he also heads away from his "signature"-writing. Not to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy this book, though, it comes across as a more focused, narrative-driven event, compared to Sapkowskis many ironic, satire-driven stories. I also detect a blend that shines through even more in the next book, The lady of the lake, where the narrative shifts between different times in history, different styles (narrative-driven novel interspersed with novella or even short-story formats. Good read, but harder to keep track of all the different names and roles of the great and varied character-roster, and many will probably be turned off by all the politics included.

The ending left me tearing out of excitement, literally breath taken by the magnificent descriptions laid out by the writer. May every person in hardship at these dreaded times be filled with the same feelings as I had immersing myself in this story.

. A lot of story development... some of which was on characters I really did t need to know about.

Great book, came quickly and with no damage. If you haven't read this series and you're a fan of fantasy, you definitely should!

I enjoyed her strength. Her vengeance. Her figuring out how she will survive. So pleased yennifer did not give her up. I sure hope she is able to find both Yen and Geralt in the final book.

The saga will, as a collection, likely never be quite as good as the individual stories, but they are still magnificently written. Sapkowski lacks the shock and awe that writer's like Martin command, but this is essentially a story about 2 people. Geralt is the medieval equivalent of a Ghostbuster, but is frequently sucked into politics. I've grown quite attached to Geralt, and to a lesser extent, Cirilla. As I near the end of Lady of the Lake, a sadness has begun to form, knowing this may be my last adventure with them.

So far pretty good

Books are great,love the witcher ,but it's a 50/50 everytime I order one of these books,pages are folded or creased. Why im giving a 4 star,please dont sent your customers creased up and folded paged books,it suppose to be new.

Love this serious

Purchased as a gift for someone. Perfect!

My wife stated it was worth the read.

Leo Bonhart is both a truly terrifying and utterly contemptible villain. This story shows that the ultimate monster does not have fangs or leathery wings, drink blood, or breathe fire. In this book he totally eclipses Vilgeforts as the character that you want to see get their comeuppance. It was also nice to see Ciri evolve from being basically a talking football to a formidable and consequential female lead character.

Thus far I've loved the Witcher books, but this one was the first book to be difficult to get through. I don't tend to have trouble following alternate viewpoints in books. I did with this novel because it felt like time periods were jumping back and forth, and I didn't have a clear timeline in my head. This is mostly a tale of what has happened to Ciri, as Geralt's part in this tale is probably only 1/4 to 1/3 of the book. I just didn't feel like it had the truly masterful plotting of the previous books. It felt like it jumped around and wasn't very focused. There wasn't a lot of payoff from some of the side plots with Triss and Yennefer, though maybe those will come in future books.

Having read the trilogy, I bought this to continue to the end of the story. It takes awhile to get there, but there is actually a climax to this book that feels very good to reach. It is still not the end, however, as Lady of the Lake comes next.

This novel contains some of the best fantasy writing ever penned. Chapters eight and nine stand out to me as the best examples of what contemporary fiction can be. I will not forget this book.

This is the darkest of the books in the series. Sapkowski adds a few new characters that you will love to hate. Ciri became one of my favorite characters in this book. It is a story of survival and sorrow for Ciri. Geralt and his band of misfits are back. They all grow as characters as well. Regis became one of my favorite characters of all time in this book. As always, Sapkowski's ability to set a scene and project a mood to readers is really exceptional.

The adventure continues and we see more action and learn more about what is going on in the world. Great read!

I’ve read two or three of the other books of the series. They were very good. I enjoyed each of them . This one was absolutely terrible and I paid ten dollars for the experience. The story line jumped back and forth in time , back and forth from character to character. . The story had no rhythm or grace in the telling of it. I know as a reader when I fail the author of a story . I also know when the author has failed me the reader. The author failed not only me but he failed his his story also., I don’t know who the editor was on this travesty but for the Writers sake , I hope they are replaced. This was simply awful the way it was put together..

Such a pleasure to read! Absolutely Loved it! Will recommend it strongly. Can’t wait to read the Lady of Lakes!

This series keeps getting worse, and I am done with it. By this point in the series, the author has become overly dependent on narrow, lucky escapes and cliffhangers, which are hallmarks of bad fiction. Two of the three main characters have been captured, but narrowly escaped twice. The third has been captured for the second time at the end of the book. It's a cheap and annoying way to build suspense that makes the story increasingly unlikely even within its own setting. The book series as a whole has an unusual obsession with the mistreatment and abuse of women in a medieval setting. This book extends that odd fascination to the two female main characters (the third main character being Geralt), who end up in the clutches of sadistic men, which sets the stage for an even longer and more uncomfortable examination of what I assume is an unhealthy obsession of the author. When I stared reading this series, I was hoping to read about Geralt slaying unusual and fascinating monsters based on legends and folklore. What I got was a book about inequality, racism, suffering protagonists, war, intrigue, and sexual violence.

I have been looking for all the books in the Witcher series- hard to find so I was happy to get this well-made copy!

Though a little choppy and the translation can be a little wonky, nothing can take away from the gripping tale spun by the author. If you played the games and want the full backstory, you will NOT be disappointed. Enjoy!

A truely captivating tale but the constant shifting of perspective and changes in writing style detracted and distracted from the story.

This book was needed to push the story forward so it's mainly about other characters but I can feel the climax coming along.

Anyone who loves the series will love this part of it as well. As usual, Sapkowski delivers an exciting story in his unique universe. And Geralt is simply the coolest guy in the world of Fantasy literature.

A tad drawn out and disjointed... but still excellent overall plot and character development. Do not, I repeat DO NOT read this book out of sequence. It is NOT a stand alone book...

As an avid reader of both fantasy and Eastern European fiction (especially Dostoevsky and other existentialists), I love these books. I've heard complaints that there's too much time spent on philosophical dialogue, but I love the blend of history, politics, philosophy, and innovative fantasy that Sapkowski balances perfectly to keep the pages turning and leave me feeling like I learned something about myself and this world as well as the world of the Witcher.

With English not the original language this was written in, some of the names were hard for me to pronounce. You could say I cheated a bit by using the audio version, but it’s an awesome audio book :-) I will definitely miss these characters when the series is done.

This series gets better with each book. At first it is a slow and frustrating read but the author improves with every book, no longer sequal baiting. However I would like more Geralt.

Good read

His writing style is a bit spastic but over all a great series with incredible character depth for a fantasy novel

I read these book years ago and decided to buy them for my own collection. Great author and wonderful stories. Very reminiscent of Michael Moorcock and Fritz Lieber. If your on the fence do youself a favor and try one, you wont be disappointed.

Loving the book, I've read all the translated books in the series thus far. Tower of Swallows is great and has more human interaction amongst our heroes than other books in the series which has a lot of politics (like Game of Thrones). If you are a fan of The Witcher games I recommend this book and series but read them in order as you can't just jump in this one.

Great follow through, although it had way to many sub stories and too many characters. But overall good read. Also don't like the down play of the main characters. Witchers can slay monsters but have trouble with humans, ain't buying it. ..

For the first time the series seems to be running out of ideas. There's a distinctly heroic exceptionalism that normally doesn't exist in this series. Trying to put ciri in danger so many times makes her seem invincible and somewhat of a monster.

Loved the detail, you can truly picture yourself there in person. Almost as if your the one telling the their story.

Truly a captivating read. So many plot threads are masterfully woven together and each one has sitting at the edge of your seat craving more.

Book arrived in excellent condition. Brand new book.

Very little of Gerald in this one, but Cori keeps the story going. Bonhart is a real bad guy as are the usual cast.

Love the Netflix series read the books.so much more inside. What a wonderful read I finished this book in two days.

I keep enjoying the action but some of the politics and schemes get slow and uninteresting.the geralt chapters were some of the boring ones,he's just traveling so looking forward to him actually doing something.

If you loved The Witcher video games, you'll love the books. At least I think so, and I'm some guy on the internet! I've read all the books leading up to this one, and I believe it stays true to the dark mood and good pacing of the previous novels. I'm definitely pre-ordering the next book in the serious, "Lady of the Lake"!

Volume 4 of the series had a lot of jumping between storylines and times, but in the end it all made sense. The end is quite open, but volume five will be translated to English in a few month, so it's fine with me, I can happily wait a little bit to read on. And continue playing "Witcher 3". :-)

This book has a major focus on Ciri and her life as a fugitive, full of twists as expected and by far the most spectacular ending and cliffhanger of all the books in the series! This book will keep you on the edge from start to finish, it's gripping and suspenseful, I simply cannot wait for the next book, pre-ordered instantly!

I have enjoyed so far all of Sapkowski's Witcher Novels. I am hooked and excited to see what he does next. It is not for everyone as is it violent and sexual, if you are awkward about that please note the main character is a man ho'. I do not want to say much about it, I hope you enjoy losing yourself in the world of Wiedzmin.

Good book

The book tended to drag in parts. But overall was a good read.

Great read. Extremely depressing and leaves you waiting for the final book in this epic series. My only complaint is therected is some inconsistencies with translation. Avallac'h is sometimes translated as Ayallac'h, which is not that big of a deal it's just a little annoying. Regardless if you've read the other books you'll want to read this one as it continues Ciri's story.

I’m just basing my rating off of the shipping time and the condition it came to me in which was great! I can’t say much for the story because it is a gift for my bf.

From a mediocre beginning, the series has gotten better and better As it goes on. I am now actually really enjoying this!

The Witcher novels tend to vary in quality, however I found the fourth outing of Ciri's story to be far superior to the last book, wherein Great does nothing but travel with little interruption. The Tower of Swallows largely follows Ciri for the first act, but fleshes out both the world and characters greatly in the subsequent chapters. I'm giving this version of the novel two stars, however, because the translation appears to have been made hastily or lazily. A notable character from the game series appears, but his name is misspelled constantly. On one page, I counted four misspellings of his name. Other typos exist throughout the book that took me out of events. The title itself, The Tower of Swallows, is also a mistranslation. In fact, the novel itself properly calls it The Tower of the Swallow throughout! Why wasn't the cover proofed for this glaring error?

If you're reading this, chances are you've already read all the others. Let's say that they start off with the "alternating perspectives and timelines" writing style right off the bat. ...and if you're wondering how this timeline fits with the Witcher 3 game (if it's not already clear enough), this brings those timelines ever closer together.

Truly love these books.There isn't a chance I could do this author a service by trying to come up with a snazzy review. But I truly cannot put these Witcher books down till I get all the info from them.If you are a fantasy book reader and haven't tried Sapkowski's books, you are truly denying yourself a terrific series.

I really am enjoying the Witcher book series.

My son purchased this series of books and absolutely love them but he's 19 years old and does a lot of reading but he absolutely loves the series of books.

Great books, arrived in perfect condition. If you enjoy the games or just a world of brilliant, dark fantasy filled with monsters and magic, do yourself a favor and read this series.

Great read, I have all the books in the series and totally worth the investment!

Not as much action as the previous books. This book mainly sets up the next book in the series "Lady in the Lake". Great read for fans of the series and are continuing the series.

I have really enjoyed the darker, denser style of writing from Sapkowski. I see clearly why his world was so easy to translate to game and why a Polish studio needed to be its steward. I think this is an exceptional work and the translations still maintains the tone and flavor of Eastern European culture/outlook.

As of the writing of the review, this is the most recent publishing in the series. Continues the story well, and sats up for the next installment :D Potential buyers should already be familiar with the previous installments, and if you've gotten this far, The Tower of Swallows WILL NOT DISAPPOINT!! Enjoy!

Good Book

Some of the characters feel forced and unimportant to the story, but all in all it is a good read

The Tower of Swallows is the low-point in the Witcher saga, which is unfortunate as it is the penultimate novel. Its saving grace is that it ends with a satisfying climax, but the scene that I speak of makes me wonder how much better the novel would have been with had it featured more sequences with heroes rather than zeroes. Those who wish to complete the series will have to endure this novel; if someone asked me which book in the Witcher series could be skipped to save time, it would be this one.

Very good book. I would recommend the entire series.

Awesome

Good read, though these books are a bit short in comparison to similarly priced works in the genre.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the books in the Witcher series. My only complaint is how the author makes a lot of the content sexual/sensual in some form or fashion. That being said, this is a very good series.

Liked

Every time I finish reading one of these books I can't help but think, 'I can't belive it's over'.

The books start out slow, and I feel that by the time you reach this book you will feel that the story has picked up and that the author's ability to convey substance has drastically improved. I would say that this is my favorite book in the series.

Excellent

This has been my least favorite book in this series. It is an "alternative perspective" timeline shifting mess in general. That being said it does provide necessary information to move on in the series. I have just started the next book and hope it is better than this.

The series as a whole is nearly the best I've ever read in fantasy literature; the author makes you feel things not only for Geralt, our protagonist, but for the lesser characters too. Most all are fully developed, and endearing.

Great book. Love all the witcher books.

Loved it. Such an immersive world

Huge fan of the witcher series. I love how the story is told through so many perspectives and not just given to us like the normal methods of narration. Now I cannot wait for the future translations... and the Witcher Card Game! (Gwent)

I really got into it. Ciri starts becoming more like she is in the video game toward the end. You really get a sense for how much others just want to use her.

My order came quickly. Love this series.

good quality and fast delivery

One of the most captivating series I've ever read. Must read for fans of the games. Must read for fantasy lovers.

one of the greatest book that i've read in a long time. on a par with Wheel of Time and Lord of the Rings.

I'm a huge fan of Andrzej's writing. I think it is gritty, grim and sometimes funny. His world building is top notch. This series is one of my favorites.