JANUARY 17, 2022: BLOG #61
Book Review:
The Time of Contempt
by Andrzej Sapkowski
(The Witcher Saga #4)
Disclaimer: The information you are about to read is based off of my own opinions. Not intended to be taken as professional advice. Not a sponsored post. Just for fun to read and to maybe open up your mind to something new. Enjoy and thanks for taking the time to read my post!
BOOK DETAILS!
The Time of Contempt By Andrzej Sapkowski
ISBN: 978-0316219136
Page Count: 331 (average joe but ain’t no joke)
Genre: fantasy, action and adventure, medieval/supernatural fantasy, romance
“Geralt. What drives you? If you want to save Ciri…I wouldn’t have thought you could afford the luxury of contempt. No, that was badly expressed. You can’t afford the luxury of spurning contempt. A time of contempt is approaching, Witcher, my friend, a time of great and utter contempt. You have to adapt.”
Book Bites: 3 Sentence Intro About What This Story Is
The sorcerers’ conclave, originally intended to be a diplomatic, civil discussion on how to handle the Nilfgaardian invasions, erupts in conspiracy, betrayal and internal war. Ciri is still being tirelessly hunted by all different groups and ends up having to survive on her own when Geralt suffers an injury that prevents him from being by Ciri’s side and protecting her. But injury or not, Geralt is going to search for and continue guarding his daughter by miracle so she doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
*Content contains some strong language and gore/violence. This content also contains strong, sensitive and mature themes that may be uncomfortable for some. Reader discretion advised.
*As usual, to see the official book teaser/summary of this, go to anywhere books are found and read up more about what this book is about.
Now on to My Commentary (**May Contain Spoilers: Read at Your Own Risk)
You know, here’s the funny thing. I started The Witcher Saga because I thought it would be your good ole fashioned PG-13 high fantasy, fun fairytale adventure.
But The Time of Contempt threw me in for a loop.
At this point in the series, I will say this: this is the hardest book for me to stomach. The darker, heavier themes and tones presented in this book were not what I experienced in the other books so far. Should have taken the title more seriously. It includes the word “contempt” not “mild annoyance”.
There’s little to no levity in it – despite having our entertaining bard and comic relief, Dandelion. Shit got real if even Dandelion is being serious the whole book. As all hell breaks loose (okay, maybe not all hell yet though really close to it!), the story gradually becomes grimmer. Bright side, The Time of Contempt lives up to its title! It truly captures the growing hatred, distrust, discrimination, persecution and other aspects of war.
Lots of action, drama, political plots, conspiracy, betrayal and violence. The tensions between the groups continuing rising and already people are turning against their own kind.
The drama and conflicts were primarily focused on the sorcerers and enchantresses. Which I don’t mind because this group is a shady, deceitful, manipulative and intriguing bunch! I wasn’t expecting there to be so much focus on them. I kind of missed the adventures where we get to see a mix of the other races. Anyway, the sorcerers and enchantresses play a critical role the main plot so I’m curious to see where this goes.
I was disappointed that Ciri and Geralt didn’t have many scenes together in this book as I loved seeing their relationship grow. I also feel so sorry for Ciri for all the shit she goes through. And I know this is only the beginning of darker times to come. Stay strong Ciri!
By the end of the book, Ciri and Geralt are separated again (BOOOOOO!!!) and Ciri is taken in by another group. Hopefully, *fingers-crossed*, the next book will contain more scenes between them. It was wonderful to finally see Ciri utilizing all her training from Geralt, the witchers and Yennefer to survive as she was mainly on her own most of time in this book. Her skills and powers are becoming second nature! I truly love Ciri! She’s kick-ass and I’m rooting for this girl to keep fighting to survive!
On the plus side, we finally get a deeper look into the main antagonist of the series, Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, the intimidating leader who has led Nilfgaard’s invasions throughout the kingdoms, conquering and destroying several lands already. We’ve only really “met” him through others’ gossip about him. But in this book, we get a brief scene with him. Super excited for more of his character reveal! And boy, does this character do some real damage in The Time of Contempt! The other kingdoms have not and are not faring very well as Nilfgaardian continues their merciless conquest.
The first books didn’t exactly convince me that The Witcher Saga belongs under grimdark. But The Time of Contempt convinced me. It has your classic grimdark genre elements: gore, violence, cruelty, trauma, loads of tension, war, political conflicts, and morally ambiguous characters.
Now, I’m lover of the grimdark genre. WARNING: this genre is not for the faint of heart. I love the darker tales because I think it’s raw, authentic and realistic. I love when authors don’t shy away from darker themes! I don’t consider myself someone who is faint of heart, but daaaaaamn, several times I needed a moment to pause from reading and close the book for a minute because it was difficult to stomach.
Here’s why. I, as a female, don’t enjoy reading scenes where women and children are abused, manipulated or harmed. The violence and cruelty towards women and children or other oppressed groups sickens me. BUT this is war. I’m not justifying anything. I’m just saying, this is a very real depiction of war. Think the beginning scene of Saving Private Ryan. Yeah, it ain’t rainbows and butterflies and happy soldiers. It’s gruesome. It’s revolting. It’s inhumane the way people turn into monsters during war. Life becomes real dark and scary during such tumultuous times. It breaks my heart to read such things but I really appreciate that Sapkowksi includes the gritty details of the chaos resulted from this growing war.
So don’t let this seemingly negative sounding review turn you away from reading this book. Should you read The Time of Contempt? HELL YES. I loved reading The Time of Contempt! And I am loving the series! Despite my discomfort reading some scenes, overall, it’s still amazing story-telling that will have you nose deep in the book. I’m super excited how the rest of the series will go. We’ll see what happens next week!
All Book Reviews for The Witcher Saga (in series order):
Final Thoughts
Sapkowski is a master of eloquent prose. Providing wisdom and soulful insight about humanity and morals through the thrilling fantasy adventures of professional monster slayer, Geralt of Rivia, he never fails to captivate the hearts and minds of readers. I haven’t found a character or hell, even a moment, that bores me whenever I pick up a Witcher book. You’ll become more enlightened with each Witcher book you finished, trust me.
If you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings, Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales, and Supernatural, you’ll enjoy The Witcher Saga. I found it to be a mix of these types of stories and themes. I mean I love all three of those so again, it’s perfect for people who are like me and enjoy stories of morally ambiguous heroes, supernatural, myth, medieval fantasy, and pure epic goodness.
Check out this book if it piques your interest. Hope you enjoy it as your next read or a re-read!
And remember, “Every story is worth the read. Someone (some poor, overworked, ink-stains-on-the-clothes lovely soul) took the time to write it.”
Hello! From the Writer of What Makes You Curious
Introvert (specifically INFJ). Slytherin. Lover of fantasy, romance, thriller and mystery books. I particularly love Harlequin books! When I'm not blogging about the latest books I've read, I'm writing stories, poetry, song lyrics, practicing spirituality, binge-watching YouTube videos and poorly singing Backstreet Boys and/or Kelly Clarkson songs at the top of my lungs. Click my photo to the left to learn more things about me that you didn't ask for me to share with you but I'm going to share with you anyway.
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