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+++
title = "Time of Contempt (Andrzej Sapkowski, 1995)"
author = ["Michał Sapka"]
date = 2024-03-24T22:27:00+01:00
categories = ["brainrot"]
draft = false
weight = 3001
primary_menu = "brain-rot-wicher"
abstract = "My review of the second book in the Witcher saga"
aliases = ["/blog/2024/andrzej-sapkowskis-time-of-contempt", "//brain-rot/witcher/andrzej-sapkowskis-time-of-contempt/"]
rating = 3.5
[menu]
[menu.brain-rot-wicher]
weight = 3001
identifier = "time-of-contempt-andrzej-sapkowski-1995"
+++
It's a stain of my honor - I am a Pole, but I've never read The Saga.
It's not that I've never read any of The Witcher, but somehow I always stopped after the short stories.
Last year I've decided to finally fix this.
I am a proud nerd for crying out loud!
{{< rating 3.5 "sapkowski-time-of-contemt.jpg" >}}
The classic cover
{{< /rating >}}
_Time of Contempt_ is the second part of The Witcher Saga, but it's also the 4th book about Geralt and his world.
Let's ignore the short stories for a second and let's talk about this book in context of The Saga.
Here it suffers from being the middle child: Andrzej is developing the characters and story, but it lacks a impactful begging and an end.
I haven't felt like that after finishing the _Blood of Elves,_ as it had a _begging_ and the ending was emotional.
Geralt reunited with Ciri.
The story is clearly not over, but we have a kind of closure.
We know she is safe and ready for what's coming next.
Here?
Here we have no beginning as it follows the last book.
It was to be expected.
But I fail to notice anything new created here.
Yes, we've got _amazing_ development of Ciri (I can't wait what how her blood heritage will screw over everyone), but nothing more.
It just moves from scene to scene[^fn:1], not spending any meaningful time anywhere.
After 300 pages of this, it ends with Ciri joining some random group.
I guess I will get to know them in _Baptism of Fire_, but I am not yet there.
Are they good?
Are they cool?
Who the hell they even are?
For me it was a huge let down.
But the biggest thing missing in The Saga is humour.
Both, _Sword of Destiny_ and _Last Wish_ were hilarious.
It was not on Pratchett's level of humor, but Geralt was amazing when it came to deadpan.
Moreover, I have no idea how well it translated to other languages, as it was based on Polish humour, but:
the books were written for Polish reader who was expected to know _Szewczyk Dratewka,_ and therefore the way Geralt dealt with dragon was a funny refernce.
But this aspect is now completely missingm[^fn:2], but it was what made the short stories for me.
The biggest problem for me however was the fact I saw two seasons of The Witcher TV Series[^fn:3].
It was terrible and had nothing to do with the book (luckily for me!), but the TV versions of Ciri and Yennefer were irritating at best.
Their book counterparts are not like that - Ciri is extremely cool and Yen is, well, not so bad - but the visual image is etched in my brain.
I finally start to have a separate personnas for them, but it was difficult.
Yes, to some extent Netflix ruined the books for me.
I was never a fan of _fantasy_, as I always preferred _SciFi_.
Give me a blaster or give me death[^fn:4]!
If I found _Time of Contempt_ as a random book, I would not care for the rest of the series.
It was ok, but nothing to write home about.
Sapkowski has a great style and I very much want more, but he has not told anything interesting here.
I will continue reading The Witcher, but mostly because it **is** The Witcher.
I liked reading _Blood of Elves_ much more.
I give it 3.5/5.
[^fn:1]: ... _No one had a chance to interrupt_.
_It was really quite hypnotic_.
[^fn:2]: We've got **huge** reference to _Enemy Mine_ in the single best part of the book, but it's not funny at all.
Sad, scary - sure; but not funny. Just like the movie.
[^fn:3]: And not an episode more.
It was already too much.
[^fn:4]: If you get the refence know, that I am no longer that type of a person.
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