WiC Reads: The Witcher Saga—Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski

Chapter Three

Geralt and Yennefer go to a party! A meeting of sorcerers and enchantresses on the island of Thanedd, to be exact, where Sapkowski has fun trotting out a parade of colorful characters. Tissaia de Vries, the oldest enchantress living! Vilgefortz, ambitious wunderkind! Enid an Gleanna, the most beautiful woman in the world! These will all be important players, and it’s a blast to have them hobnobbing in one room. It feels like wheels are turning.

We get more Porky’s-meets-Lord of the Rings energy here as wise, ancient sorceresses openly drool over Geralt and then call each other cows and skanks; it’s all very embarrassing, but I’m just gonna look past that to the conversation between Geralt and Vilgefortz, who is clearly being set up as a major mover and shaker.

Vilgefortz thinks a war is coming and wants everyone he can get on his side. That includes Geralt, whom he tries to convince to become a sorcerer himself. Once again, their conversation is too flowery for my taste, but I like Vilgefortz coming to the foreground as a character to watch out for. I also like interesting details like how the tower where they’re talking is in such disrepair that they have to use sorcery to make it look presentable.

I also enjoyed Yennefer and Geralt reconnecting in her room after the party; it’s more emotionally honest than I expected given the earlier sections, give or take randos catcalling the couple from a few windows down. I liked the recurring bit where Geralt is preoccupied with a ragdoll left behind by the room’s former occupant, a young trainee who’s been relocated while this magic conclave is going on. Yennefer is in the room with him, but Ciri is on his mind.

We’re a ways into the book at this point — these chapters are pretty long — and I feel like the pieces are firmly in place. I’m ready for the story to take off.