Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, so I've arrived very late to the Witcher party. I feel like I really ought to be embarrassed or something, too, but I've decided just to roll with it.

I... might have become a fanboy.

I mean, shoot, I've got Cavill in my head as the penultimate Geralt. Yennifer is someone I think I'll always love. I've got that whole season stuck in my head, and reading these two collections preceding the first official novel has made something very clear to me.

The first season IS these to books.

Maybe not a few of the stories, or nowhere near this form, and a couple really deepen the connection between Geralt and Yennifer, and the whole cycle in the tv show that gives us a close look at Yennifer but it doesn't show in these two books... but ASIDE from that, I loved meeting the dragon, getting the Destiny setup from new angles, and, let's face it... I LOVED the story about the mermaid and hope to hell we get that in the next season. :)

Did I mention that I'm fanboying?

I'm having so much fun with these. Now let me be clear about one thing. The fantasy element is well done but not wholly original. The characters are rife with riffs in mythology in general and the interactions are easily familiar and fun for anyone who enjoys fantasy in general.

What makes this special is the sheer force of personality, of characterization, of the FEELS. And let's not forget the fun. I'm having SO much fun. :)

I guess it's not that much of a surprise that the series is still growing in popularity. I barely even knew about the books until after the games started taking off, and I still haven't played the games yet. For shame, right?

I'm still happy. :)

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