The second short story collection in The Witcher series is an explosive ride along in which Andrzej Sapkowski truly starts to have fun with his characters and the immersive fantasy world he has built.
From the blurb;
'Geralt of Rivia is back.
'The Witcher's legendary powers and lifelong training make him the perfect killer. Revered and hated, he hunts the demons that plague humanity.
'But not all monsters are evil, not everything fair is goof - and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.'
Throughout the short stories Sapkiwski makes use of much loved European fairy tales and fables, interlacing their stories with his fantasy realm and spinning them into the world of The Witcher. This use of well known fairy-tales creates for the reader some grounding in the complex majesty of the Witcher universe and grants us an easy way into the world.
After The Last Wish, Sword of Destiny follows a more linear story arc as we build towards the novels, and throws the reader back into Geralt's life a few years into the future from were we left him. In the years between The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny a lot has changed between Geralt and his friends; relationships have blossomed and died; and we come to meet an older, wiser Geralt who has had more life experiences than the one before.
While we put together what has happened in the years between the two books we are also treated to a wider, more expansive view of the world, and enticed by a building trouble creeping in from the horizon.
As Geralt moves from one daring adventure to the next, with and without friends in tow, we begin to see the ground work for the novel's falling into place and conclude the short stories ready to dive into Geralt's world fully.
We Give The Witcher: Sword Of Destiny Five Stars;
ISBN - 978-1-473-23108-5 Cover Price - £9.99
First published in Great Britain in 2015 by Gollancz an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd.