Baptism of Fire (The Witcher, #3)

by Andrzej Sapkowski

David French (Translator)

The Wizards Guild has been shattered by a coup and, in the uproar, Geralt was seriously injured. The Witcher is supposed to be a guardian of the innocent, a protector of those in need, a defender against powerful and dangerous monsters that prey on men in dark times. But now that dark times have fallen upon the world, Geralt is helpless until he has recovered from his injuries. While war rages across all of the lands, the future of magic is under threat and those sorcerers who survive are determined to protect it. It's an impossible situation in which to find one girl - Ciri, the heiress to the throne of Cintra, has vanished - until a rumour places her in the Niflgaard court, preparing to marry the Emperor. Injured or not, Geralt has a rescue mission on his hands. This is the third of the Witcher novels by Andrzej Sapkowski

• ISBN10: 0575090960
• ISBN13: 9780575090965
• Publish Date: 6 March 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 27 January 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Gollancz
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog coming soon!

This was ... long. Or at least it felt that way. There wasn't that much in this book that actually propelled the story forward, it's more of an entire novel telling you about the characters (while still somehow managing not to give them all that much depth or reason).
It's actually a pretty cool book, but I just really wanted to know more about the story and kept getting more and more irritated when it became clear this wouldn't be happening in Baptism of Fire.
The reasons behind the characters' decisions are not too clear and honestly, them banding together (except for Geralt and Jaskier) seems like a big stretch that never really gets justified.
Also, I'm not really a fan of the new Ciri and her band of comrades is just all levels of fucked up.
If I'm honest, even Jaksier is a bit of a letdown in this novel.
I really hope that with the next novel Sapkowski picks up the pace because I'm getting really annoyed over here. His story has all the potential and the world and every time I think we're finally getting somewhere he drops a book like this one on me.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Injured Geralt has been healing in magic caves as the world faces bleak times. Ciri, the heiress to the throne of Cintra, hasn’t been seen since the fall of Wizards Guild.

Despite not being fully healed, Geralt sets out to find Ciri. Rumors have circulated that Ciri has been spotted within the Niflgaard court and that she is preparing to marry the Emperor.

Dandelion accompanies Geralt, and they gather unexpected allies as they travel. Wars are raging and cites have tumbled. I am enjoying the band of friends and allies we are gathering. I truly hope some of them stay.

Political maneuvers and side stories move us ever closer to Ciri. Yennifer is mentioned once or twice and I look forward to reuniting with her. Geralt is still trying to remain neutral, but even he realizes that might be impossible.

Once again I was pulled into the stories, intrigued by the unique characters and eager for our three to be together again. We are treated to horrors, bravery, unique creatures and more.

The ending felt abrupt. Our story is far from over, and I felt a sense of the darkness shrouding the world.

I look forward to diving into the next audiobook. Peter Kenny continues to narrator and has become the voice of these characters. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer

[HekArtemis]

The priests Baptism by fire and the very final scene just cracked me up. The focus of this book, on Geralt and his merry band, was great - more like the short story books than the first two main story line books and that made me happy.