The Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski

The Time of Contempt (The Witcher, #2)

by Andrzej Sapkowski

Geralt the Witcher has fought monsters and demons across the land, but even he may not be prepared for what is happening to his world. The kings and armies are maneuvering for position, each fearing invasion from across the river, each fearing their neighbours more. Intrigue, dissent and rebellion are on all sides. The Elves and other non-humans are still suffering under decades of repression, and growing numbers join the commando units hidden deep in the forest, striking at will and then dissolving into the trees. The Magicians are fighting amongst themselves, some in the pay of the kings, some sympathetic to the elves. And against this backdrop of fear and contempt Geralt and his lover Yennefer must protect Ciri, orphaned heir and sought by all sides. For the prophecy rests on her, and whether she lives or dies she has the power to save the world - or perhaps end it.

Reviewed by thepunktheory on

4 of 5 stars

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Full review on my blog coming soon!

We're finally getting somewhere. With The Time of Contempt, I'm seeing light at the end of the tunnel (and I really hope it's not a train).
The previous book felt like an overlong prologue and I was a bit afraid that this one would evoke the same sentiment but now Sapkowski picks up the pace and you can see the story coming together.
I am, however, still feeling rather ambivalent about Ciri. She had some good moments in this book but she's just acting like a brat so often, it's annoying. A great deal of problems could be solved (or wouldn't even pop up in the first place) if, for once, she did as she is told.
Anyways, the biggest chunk of the book was actually rather enjoyable and I am rather curious to find out how this will all end. There is quite a lot going on, more than you might have expected from the rather dire previous novel.
As much as I like the story, I still have some issues. First of all, the dialogues are super weird and clunky. I'm assuming (or hoping) that the English translation is simply bad and the original Polish version has more pep on that front.
Furthermore, I am continuously flabbergasted by Sapkowski's take on women. Somehow they are all wicked bitches who just want to hump Geralt. Oh, and all they do is gossip.
His descriptions really take the cake. For example in this book he spends a good amount of time talking about the sorceresses' fashion choices. Why you may wonder? Because they all wear super see-through blouses that allow Geralt to ogle at their nipples.
I'm not even getting started on the final bit that happened to Ciri. I honestly had to read that shit twice to make sure I'd gotten it correctly. As to avoid spoilers, I'm not going to mention any details here, but those who read the book will immediately know what I'm talking about. Seriously, what the actual fuck was he thinking.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 1 April, 2020: Finished reading
  • 1 April, 2020: Reviewed