THE LADY OF THE LAKE, A NOVEL BY A. SAPKOWSKI, WITCHER BOOK #7 (REVIEW AND RECOMMENDATION)

Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! In this post, I shall review The Lady of the Lake, the eight book and the fifth novel in the Witcher series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Published in 1999, The Lady of the Lake  is a direct sequel to The Tower of Swallow. Chronologically,  The Lady of the Lake is the last novel in the Witcher series.  It ends the Witcher saga, and wraps up the story in a linear (albeit unconventional) way. The ending of this novel is ambiguous, but I actually enjoyed it.

While it is true that The Lady of the Lake  novel ends the Witcher saga, two new novels in the Witcher Universe followed its publication, both of its prequels that do not continue the story, but rather take place years before the 'final novel'. While two new Witcher novels have been published, Andrzej Sapkowski was still true to his word that the story of Geralt and Yen ends here. However, since this review was published there's have been some changes that caused me to update this review or to be precise - another novel was published. 

 There's another Witcher book that existed when this review was originally published, Season of Storms, and then there's another one that was published after it. Season of Storms is a prequel of sorts, basically a novel chronically placed between the first two Witcher books. Published in 2013, Season of Storms was the actual last published Witcher book when I wrote this review, but in the meantime, another Geralt focused novel was published- The Crossroads of Crows.) Nevertheless, it is not wrong to regard  The Lady of the Lake as the final book of the Witcher saga. The answer what is the final novel in the Witcher saga might be a changing one from a perspective of the publication, but chronologically I think Sapkowski will stay true to his word and keep The Lady of the Lake as the finishing work of the saga. 

 As the other novels in this saga, it is often centered on Ciri, as her destiny powers the plot. Some readers actually don't know this, and end up surprised when they tackle the novels and find Ciri and Yennifer to be central, not side characters. Witcher saga originated with a short story about Geralt, then then grow into short story collections about Geralt with Yennefer as another central character, and then finally with novels that are very much focused on Ciri, their adoptive daughter of sorts, Geralt's child of surprise. Well, Ciri has done some growing up over the course of this series, and this novel in particular focuses on her character development. 

 So, The Lady of the Lake is basically still the final book of the Witcher series, just not the last published novels in the saga. After all, this novel is the one that really wraps up the saga and ends the story. Having read this fifth novel, I do have a sense of closure. I might even wait a bit, you know, before I read and review Season of Storms. I have had such a lovely time reading and reviewing the Witcher saga. I started back in Summer and I managed to complete it before the end of Autumn. Immersing myself into the Witcher saga, meant less published posts, because these reviews take forever to write, but that's alright. I'm a fast reader, but book reviews take time!

I'm happy to have finally stolen some time to type this review. I got up at 6am on a Saturday morning to get a head start. That's some reviewing dedication. This novel actually surprised me in a number of ways. I will have to be careful about how I word my review, because I want to avoid major spoilers. My initial reviews weren't spoiler free, because I figured a lot of people are familiar with the basics of the Witcher saga, due to the increasing popularity of the series and all that. 

Once something goes Netflix, everyone seems to know about it. I don't do Netflix, but I've seen enough of ads for this series to confirm there are indeed differences between the books and the most recent adaptation. All the same, I don't want to spoil someone's enjoyment by revealing too much.  As the adaptation is still catching up with the books, the ending of the saga isn't widely known.  I'll do my best to keep this review spoiler free. What I can say for certain is that The Lady of the Lake was an extremely satisfying read. 

“Love mocks good sense. That's its charm and beauty.”

THE LADY OF THE LAKE, 

A NOVEL BY ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI    5/5

What is your first impression upon hearing the title? Camelot? Well, that wouldn't be wrong. To my surprise, I realized that Ciri's stories continues in world of Arthur. The novel opens with Sir Galahad's (as in King Arhur's Knight of the Round Table!) happening upon Ciri and mistaking her for the Lady of the Lake. Quite a turn of events! 

“You may turn around.”

 “Lady of the Lake—” 

“And introduce yourself.” 

“I am Galahad, of Caer Benic. A knight of King Arthur, the lord of Camelot, the ruler of the Summer Land, and also of Dumnonia, Dyfneint, Powys, Dyfedd…”

Moreover, the opening is wonderfully humorous.  Galahad is being a true gentlemen, but Ciri isn't having any of it. Ciri is, all her magical powers put aside, very down to earth type of gal. Her conversations with Sir Galahad were very amusing. This book manages to be delightfully funny in a number of ways. No matter how bleak things get, there's always space for humour.  One of the things I definitely appreciate about the Witcher books is the humour. Sapkowski's novels are quite bleak and dark, so humour is very much welcome. There's a little exchange between Ciri and Galahad, where Ciri asks about Merlin and Morgana, and the knight says that Morgana is evil and Meril average. I don't know why I found it so funny, but I did. 

“There's Merlin. And Morgana. But Morgana is evil.'
'And Merlin?'
'Average.”

This pairing  of Ciri and Galahad was not what I expected, but it actually makes a lot of sense.  Arthurian myths are a sort of fantasy, aren't they? In Arthurian myths, knights fight with monsters. In this saga, the knight who fights evil is seemingly Geralt, but in reality women play an important part in the turn of events, particularly Ciri and Yennefer. Not that woman didn't play a role in medieval literature. Morgana, for example, was a powerful sorceress, like Yennefer. Actually, Morgana and Yennefer seem to have quite a few things in common. 

 In the early Arthurian legends, Morgana was portrayed as a positive character. Later, she was portrayed negatively and finally in our modern times she became somewhat of a heroine (if a flawed one). Similarly, Yennefer is seen as a positive character by some and a negative by others. As a heroine of this series, she is obviously a positive character, but she has her morally gray moments. For example, Yennefer of the books is portrayed as extremely ambitious and power seeking. Yennefer is the kind of woman who looks after herself and her business, she is not your typical golden heart lady who is motivated just by kindness of her heart.

 As the books progress, we see a more soft side to Yennefer, and she is no longer the distant powerful mage but a true friend/partner to Geralt and a mother to Ciri. As she grows softer emotionally, Yennefer actually grows stronger and tougher. Yennefer will grow to great lengths to protect Geralt and Ciri. Loving them makes her both a stronger and better person and mage. The same can be said for Ciri. Her love for her adoptive parents fuels much of her actions. Ciri seems to lose herself in some of the earlier novels, but in this one we see her grow as a person. Both Ciri and Yennefer become this legendary figures, much as the women from the court of king Arthur: Guinevere and Morgana. 

Moreover, the witcher is set in a time period that could be linked to medieval times. As I already said in my previous reviews, Geralt's world feels like late medieval and early Renaissance period in Europe. The world of the witcher is not our world, but it resembles it, especially in the description of human society. It is a bit different with elves and dwarves, who cannot just be compared to some group in medieval European society. The elves and the dwarves do feel otherworldly, or at least belonging to a different culture, but the Witcher humans resemble us acutely in both in good and bad qualities. Of course the elves and the dwarves resemble us as well, but they also have some unique characteristics to them, and I quite enjoyed learning about them, but back to the subject. 

 Yennefer, Geralt and Ciri are not your average humans, being isolated by their powers, but they are also like us in many ways, that is- they are human enough. Both Yennefer and Ciri have elven blood, a fact that is often stressed in the novels. Both Yennefer and Ciri have magical powers. Geralt on the other hand is a mutant, different from people and very aware of that. Their power and position isolates them from others, but perhaps it helps them open to one another. They can understand what being different feels like. They are also well educated. Yennefer as a mag has had a good education, and Ciri was raised to be a princess before she studied under Geralt and Yennefer. Geralt is no simple monster slayer either. It is mentioned he took University classes in the novel, and his friend Dandelion is a literary genius, one of the greatest writers of its time. In my previous reviews, I elaborated more on the fact that some parts of the Witcher world, particularly the urban settings, felt like late medieval period or even early Renaissance.

As a novel, The Lady of the Lake seems to acknowledge both the historical and the modern fantasy writing. It can be compared to other fantasy writing of our time. In particular, there are parallels with the Tolkien's world. Of course, Tolkien practically founded the modern fantasy genre, so almost every fantasy novel has parallels to Tolkien in some way. Witcher in particular draws parallels with Tolkien with its portrayal of elves as slowly disappearing as humans step on scene. Elves of the Witcher world are like elves of Tolkien, ancient and powerful, but fated to disappear. Moreover, magic features heavily in both Tolkien and Sapkowski's saga. Of course, Sapkowski's writing style is very distinct and different from Tolkien. Where Tolkien is poetic, Sapkowski is often ironic and pessimistic. Still, both fantasy world feels well structured and the world building is certainly very convincing in both. The Lady of the Lake is certainly a very rich novel in terms of its themes and setting. As always, there is the historical context to consider. The Lady of the Lake opens with (what can be interpreted) as a nod to medieval literature (hence the Camelot episode).

 Is it implying that Camelot was real? Not necessarily. Camelot could be just one of parallel worlds, not necessarily our own. The author really did some thinking when he created the Witcher saga. Sapkowski really created a rounded and convincing fantasy world. All the worldbuilding really makes sense in The Lady of the Lake. Sapkowski created great parallels between The Lady of the Lake and other books.   At the same times, its intertextuality doesn't make it seem any less real. I quite liked the intertextuality of this last novel!

THE NARRATIVE DEVICES EMPLOYED IN THIS NOVEL ARE COMPLEX

 The narrative in the The Lady of the Lake is complex, but it adds to the historical atmosphere of this novel.  This novel partly uses as a double frame narrative set in a future in which Gerald, Ciri and Yennefer are historical figures. A priestess of the lake tries to dream about Ciri to find out the truth behind the legends. This priestess sees things in her dreams, and has dreaming power of sorts. It is then this priestess that serves as a sort of a narrator to the story. 

What is the setting? It all happens somewhere in the Northern Kingdoms, upon some lake, years or perhaps centuries after the events described. I think it's about a hundred years after the events described. There is this young priestess apprentice (perhaps also student sorceress) Condwiramurs who serves the Lady of the lake Nimue by dreaming 'true' dreams. Nimue is fascinated by these true dreams, and it with this complex narrative that we start to follow the plot from the previous novel.

The priestess apprentice's job is to study the legend of Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri. Condwiramurs does not mind it, even if she sometimes struggles with her dreams, because she has always been fascinated by Ciri. Is Condwiramurs a completely reliable narrator? Are her dreams entirely true? Who knows? 

“Foolish indeed is he who lends credence to dreams and treads the path of delusion. Nonetheless, whoever disdains and does not believe them at all also acts unwisely. For if dreams had no import whatsoever why, then, would the Gods, in creating us, give us the ability to dream?”

CIRI TELLS HER STORY TO SIR GALAHAD AFTER SHE BEGINS TO TRUST HIM

Meanwhile, Ciri tells her story to Sir Galahad. After some misunderstandings, sparks start flying between the two. It seems that Ciri likes Sir Galahad. Ciri might have been trained by witchers, but she was born a princess. Ciri has an education of a princess, it's just that she has been forced to be on the run, hide what she is, and deal with bandits and murderers. Once she meets a true knight, Ciri is somewhat softened. I found it quite charming how she seemed to enjoy his company, actually. It shows her more vulnerable side. If you haven't read the previous books, Ciri has been through some really traumatizing stuff. It is impressive that Ciri is willing and capable of opening to someone. 

 When Ciri is ashamed of her scar, Sir Galahad reassures her by showing his own scar and telling her that no scarf is ugly when it is earned in a battle. As I said, I found their relationship to be quite cute. Ciri herself is a knight of some kind. Ciri has been fighting almost all of her life. Once a relationship of trust is establish, Ciri starts to tell her story to him. The narrative in this novel really is complex, but it makes the novel better and more interesting (in my opinion anyway). 

So, it's sort of a story within story, framed narrative within a frame narrative. The narrative voice is therefore quite unreliable in some ways. That's delightful if you like ambiguous books and writing that is open to interpretation, but it might not make everyone happy. Is Ciri a completely reliable narrator? Who knows? Is Nimue and her young priestess apprentice? Who of us is a completely reliable narrator?

A FRAMED NARRATIVE PACKED WITH MANY DIGRESSIONS AND SUBPLOTS

Once Ciri starts to tell her story, it is not all linear. At the same time, the narrative follows other heroes as well. The narrative actually follows different perspectives and sometimes it seems like it is told by an all knowing third person narrator. So, at times the narrative feels more objective, and at times more subjective.  Things get even more complicated, when we learn about parallel universes. 

NUMEROUS TIME JUMPS AND CIRI'S INCREASING POWERS

Ciri does time jumps! Yes, you have read that right. Ciri grows more powerful, but she struggles to control her power. She travels through time and parallel universes. So, obviously there are digressions.

 We see some familiar characters as they catch  a glimpse of Ciri from the future. 

These scenes are written very well, I must say. It must have taken a lot of effort from the writer to plan all those scenes in the way they make sense, but Sapkowski certainly managed to do it. Moreover, Sapkowski managed to make it all sound reasonable and sensible. It serves to his credit as a writer.

There are numerous time jumps as Ciri rides for her life. The time jumps or world hopping made me think of walking the shadows in the Amber series. Like in that legendary series, the parallel words are not completely explained and I honestly don't mind it. Sometimes it's good to keep something a mystery. We do not need to be told everything as readers. We need to be told enough so we care and feel engaged when reading. I was certainly engaged when I read about Ciri.

MORE WORLD-BUILDING AND MORE BITTER ELVES

Ciri finds herself among elves again. The Witcher saga portrays elves as sophisticated, beautiful, intelligent and proud, but also cruel, pessimistic and bitter. Their kind is dying, so it is no wonder they are so bitter. The long life span has made them arrogant and conceited. However, the elves are also powerful and intelligent. Moreover, they exist in different parallel worlds. Doesn't this tell the reader something about their powers? 

Throughout the series, Ciri's elven blood is repeatedly stressed. It is the key to her powers. Or is it? Isn't her power also her own? Ciri's identity is interesting to study. Culturally and racially, she is more human than elven. Her education was a human (aristocratic and warrior) education, and her culture is a human culture. Still, Ciri feels a connection to elves. Ciri is powerful, and she is growing more powerful every day. Both humans and elves want to use Ciri for her power. Nevertheless, her power doesn't belong to any race. It belongs only to her- if Ciri manages to control her power- it becomes truly hers.

 In order to do that, Ciri has to embrace the best in her human and elven side. During her time among the elves, Ciri learns a thing or two. Even when the elves treat her cruelly, Ciri manages to see the good in them. She has grown a lot as a character. There were times in this saga when Ciri seemed distant to me, a victim of a series of horrible and cruel events, but in this final novel, she actually feels like a protagonist of her fate. Ciri of this novel is vulnerable and uncertain of her ability to control her fate and power, but very brave and open minded. Ciri fights the powers trying to control her, human and elven alike, but she is very much open to learning from them.

“There,’ said the elf. 

‘The ancient snake Ouroboros. 

Ouroboros symbolises eternity and is itself eternal. 

It is the eternal going away and the eternal return.

 It is something that has no beginning and no end. 

‘Time is like the ancient Ouroboros. 

Time is fleeting moments, grains of sand passing through an hourglass. 

Time is the moments and events we so readily try to measure. 

But the ancient Ouroboros reminds us that in every moment, in every instant, in every event, is hidden the past, the present and the future.

 Eternity is hidden in every moment.

 Every departure is at once a return, every farewell is a greeting, every return is a parting. 

Everything is simultaneously a beginning and an end.”

THE KING OF ELVES, SOPHISTICATED BUT ALSO CRUEL

To avoid spoilers, I don't want to reveal how Ciri found herself among the elves. I also don't want to say whether she was with them by choice or not. Not everything that happens needs to be told in a book review. I will, however, say that there was something happening between her and the king of elves, Auberon Muircetach. The two of them spend some time together, not necessarily by a deeply personal choice, but they do get to know one another a bit. As you might guess, the fate and Ciri's power have something to do with the time they spend together.

I found the king's portrayal quite interesting. At times he is quite cruel towards Ciri, but most often he is just cold, treating her with emotionless politeness and gentleness. Ciri is often left feeling isolated in the elven world. There is one moment when Auberon insults her, revealing his hatred towards the human kind. Obviously, the king sees humans are less worthy creatures. His words are especially vile in this coversation.

“It's all my fault,' she mumbled. 'That scar blights me, I know. I know what you see when you look at me. There's not much elf left in me. A gold nugget in a pile of compost—'

 He turned around suddenly. '

You're extremely modest,' he drawled. 

'I would say rather: a pearl in pig shit. A diamond on the finger of a rotting corpse. As part of your language training you can create even more comparisons. I'll test you on them tomorrow, little Dh'oine. O human creature in whom nothing, but nothing, remains of an elven woman.”

 However, sometimes Auberon is almost kind and Ciri manages to see that behind his coldness lies a broken heart. Elven broken hearts hurt perhaps more than human ones, as they have more time to suffer. What does a broken heart does to someone with centuries to suffer?  I think Ciri is able to feel for the elven folk, even when she doesn't approve of their ways. It seems that Lara was his daughter, lover or at least someone extremely dear to him. The king cannot get over the fact that Lara isn't living, so he takes it out on Ciri. Certainly not fair, but as I said with time Ciri gets used to this verbal abuse. 

“Who are you,” he asked extremely calmly, “to dare to defile her name in such a way?

 Who are you to dare to abuse me with such miserable charity?

 Oh, I know, I see who you are.

 You are not the daughter of Lara. 

You are the daughter of Cregennan. 

You are a thoughtless, arrogant, selfish Dh’oine, a simply perfect representative of your race, who understands nothing, and must ruin and destroy, besmirch by touch alone, denigrate and defile by thought alone. 

Your ancestor stole my love from me, took her away from me, selfishly and arrogantly took Lara from me. 

But I shall not permit you, O his worthy daughter, to take the memory of her from me.”

As I said, I will not get more into the relationship of Ciri and the elven king, but when you read the novel, you'll know the compromises she had to make, what she had to agree on, and why this kind of verbal abuse must have been a nightmare to her- in that sensitive and difficult position.

“We won’t manage to do much more than we’re capable of,’ he said more quietly and more warmly. ‘But we shall all do our best to make sure it won’t be much less.”

UNICORNS STEP BACK ONTO SCENE

I don't want to reveal too many details but unicorns appear again. Unicorns and Ciri seem to be drawn to one another. Both are magical creatures of rare beauty. Once again, the unicorns seem to get along with Ciri. What is more, Ciri meets an old friend. I loved this part of the book. It really confirmed unicorns were intelligent beings. I just remembered one joke about unicorns from one of the previous books in the series. Yes, the unicorns in this novel make quite a come back. 

CIRI LONGING FOR HER PARENTS AND VICE VERSA

Longing is huge in this book. Our central characters are separated one from another and they long for each other's presence. Our unorthodox family is doing everything to come back together. Geralt is looking for Ciri and so is Yennefer. At the same time, Ciri is looking for them. In fact, Ciri is ready to do just about anything to get reunited with her non biological parents. She truly loves them.

There is one moment in the book, when Ciri stops for lunch in a tavern in a strange world (possibly a parallel one) and refuses the offer of the tavern owner to spend the night. Despite the fact that the lady and Ciri don't speak the same language, they are able to communicate with gestures. The lady understands that Ciri hurries to find her mother.

“How does it happen, thought Ciri, what can it be ascribed to, that in all worlds, places and times, in all languages and dialects that one word always sounds comprehensible? And always similar?

"Yes. I must ride to my mamma. My mamma is waiting for me.”

Unlike in the series, the bond between Ciri and her adoptive mother Yennefer makes perfect sense, because the writer took the time to show them bonding and developing emotions one for another. Both Yennefer and Ciri are ready to do just about anything to be reunited with each other and Geralt. Of course, Geralt is doing everything he can, but I like how the female characters in this novel are described as so decisive and brave. It is not only Geralt who is fighting against the darkness, Ciri and Yennefer are doing a fair bit of fighting. Ciri and Yennefer are never portrayed as damsels in the distress that are waiting to be saved. Both of them are extremely powerful, more powerful than Geralt in many ways. Still, this story needs a witcher as well. As this quote stresses, witchers will always be needed:

“And a day will come, perhaps, when we shall stop believing at all that something is lurking in the darkness. We shall laugh at such fears. Call them childish. Be ashamed of them! But darkness will always, always exist. And there will always be Evil in the darkness, always be fangs and claws, death and blood in the darkness. And witchers will always be needed.”

A NARRATIVE THAT FOLLOWS SEVERAL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

The narrative is, as I explained,  quite complex and even complicated at times. However, I didn't find he story hard to follow. The jumps between the perspectives felt a bit sudden at times, but I got used to them. As Geralt continues his travels with his fellowship, we learn more about them. They are very interesting lot themselves, and this adds to  the novel's complexity. As always, there is some welcome humour and banter between Geralt and other characters: 

“You know what, Reynart,’ Geralt suddenly said. ‘I also prefer you as you are now. Talking normally. Back in October you were using infuriating, moronic mannerisms.’ 

‘’Pon my word, Witcher, I’m a knight errant,’ chortled Reynart de Bois-Fresnes. ‘Have you forgotten? Knights always talk like morons.”

A SATISFYING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT OF GERALT'S FELLOWSHIP

One thing I loved about this novel was how consistent the character development was. The reader can really see them as not just a rescue party for Ciri, but a group of individuals connected with ties of friendship and love. Yes, they all want to save Ciri, but they care for one another as well. 

At times it even seemed like Geralt wasn't their leader but rather that they were leading themselves. I quite liked this. Sometimes it was them who urged Geralt to go on, when he was particularly broken down by his worries and fears. His fellowship, gang or however we are to call them really came through for him. 

 I was particularly impressed by the humanity of the vampire. He is such a great written character. The vampire is the most human vampire I have ever read about. He is a wonderful person, really. However, he is also determined when needs be, as when he warns one mage to back off Geralt. The mage in question has fallen for Geralt and wants to keep him by her side. The vampire understand that Geralt's destiny is Ciri and Yennefer. 

“If it is written in the books of providence", the sorceress said after a while, “that Geralt will find Ciri, then it will happen. Regardless of whether the witcher sets off into the mountains or sits in Toussaint. Predestination overtakes humans. Not vice versa. Do you understand that? Do you understand, Mr. Regis Terzieff-Godefroy?"

"Better than you think, Miss Vigo.” The vampire turned the sausage link in his fingers. "However, you must excuse me, I do not accept that predestination is in some book, written by the hand of a great Demiurge, or the will of heaven, or the unalterable judgment of any providence. Rather, it is the result of many seemingly unconnected facts, events, and actions. I tend to agree with you that the predestination overtakes humans...and not only humans. However, I accept much less the view that it could not also be reversed. Because this view is a convenient fatalism. It is a paean to apathy and baseness on a feather bed and the charming warmth of a woman’s womb. In short, to live in a dream. Life, Miss Vigo may be a dream, may end in a dream ... But it's a dream that you must actively dream. Therefore, Miss Vigo, the road awaits us."

WE GET TO SEE MORE OF THE CHARACTERS WE HAVE GROWN TO LOVE

Seeing more of the characters we have frown to love is always good, right? Besides Geralt's gang, there are some other recurring characters that make an appearance. Some of them appear only towards the end, but I was still trilled to see them. As always, the dialogues were so well written and they made the characters come alive.  I loved the part where the characters talked about progress with a mix of optimism, irony and pessimism. It reflects the writing in witcher well. 

“Progress,' he said with reverence, 'will lighten up the gloom, for that is what progress is for, as - if you'll pardon me - the arsehole is for shitting. It will be brighter and brighter, and we shall fear less and less thlurking in the darkness. We shall laugh at such fears. Call them childish. Be ashamed of them! But darkness will always, always exist. And there will always be Evil in the darkness, always be fangs and claws, death and blood in the darkness.”

“Progress,’ he said finally, ‘is like a herd of pigs. That’s how you should look at progress, that’s how you should judge it. Like a herd of pigs trotting around a farmyard. Numerous benefits derive from the fact of that herd’s existence. There’s pork knuckle. There’s sausage, there’s fatback, there are trotters in aspic. In a word, there are benefits! There’s no point turning your nose up at the shit everywhere.”

..........

“Progress,” said Yarpen Zigrin amidst the silence, “will eventually light up the darkness. The darkness will yield before the light. But not right away. And definitely not without a fight.”

YARPEN ZIGRIN, THE DWARFEN WARRIOR IS SUCH A FANTASTIC CHARACTER

Yarpen Zigrin is a character I have really grown to love. He is one of the recurring characters in the witcher universe, appearing often but still not in a way one might expect. He is capable of both being wise and  serious as he is of being devilishly funny. 

“There was talk about a great victory in this war; it was so important that… That this war put an end to all wars.’ Sheldon Skaggs snorted, spitting beer onto his beer. Zoltan Chivay roared with laughter. ‘What do you think, gentlemen?’
Now it was Dennis Cranmer’s turn to burst out laughing. Yarpen Zigrin retained his seriousness. He studied the young man attentively and seemed concerned.

‘Son,’ he said very seriously. ‘Look. There, sitting at the counter is Evangelina Parr. She is admittedly, substantial. Indeed, even great. But despite her actions, not one whore can put an end to all whores.”

MILVA AND ANGOULEME ARE SUCH  GREAT FEMALE CHARACTER

Speaking of Geralt's gang, Milva and  Angoulême are fun female characters that defy traditional gender norms. Both of them are tough and have been through a lot, but they also have a soft side to them.

“The great and grandiosely heralded feast,’ began Geralt, ‘was preceded by serious preparations. We had to find Milva, who’d hidden in the stables, and convince her that the fate of Ciri and almost the entire world depended on her participation in the banquet. We almost had to force her into a dress. Then we had to make Angouleme promise she would avoid saying “fuck” and “arse”.”

THE BAD GUYS ARE JUST AS ANNOYING AS THEY WERE

One of the things that I love about the witcher saga is how morally gray characters often are. Often characters that are essentially good do things that are wrong. However, when the characters are bad, they are really bad.  The bad guys in this novel are really annoying, especially Vilgefortz of Roggeveen, a vile and cruel creature with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. 

“And even if you don’t make a mistake, an opportunity will arise to blame you for something. Some misfortune, some disaster, some pestilence, perhaps a plague or an epidemic, will fall on humanity… Then your guilt will descend on you. You will not be blamed for having been unable to prevent the plague, but for being unable to remove its effects. You shall be to blame for everything. And then fires will be lit under stakes.”

THE SURPRISING INTRODUCTION OF NEW CHARACTERS

What I found quite surprising was the introducing of so many new characters. Not that I minded it, I just didn't expect it as this is the finishing novel of the saga. Still, I must say that the new characters really made sense and were well fitted into the story. 

One of the interesting new characters was Julia, also known as Pretty Kitty. 

We were all just as brave,’ finished Julia Abatemarco. 

‘Neither of the sides had the strength to be braver. 

But we … We managed to be brave for a minute longer."

..... Julia is a mercenary, and she appears in significant battles in this novel. Actually, the way she is introduced is through a side story starting with the young man ( a scribe if I recally well) Jarre from the temple of Melitele (we had the chance to read about in previous books). Anyway, Jarre runs away from the temple and joins the army, participates in the battles and so does Julia and other new characters. Now, that I think about it, this whole side story takes a good portion of the book. It is perhaps a risky choice to stop the main narrative and introduce all these other characters. Still, since I liked them as a reader, I won't complain much. 

Another interesting albeit not entirely new character is Skellen, whom we met in the previous novel. Skellen is a believer in democracy, but he is exactly  a good guy. 

“Because the people are ignorant, stupid, and easy to manipulate," Skellen finished the sentence, after he had himself a sneeze. "You need only ‘Hurrah!' and make a speech from the senate steps promising to open the prisons and cut the taxes."

"You are absolutely right, Owl," said the syllable stretcher. "Now I know why you shout so loudly for democracy.”

GERALT GETTING SIDETRACKED AND BEING VULNERABLE

Geralt is not exactly the perfect hero in this book. Perhaps he had to step down from the stage for Ciri and Yennefer to have the spotlight onto themselves. Of course, he is still the same Geralt, but I found it frustrating how easily he seems to have gotten distracted by yet another sorceress. There were times when I was as frustrated by him as his company. I mean he is supposed to lead them, and he lets himself be seduced by a sorceress- and not for a short time.

She smelled of ambergris, roses, library dust, decayed paper, minium and printing ink, oak gall ink, and strychnine, which was being used to poison the library mice. The smell had little in common with an aphrodisiac. So it was all the stranger that it worked on him.

Geralt gets entangled in a relationship with a sorceress, and it lasts way longer than I expected. I suppose it is human. People do let emotions cloud their judgement, but still I wondered at Geralt.  We follow their story as Fringilla narrates it, so we have another story within the story. As the vampire wisely stresses, the love between the sorceress and Geralt is just a dream. There is an element of manipulation on the side of sorceress who wants Geralt for her own selfish reasons, but also one feels for her as she really ends up heart-broken in some measure. 

"I believe," the vampire replied calmly, "You are mistaken, Miss Vigo. The dream you dream with the witcher is, I confess with a bow, magical and beautiful. However, any dream that we dream for too long becomes a nightmare. And from it we awake with a scream.”

As Fringilla brags to other sorceress about how she seduced Geralt, we learn that not all is as it seems. In fact, Fringilla has fallen for Geralt. 

"Go ahead." Fringilla stood up, almost as violent as Milva recently. "As you wish! Snow, cold, and predetermination await you on the passes. And the atonement that you so urgently seem to need. Go ahead! But the witcher is staying here. In Toussaint! With me!"

A TOXIC SORT OF LOVE STORY AND SORCERESSES BEING TOUGH

Sorceresses might be tough, but they suffer too. Fringilla feels pain as she ends her relationship with Geralt. 

“Fringilla,” he answered after a while. “You’re a woman a man can only dream about. My fault, my only fault, is that I don’t have the nature of a dreamer.” 

“You are,” she said a moment later, biting her lip, “like an angler’s hook, which once it’s stuck in, can only be pulled out with blood and flesh. Well, I’ve only got myself to blame. I knew what I was doing, playing around with a dangerous toy. Luckily, I also know how to cope with the effects. In that respect I have an advantage over the rest of the female species.”

.......

I love this quote about love being like renal colic, that is extremely painful. It is exactly the kind of thing Sapkowski would come up with, a comparison that is both funny and real. 

“Love,’ Fringilla said slowly, ‘is like renal colic. Until you have an attack, you can’t even imagine what it’s like. And when people tell you about it you don’t believe them.”

THE WINTER IS COMING....

There are some wonderful descriptions to be found in his novel. As for example this passage about the arrival of winter.... Sapokowski knows how to be poetic as well. 

“The sight of the table, arranged in a gigantic horseshoe, signalled emphatically that autumn was passing and winter was coming. Game in all possible forms and varieties dominated the delicacies heaped on great serving dishes and platters. There were huge quarters of boar, haunches and saddles of venison, various forcemeats, aspics and pink slices of meat, autumnally garnished with mushrooms, cranberries, plum jam and hawthorn berry sauce. There were autumn fowls–grouse, capercaillie, and pheasant, decoratively served with wings and tails, there was roast guinea fowl, quail, partridge, garganey, snipe, hazel grouse and mistle thrush. There were also genuine dainties, such as fieldfare, roasted whole, without having been drawn, since the juniper berries with which the innards of these small birds are full form a natural stuffing. There was salmon trout from mountain lakes, there was zander, there was burbot....."

YENNEFER BEING LARGER THAN LIFE BUT NOT AS PRESENT AS I WOULD HAVE LIKED

Yennefer plays a central role in saving Ciri. She endures as much suffering as her adoptive daughter, but always come out stronger. I absolutely loved all the episodes featuring Yennefer, I only wished there was more of her in the novel. When she does step on the scene, Yennefer is very memorable. She really is a force of a woman. Never is she as strong as in this novel. 

“Bless you,’ said Yennefer, not at all bothered by Vilgefortz’s portentous words. ‘Where did you catch such an awful chill, good sir? Did you stand in a draught after bathing?”

Yennefer never loses her spirit, not even in the worst of time, not even when she is imprisoned by Vilgefortz. She still fights back, with words, if with nothing else. It is as if her spirit simply cannot be crushed. 

STORIES ARE TOLD BUT REALITY OF WAR IS ALWAYS BRUTAL

I also enjoyed the more philosophical discussions in this novel. For example the quote below that stresses how stories about wars are not realistic. People need to embellished the truth, believe that justice wins, even if we can see every day it is not exactly like that: 

“Stories were made up and spun in the evenings in rooms smelling of melting lard and fried onions, village halls, smoky taverns, roadhouses, crofts, tar kilns, forest homesteads and border watchtowers. Tales were spun and told. About war. About heroism and chivalry. About friendship and hatred. About wickedness and betrayal. About faithful and genuine love, about the love that always triumphs. About the crimes and punishments that always befall criminals. About justice that is always just.

THE HUMOUR IS EVER PRESENT IN THE WITCHER SAGA....

For a saga that portrays a violent and chaotic world,  it is wonderfully funny.  I know I said it before, but I keep coming back to it. The amount of humour to be found in his novel is impressive: 

“There are plenty of tapestries like that in Beauclair. The master who wove them was a true master. But he drank an awful lot. As artists do.”

This little quote about the drinking artists is fun, as is this funny but real quote about delaying one's hanging. Who do you think come up with this clever sentence. Can you guess it? 

“When they’re about to hang you, ask for a glass of water. You never know what might happen before they bring it.

The same guy who came up with the quote before, a certain poet who rarely fails to be funny: 

“Women don't need money. I mean what for? They don't drink, they don't play dice, and they're bloody women themselves.

“Caring not for Angoulême’s vulgar October jests,’ Reynart leaned back from the table, his belt loosened, ‘today we drink a fine label and a fine vintage, Witcher. We can afford it, we’ve made some money. We can revel.’ ‘That’s right,’ Geralt beckoned to the innkeeper. ‘After all, as Dandelion says, perhaps there are other motivations for earning money, but I just don’t know any.”

Dandelion is wonderfully funny and he never disappoints, lest of all in this novel. The digression featuring the famous poet was welcome and kind of expected. It was other digressions in this novel that surprised me, like the introduction of the new characters and the whole side story with the young runaway boy and the horrific battles. This novel has its funny moments, but the reality of war, evil and bloodshed is always there. 

HOWEVER, THE DARK THEMES ARE EXPLORED AS WELL

As funny as it is at times, at the same time this novel explores some serious and bleak subjects such as wars, politics, murders and abuse. There is an underlying message that humans are often the worst monsters.  Perhaps it also implies that we all must fight our demons in order for the world to become a better place.  We should fight the evil inside of us. This is the message of all the witcher books perhaps, and it is certainly prevalent in this one as well. 

“Evil has stopped being chaotic. It has stopped being a blind and impetuous force, against which a witcher, a mutant as murderous and chaotic as Evil itself, had to act. Today Evil acts according to rights–because it is entitled to. It acts according to peace treaties, because it was taken into consideration when the treaties were being written …”

Evil does not always look like evil, often it looks like good. This book takes this into consideration. It is the kind of books that questions things, that understands that a peace treaty can be a thing of evil as well, that history is written by victors and rarely fair. 

Victory should look thus: the defeated are compelled to buy goods manufactured by the victors. Why, they do it willingly, because the victors’ goods are better and cheaper. The victors’ currency is stronger than the currency of the defeated, and the vanquished trust it much more than their own. Do you understand me, Baron Fitz-Oesterlen? Are you beginning slowly to differentiate the victors from the vanquished? Do you comprehend whom woe actually betides?”

DANDELION AND A FRIENDSHIP THAT HAS SEEN IT ALL

One of the things I will never get tired of in Witcher books is Dandelion's and Geralt's friendship. In that sense, this novel did not disappoint at all. They are shown as they are- great friends that despite immense difference in their characters, have a lot in common. They are both good people and they care about one another. Dandelion and Geralt complete one another. Arguably, one of the best bromances in the fantasy literature ever.

“Dandelion spoke first; elaborately, fluently, colourfully and volubly, embellishing his tale with ornaments so beautiful and fanciful they almost obscured the fibs and confabulations. Then the Witcher spoke. He spoke the same truth, and spoke so dryly, boringly and flatly that Dandelion couldn’t bare it and kept butting in, for which the dwarves reprimanded him.
And then the story was over and a lengthy silence fell.

CIRI ACTING AS SOMETIMES AN UNRELIABLE NARRATOR

 

As we move toward the ending, Ciri becomes more unreliable as a narrator. This ties up with what I said about this novel being ambiguous. What do her words really mean? Is it a happy ending or an unhappy one? Is there such a thing as a happy ending? 

THE RISKY ENDING THAT WON'T WORK FOR EVERY READER

The ending of the saga was incredibly touching- in my view. It might not appeal to everyone as it is open to interpretation. An ambiguous ending is always risky. 

“He nodded. Reluctantly. He’d had enough of silent assent. Of agreeing to everything she communicated to him, with everything she decided. But he nodded. He loved her, when all was said and done.”

That is what matters the most. The love. The Lady of the Lake tells the tale of love and pain. It is a novel with a complex narrative and ambiguous ending. I have fallen in love with both its complexity and ambiguity. I think my review is recommendation enough. There are many things I have praised about this novel and I mean all of them. For me, it was a very satisfying ending to a saga I will always love. 

“Destiny isn't the judgements of providence, isn't scrolls written by the hand of a demiurge, isn't fatalism. Destiny is hope. Being full of hope, believing that what is meant to happen will happen.”

OTHER BOOKS IN THE WITCHER SERIES I HAD REVIEWED

THE LAST WISH, THE FIRST BOOK IN THE WITCHER SERIES

The Last Wish could just be the best book in the series for me. It is definitely my favourite among the Witcher books I have read so far. The Witcher series started with short stories. In my opinion, the short story format works really well for this series, especially with the white wolf as protagonist.

 

SWORD OF DESTINY , THE SECOND BOOK IN THE WITCHER SERIES

Sword of Destiny consists of six short stories. All of the stories feature Gerald, the witcher as the protagonist. The stories are told by an all knowing narrator whose voice is often rich with irony and sarcasm. The writing style is simple and descriptive, but at times also poetical.

BLOOD OF ELVES, THE THIRD BOOK (AND THE FIRST  NOVEL) IN THE WITCHER SERIES

Once I started reading Blood of Elves, I immediately felt drawn into the story. The novel is well plotted and well paced.  It's rather conversation heavy so that slows down the pacing but it helps us to get to know the characters better. Moreover, I really enjoyed the dialogues.  I enjoyed learning more about this fantasy world, so I'm not complaining. 

TIME OF CONTEMPT

Time of Contempt is a direct sequel to Blood of Elves. Honestly, at first I hardly noticed the transition from one novel to another. The first part of Time of Contempt might as well be included in Blood of Elves as it almost feels like the same novel. In addition, I was able to read the novels one after the other so the transition was especially smooth. However, as Time of Contempt develops, some differences between the two novels can be spotted. Published in 1995, Time of Contempt takes off where Blood of Elves ended, but it feels more fast paced than its prequel.

BAPTISM OF FIRE

As the novel opens, the war is still in progress. Our heroes were utterly unprepared for an attempted coup at the mage meeting that turned into complete chaos and left the protagonist separated. Yennefer is missing, Geralt is recovering from his serious wounds with the help of dryads. As we learned from previous novel, Dandelion is by Geralt's side. Moreover, another strong female character is soon introduced. One thing I really appreciated is how the witcher world  is depicted as quite complex and morally ambiguous. As the war wages on, one understand the Witcher's wish for neutrality better and better. 

THE TOWER OF THE SWALLOW 

The Tower of the Swallow opens with Ciri waking up in a safe location. One of my complaints about the previous novel was that it didn't feature Cirilla and Yennefer enough. While I understand the reason for their absence, that is, the fact that the novel cannot trace all subplots and characters simultaneously, I still felt like they could have been included somehow. For example, they could have been present in the thoughts of other characters. Whereas it is obvious that Geralt is thinking of them in the prequel novel, it is not exactly shown. In a nutshell, Ciri and Yen are key characters, so their absence is always felt. This novel, however, more than makes up for it. Yen and Ciri take the front stage in this novel.

Thank you for reading and visiting! 

Post update with links to all the Witcher books I reviewed!

1) THE LAST WISH 2) SWORD OF DESTINY   3) BLOOD OF ELVES

4) TIME OF CONTEMPT 5) BAPTISM OF FIRE  6) THE TOWER OF THE SWALLOW  7) THE LADY OF THE LAKE