An Impromptu Witcher Lets Play - now with the Witcher 2!

[Bara_no_Hime]

On another note entirely... are there any Pathfinder or D&D players in the house? And by house, I mean thread? I've been trying some homebrew stuff for a Witcher game. I found a really good write up of Witcher potions that I plan to use, but all of the "Witcher class" writeups I've seen have tried to include the Mutations as part of the class rather than as an applied template (which makes more sense). Often, the same is done with Witcher equipment as part of the class.

So A) does anyone have tabletop game versions of Witcher stuff (particularly Pathfinder)?
and B) if not, would any of you be interested (or knowledgeable enough) to help me go through some of the versions I've found to come up with a working system?

Edit: No one? Really?

**pout**

Fine. I wrote a whole Mass Effect tabletop RPG by myself. This isn't nearly that much to work through.

Is anyone here at least interested in seeing what I come up with?

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

A question.

I just read on the Witcher Wiki that the Enhanced Edition of the Witcher (the first one) is supposed to have two "Premium Modules" - two extra DLC adventures.

I appear to have the Enhanced Edition. ... how do I access the two extra adventures?

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Seems you may not be able to access both in the same playthrough.
Lies and Vipers: This quest is only available on Roche's path. It is given automatically when Geralt and Roche see Brigida Papebrock being chased by some thugs after leaving the Redanian camp area after speaking with King Radovid, during the quest For Temeria.
The Secrets of Loc Muinne: This quest can only be accessed if you took Iorveth's path. It is activated once you reach Loc Muinne's square. Two scholars Gaspar and Farid are looking for someone who can protect them from monsters. If you accept they will wait for you in the second level of the Crypt of Mages.

Wrong extra adventures. I completed the Secrets of Loc Muinne.

I'm talking about "The Price of Neutrality" and "Side Effects" for the Witcher 1.

Edit: Also, I just noticed your badges read "FU EA". Clever, sir; very clever.

Edit 2: Never mind. I clicked "New Game" and saw the "Extra Adventures" including "Damn those Swamps!" "Price of Neutrality" "Side Effects" "Deciets" "Wraiths of Quiet..." "The Wedding" and "Merry Witchmas".

Wow - that's a lot of side-adventures.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Rose Reviews: Blood of Elves

And we're back.

First off - Awesome book. I really liked it. If you want to read it without spoilers, Go Buy It Now. It's, like 7 bucks on Amazon. Go now.

Okay, there is no way to talk about this one without Spoilers, so I'm not even going to bother with a spoiler tag. Everything after this point is going to be wall to wall spoilers. You have been warned.

Anyway, back in my Last Wish review, I briefly mentioned Geralt ending up with a "Surprise" Child - he did a job breaking a curse and asked for the Princess's first born child as payment. Because Geralt successfully guessed that the mother was pregnant, the child is destined to be his.

Which brings us to "today" - the beginning of Blood of Elves. We start with Dandelion telling the tale of Geralt rescuing Ciri, aka Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, aka the Surprise Child, from Nilfguardian invaders - and specifically from a Black Knight. After the tale, various individuals argue about whether or not the story is true. This leads to some world background and Dandelion being hauled off by a mysterious Wizard to be tortured for information on said Princess.

It turns out that Dandelion made it up - it just seemed like something Geralt would do. The torturer isn't satisfied, however - which doesn't matter, because Yennifer kicks in the door and uses Lightning Bolts straight out of the Pathfinder core book to murder the Wizard's minions. The Wizard activates a gate spell, but not before Yen tosses a fireball through as well for him to remember her by.

I'd like to say one thing here. Yennifer is FUCKING BADASS. Where was this woman in that stupid dragon story? Ah well.

Anyway, onward to a new POV. It's Triss! During that world background section, it was mentioned that at the famous battle of Sodden Hill, where the northern kingdoms repelled Nilfguard's invasion (the same one that claimed Ciri's kingdom), Triss Merigold was killed. Turns out, not quite. It is later revealed that she was so badly injured that no one realized that the maimed survivor was actually HER. Since they couldn't find "Triss" she was presumed dead until someone healed her enough to speak and tell them who she was. And, during that time, they'd already carved her name on the statue, so they just didn't bother fixing it.

I'm asiding, but it's my review, so I can do that. Yennifer was blinded in the same battle, but her eyes have since been healed. Likewise Triss, it sounds like, had her face burnt off (and possibly a limb or two). But it's okay, she has a new one now. Another woman mentioned later somehow got her wounds cursed so they couldn't be healed - she wears an illusion to hide the fact that she's missing her lower jaw. Damn.

Back to the story in progress. Ahem.

So Triss has been summoned to Kaer Morhen. She wonders why - and kinda hopes it's to get sexy with Geralt. It turns out that, since their romance in the Last Wish, that Yennifer and Geralt have been sort of on-again/off-again in the romance department. During one bit of downtime, Triss decided to see if Geralt was really all that good in the sack as Yen had indicated and took him for a ride. And Triss is hoping to go for another ride. Hm.

Well, Triss then bumps into Ciri in the woods. Training on the "Killer" - the deadly training course that the Witchers use, so called because it has killed actual Witchers. And 13 year old (or so) Ciri is training on it.

Thus begins the establishment of Ciri as a badass.

Triss continues jumping to conclusions. The best (and the one I was kinda hoping for) is that they've brought her to help manage the Ritual of Grasses that will transform Ciri into a yellow-eyed mutant like the rest of them.

Sadly, no. Ciri goes into a brief prophetic trance and talks about how Triss is already dead. Well, technically true - without the insanely powerful magical aid she received, she would have died of those wounds. The fact that she looks fine now is a testament to how powerful healing magic is in this world.

Weirdly, Triss makes a comment about how her injuries, while mostly healed, prevent her from wearing low-cut outfits. This confused me because she wore low-cut outfits throughout the Witcher games, particularly the first one where she wore a little net over her breasts. Either she got the scars removed finally, or she's talking about someone else, or the game designers weren't paying attention, or they were, but decided "fuck canon - let's show her tits".

Whatever the case, Triss is welcomed and we get to see the Witchers hosting her. After dinner, Triss goes to fix Ciri's outfit and talk to her more, but when Ciri strips, Triss learns two things. 1) Witcher training is fucking BRUTAL. Ciri is covered in bruises - bruises she doesn't seem very fazed by. 2) Ciri has started getting periods, and is embarrassed to let the men-folk find out.

Once again, Ciri's badass points increase. And the girl is only 13 years old (an assumption based on the start of her period).

Triss has a little talk with the older Witchers about periods and steroids - yes, apparently the Witchers use good old-fashioned steroids as part of their "potions". Good to know. Also, the girl is a "Source" like Alvin. She'll need proper magical training, and Triss doesn't think she has the experience to provide it.

What follows is, I kid you not, a text-based Rocky-style training montage. Cue the song from World Police.

Ciri's badass points increase yet again. This girl is fucking awesome.

And then, it's time for Ciri to go get some religious training from Nenneke. So Geralt, Triss, and Ciri head off to Temeria. It's a long trip, and they end up meeting Yarpen the dwarf. This is after Triss gets sick with... something? It is never explained what happened to Triss. Maybe a bad bout of "almost burnt to death but magically healed"? Or maybe food poisoning. Fucked if I know.

Anyway, this introduces the Squirrels. They've been attacking the area and Yarpen is glad to have Geralt along just in case. So much so that eventually he makes Geralt and Ciri scouts for the group. While scouting, Ciri spots a group of Squirrels and hides. Before she can head back, Geralt wants to show her a ruined elven city and explain why Witchers remain neutral - because both sides are right, and both are wrong. The elves are acting out, but they have a reason to. The elves aren't agents of Nilfguard, as one person suggested, but angry children lashing out at a hurtful world.

Unfortunately, this education in Neutrality occurs just as those same Squirrels attack Yarpen's caravan. Oops. Geralt and Ciri head in, but Ciri freezes up. Geralt saves her, killing several Squirrels in the process. Ciri sees several of the people she's been traveling with die - some quickly, and some painfully, lingeringly.

Worse yet, it turns out that Yarpen has been transporting rocks (he believed he was transporting arms and armor secretly at the behest of King Henselt). He was set up - bait to draw out the Squirrels. Yarpen finds his world view - and his personal loyalty to King Asshole - shaken by this.

But no time for that, because Ciri has school to attend.

Time skips ahead a bit here. Geralt is riding on a barge, waiting for a river monster to attack. While he does so, he reads letters from Ciri (happily in school) and Yennifer (sarcastically punishing him for calling her a "friend" instead of a "love" in his last letter). All goes well until minions of that Wizard from the beginning show up and try to arrest Geralt.

What follows is A) Geralt kicking ass, B) the river monster's arrival, and C) the river monster's MATE's arrival. Geralt avoids getting eaten, but between his sword and the river monsters, none of the attackers survive.

Meanwhile, Dandelion goes to the University of Oxenford (Oxford University, ha) to meet Shani! He's being followed and (after having Shani get a message to Geralt) we learn by whom. It turns out that Dandelion is a spy for Redania.

....

HOLY SHIT! I had no idea that Dandelion actually, you know, DID stuff. Suddenly, Dandelion just turning up at random in the games makes MUCH more sense. He's a fucking Redanian spy! How... appropriate.

Anyway, he refuses to betray Geralt. Good for him. To make matters weirder, Phillipa is there too! This shouldn't be that surprising, since we know form the game that she advised the King of Redania until his death and then ended up ruling Redania for a while. What's surprising is that she's here talking to Dandelion. Wow, I'm quite impressed. That means that Dandelion is the Miles Vorkosigan of Redania.

Dandelion just got a ton of bad-ass points. His first ever.

Oh, another revelation here. Dandelion is 50 years old. WHAT THE FUCK?! That means he must be like 60 in the games. Holy crap, but he's aged well. Does HE have the blood of elves in him? Or is he secretly a Wizard? Or has he had some of that youth potion that Yennifer uses to keep herself young? Damn.

Anyway, back to Phillipa. I didn't really think that Phillipa was a character from the novels. It's kinda shocking that they cut out her eyes in the game (although she can regrow them, ala Yen, so not necessarily a long term issue).

Anyway, Dandelion heads to meet Geralt to warn him - and finds Geralt in bed with Shani. Ha. THAT I saw coming. No pun intended.

What I didn't expect was for Phillipa-the-Owl to fly in the window. So the owl thing is canon too. Weird. Phillipa also checks out Shani. So, Phillipa is a lesbian in the canon. Interesting.

Which actually brings me back to something from WAY earlier. Triss mentions a... "lesbian phase" that she went through. As a bisexual woman, it rather ticks me off when fiction portrays bisexuality as a passing phase. It isn't a phase - if you like both men and women, you like both men and women, even if you like one more than the other. Calling any sexual orientation a phase is insulting.

That said, although I used quotes earlier, the author didn't actually use the word phase. He described what sounded a lot like a phase, and heavily implied it, but what Triss said afterwards could be taken one of two ways.

1) Triss only sleeps with male Wizards or Witchers now.

2) Triss only sleeps with spellcasters - of either gender - now.

The text seems to assume 1 is the only way to read it, but it can also be read as version 2.

Because I like the book and don't want to be insulted by it, AND because the author left the door open by his ambiguous phrasing, I am choosing to believe, now and forever, that Triss Merigold is canon bisexual.

That means that the Witcher games featured a bisexual female protagonist (not a playable protagonist, but a major NPC) as the main positive female character.

That is fucking awesome. Now, when people ask for a well written gay character in video games, I will state "Triss Merigold" from the Witcher 1 and 2 - and note that she is canon bisexual in the novels, and thus even though she only sleeps with Geralt in the games, she still counts.

Ahem. Where was I? Oh, right, Phillipa checking out Shani. Very cute moment - Dandelion couldn't make Shani blush, but Phillipa managed it.

So, it turns out Shani has met this Wizard guy who's been stalking Ciri and Geralt. So, the whole group heads off (via the window) to find him.

They do so, resulting in him getting punched in the face and then briefly tortured before Phillipa gets bored and pulls the information from his brain. Ah, Phillipa, never change.

Outside, the Wizard himself shows up with minions. Geralt, high on a Cat potion (and a Wolverine too, maybe?), absolutely wrecks them. The Wizard runs, but Geralt catches him and beats the shit out of him. Until Phillipa shows up and lets the Wizard escape. Because... she's realized who he's working for.

...?

Okay then?

We also learn, from some cut-away scenes, the following:

The Kings of the four kingdoms have met (along with the Queen of Lyria) to talk. They proceed to decide to attack Nilfguard and liberate Cintra (Ciri's kingdom). They also decide that, if Ciri really does yet live, that she needs to be killed because they don't want her messing with their plans to make Cintra a puppet government and buffer kingdom against further Nilfguard attacks.

Also, in Nilfguard, that Black Knight from earlier is chatting with the fucking Emperor of Nilfguard. And apparently the Wizard is working for them. But... maybe not just for them?

Meanwhile, the Wizard conclave is ticked off about the Kings planning things behind their collective backs.

While all of this is going on, Ciri is training with Yennifer. The author did this very strangely, starting at the end, the day before Ciri and Yen leave, and then flashing back to their first meeting and the Sorceress training that Ciri has been getting.

The training proves quite interesting. It does bring up one question, though. If spellcasting itself ruins your glands and eventually makes your sterile, then why are they training Ciri in high-level magic? They decided to NOT give her the Ritual of Grasses because they didn't want to make it impossible for her to return to Cintra and become queen - but becoming a Sorceress will do the same thing (albeit without the eyes) since she can't have heirs if she's sterile.

I ask because I was kinda hoping that Ciri would take the trail. Her Destiny should protect her from dying outright, and then they'd have a brand new Witcher who will be alive for a hundred years or so.

Ahem. Anyway, the novel ends with Yennifer and Ciri preparing to leave the Temple.

Overall: Great book. I loved reading from Triss and Ciri's points of view. I also enjoyed getting to know Yennifer better. Andrzej Sapkowski does a fine job of writing with a convincing female voice, even if he does occasionally slide into stereotype. Even then, the characters are unique and interesting enough that I don't mind that much. Andrzej Sapkowski still writes from the female POV than Jim Butcher (one of my top three favorite authors) does. That's not to say that Mr. Butcher is about to be dethroned, just that he should never ever attempt to write from a female POV ever again, where as Andrzej Sapkowski handles his female POV fairly well.

That said, I'm kinda shocked that this novel got published. I mean, I'm glad it did, but the book is nothing but set-up. Very little actually happens. There is no sense of beginning-middle-end - just lots of beginning.

I've had those translations of books 2+ on my computer for a while, so I'll start reading those now. Sadly, I can't read those in the bath-tub like I could the paperbacks. However, I'm not about to wait until August to see what happens next - to say nothing of stuff beyond book 2 which might not make it over here for years yet.

I quite enjoyed the book. It answered a lot of my questions about the World of the Witcher, and it was just a damn good read. Highly Recommended.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Update: Damn those Swamps or Blight of the Bogs

So... I decided to try some of these extra adventures. I decided to start at the top with Damn those Swamps.

I appear in Vizima Swamp. There's a ferryman, but he only wants to talk about the fog. I head into town to find people to give me quests, and meet two - a woman who wants lemon balm and a man who wants some drowners killed. So I do both - drowners first, then lemonbalm, which involves two more drowners and a wolf. So far so easy.

It also levels me up, so I look around for a campfire. There's only one, back by the ferryman. And... I can't use it, because there's no flint. There also appear to be no openable doors, lootable chests, or herbs of any sort - so I can't level up, make potions, or anything else that requires meditation. What the hell, game?

Well, I figure maybe the game will give me some flint later? So I turn in the two quests (getting half way to the next level) and a little girl comes out of her house and asks me to find a doll for her. Okay then.

I head to where she says it is, but Geralt says it isn't there (and my mouse detects nothing pick-up-able. I turn around to go back ---

-- and my game crashes, dropping me back to desktop... with no progress saved. Fuck.

Yeah... I'm thinking maybe I should try a different adventure. Any recommendations?

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

**cricket chirping**

Hello? Is anyone still here? Other than DVS, I mean (and I only know he's still here because of PMs).

 

[Fire_Drake]

Yo. I'm here.

Thanks for writing this Lets Play. I didnt know about these Witcher books. I jsut finished reading teh 1st one and it was really good. Ive preordered the 2nd one.

 

[The Madman]

**cricket chirping**

Hello? Is anyone still here? Other than DVS, I mean (and I only know he's still here because of PMs).

Sure, I still read your updates when I get the chance. And then there's Mr. Advertiser above me, I'm sure he's enthralled by the Witcher's narrative with the way he then advertises something with absolutely nothing to do with it.

And honestly no idea about the extra missions. I tried one out... Price of Neutrality I think was its name? And I remember enjoying myself, but also really not much else about it at all.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Sure, I still read your updates when I get the chance. And then there's Mr. Advertiser above me, I'm sure he's enthralled by the Witcher's narrative with the way he then advertises something with absolutely nothing to do with it.

And honestly no idea about the extra missions. I tried one out... Price of Neutrality I think was its name? And I remember enjoying myself, but also really not much else about it at all.

I'm currently playing Price of Neutrality. Good so far. It appears to be about a strange combination of Renfri and Ciri. Will post a quick review thingy when I finish.

As to Mr. Advertiser... meh. He referenced something I said on the previous page, so at least he read some of the thread. Also, he bumped my thread. Normally I would click the Report button on an add, but for the Bump and reading, I'll let it slide.

Edit: Also because I had no idea he'd posted until you mentioned it.... ^^;;

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Rose Reviews: Times of Contempt, Part 1

Okay, I don't have time to do this properly right now, because it's late and I should be in bed. However, here's a sneak preview of Times of Contempt the second novel of the Witcher series.

Picking up where the last novel left, Ciri and Yennifer are fleeing to some Mage conference. Writing that now, considering that I just finished the book, feels really, really strange.

In the first book, I commented that nothing much happened - that I felt like I had just read the beginning of a novel, not a full novel? Well, this book left me feeling like I'd just read two. Note - I read this one twice as fast as the previous one. I took time that I was supposed to be playing the next adventure pack (which I've started) and finished the damn book.

So, overall, spoiler free: FUCK YEAH! Oh my gods, this book was amazing. I read the fan translation (with its awful grammar - egads) not the official translation (which won't be released until this August. Pro Tip: PREORDER IT. I know I am. If I did numerical ratings, I'd give this one a 9 out of 10. Fan-fucking-tastic.

Although, Pro Tip 2: Have the Wiki handy. This book name-drops characters once and expects you to remember them 100 pages later with no other mentions or appearances. The afore-mentioned mage conference particularly gets thick with a Who's Who of characters, only a few of whom appear in the game. Speaking of which - I've met Dethmold. He seemed... fine. Apparently Andrzej Sapkowski writes gay men better than the game writers.

Speaking of gay characters - Phillipa. I really, really liked Phillipa in this novel. Subtle, interesting, and deep.

While I'm on the topic of gay, lesbian, and bisexual characters....

The Rats. I am very interested in seeing more of the Rats in book 3. Very, very interested.

Mr. Sapkowski is occasionally so subtle that I'm not sure exactly what went down. He did this intentionally in "The Last Wish" to create ambiguity about what Geralt wished for. He does it again in a scene near the end that left me puzzled. A part of me is tempted to keep reading tonight just to find out the answer to that question - a question that I will likely have to figure out via context since I doubt it will be addressed directly.

I like subtle writing. Usually. Sometimes, though, it can be an excuse to basically say "eh, whatever" at your audience. I really hope that doesn't happen here, because I feel this is something important to the character and I want to understand what I read. Hopefully I won't be disappointed.

Anyway, this got a little bigger than I intended. Also, it serves nicely as a "spoiler free" review. So what I think I'll do is leave this part as is (and call it part 1) and then post a quick summary of the novel tomorrow, in spoiler tags so no one gets their panties in a twist about a book that will officially be released this August. In America, I mean - it's been out for ages elsewhere else.

Edit: Minor correction - it has been out for ages in languages other than English. The British Isles are getting the first official English translation in June. America has to wait until August.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Rose Reviews: Times of Contempt, Part 2

Okay, time for the spoiler version.

Spoiler: Spoilers for Times of Contempt

Okay, so the novel begins from the very strange POV of a message rider. The rider bumps into Yen and Ciri heading to the mage conference and later bumps into Geralt killing a Manticore. I guess it's supposed to show how close they came to meeting up without doing so, but is mostly just feels like a waste since I don't care about this messenger. We stick with him through several more deliveries too, carrying messages from one king to another, until finally he gets shot by Squirrels - Toruviel specifically. It is her only appearance in the novels so far and comes off as sort of random.

Geralt, meanwhile, takes his Manticore pay to some shady character - an information broker. From said broker, Geralt learns much of the background plot of the first book - that both Nilfguard and the Northern Kings are looking for Ciri so they can get a claim to Cintra (of which Ciri is the Princess, in case you forgot). Nilfguard wants Ciri alive at all costs so that the Emperor can legitimize his claim, while the Northern kings want her dead or alive - if alive, they'd like to use her as a figurehead for an invasion, but they'd rather have her dead that in Nilfguard's hands. Furthermore, Geralt learns that Ciri has elven blood - and not just any elven blood, but from a specific line - that of Lara. Apparently that's where Ciri's magical potential comes from. Also, she is apparently a descendant of Falka, who apparently was a ruthless dictator of Redania long ago. Falka has been mentioned before, but there isn't much detail on what she actually did (even on the Wiki) so I'm not sure WHY this is such a bad thing. It does, technically, mean that she's not only the heir to Cintra, but also carries the royal blood of Redania.

Geralt asks the info brokers to look into that further. The info brokers, meanwhile, have another suggestion - it turns out there's this girl who looks just like Ciri. If Nilfguard (or whomever) were to find her instead of the real Ciri, then the heat would be off Ciri and they could all return to Kaer Morhen to continue her training in peace. Geralt rejects this idea and insists that they continue their research on that Elder Blood thing.

Oh, Geralt learns one more thing. There are some thugs on Yen's trail. Guess where Geralt heads next?

Meanwhile, Yen and Ciri have arrived at that coastal town they were heading to. Yen heads to a bank to arrange for a transfer from her account at Vivaldi's (she can't access it directly due to politics). While Yen is busy, Ciri gets to run around town. While doing so, she comes across a circus attraction - a "Basilisk" that turns out to be a Wyvern. Having played the game, it seems like an honest mistake to me, but whatever. The critter gets loose and Ciri (grabbing a squire's sword) goes all Witcher on it and kills it.

Remember me commenting on Ciri's badass points last book? Well they're nothing to this book. Wyverns are MEAN motherfuckers, in mythology, in the books, and in the game. And Ciri wrecks this one. Holy shit - you go girl.

This, however, does draw some attention. Ciri passes it off as the squire's doing, and activates a magical do-hicky that Yen gave her for this sort of situation. Which attracts the attention of several Sorceresses in the area who grab her. They take her back to the bank where Yen sorts it out.

Turns out, the Sorceresses are faculty at the Sorceress academy that Yen is currently enrolling Ciri in. They thought she was an escaped student, since they've had to move students out of the main dorms to make room for that mage conference. They all have a good laugh over this (except Ciri) and head to a Bath House for an anime-style hot springs episode, complete with random nudity for the lulz.

Tissaia de Vries, of the extract, is the OCD Sorceress from the last book. She attempts to act civilized while Margarita Laux-Antille and Yen pose for maximum nudity in an attempt to embarrass a knight who needs to speak to them. I only bring this up because said knight is Rayla. THE Rayla, the angry Flaming Rose woman who gets shot with arrows. Apparently she's a merc at the moment? A merc knight? Or was knight just a polite - oh never mind.

The point is, it gets mentioned while all the hot-springs sexiness is going on, that Geralt is nearby. Ciri uses the opportunity (while the three sorceresses are getting drunk) to sneak out and go meet up with Geralt. She rides south to meet him - only to get attacked by Squirrels, and then chased by the FUCKING WILD HUNT. Okay, you got me book, I did not see that one coming.

Geralt, meanwhile, has left several corpses in his wake. Remember those thugs after Yen and Ciri? Dead. He's handing out at a tavern with Dandelion (as he often is) when the Wild Hunt shows up chasing Ciri. Well shit. Geralt goes out to face the Hunt - and then Yen appears and calls Lightning down on the Hunt, driving it off. Nice. I bet that got their attention.... **cough**

Anyway, Geralt and Yen have a little talk and then get back together. Ciri is mildly disappointed that her reunion didn't go quite as planned, but seems pleased enough with that. Ciri and Dandelion actually spy on Geralt and Yen for a bit, while Dandelion does hilarious impressions of what they might be saying.

Anyway, EVERYONE heads back to the port town, and from there to Thanedd Island. This is where that Mage School is at, and the Mage Conference. Which starts with Ciri getting stuck in a dorm room while Yen and Geralt head to a formal dinner. A dinner that consists only of a snack buffet. Geralt is Disappoint.

Dijkstra, head of Redanian Intelligence and Dandelion's boss, is there. They chat a bit. Also, Geralt meets, like, every Sorceress ever. I couldn't even try to keep up. Notables include Phillipa, who flirts with him, but others warn him that she's gay. Triss and Yen have some sort of talk that results in Triss leaving early (and several Sorceresses theorizing that Yen yelled at her for her previous seduction of Geralt).

Geralt gets asked to a private audience by the mage Vilgefortz. Geralt gets to look at some paintings (including one by Lydia, the Sorceress with no lower jaw) and talks to Vilgefortz about some rather confusing topics. Vilgefortz wants an alliance... of some sort, but since Geralt wears his neutrality like a shield, Vilgefortz is never actually to say what he wants an alliance about. This is not one of Geralt's better moments - he comes of only slight better than if he'd stuck his fingers in his ears and said "La la la, I'm not listening!" Um, Geralt, there's a difference between neutrality and sticking your head in the sand and ignoring things in the hopes that they go away.

After the party, he and Yen sport fuck. Sport as in Olympic level athleticism, not casual. Since Geralt dropped the L-Bomb at the party (verbally, for the first time), Yen is very enthusiastic. Geralt, meanwhile, is a Witcher, so he has pretty much infinite stamina. They go repeatedly, for most of the night.

This leaves Geralt in a great position the next morning to hear some shenanigans going on in a nearby room. He heads out to investigate and gets captured by Dijkstra.

And, finally, we get the big reveal - some of the mages signed on with Nilfguard. Some of those that didn't plotted with Dijkstra to take the Nilfguard loyal mages out the night before the conference (which is supposed to start in all seriousness today). And thus, all the "North Loyal" mages (such as Phillipa, Keira, Sabrina, and Dethmold) are up and about arresting people while the Nilfguard loyal mages are asleep.

Geralt just left Yen asleep in their room. Uh oh.

Meanwhile, Ciri gets magicked out of her room by... someone.

Back at the Coup, Triss turns out to be a North Loyalist as well. She blinds Geralt so he won't witness things he ought not to, but his Witcher hearing makes it kinda pointless. Phillipa has Dijkstra escort Geralt out - and Geralt escapes (with a little help from Dandelion, who has now betrayed his employer and possibly committed treason against Redania - which has him shitting his pants, as well it should). Geralt heads to Yen's room - and finds it empty.

At this point, EVERYTHING goes to shit. It turns out that the Nilfguard loyal mages actually prepared for this (or something like this) and have squad of Squirrels hidden in the basement. Plus the Black Knight who's hunting Ciri. Also, some of the mages getting arrested were actually neutral, not conspirators. The actual conspirators (led by Vilgefortz) are armed and dangerous.

We also learn that it was Yen who grabbed Ciri. She used Ciri's prophesy powers to try to warn both sides against killing one another, but was not successful in doing so. It was just after Ciri's prophesy that they released the Squirrels and the Black Knight.

Yen tries to hold off the main force while Ciri flees. This ends with Ciri and the Black Knight stuck together in a courtyard. And, at long last, Ciri gets to use her Witcher training on the Black Knight who haunts her dreams. And... CIRI KICKS HIS MOTHERFUCKING ASS!!!

So much for nightmares. Ciri spares his life because, without his helm, he's just some soldier, and she can't bring herself to kill him. So she runs off.

Geralt, trying to get to Ciri, finds the Black Knight (broken and bleeding) and is about to kill him when the Black Knight informs Geralt that he is the one who saved Ciri from the slaughter at Cintra. Thus Geralt spares his life.

This, however, gave me some pause. The last time some "took pity on" and "spared" a girl he was supposed to kill, it was the huntsman and Renfri. So, if he saved her, did that saving include raping her? Is that the reason he appears in her nightmares? Or is it simply associated trauma? The black armor and winged helm IS just Nilfguard's standard armor (we learn later). I'm still not sure.

And before anyone asks why I always assume rape - this is the Witcher. A dark, low fantasy novel. Rape is pretty much the default setting.

Anyway, Ciri hides in Lara's tower (which contains a glitchy teleporter) while Geralt pulls a "Thou Shall Not Pass" on Vilgefortz. And... Vilgefortz kicks Geralt's ass. In melee. Wow. Did not see that one coming. Triss saves Geralt - and by "saves" I mean hauls his broken body off the battlefield.

Geralt ends up being treated by Dryads (no idea how Triss got him there). Yen is MIA at the moment. And Ciri...

The book does a wonderful fake-out at this point. We cut to Nilfguard, where the Emperor is to receive Ciri and plans to marry her. Ciri arrives... and it isn't Ciri, but the fake Ciri that the info broker had located earlier. I didn't mention it because it was a minor detail, but the info brokers got attacked at the same time as the Mage Coup and both got killed - but not before someone found the info on their fake Ciri. Whether that person knew she was a fake, or thought she was real, is unclear. The Emperor of Nilfguard, however, is not pleased. Still, he sets up Fake Ciri as the real one and gives her a castle... and then orders the search for the real on continued.

So, you ask with bated breath, where is the real Ciri? In the middle of that desert that's off the right side of the main map. Yes, in the middle of nowhere. How? Remember that glitchy portal that shreds anyone who goes through it? Called Lara's Portal? Well, apparently it works for someone of Lara's blood. Just... not well.

There is then an extended survival sequence where Ciri has to haul her injured butt across a desert with no supplies. Just when she's about to die, she runs into a Unicorn of all things. She names the unicorn "little horse" or "horsey" depending on the translation. Horsey shows her a nearby spring and they head off together. Well, sort of together - Horsey won't let her touch him. And I frown, wondering if this is supposed to be confirmation that she was raped.

Whatever, it's cute. Well, it is until they run into the giant Ant Lion. How very D&D. Horsey gets poisoned (before Ciri manages to fucking KILL the giant Ant Lion - once again, Fuck YEAH Ciri!). Ciri keeps going, and tries to treat the wound, but the Unicorn won't let her... until he's too weak to stop her, at which point there's nothing she can do. Ciri can't find any magical energy out here - she's used to using Water Magic, and there's no water.

I paused here to wonder why she didn't try Earth magic. She can't say there aren't rocks. Or air magic. She's breathing, isn't she?

But no - Ciri sets on the idea of using Fire magic. She can light a brush fire and use it as a power source. Yen warned her to never use Fire magic, but she doesn't want Horsey to die. So... she does.

At first it goes well. Ciri doesn't know healing, but she fucking heals Horsey anyway. And then, because why the fuck not, she makes it rain. And then she decided to MURDER EVERYONE WHO HAS EVER WRONGED HER AND EVERYONE SHE LOVES BWAHAHAHAAAAAA --- wait, no, she resists the evil fire temptation and the voice in her head that calls her Falka.

I'm going to take a moment here and comment on something. It was established in the previous book that Water magic causes, amoung other things, uterine cramps. This actually makes that whole "all mages become sterile" thing make a lot of sense - if casting a spell makes your uterus spasm every time, no wonder sorceresses can't have kids.

Fire magic, meanwhile, doesn't cause cramps - it causes orgasms. I'm not quite sure what to think about that.

Anyway, after having resisted her fiery orgasm's suggestion that she kill all humans, Ciri does the smart thing and passes out. Some Unicorns show up to discuss whether she should live or die, but they settle on live since she saved Horsey. And, as far as I can tell, they take her to the edge of the desert. Where Nilfguard hunters find her. So... thanks Unicorns? Ah well, at least she gets to eat and drink now.

Meanwhile, Dandelion heads into Dryad territory (at risk of his life) to deliver Geralt news about what all's been going on. Right after (or even during) the coup, some troops attacked, causing other troops to attack, and, long story short, Nilfguard has successfully invaded Lyria and Aedern while Temeria has done fuck-all to stop them. Also, someone assassinated the King of Redania. And King Asshole (Henselt) has decided to invade Upper Aedern instead of fighting Nilfguard.

**sarcastic slow clap**

Wow. Good plan, Northern Kings and Maeve. So, instead of retaking Cintra, you've managed to lose Lyria. And what's do you do as soon as the plan doesn't go entirely your way? Betray one another. Good job.

I am suddenly a lot less sympathetic about all this. Nilfguard may be a totalitarian government, but at least it isn't a STUPID totalitarian government. Maybe you all should just surrender and become vassal nations.

That whole Nilfguard invasion at the end of the Witcher 2? Yeah, at this point, I think that invasion may be a good idea. These kings are all idiots, assholes, or both.

... that is, until the order goes out to Pillage and Burn rather than capture. Damn it, Nilfguard, you had me on your side with your smarts and good government, and now you're burning instead of conquering and that's just wasteful.

**sigh**

Geralt takes all this about as well as I just did. Also, I'm 90% sure that Dandelion told him about "Ciri" being captured by the Emperor (that's Fake Ciri, but Dandelion doesn't know that). So Geralt decides to go rescue her (or something to do with Yen? I can't be sure since we don't actually learn in this book what Dandelion told Geralt), and Dandelion decides to go with Geralt, even thought Dandelion thinks it's suicide.

But enough of that - back to Ciri!

She gets taken to an Inn where she is tied to a post next to a bandit. A "Rat" apparently. The Rat talks Ciri into helping him with his ropes, which she does. And just in time, because more "Rats" burst in dramatically through the window and start murdering all the Nilfguardian types. During the chaos, Ciri grabs a sword and ends up Witcher fighting the guy who captured her... but she still won't strike to kill a human. One of the Rats takes care of it for her. And then, they make their escape. Unfortunately, the townsfolk are up in arms as well and Ciri, on instinct, kills one of them. She is shaken by this and has to be practically carried off by the Rats.

After fleeing to a safe house (of sorts), they eat and talk a bit. Ciri is tight-lipped, but the others understand - they were like that too. They want to try to escort her somewhere safe, but Ciri has some issues. A) she doesn't know if Geralt or Yen are dead or alive and B) she was kinda hoping they'd show up to save her. Since they didn't, she's all disillusioned. She thought they were perfect, and they aren't, so... she doesn't need anyone. Which she tells the Rats quite sharply. Not exactly polite, Ciri, but you're all traumatized and shit, so I can let it slide.

The Rats offer to let her leave alone, but ask her to stay and be one of them.

Ciri tells them her name is Falka. Huh. Interesting.

That night, one of them tries to rape her (because low fantasy) but gets smacked up-side his head by one of the female rats... who snuggles up with Ciri and...

... and I really wish I could read the original polish. Because either the girl just raped Ciri instead, or Ciri just discovered she's bisexual and had a very pleasant lesbian experience.

The phrasing is rather strange. There's talk of Ciri resisting, then "resigning herself" - which sounds like Rape. But, at the same time, she describes the touch that Mistle (the female rat in question) gives her in a very positive manner. It is clear Mistle gave Ciri what amounts to a hand-job. A very confusing scene.

The morning doesn't help. Ciri, still snuggling with Mistle, wakes up and gives Mistle a very affectionate kiss... before going to the river and crying as she washes herself.

Now, is she washing off the blood (and upset about the persons he killed) or is she washing off the rape?

I don't know.

I can't tell if Mistle was trying to ease Ciri's shock of her first human kill by giving her pleasure (life affirmation) or if she's just taking advantage of her.

One of the reasons I am curious to get into the next book, Baptism of Fire, is that I want to see how this pans out. If Ciri is distant or dislikes Mistle, then I will assume rape. If Ciri and Mistle are a lesbian couple, then I will assume consensual.

Why in the next book? Because this is where Times of Contempt fucking ends. Yen is fuck-only-knows where, Geralt is on a mission to save someone (either Yen, Ciri, or Fake Ciri thinking she's the real one), and Ciri has joined a bandit gang and possibly been raped. Or she's bisexual. I don't know yet.

Overall: HOLY SHIT so much happened in this book! I skipped over everything I could, and I still have this huge post that took me TWO FUCKING HOURS to write. I'm also searing like a sailor - moreso than usual.

This book is amazing. For all its flaws (stupid messenger plotline) it is a wild ride and one I very much enjoyed. After the "beginning" novel, I expected a "middle" novel, but instead I got an "end and then another beginning" novel.

Blood of Elves was a good book, but Times of Contempt is a fucking awesome book. If you haven't read the fan-translation, then I'd recommend waiting for the American release this August (I look forward to proper grammar and spell-checking). But, if you can't wait (and if you can stand the grammar problems) then go for it. Because, if you're a Witcher fan, and you haven't read Times of Contempt, then you are doing yourself a disservice. Read it.

And with that, my review of Times of Contempt is finished. Next time, Baptism of Fire.

Well, next time for the book reviews. My next post will hopefully be more Lets Play of the extra chapters.

 

[InsanityHalls]

Yup, I'm around and still reading. Just very busy with work atm but I am reading when I get the chance.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Yup, I'm around and still reading. Just very busy with work atm but I am reading when I get the chance.

Awesome. ^^

I hope you enjoy my book reviews. I'll put up "Price of Neutrality" soonish. Just finished it.

 

[Asthariel]

I will let you know, that i registered account on Escapist just to comment on your LP - good job, reading your comments is a pleasure. It's also nice to see, that you picked up fan translations of books. I can only say, that the best is before you - Baptism of Fire is my favourite part of the series.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I will let you know, that i registered account on Escapist just to comment on your LP - good job, reading your comments is a pleasure. It's also nice to see, that you picked up fan translations of books. I can only say, that the best is before you - Baptism of Fire is my favourite part of the series.

Welcome! You're the second person who's created an account just to comment on this thread. I feel quite honored.

And yes - I am quite enjoying the novels now that I'm a bit further in. Right now, Milva is hunting a deer (while she lets us know what Geralt heard from the Squirrels (actually her) in the last book). Once again, the strange perspective is a little... well, strange. The author seems to like that method as a way to recap the big picture for those who didn't read (or don't remember) the previous book. Which is a good thing to do, but having to get to know a brand new character at the beginning of each book (particularly when those new "here's what's going on" characters practically have a red bulls eye painted on their shirt saying "expendable") is a little difficult when we're in the middle of such exciting stuff and I want to know what happens next, not what happened two weeks before the end of the previous book.

What I'm saying is - how long do I have to wait before I get back to the Rats? ^^;;

 

[Norrdicus]

Edit 2: Never mind. I clicked "New Game" and saw the "Extra Adventures" including "Damn those Swamps!" "Price of Neutrality" "Side Effects" "Deciets" "Wraiths of Quiet..." "The Wedding" and "Merry Witchmas".

Wow - that's a lot of side-adventures.

Stay away from Merry Witchmas. Stay far, far, far away from Merry Witchmas.

The guy who made it can certainly create a full "adventure" of sorts, but the pacing is horrible with 10 continuous minutes of talking that gets old after the first 30 seconds, balance is all over the place and the writing is both fan-fictiony and "Ohohoh, I'm so clever you guys". For example, one of Geralt's new "character traits" is him requesting "round numbers", by which he actually means 2^x.

"No, not 250 orens. I like round numbers, give me 256"

Price of Neutrality is an "official" adventure, and kinda interesting. The difficulty has big spikes, but it let's you hang out with the other witchers from the prologue

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Update: The Price of Neutrality

First off - voice acting! After the Swamp one, I was kinda scared they'd all be silent text only affairs.

Secondly - I'm not first level! Yay! Instead, I appear to be 20th level. Okay, not bad.

Thirdly... so, the year is 1232... 40 years before the main games. Damn - Geralt is older than I realized. Suddenly Yen being 100 years old (canon - her birthday is 1173 - thank you Wiki timeline) doesn't seem so bad since Geralt is at least 80 himself.

Fortunately for my sanity, Dandelion is NOT in this one (other than as the "modern" day narrator) because his age is starting to freak me out, and I don't need any more help with that.

Anyway, Geralt arrives home, only to find a military encampment sitting outside on the route to the castle. He does to find out what-the-fuck and bumps into Sabrina Glevissig and Prince something-or-other. And, before explanations can be had - Wolves!

And these are no ordinary wolves - they're upgraded wolves. They hurt! Fortunately, there are NPCs around to distract them.

Afterwards, Sabrina wants me to talk to her in her tent. First things first, however - I loot the wolves. Then I loot all the plants in the area. And then - I walk too far and the game teleports me to Sabrina's tent. Where... I loot more herbs.

Ahem.

Anyway, Sabrina tells me about a Princess cursed by the Black Sun who was a Surprise Child to be paid to a Witcher, who didn't bother showing up, so she showed up here.

So... Renfri + Ciri.

First thought I had - if she really IS a becursed mutant... why aren't we having her do the ritual of Grasses? Why not make her a real witcher? Sure, we'd have to call in a Wizard to help, but come on - she'd be pretty perfect, wouldn't she?

But no, that would mess with canon. Pfft.

Anyway, I don't agree to shit with Sabrina, and instead head off to the castle. On the way I fight some more monsters - it's weird when the wolves are more deadly than giant centipedes or Archspores. Although they give less XP than either, so somebody screwed up me-thinks.

I meet Lambert at the river, where he needs some help with some monster killing. And then I cross and explore around a little. Herbs - tons of herbs. I need lots to make potions.

Anyway, eventually I head to the castle. I meet Vesimir and talk about the situation. And then I head up and meet Renfri. I mean Ciri. I mean... Deidre Ademeyn. Ahem. She has an interesting effect - my medallion vibrates and all Endurance drains away, leaving Geralt unable to cast signs.

First, she has a quest for me - collect some wyvern meat. Well, I do enjoy wandering around and killing monsters, so I agree and do that. The wyverns aren't hard - the wolves that attack me on teh way there almost kill me though, and I end up using several of my newly made potions.

Wyverns successfully killed, I head back (stopping to make new potions) and give them to Deidre. She feeds her wolves (and herself) and then asks to thank Geralt. Okay. Sex ensues and... wow, I miss the sex scenes from the Witcher 2. Ah well.

She gives the same story (basically) as Renfri. I think she may even quote Renfri a few times. Plus, she's not asking me to murder anyone (as Renfri did Geralt) so I'm having a hard time seeing any reason to say no to her. But first I need to talk to Eskel.

He's in a cave. I was in the cave earlier, but a different branch (I fought a Basilisk there). He wants me to kill some Kikimores. Kay. Again, this are clearly upgraded Kikimores - and infinitely spawning. Until I Aard their nests anyway. Why Igni doesn't work, I'm not sure. Anyway, once the Kikimores are dead, Eskel tells me his bit and we head out to meet the others.

At the meeting, Lambert votes to help Deidre, Vesimir to kick her out, and Eskel recuses himself, leaving Geralt to cast the deciding vote. Easy enough - help Deidre, tell Sabrina et al to fuck off.

We tell Deidre the good news and she agrees to renounce her claim to the throne. It kinda sounds like she might remain and become a Witcher at this point, so I go in enthused. The negotiations go well until Sabrina sticks her nose in and Deidre loses her temper. And Eskel does something really STUPID and tries to restrain her. She wounds Eskel and starts a battle with the guards, chasing Sabrina into the tent.

Since I don't give two shits if Deidre warps time by killing Sabrina thirty years early, I help the other Witchers with the guards. And then I loot the guards, because I don't know how much longer this is going to be, and I need more alcohol (which they have a ton of) for potion making.

Sadly, my looting is for naught. I head into the tent and Geralt breaks up the fight with words alone. Deidre agrees to spare Sabrina (as long as Sabrina leaves right now) and Deidre gives her brother the kingdom... and then decides to return there with him.

Um... Deidre, doesn't that mean you are just next in line after him? And could stab him in the back at any time and take over?

**facepalm**

Whatever. Be stupid, Prince, I don't care. I'm just disappointed we couldn't make Deidre a Witcher. **sigh** Having gotten fuck-all out of this, the Witchers decide to never speak of it again.

And there we have it. The Price of Neutrality is, apparently... fuck all. Ah well.

It was a fun adventure. Far better than the Bog one. I enjoyed the voice acting, and Deidre being an Expy of Renfri (and Ciri to a lesser degree) was actually pretty cool.

If I have a criticism (other than not being able to make Deidre a Witcher), it is that it fails to create a no-win scenario as well as the story "The Lesser Evil" did. In that story, neither side was willing to compromise. In this adventure, both sides eventually did compromise - and thus we have a happy ending.

So there you have it.

I just started "Side Effects" - where Geralt needs to raise 2000 gold. A quick question about it. Am I actually on a timer here? Or can I take as long as I need to do this? Just checking.

Also, where can I get a book on Ghouls and Aghouls? I'm not getting the best drops from them.

 

[Fell]

I have thoroughly enjoyed your lets play. But i must admit that i find it rather humorous that you went from "Give the 1st game a chance because it is cheap on GoG" to reading the books fan-translated.

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

I have thoroughly enjoyed your lets play. But i must admit that i find it rather humorous that you went from "Give the 1st game a chance because it is cheap on GoG" to reading the books fan-translated.

That just goes to show how good the world is. Although, for the record, Andrzej Sapkowski's writing has been overall somewhat better than that in the games. Not to say the games are bad, but the games got me to give his writing a chance, and now his writing is distracting me from the remaining bits of game I have left to play.

I'm overwhelmed by how influential he has been on fantasy novels and games over the past three decades and I never knew the man existed. Looking back, Dragon Age: Origins is one giant love-letter to his books. So is 3rd Edition D&D. That blows my mind.

I am VERY glad I took that one dollar risk. ^^

 

[Bara_no_Hime]

Rose Reviews: Baptism of Fire Part 1

Since it worked well last time, I'm going to do a "overall impressions" post followed by a "detailed synopsis" post. So here's the overall impressions post.

First off, while I did get my answer about that scene (sort of), I was actually a little sad by the lack of Ciri in this novel. After the last two books treated her as the main protagonist, reverting to a book entirely about Geralt was a bit of a shock. Yes, there are a few Ciri scenes, but only a few - and only a page or so long each. We get to glimpse what Ciri is up to this book.

On the other hand, this book focuses on Geralt's journey. Unlike Times of Contempt which was very much Ciri's story, Baptism of Fire is about Geralt doing something that Geralt has never done before - assembling a team and working with them. Geralt usually works solo, or with a single trusted companion (and when it's Dandelion, that single companion is typically more of a hindrance than a help). Seeing him work with a group - by necessity, and with much resistance on Geralt's part - was actually quite interesting.

This book also takes time to develop a lot of the more minor characters. Dandelion gets some development. Two characters introduced in this book - no, wait, make that three - are likewise developed. Milva, Regis, and Zoltan are all introduced to the reader in this book. Those of you who are only familiar with the video games will likely only recognize Zoltan from that list.

Zoltan's role in this book was actually a bit of a surprise. I won't go into details here, but let me say that the impression I had of him in the games was that he was far more important to Geralt's backstory than he seems to be here. Perhaps he will return in later books, but for now he is a minor friend at best. Yarpin is far closer to Geralt than Zoltan is (at least as of the end of Baptism of Fire).

Another point is that this book is really the origin of the Lodge of Sorceresses that has such an impact on the games. This book is the midpoint of the Witcher saga - book 3 of 5 (it is only 5, right? Plus the two short story books.) so it stands to reason that many of the important characters and institutions of the world are being met and established here.

But that's all world building. I bet a lot of you are more interested in how I liked it compared to Times of Contempt. And to that I say... not as well. That isn't a criticism of Baptism of Fire by any means, don't get me wrong. Baptism of Fire is an excellent book. However, Times of Contempt was the world-shaking storm that really started the story, whereas Baptism of Fire spends most of its time clarifying the results of that storm. Baptism of Fire ends up being the "calm" after the storm.

Not that Baptism of Fire is calm - it's quite action intense - but the scale is smaller. Geralt is playing cat-and-mouse with great armies, but he isn't engaging in major battles - he's avoiding them. In Times of Contempt, Geralt and the other characters were caught up in the middle of these huge events, whereas in Baptism of Fire, Geralt spends most of the book avoiding more of the same. It is a different sort of intensity - a rolling boil rather than a grenade.

In many stories with a long, multi-book plot, the action can get bogged down in the middle. That does not happen here - Andrzej Sapkowski keeps the action interesting and engaging while moving through those middle "from here to there" doldrums. Our heroes are fighting for their lives - but at the same time, the heroes have enough down time to talk, laugh, get drunk, and develop as characters.

We also get the answers to several questions we were left with at the end of Times of Contempt. Answers that I'll get to in part 2. However, I wanted to let it be known that Sapkowski did not fail to tie up those wandering threads. A lesser author might have left those items "mysteries" for the next book to sort out, or shocking surprises, but instead he deals them out as we need them - in part to keep that action and interest up throughout this book.

On occasion, Sapkowski does make some strange artistic decisions. He has a habit of flashing into the future - sometimes the FAR future - and having story tellers or historians reflect on the events occurring in the novels. He does this, I assume, to confer a "legendary" quality to events, but it not only feels artificial, but also sometimes acts as a disservice to the tension. You know Geralt will make it out of the situation okay because he's talking about the events years later. Actually, I want to talk about another one of these items, but I will do so in spoiler tags.

Spoiler: Spoiler concerning the Great Winter prophesy thing from the end of the first Witcher game

Okay, so one of the "future history" bits features a section that talks about the climate change predicted in the elven prophesy. The way it was phrased makes it clear that this "history" is being written AFTER the "ice age" that is supposed to doom the world - and that said "ice age" was so minor as to get less of a foot-note than the plagues. It basically says "oh, that whole ice age thing - it was a huge exaggeration - nothing to really worry about." It implies that, rather than an ice age, the climate of the world got a little colder, but it was no big deal - not like those plagues, those were nasty.

Assuming that the game writers aren't just flushing that historical bit down the toilet, that basically implies that Alvin's vision of the future is Bullshit (or a serious over-exaggeration), or that it will be prevented by the events of the Witcher 3 or a future Witcher game involving other characters. Because, according to the history books, there was no ice age - just a slight cooling.

Of course, since Sapkowski never intended for the story in the games to exist, and since these books were written long before the games, that really isn't a huge surprise in and of itself. The surprise I have is more that the authors of the Witcher game are making such a big deal out of what is effectively a non-threat.

Again, unless the third game has the player specifically preventing the "real" ice age and turning it into a simple cooling.

So yeah, pseudo-historical stuff kinda weird.

Overall, I'd rank Baptism of Fire just under Times of Contempt. Baptism of Fire is a good book, but it didn't make me say "Holy Shit! What the fuck did I just read?!" nearly as often as its predecessor, and I found myself missing Ciri.

The more detailed review follows.