History YMMV / LadyOfTheLakeSapkowski

* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: Right after the book's publication, the fandom divided over the ending: [[spoiler: are Geralt and Yennefer really dead, dying, on their way to TheUnderworld or even already there]]? Since it is ''incredibly'' vague in the original Polish, one of the most accepted interpretations from the start was that nope, everybody is fine, and if tragic, the ending at least has everyone alive. The eventual WordOfGod and then, of course, the video games further skewed the perception, making it almost common knowledge that the ending is just a coup-out.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: WordOfGod from Sapkowski is that [[spoiler:Geralt and Yennifer survived the ending where they were apparently killed in Rivia]]. This may be because of the popularity of the games' continuity, which established that they both survived the book's GainaxEnding.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The Aen Elle play a tremendous role in the series' backstory, being the ones responsible for spawning the genetic lineage that would give birth to Ciri and her distinct powers, and whose plans for her would make them an even greater threat to the Witcher world than any other antagonist seen in the saga. While the trilogy of video games would go on to make them the main villains, their presence in the books is pretty minor, and once Ciri escapes from them, they disappear from the story entirely.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: The Aen Elle play a tremendous role in the series' backstory, being the ones responsible for spawning the genetic lineage that would give birth to Ciri and her distinct powers, and whose plans for her would make them an even greater threat to the Witcher world than any other antagonist seen in the saga. While the trilogy of video games would go on to make them the main villains, their presence in the books is pretty minor, and once Ciri escapes from them, they disappear from the story entirely.

* EndingFatigue: The book's climax occurs around the [[DoorStopper 400 page mark]] with the StormingTheCastle sequence where Geralt and his hanse take on Vilgefortz and his forces in order to rescue Ciri and Yennefer. After all that is said and done, there's still another 130 pages of epilogue to go that essentially deals with the aftermath of the saga, Geralt's decision to retire [[{{Retirony}} and the general]] BittersweetEnding of the series.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: WordOfGod from Sapkowski is that [[spoiler: Geralt and Yennifer survived the ending where they were apparently killed in Rivia.]] This may be because of the popularity of the games' continuity, which established that they both survived the book's GainaxEnding.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Just what ''were'' Avallac'h and Eredin's plans? Were they in cahoots the entire time, or did both of them have their own separate agendas? Did the former ever really care about Ciri, or was he planning to eventually take her to the lab like Eredin said he would? Did Eredin kill the king on purpose, or was it a complete accident? ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'' offers a more solid answer to these questions, but what Sapkowski really intended for the two elves remains a mystery to this day.

* EndingFatigue: The book's climax occurs around the [[DoorStopper 400 page mark]] with the StormingTheCastle sequence where Geralt and his hanse take on Vilgefortz and his forces in order to rescue Ciri and Yennefer. After all that is said and done, there's still another 130 pages of epilogue to go that essentially deals with the aftermath of the saga, Geralt's decision to retire [[{{Retirony}} and the general]] DownerEnding of the series.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: WordOfGod from Sapkowski is that [[spoiler: Geralt and Yennifer survived the ending where they were apparently killed in Rivia.]] This may be because of the popularity of the games' continuity, which established that they both survived the book's GainaxEnding.

* BadassBoast
** This gem by '''Vilgefortz''':
--> You have a tendency to piss against the wind. Know, that here, [...] you have pissed against a hurricane.
** Another one [[spoiler:from '''Regis''', who at this point had to assure Geralt that no, actually he didn't mean it literally]]:
--> I feel so much power within me, I could blast this whole castle to pieces!
** Geralt has, curiously, a nonverbal equivalent of a boast when he unshackles Yennefer (who has a collar on her neck) with a single sword-strike.

--> I feel so much power within me, I could blast this whole castle to pieces!

* BadassBoast:
--> '''Vilgefortz''': You have a tendency to piss against the wind. Know, that here, [...] you have pissed against a hurricane.