Of the two short story collections, the Sword of Destiny is the better book. Its much more creative with its stories, it leans less on trying to allude to classic tales (a common problem of its predecessor), and it starts fleshing out the myth arc that will follow the rest of the series. Many of the creatures have their own values and perspectives (one of my favorite being when a mermaid says she wants her human lover to fertilize her eggs, the fish way) and several plots involved Geralt trying to understand these mindsets to find a solution.
While the first book introduced the characters of the story, this book makes is what really fleshes them out. The audience sees how Geralt struggles to adjust to his new responsibilities and become more social to the people around him. While Dandelion and Geralt’s personality conflict is played for laughs, the story shows an interesting depiction of how two loners (Geralt and Yennifer) are often held back by old behaviors and mindsets, even though they enjoy their time together, resulting in a relationship passionate reunions and vicious break-ups. Geralt and Ciri’s is probably the most interesting relationship, as she is probably the most stable character, he meets yet is also a child that is dependent on him, creating an interesting dynamic between the two. Their dynamics are both fun and entertaining, an unconventional parent-child relationship that fills in gaps each other’s lives.
The plots are also interesting. The author combines settings and mythical creatures to paint vivid stories that wind and twist in unexpected ways. The stories are more external in nature then The Last Wish, reflecting Geralt’s more open personality and how he tries to balance this with his profession. The twists involved in these stories reflect the general themes. A story involving a dragon hunt is filled with hot blooded violence with a more intimate core, while a holiday romance suddenly goes suddenly freezes cold in it tracks.
The only drawback of the book is the story “A Little Sacrifice” in which a poorly developed romance between Geralt and a troubadour, Essi, takes over most of the story. Geralt makes it clear he doesn’t want to get involved yet the plot point keeps repeating, but what’s worse is Dandelion being such a blatant Bromantic Foil that he practically twists Geralt’s arm in order to get him to sleep with her. I don’t know whether Dandelion has secret feelings for Essi and feels a vicarious sense of accomplishment if Geralt does it, or if he has a voyeur fetish and wants to spy on them, but he comes off as an utter creep in this story. The story suggests the way to resolve unrequited love is casual sex, which is both wrong and completely contradicted by the existence of Triss in the next book. Did I mention book involves Cthulu-like fishmen, an underwater city, and a potential interspecies conflict? Yeah, those are in there, but the author thinks the romance is somehow more important.
“Something More” is probably my favorite short story of the two books as it both puts Geralt at his most vulnerable, but also makes him desperate enough to try and manipulate the forces he previously tried to ignore and defy. It leads to a fever dream like experience, in which Geralt speaks with gods and ghosts from the past. I like it when characters are placed out of their element, as it forces them to react in unexpected ways and forces them to confront truths they would want to bury. Like the previous book it’s a great culmination of all the short stories previously featured.
Literature The One in Which Yennifer Invents Text Messaging So She Can Dump Geralt
Of the two short story collections, the Sword of Destiny is the better book. Its much more creative with its stories, it leans less on trying to allude to classic tales (a common problem of its predecessor), and it starts fleshing out the myth arc that will follow the rest of the series. Many of the creatures have their own values and perspectives (one of my favorite being when a mermaid says she wants her human lover to fertilize her eggs, the fish way) and several plots involved Geralt trying to understand these mindsets to find a solution.
While the first book introduced the characters of the story, this book makes is what really fleshes them out. The audience sees how Geralt struggles to adjust to his new responsibilities and become more social to the people around him. While Dandelion and Geralt’s personality conflict is played for laughs, the story shows an interesting depiction of how two loners (Geralt and Yennifer) are often held back by old behaviors and mindsets, even though they enjoy their time together, resulting in a relationship passionate reunions and vicious break-ups. Geralt and Ciri’s is probably the most interesting relationship, as she is probably the most stable character, he meets yet is also a child that is dependent on him, creating an interesting dynamic between the two. Their dynamics are both fun and entertaining, an unconventional parent-child relationship that fills in gaps each other’s lives.
The plots are also interesting. The author combines settings and mythical creatures to paint vivid stories that wind and twist in unexpected ways. The stories are more external in nature then The Last Wish, reflecting Geralt’s more open personality and how he tries to balance this with his profession. The twists involved in these stories reflect the general themes. A story involving a dragon hunt is filled with hot blooded violence with a more intimate core, while a holiday romance suddenly goes suddenly freezes cold in it tracks.
The only drawback of the book is the story “A Little Sacrifice” in which a poorly developed romance between Geralt and a troubadour, Essi, takes over most of the story. Geralt makes it clear he doesn’t want to get involved yet the plot point keeps repeating, but what’s worse is Dandelion being such a blatant Bromantic Foil that he practically twists Geralt’s arm in order to get him to sleep with her. I don’t know whether Dandelion has secret feelings for Essi and feels a vicarious sense of accomplishment if Geralt does it, or if he has a voyeur fetish and wants to spy on them, but he comes off as an utter creep in this story. The story suggests the way to resolve unrequited love is casual sex, which is both wrong and completely contradicted by the existence of Triss in the next book. Did I mention book involves Cthulu-like fishmen, an underwater city, and a potential interspecies conflict? Yeah, those are in there, but the author thinks the romance is somehow more important.
“Something More” is probably my favorite short story of the two books as it both puts Geralt at his most vulnerable, but also makes him desperate enough to try and manipulate the forces he previously tried to ignore and defy. It leads to a fever dream like experience, in which Geralt speaks with gods and ghosts from the past. I like it when characters are placed out of their element, as it forces them to react in unexpected ways and forces them to confront truths they would want to bury. Like the previous book it’s a great culmination of all the short stories previously featured.