I haven't been a fantasy reader for probably 20 years, but I enjoyed watching a friend play the video game version of this series and then the (next) book recently won a literary award. It was a fun read with very well-structured action sequences, although not as high-minded as I was expecting because of the literary award. Enjoyed the short story format. And all the familiar fairy tales that went in unpredictable new directions. Really, it was a medieval Hellboy. In a good way. The main character doesn't have much of a personality, but that's usually the case with his archetype. He's like Solomon Kane or Jonah Hex, including the necessary-but-unwelcome elements. ( )

This was a pleasant surprise. Fresh, fun, mixing humour, drama and action in equal doses, this is certainly one of the better fantasy books to come out in the last few years. The world-building is sparse and utilitarian, but its in the storys and the humour that the charm of this book lies. The book essetntially consists of short stories, loosely connected by interludes that give us some background on the character of the Witcher. For those looking for the next massive enclycopaedic fantasy epic full of concoluted plots and prophecies and clashing armies, this may not satisfy, but for those looking for something fresh, witty and exciting, this is a tasty morsel. ( )

This is the first book in years that was so bad that even after forcing myself to read 3/4 of it, I finally laid it down and just quit trying.

This is an interesting collection of stories translated from its original Polish in an accomplished manner. The fairytales deal with Geralt, who is a witcher. We are given hints as to how and why witchers are created, and it's an intriguing premise that I hope is explored more fully in later books by this author.

Geralt is an entertaining character - a brusque individual who goes about his business with the minimum of fuss and maximum violence. In the course of his travels we also meet other fascinating people - including Yennefer, a powerful sorceress who manages to ensnare Geralt, and Dandilion, a rather flamboyant troubadour. Having said that, all of the characters suffer from being only minimally developed in this introduction to Sapkowski's world.

By far the most interesting part of this book are the monsters, sprites, djinns and elves. All of them take their inspiration from folklore, history and fairytales, lending the book a traditional and familiar flavour. I do like how Sapkowski explores the theme of appearances being deceiving. Some of the very prettiest creatures here act in a nightmarish fashion, while a couple of those gruesome in appearance are revealed to have good souls.

I am giving this a slightly above average rating for this aspect, but overall it was no more than a competently-written set of short stories linked by the character of Geralt. I would have liked to see a little more resolution of some of the stories, but I do look forward to reading more by this author. ( )

A very good dark fantasy novel. It centers on Geralt of Rivia who is strangely similar to Elric of Melnobone. Like Elric, Geralt is a potion-swigging albino.

Unlike Elric, Geralt is a mutant--superhumanly strong, fast, able to dilate his eyes at will, etc. Nor are his adventures quite so epic. Geralt is just a simple guy who wants to make his way in the world. It's simply an unfortunate coincidence that his way in the world involves the slaying of monsters. One would think that his reputation as a monster-slayer would work to his advantage but people tend to fear him rather than admire or respect him. After all, anything that can kill a monster is more powerful than that monster and more capable of destruction.

Further complicating matters, Geralt is a very philosophically inclined monster-slayer who lives by his own code, which sometimes conflicts with the code that was instilled in him.

The story also provides twists on several classic fairy tales, giving it a Neil Gaimanish quality to it at times (not throughout the whole novel, but at times). ( )