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The Time of Contempt (The Witcher Book 4 / The Witcher Saga Novels Book 2) by [Andrzej Sapkowski, David A French]

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Andrzej Sapkowski

David French

The Time of Contempt (The Witcher Book 4 / The Witcher Saga Novels Book 2) Kindle Edition

by Andrzej Sapkowski (Author), David A French (Translator) Format: Kindle Edition

4,614 ratings

Part of: The Witcher Saga (8 Books)

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NOW A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES

To protect his ward, Ciri, Geralt of Rivia sends her to train with the sorceress Yennefer. But all is not well within the Wizard's Guild in the second novel of Andrzej Sapkowski's New York Times bestselling series that inspired the hit Netflix show, The Witcher, and the blockbuster video games.

Geralt is a Witcher: guardian of the innocent; protector of those in need; a defender, in dark times, against some of the most frightening creatures of myth and legend.

His task, now, is to protect Ciri. A child of prophecy, she will have the power to change the world for good or for ill—but only if she lives to use it.

Look out for The Tower of Fools, book one of Andrzej Sapkowski's Hussite Trilogy, available now!

Witcher collections
The Last Wish
Sword of Destiny

Witcher novels
Blood of Elves
The Time of Contempt
Baptism of Fire
The Tower of Swallows
Lady of the Lake
Season of Storms

Hussite Trilogy
The Tower of Fools

The Malady and Other Stories: An Andrzej Sapkowski Sampler (e-only)

Translated from original Polish by David French

Length: 337 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled	Audible book: Audible book Switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book and listening to the Audible book with Whispersync for Voice. Add the Audible book for a reduced price of $12.99 when you buy the Kindle book. Available

Part of: The Witcher Saga (8 Books)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a series you can sink your teeth into."

- BuzzFeed News

"The universe of Sapkowski's The Witcher is one of the most detailed and best-explored in modern fantasy, offering endless opportunities for fresh ideas ... Complex character relationships enrich this already complex world; this is the sort of series fantasy fans will cherish."

- B&N

"Delightful, intense, irreverent, and compelling....you have to read The Witcher books because they are rife with all of the elements that make you love fiction, and especially fantasy, in the first place....In a word, The Witcher delivers."

- Hypable

"One of the best and most interesting fantasy series I've ever read. Though it functions well as adventure fiction, it has added depth and value as satire and commentary on fantasy literature ... Sapkowski is a genuine stylist."

- Nerds of a Feather

"Like a complicated magic spell, a Sapkowski novel is a hodgepodge of fantasy, intellectual discourse, and dry humor. Recommended."

- Time

"Like Mieville and Gaiman, [Sapkowski] takes the old and makes it new ... fresh take on genre fantasy."

- Foundation on The Last Wish

"A breath of fresh air in a well-worn genre. Don't miss it!"

- Fantasy Book Review

"Sapkowski has a phenomenal gift for narrative, inventing sensational events, creating a suggestive mood, and building up the suspense along with a dazzling, slightly cynical sense of humor."

- Jacek Sieradzki, Polityka on The Last Wish

"Sapkowski's The Last Wish is a great collection of short stories centered around a witcher, Geralt - a rare sorcerous breed who hunts down the monstrous but is feared by the innocent. With a wondrous mix of Eastern European folklore and myth, beautiful princesses, mischievous demons and where all is not as it seems, The Last Wish is a great read - perfect for dipping into or just reading cover to cover, as I did."

- Waterstones

"It is [his] world-weariness combined with his battle-honed powers that make Geralt such an interesting character. Here's hoping The Last Wish is merely the opening chapter in his English language adventures."

- Edge

"I really, really enjoyed this book ... None of the characters in Sapkowski's world are black or white; they are all shades of grey, including Geralt and the monsters."

- The Deckled Edge

"Sapkowski is very good at creating interesting, imaginative characters with unusual levels of depth to them ... The Last Wish is an enjoyable book full of stories both melancholy and comic."

- The Wertzone

"This beautifully written character-based story from Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski ... a refreshing champion."

- The Specusphere

"New battle mechanics, a fantastic storyline, and a gritty setting make The Witcher one of the most engrossing, mature RPGs to arrive on the PC in years."

- Gamespot.com on The Witcher video game

"The Witcher delivers one of the most intense and rewarding role-playing experiences this year."

- GT Reviews on The Witcher video game

The Lady of the Lake is, without any doubt, the best and most profound fantasy novel I have ever read. It is hard to put down, yet also a challenging and deeply rewarding book. And it is genuinely moving. I have never read a fantasy series like this, and suspect I never will again."

- Nerds of a Feather on The Lady of the Lake

About the Author

Andrzej Sapkowski was born in 1948 in Poland. He studied economics and business, but the success of his fantasy cycle about the sorcerer Geralt of Rivia turned him into a bestselling writer. He is now one of Poland's most famous and successful authors.

Peter Kenny is a talented and experienced actor, voice-over artist, singer, musician, and designer, with over twenty-five years of experience working in theater, film, television, and audio. In recent years he has achieved great critical acclaim for multicharacter recordings of audiobooks by authors such as Iain Banks, Christopher Priest, and Edmund St Aubyn.

--This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Product details

ASIN : B008AS8556
Publisher : Orbit; 1st edition (August 27, 2013)
Publication date : August 27, 2013
Language : English
File size : 2462 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 337 pages
Lending : Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #5,162 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #42 in Fantasy TV, Movie & Game Tie-In
- #43 in Dragons & Mythical Creatures Fantasy (Books)
- #43 in Historical Fantasy (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4,614 ratings

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Nicem Wihou

The Witcher books rock! This entry is a must read you will buy the next one seconds after finishing this one.

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2017

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I love these books the best way I can describe the Witcher World in one sentence is to say that they are a cross between Game of Thrones and Harry Potter. They have all the political conflict between Kings and regions like Game of Thrones and all of the magic and sorcery of Harry Potter. As you get further into the novels they really leave you on some incredible cliffhangers and the story of Ciri, Yennefer and Geralt is Simply Amazing. The Deep connections between the three of them are what makes these books what they are and it truly makes one see that a child does not have to be your own for you to love them care for them and protect them like you would your own child. To the best of my knowledge these books were written long before Harry Potter and it may be that JK Rowling actually took some of her ideas from the books about The Witcher. I don't know that for a fact but I do see some correlations there, that might lead one to believe that she at least may have gotten some of her ideas and Concepts from The Witcher novels. Yes some of the same fantasy elements are there that you see in a lot of fantasy books werewolves, vampires, Sorcerers, witches. However being that the author is Polish and has a lot of deep polish folklore to drawn on, these books are very different from anything you would find from a British or American Author. I highly recommend them. Please don't let yourself be fooled thinking that these books were written after the video games they were written long before that and that's what makes The Witcher 3 video game in particular one of the best videogames of all time. The story that was taken from these novels. Do yourself a favor and read the first two Witcher short story collections and the five novels you won't regret it.

24 people found this helpful

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Megan

Wonderful In More Ways Than I Can Describe

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2017

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I purchased and started reading the Witcher novels shortly after beating the Witcher 3 video game, and to be one hundred percent honet, I'm glad that I had unintentionally wait until after I had beaten the game. Granted, I put a TON of hours into that game alone, not to mention it's predecessors, but to sit back and read the original material in which it was based off of - that was wonderful in more ways that I can describe. There were so many references to material from the books in the game themselves, and while I hadn't previously understood them entirely, the books easily cleared everything up about it, explaining them all in great or at least sufficient detail. That said, I'm glad again that I started reading them -after- playing the games because otherwise they wouldn't have held as much significance to me or made me laugh quite as much. Each book is well worth the read on itself for any solid Witcher fan, and as well for any general fiction fan looking for a great series to pick up, even if they don't quite understand the Witcherverse before diving in.

16 people found this helpful

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Jon

Political Machinations Abound

Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2019

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The plot starts to ramp up in this book. More action, more political intrigue, more magic. However, there is decisively less witchering. I can see why people are divided on the short stories vs. the novels. The former focuses on Geralt and his profession while war politics are forefront to the latter with Ciri receiving the most screen time.

Regardless, I enjoy all of them for their respective offerings so far. While Geralt is unsurprisingly my favorite character, I find myself looking forward to the chapters on Ciri. Her story is fascinating and will clearly remain central for the rest of the series.

With the title Baptism of Fire, I expect the next installment to only be grander. Sapkowski has written something special here with his intricate plots, complex characters, and a little bit of social critique. I'm looking forward to the direction Geralt and Ciri take next.

4 people found this helpful

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stardancer

DARK FANTASY

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2017

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I enjoyed this book more than Blood of Elves, which set the foundation for this series, but still found it complex. The author introduces a multitude of minor characters from various countries into his stories; who then disappear into the ether, never to be heard from again. This makes for confusion. However, his main characters are well-developed and engaging. In this second book, Geralt is once again slaying monsters and re-connects with Yennefer, who is on her way to a Conclave of Mages on the Isle of Thanedd. Their meeting is initiated by Ciri's flight from a journey to a school for enchantresses at which Yennefer is intending to place her. Ciri wishes to return to Geralt, rather than to be trained in the magic arts. All three eventually arrive at the Isle, only to discover that the Conclave erupts into chaos, as various factions' spies and sorcerers fight for supremacy after the Nilfgaardian conquests. Conspiracies abound and affiliations are broken. Geralt is badly wounded. Yennefer and Ciri are separated, when Ciri utilizes the portal in the tower to evade capture.
This book is centred on Ciri, her escape across a desert and her subsequent introduction into the Rats; a renegade group of young outcasts with swift horses and sharp swords. A small, much-feared rebel group; the children of the time of contempt.
War is imminent. Ciri is the child of Destiny.
I would add - I intend to print out a coloured map of the Northern countries in order to follow the progress of the various characters from one province to another, as I have not played the computer games and require a visual aid to follow the many journeys and invasions contained in the plot.

9 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

FallenGrace

Interesting world and characters make Time of Contempt an absorbing read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2017

Verified Purchase

Time of Contempt is second book to the Witcher Saga by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. These books form an ongoing fantasy story, they are not stand alone so if you are new to the series this is not the book to start with. I highly recommend reading them in this order with the two short story collections first which originally written for magazines before starting the saga:

1 - The Last Wish
2 - Sword of Destiny
3 - Blood of Elves (The Witcher Book 1)

Onto the review! Time of Contempt carries on straight off the back of the first book with a large war potentially brewing between the Nilfgaardian Empire and several other kingdoms while at the same time the humans and elves are fighting amongst themselves over years of bitter race hatred. In the midst of these growing tensions the Witcher Geralt and the sorceress Yennifer do their best to protect Ciri, a young girl who is the focus of a prophecy who is being chased by factions of all sides who want to use her for their own gain.

Time of Contempt is a relatively slow burn reading wise, much like Blood of Elves it takes it's time building up the world and characters. As a fan who got into the books through the video games I enjoy that a lot as I am getting a bit more of an in-depth view into relationships between the characters and the ever shifting world. Geralt is a great character but I have found the focus on both Ciri and Yennifer far more interesting thus far. This is not to say there is not a lot of action as there certainly are moments with some pretty good build up especially towards the latter half of the book, though I can't say much without spoiling anything but there are some interesting scenarios that happen as the story builds.

The entire book is very well written, though it feels occasionally a little stilted probably due to the nature of the translation from Polish it works very well with the content I have found. It's pretty easy to read and clear with a mixture of emotional and funny moments spread throughout. It has the same issue as Blood of Elves though that while being a full novel still feels at times like several short stories with an ongoing story stapled together. Some of the breaks between chapters or story arcs aren't as smooth as i'd like and it finishes just kind of randomly but it's a small gripe to an otherwise enjoyable read, I recommend the series thus far. Looking forward to the next book Baptism of Fire

+ Interesting characters.
+ Great setting and scenarios.
+ Well written.

- Ends kind of out of nowhere, some story arc breaks jump around a lot.

17 people found this helpful

James Tivendale

I would personally recommend that you take the leap into the world of the Witcher.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2019

Verified Purchase

I mistook stars reflected in a pond at night for those in the sky."

The narrative commences at what seems like a time of contempt indeed. The Kings aren't conversing with the Mages as they have previously, the Nilfgaardian army is still planning for war, and the Scoia'tael (Squirrels) are attacking humans in forests and villages. Many parties are all still looking for the elusive Lion Cub, the child of Destiny, Cirilla.

After an interesting and quite tragic point of view chapter following a King's messenger called Aplegatt, where the worrying and uneasy times that the world is currently facing are expressed, we are introduced back to Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer. Geralt is doing typical Witcher work and trying to find out more about the mysterious magician Rience. We are unfamiliar with the mage's motives or who his employer may be but it's clearly known he wants Ciri. Yennefer and Ciri are travelling to Thanedd which is where a conclave of mages and enchantresses is set to take place shortly to discuss these times of contempt and how it affects the magic-wielders of the world. Whilst here, it transpires that Ciri may be left with the enchantresses to study at the female magic school of Aretuza.

This is a difficult book to review, not because it is bad but because the book seems to be split into two distinctive styles of telling the story. One of these two styles generally features fan favourites such as Dandelion (although not as much as I would have liked), Geralt, Ciri, Triss, and Yennefer and includes some of the finest and well-crafted scenes that have been created in the series to date. Two of my favourites include a spectacular dual with someone who I'm sure is going to become a huge character in the saga, and also reading into the intrigue, politics, backstabbing, and agendas at the mages 'meet-and-greet' buffet prior to the conclave. A war is brewing and through unfamiliar point of view characters or slightly boring chapters where a member of the ensemble talks to another we are relaid complex political happenings that are occurring in all states across this world. These often include many complex and unfamiliar names of people, places, alliances, etc... It was difficult to keep track of who was supporting who. It also wasn't really obvious that some of the point of views were from the Nilfgaardian perspective until I was halfway through that segment and had to reevaluate what I'd just read. These later sections take up about 25% of the book. Honestly, I just forced myself through them knowing that I wouldn't follow every exact detail but it wasn't enough to truly affect my enjoyment when the scenes with less info dumping were reintroduced a few pages later. There are also a lot of names of mages to remember when the magicians' meeting arrives about forty percent through the story.

Of the scenes that aren't information dumps, I'd estimated that seventy-five percent follows the Witcher and Ciri although not necessarily following the same storyline, and the rest tracks the action of Yennefer, Dandelion, and others. Geralt and Ciri are my favourite characters so this was fine for me. Please be warned, that as well as typical fantasy violence presented in line with what has been presented previously, there is a potential/ implied rape scene towards the end of Time of Contempt. Although it is not graphic it is not for everyone so I thought I'd make you aware. This happens around the ninety-five percent mark and if you don't want to read that, it doesn't actually take that much away from the story to pass it by.

Ciri is still having her visions and nightmares, we meet the Wild Hunt for the first time, Geralt slays a few monsters, Yennefer is still beautiful, charming, powerful and manipulative, Dandelion is still a world-renowned poet. We are also introduced to some very interesting new characters including Vilgefortz and Nilfgaard's ruler. This book feels more like a progression than a full story in its self. Unlike some fantasy, I've found that these books don't really have gut-wrenchingly tragic or 'oh-my-god-I-did-not-see-that-twist-coming' endings. I believe that these should be read as one huge novel that same way that Stephen King thought of his The Dark Tower books. That being said, the ending does set up things nicely for Baptism of Fire and it looks like it might introduce a new dynamic for one of the main players.

So far this isn't my favourite fantasy series of all time yet, something does seem to click with me. I love the characters and the tales are utterly addictive. Every single one of the four entries I have read so far has only taken me two days apiece to complete. My original aim was to read this series before the Netflix show is released next year and I don't think I'll be the only person who has these thoughts. If you weren't sure whether to dive into the Witcher's world then I would personally recommend that you take the leap.

3 people found this helpful

ClaireChiaraCraft

My favourite fantasy novels - masterful storytelling and character building

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2020

Verified Purchase

Starting with the short stories The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny for important character building (yes even if you've played all the games and watched the series) because I promise, the books are better than them for that. You will find, I'm guessing through translation issues??, that there are quite a few editorial errors with a few words throughout the series but nothing major and you get what it was supposed to say (it's just something that irritates me personally as it means someone has let the writer down by not doing their job correctly!). I bought all the original books though, with the beautiful artwork befitting such an epic fantasy series, so maybe the new releases have been edited to correct the previous errors. I adore these novels though and I recommend them highly!

Mr Smith

Started reading as Witcher videogame backstory, but now enjoying the books 'in their own right'.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2017

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I've always loved reading, especially Fantasy/SciFi stories. I also like playing video games that tell such stories, like Skyrim, DragonAge, MassEffect and Witcher. I played 'The Witcher' video game recently, so thought about readinga bit more Witcher backstory, spotted the Witcher books at a very reasonable price, bought them for my kindle and started reading.

Finished reading Book 1 in the series last week. Just finished this one, book 2. Just started the next, book 3 ........ so that probably tells you I think they're worth reading!

You really need to read these books in sequence. They very much read as a single story that has been deliberately cut into 350(ish) page length 'book sized chunks'. If you read book 2 before book 1 you will probably be very confused.

As I noted in my review of book 1, its quite slow reading. Its a story of several individuals moving against a backdrop of several large nations at war and the bulk of the books are 'textbook' exposition, by characters, of the story world's races, conflicts, politics, events. There are 'action sequences' but they are only a small part of the book so don'r expect this to be a 'Conan the Barbarian' style hack'n'slash adventure - its focus is far more 'Game Of Thrones' style national politics - however much the main character says he tries to avoid being involved in politics.

Politicking focus or not, you will have to suspend your disbelief at the almost omniscient knowledge of some of the main characters - they combine magic, politics, research, spies, contacts and 'Sherlock Holmes' style logic to 'know things' that you wonder how they could possibly know

This all provides interesting backstory to the Witcher games - so its broadly what I was looking for - but, as noted, be prepared for long sections about whats happened, happening and planned in the wider world's backdrop.

The book is translated from its original Polish, which may be why it feels a bit stilted. Translation of novels is notoriously difficult I am told, so no surprises or complaints, but know what to expect. There also seems to be some obvious formatting errors where the story moves from one character to another (in a totally different time/geography) with just the change of a paragraph. No chapter change, no white space - or any other grammatical or formatting clue- which can be very confusing if you're a fast reader. This sort of thing may be common in eBook conversions, I don't know as I've only just started reading them in place of paper (because ebooks are easy to read at night without turning on the room lights!).

Finally, the this book again ends quite abruptly. Its not 'the end of the story', of course, which continues in book 3 of the series.

So, overall, very worthwhile as Witcher videogame backstory - or, more generally, as a story of characters moving against a large warring multinational fantasy world backdrop.

2 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Best of the series so far

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 26, 2020

Verified Purchase

I felt that all of the books before we get to this one were just collections of short stories. The previous Witcher Book in the series "Blood of Elves" was really just a scene setting for this book. This is where the action really starts. We get a lot more detail in this book and the power play between the sorcerers and the Kings comes to fruition. Great book, loved it.

One person found this helpful

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