SEASON OF STORMS is part of The Witcher series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Depending on which website you consult, this is either book six or book zero in the series (I'm side-eying you, Goodreads). It has been translated into English by David French, and I'm so curious if the translator made it more, or less, florid! It is not, as some sites claim, a series of short stories. Rather, it is an interquel, a work of fiction occurring in the time frame between two existing works. It's a full length novel set between the short stories from the collections of The Last Wish. and Sword of Destiny. The first book in this series was published in 1994, so this series has some legs on it. It has spawned seven books, three graphic novels, three video games, and as one site phrased it, "one ill-fated Polish TV show." Even though this is the latest book release, temporally it's set early in the Witcher saga.

I have not read anything by Andrzej Sapkowski, so this world of The Witcher is new to me. I think this can be read and comprehended as a standalone, although my assumption is it would be a richer experience if you come to this having read at least some of the others in the series. Set in a pre-industrial fantasy world, there are all kinds of fantastical beasts, all of which appear to have amazing and very gruesome powers of maiming, murder, and destruction. It feels like it would appeal to Lord of the Rings aficionados. It's pretty odd to have modern-day things pop up into this fantasy world. I almost spit out the drink in my mouth from laughter when I read, "Round up the usual suspects!" One does not expect the movie Casablanca to intrude into one's high fantasy world.

The Witcher is Geralt of Rivea. He's a professional monster hunter, and is not human himself. Poor Geralt seems like a fantasy Job, with all the possible biblical tribulations pummeling down on him, just with the added benefit of a really dry sense of humor and a sense of the ludicrous. He's got an entertaining sidekick, Dandelion, who acts as a foil and provides some additional levity. Witcher has his magical monster-killing swords stolen, and sets off on a (prolonged, to me) quest to regain them. Along the rambling way, he gets thrown into prison, has a torrid affair, kills lots of nasty creatures, and deals with the usual fantasy politics that he'd rather avoid. All of this is presented in a dry and somewhat cutting prose that is very flowery and with lots of snark. I think Sapkowski's SEASON OF STORMS would be an excellent read for fans of The Witcher, and those who like their fantasy with lots of sarcasm, gore, and killing.