Season of Storms: The Video Game Quest

Okay. I have loved every single Witcher book. I’ve had my issues, of course. But it’s still become one of my favorite fantasy series. One that I’m eager to revisit at some point.

But this one? No thanks. I’ll pass.

Season of Storms is completely separate from the plotlines of all the other Witcher books, making it a complete standalone adventure. In this tale, our hero, Geralt of Rivia, finds himself without his signature swords. Now, to find the thief and get them back, Geralt must go on a grand elaborate adventure to get them back!

I feel that the best way to describe this book is a spoiled child on Christmas. Never satisfied, always moving on to the next toy. Only replace toy with ideas and plot threads.

Each event in this book feels completely disconnected from the last. One minute, Geralt is spending a week in a witch’s bed. The next, he’s fighting a monster in an arena in the nude. The next, he spends a whole month hunting a devil. On and on it goes. All of them loosely held together by the central plot of Geralt getting his swords back.

Except not really. In fact, Geralt’s swords don’t really even matter. There were about five points in the book where I forgot that that was even the plot! Every single chapter felt like I was entering an entirely new book!

The whole thing feels like a quest you’d playthrough in one of the Witcher games. Only in those, it would be fun. You know, because… it’s a video game. You get to play it. Here? It feels like hearing someone describe a video game quest in overly meticulous detail.

It doesn’t help that the actual narratives aren’t all that interesting. None of the new characters are distinct or memorable, the conflicts are half-baked, and all of it feels rushed despite how slowly paced the writing is. None of these plots have the time they need to be something truly interesting or fun to read.

The villains have it especially bad. This book features the single longest villain monologue I’ve ever read in any fantasy book and no, that is not hyperbole. He goes on and on for pages on end about absolutely nothing! You’re sitting there and hoping it ends until you get too exhausted to even care anymore!

This is all topped off by an incredibly underwhelming ending. Since this book doesn’t have any meaningful place in the timeline, it can’t have any real impact on the plot. Even with that aside, if you look at this book entirely as its own thing, it still isn’t a satisfying ending. Nothing especially memorable or dramatic happens. It just… ends.

Season of Storms was super disappointing. It’s far from the worst book I’ve ever read. But as the final book in the Witcher series for me to read? It left me with a sour taste in my mouth.

If you’re a huge fan of the Witcher books, like a die-hard fan, than maybe you’ll get something out of Season of Storms. But if you aren’t completely dedicated to this series, than you might want to pass. This book is a chore to read.

And with that, we’re done. All of the Witcher books, reviewed and done with. It’s been a wild ride with lots of ups and downs. It’s not quite a masterpiece. But it definitely stands above many of its peers.

Now, back to bullying the Wheel of Time books!