The Witcher: Baptism of Fire review
Where Geralt’s adventure gets lost in the journey
Blood of Elves, the first full novel in the Witcher Saga, introduced many of the compelling characters most recognize from The Witcher 3. The Time of Contempt struggled to keep these characters prominent in a slightly convoluted plot, but still managed to keep the sense of adventure and threat. Sadly, Baptism of Fire feels like nothing more than the set up to something bigger. Little is revealed about the main protagonists, and the story drags like a Dandelion poem.
Luckily, the book is rescued by Milva, a hunter and expert archer. She’s brash, with a deep backstory, and not overly fond of Geralt at first. This separates her from the other female characters in the series who flock to Geralt like he’s a sherpard. Milva has learned how to fend for herself, which combined with her dislike of Geralt, makes her a really interesting addition. Milva grows to form a bond with Gerlat, which is presented in a subtle and realistic manner. Milva is the shining light for what is sadly quite a lacklustre array of characters in this sequel.
Ciri, for the most part, is absent from this story. There are glimpses of her time with a group of rebels, and how she has developed into a more fierce fighter. But these moments are not frequent enough to reach the heights of the first two stories. Ciri feels like a real loss in this story, alongside many other characters who were featured heavily in the previous texts.
The story meets a convoluted middle in the third book of the series. An already complex plot is added to by more warring factions, and various side characters who confuse the main plot further. And unlike the first two stories, characters such as Ciri, Yennefer and Triss are not present enough to bounce off Geralt and add a fun addition to the text.
Baptisim of Fire is a real low point in the saga. Established, likeable characters are missing, and a dense plot makes it a heavy read. Geralt comes off as quite flat too due to having few characters to bond with. It’s a must read for the whole series, but view it as the Last Jedi of the franchise…