There was a big shift in the genre-of-choice for 2021’s readings when compared to 2020 and 2019. I read a lot more fantasy content, thanks to The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski becoming hugely popular in the recent months. Of course, because everyone else was reading them, I also needed to read the books just to keep up with discussions among friends. The rest of the year’s reading was limited to a select couple other novels, but the quality of those selections more than made up for the limited overall count.
On the chart above, you can see the order in which everything was read from top to bottom, and a bar indicating roughly how long it took to read, measured in days. The right-hand-most edge of the cover image aligns to the day that I started reading that entry. If you cannot see a bar, that was a book read in a single day (which does not happen too often, but it happens). Teal corresponds to non-fiction writings, orange is fiction, and purple is a technical or professional book.
A Gentleman in Moscow (by Amor Towles)
My first experience with famed author Amor Towles is A Gentleman in Moscow. This book is an exceptional read. The story begins with our hero, the Count Alexander Rostov, sentenced to house arrest by a Bolshevik tribunal as one of the final acts of Russia’s Communist revolution. We are presented a story that evolves from the everyday life experiences of luxury hotel house arrest into a gripping study of domestic and international politics, our hero’s search for meaning, and the changes that a society and the overarching social order mutually experience as time goes on. I was initially skeptical that Gentleman would be somewhat dense and overwrought, but I was treated to a wonderfully realized world with fantastic characters set in a time and place that is mysterious to the modern American. This book starts out a little slow, but builds to a gripping premise and a satisfying denouement. Well worth the time spent reading, and even rereading, should you be so inclined. My favorite book of 2021.
The Last Wish (by Andrzej Sapkowski)
The introduction of Geralt of Rivia and the world of the aforementioned Witcher, comes in a unique fashion: as a set of short stories that are loosely connected in time and space. Set in the Northern Kingdoms of Geralt’s unnamed world, this book is a uniquely structured introduction to a vibrant cast of characters that feature throughout the book series. Though this novel generally serves as introduction to the world and its occupants, some of the key precepts and conflicts to the Witcher series are front-and-center here. Geralt of Rivia and Yennefer of Vengerberg are the primary drivers of the stories within The Last Wish. They, and their associates, are witty, interesting, and engaging: Geralt for the combination of his simple nature and pure heart, and Yennefer for her driven personality but fundamentally motherly nature. The contituent stories within boast well-realized political and social themes, heavy action and intrigue, and involve the mysterious destiny of the young girl, Cirilla, which serves as the main focus of the series, although she is not introduced in this book. As someone who loves character-driven stories most of all, I thorougly enjoyed The Last Wish and I immediately moved onto the next book, Sword of Destiny.
Sword of Destiny (by Andrzej Sapkowski)
Sword of Destiny is the second novella in the Witcher saga that follows the characters of Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri. Although published before The Last Wish and recommended to be read after, this book is another collection of loosely-linked short stories that serve as introductory material. With a thorough introduction already made in The Last Wish, this book explores much more of the surrounding world and of the events that have a huge impact on the lives of our heroes. Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, or Ciri for short, is introduced in the story titled “Sword of Destiny”, and the impact she has on Geralt and Yennefer is immediately felt in this book. Unlike The Last Wish, there is more connectivity between the individual stories, and the final entry directly leads into the events of the following novels. As with The Last Wish, I felt that the characters and worldbuilding in this book are top notch. A more focused narrative starts to come into focus in Sword of Destiny, which helped retain my interest as this book wrapped up. The smaller length and loosely-connected nature of both this and The Last Wish make rendering an individual judgment on each the two books difficult. All-in-all, both are entertaining reads with great characters and do not require readers to move onto the later novels. If you prefer witty writing and interesting interpersonal dynamics, these books come as recommended reads.
Blood of Elves (by Andrzej Sapkowski)
Blood of Elves is the first traditionally-structured book in the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski. Following the aftermath of the Kingdom of Cintra’s demise, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri are thrust headlong into conflicts between the Northern Kingdoms and the surrounding regions, between the divided races and social classes of the world, and with those who seek to control the powerful legacy that Ciri inherits. Written in a different style than the first two novellas, Blood of Elves still bears that signature Sapjowski wit and character centricity that readers should be familiar with by the time they reach this entry. In weaving a single storyline, this book tends to have some filler sections in the middle that perhaps the more-devoted readers are unaccustomed to, but those looking for a straightforward narrative and varying pace will be happy with the structure of Blood of Elves. The book ends on a cliffhanger that teases the next novel in the series, so if you are looking for a satisfying and tidy conclusion here, you will not get one. That said, it is still true that the best element to Sapkowski’s writing is how he creates and evolves the characters throughout the story. Blood of Elves continues this trend and uses those characters to further explore a richly envisioned world. I enjoyed Blood of Elves, perhaps slightly less than The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, but it feels like the character and worldbuilding investment made here cannot help but eventually pay off.
The Things They Carried (by Tim O’Brien)
On total accident, after reading two fictional short story compendiums, I read through The Things They Carried which is another set of short stories that detail the experiences of draftees and officers of the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. Perhaps important to note, the author, Tim O’Brien, is cagey about which of the stories truly happened, which ones were spun from whole cloth, and which fall somewhere in the middle. Given the subject matter, you would be correct in assuming that there are some distinctly horrific tales present, and not knowing whether a particular story is true or false lends an air of intrigue to the work. Critically, the novel bears no overt political stance save one: presenting the horrors of a war fought with and experienced by unwilling participants given dubious reasons for fighting and precarious leadership and direction. Many times throughout the book I read sections that were equal parts humorous and grim; a perspective that O’Brien acknowledges and undoubtedly shared with the real and imagined characters of these stories. This is a difficult read; valuable, meaningful, but unquestionably difficult. I recommend it, but you may want to go into this novel with a strong consitution, and do not feel ashamed if unable to see it through.
A good year in reading, if a bit light. Undoubtedly less grim than 2020, but no less serious in terms of subject matter. The heavy focus on strong character writing was a welcome change. It is lovely to see people discovering and fostering new interest in older, cult-classic reads, such as what has happened with the Game of Thrones series and now with The Witcher series.
Here’s to more reading in 2022! 🎉