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The Tower of Fools

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The Tower of Fools

By: Andrzej Sapkowski, David French - Translator
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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About this listen

A brand new trilogy from the author of the legendary Witcher series, set during the vibrantly depicted Hussite wars.

Reinmar of Bielau, called Reynevan, flees after being caught in an affair with a knight's wife.

With strange, mystical forces gathering in the shadows and pursued not only by the Stercza brothers bent on vengeance, but also by the Holy Inquisition, Reynevan finds himself in the Narrenturm, the Tower of Fools, a medieval asylum for the mad, or for those who dare to think differently and challenge the prevailing order.

The 'patients' of this institution form an incomparable gallery of colourful types: including, among others, the young Copernicus, proclaiming the truth of the heliocentric solar system.

This is the first in an epic new series from the phenomenon, Andrzej Sapkowski, author of the Witcher books.

©2020 Andrzej Sapkowski (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group Action & Adventure Fantasy Fiction Historical Middle ages War

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Critic reviews

"Like Mieville and Gaiman, Sapkowski takes the old and makes it new." (Foundation)

"Like a complicated magic spell, a Sapkowski novel is a hodgepodge of fantasy, intellectual discourse and dry humour. Recommended." (Time)

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It took a while to get into the story and the amount of names involved was overwhelming. But by the third chapter I really started to enjoy the book and by the end I loved it. The narrator really is so good.

So many names

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There are a lot of names and it is sometimes hard to distinguish and remember one from the other.

But this is a very atmospheric read with heaps of world building, and that does make it worth the while.
The use of Latin is spot on and and adds to the whole, which makes it quite genius.

However, Reynevan, the main character, is so annoyingly naive and at times stupid. I prefer Sharley and Samson, even Urban Horn, over him.

But do read it. It is definitely worth it.

A bit of a heavy read, but worth it.

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As this is a concept I've come into blind, I don't know much back story. Unlike the Witcher where I had played the game and had a general sense of the whole idea. However, I think that Andrzej Sapkowski is off to a great start. The characters and story very well fleshed out and it definitely has the combination of brutally honest world views mixed in with amazing dark humour. Add to this the fact that Peter Kenny's narration brings the whole world to life and I for one, can't wait for book two to be released.

Great start to a new series.

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It is very rich in elements of the period - names, places, languages and folklore. I would advise against trying to remember every detail since there are just so many of them. It's better to see them as parts of the style. The ones worth remembering are repeated often enough.
It's not a light read, but if it's not a problem then I can't recommend it strongly enough.

Heavy but so atmospheric

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Peter Kenny is a great voice actor but there were some characters that had similar voice which made it confusing some times but otherwise a great book with an intriguing story and characters. The names of the characters were difficult at times because I’m not native to Eastern Europe.

Great book, difficult to keep track of names.

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I've listened to the trilogy. The writing is solid, the story realised, and the narrator is wonderful. All that singing and Latin! wow.

Brilliant all round

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This is the start of another classic, sapzowski series. This is a completely different vibe to the witcher, However has all the classic charming style associated with that series

A new direction

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The only good thing I loved about the book is the fabulous voice of Peter Kenny.

I find it hard to believe Sapkowski wrote this novel. This story is filled with unlikeable characters involved in a story that is so uninteresting, convoluted and hard to follow, it was a chore to listen to it. I just didn't care what happened to any of the characters.

I did finish it because it was Sapkowski and kept assuming it would improve (and I waited a long time to write this review because I am such a fan of the writer).

Disappointing (Apart from Peter Kenny's Voice)

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Andrzej Sapkowski and Peter Kenny prove yet again that they form a genious duo!
Outstanding performance by Kenny!
The novel itself is a well written and entertaining one. There are many historical names, dates and events to keep track of, which may not be every listener's cup of tea, but this also adds depth to the novel.

Excellent historical fantasy

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Fantastic characters, travel from one absurd adventure to another through a cruel and violent world. A Qioxtic main character whose virtue and foolishness, and perhaps the hand of fate, leads him from disaster to disaster learning little bit experiencing much.

Peter Kenny is a joy to listen to and brings it all to life. I hadn't been sure about this book before listening to it but think it is at least as good as the Witcher books whilst being refreshingly different.

Glorious Picaresque Fantasy

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