The Tower of Fools

We've only recently discovered The Witcher on Netflix, and that led me down the rabbit hole to Andrzej Sapkowski's books. When I had the chance to read an advance copy of The Tower of Fools, I jumped at it.

First off, it is a substantial book. Weighing in at approximately 560 pages, it isn't a light, easy read. It's longer than the average book, and it is chock full of historical detail. Before I picked up this book, I knew exactly nothing about the Hussite Wars. Once I started reading here, I had to go do a little research, so I learned a thing or two. And isn't that one of a book's objectives?

Second, our protagonist, Reinmar of Bielewa (also called Reynevan), is an idiot, bless his heart. He seemed determined throughout this book to throw himself in harm's way as fast as possible, disregarding any piece of good advice he might get in favor of his pursuit of Love. Never mind that the fair Adele (the original object of his affection) didn't return his feelings. He dashed headlong after her, and got himself into a lot of scrapes along the way. But thankfully, there are always those along the way who are willing to help him, whether out of the goodness of their hearts or to further their own agenda, and he might have learned a little bit from his journey. I hope to find out in book two of the trilogy.

There were parts of the book that were very heavy on historical detail. I might could have done with a bit less of that, as I'm not the aficionado of history that some people are. But it didn't keep me from reading and enjoying the book. Honestly, I got overtones of Terry Pratchett-type satire in some places, and it was quite entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the blurbs at the beginning of each chapter that gave the reader an idea of what to expect.

The titular Tower of Fools, Narrenturm, doesn't make an appearance until about 80% through the book, but it is an important part of the story. It also sounds like quite a horrific place. There are some descriptions of torture, but nothing graphic.

Overall, while I might have liked a little less history with my fantasy, The Tower of Fools is a jolly good read. I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy.

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of the book from NetGalley and Orbit Books. All opinions here are mine, and I don't say nice things about books that I don't actually like.