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The Tower of Swallows cover art

The Tower of Swallows

Written by: Andrzej Sapkowski, David French - Translator
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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Publisher's Summary

The world is at war and the prophesied savior is nowhere to be found. The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, races to find her in the fourth novel of Andrzej Sapkowski's groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the blockbuster video games.

The world has fallen into war. Ciri, the child of prophecy, has vanished. Hunted by friends and foes alike, she has taken on the guise of a petty bandit and lives free for the first time in her life.

But the net around her is closing. Geralt, the Witcher, has assembled a group of allies including Dandelion, Milva, Regis, and Cahir, to rescue her. Both sides of the war have sent brutal mercenaries to hunt her down. Her crimes have made her famous.

There is only one place left to run. The tower of the swallow is waiting...

Witcher collections:

  • The Last Wish
  • Sword of Destiny

Witcher novels:

  • Blood of Elves
  • The Time of Contempt
  • Baptism of Fire
  • The Tower of Swallows
  • Lady of the Lake
  • Season of Storms

Hussite Trilogy:

  • The Tower of Fools
  • Warriors of God

Translated from original Polish by David French.

©2016 Andrzej Sapkowski (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Featured Article: Geralt—A Witcher Character Guide


Geralt of Rivia is the protagonist of both The Witcher book series and the show. Geralt is a witcher, a monster hunter for hire, gradually enhanced through mutations that give him extraordinary magical abilities. His mother, a sorceress, entrusted his upbringing to a community of witchers. Geralt grew up at the legendary School of the Wolf at Kaer Morhen, where he underwent extensive training from a young age to become a witcher. This in-depth guide to Geralt of Rivia, the hero of The Witcher, will answer all your questions.

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The Lion Cub of Cintra - Child of Destiny

#Audible1 If you haven't heard of the Witcher Saga then you are missing out. This series follows the main character Geralt of Rivia, a Witcher, in his travels across the Continent in search of employment in his trade; that of hunting and slaying dangerous monsters that prey upon humans. This polish masterpiece was written by Andrzej Sapkowski and is the inspiration behind the three internationally acclaimed Witcher Games and the impending Netflix series. The books are heavily steeped in Slavic lore and are offer a startling insight into the human condition making us ask who the true monsters are and who are the ones who need saving. The world doesn't need a hero. It needs a professional. WORTH THE LISTEN/READ

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Peter Kenny comes through again.

This was maybe his best performance of these books yet, though I have Lady of the Lake next. Great performance and characters coming up.

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Book 4 is the best so far!

Peter Kenny is a master narrator. I love this series but Book 4 for me, is the best one yet! I’m jumping right into Book 5!

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The fun continues

Another excellent chapter in the Witcher saga. a gripping story which will leave you wanting for more and go grab the next book immediately

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Thrilling

I love this series and the fact that there is something to appease every reader. It has fictitious but well thought out politics, characters and poetry for those who love the arts. It has actually chemical/scientific names of minerals/rocks, references to actually medical conditions and true well researched scientific references for those who adore science. it has romance, heartbreak, dark themes and comedy for those who adore different genres and it's a truly engrossing world of fantasy with we'll researched mythical and magical creatures from various continents. It has it all. Oh, how I love this series, as it literally has something for everyone.

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  • J
  • 2022-05-30

It Drags at Times, but overall it’s still Great

The Good
This book focuses on Ciri. At first, I worried that the book was going to focus on Geralt and his motley crew some more as early scenes in the book did focus on them and seemed to be revising old themes and storylines. The change to Ciri’s story was refreshing. Her storyline was fast paced and exiting.

The ending of the book was a wild ride, I didn’t expect what happened and it was thrilling to listen to. It does end on a cliff hanger, but the scene prior to the ending will vividly live in my memory for a long time.
In this book, Bonhart is a villain that could inspire terror and he was an example of great character work.

As usual Peter Kenny was fantastic.

The Bad
In this book I didn’t enjoy when the story focused on Geralt and company, as I found it a little boring. Furthermore, whenever the story focused on Yennifer I was very bored.

Sapkowski experimented with multiple perspectives in this book. Sometimes we learn about Ciri’s story from her perspective, sometimes from people following her. He did the same with Geralt’s story, including putting some of Dandelion’s perspective in first person. At times it worked, and other times I felt it fell flat.

Bonhart may have been a great villain, but Rience was the opposite. I couldn’t stand him and felt that he was more cartoonish than a real threat.

This next complaint could be chalked up to poor translation, but since David French’s translations have felt so accurate and true to Sapkowski’s intention, I’m not sure. There was a line that referenced “The Final Solution to the Witcher Problem,” and it felt too close to the famous Nazi euphemism; it took me right out of the story. I feel that line was in bad taste.

There was one thing that bothered me about Peter Kenny’s narrations, in the first two or three books he pronounced Dandelion’s name like the yellow weed found throughout southwestern Ontario: dandelion. Then he switched his pronunciation of his name in later books. However, in this book he went back to using his original pronunciation.

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The story is closing and I cannot wait.

Kenny again takes you through the world and Ciri's journey to her Destiny. Simply amazing.

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another great book

There was some really great moments in this book, granted there is some boring parts, but the rest of the story makes up for it. Cannot wait to start the next book in the series.

Side note, I hate that they changed the way Dandelion was pronounced, I liked it far more in the past books.

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More character development

While the author has clearly mastered character development thr plot progression continues to leave something to be desired.

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Great!

Loved the Witcher games and the new show, but love the books even more. Would recommend to anyone.

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