Thanks very much to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. Many thanks, Dave

There is a really exciting, gripping story at the heart of The Tower of Fools, it's just hard work finding it.
The story has all the dramatic elements of a great tragedy, as Reynevan falls in love with someone he shouldn't have fallen in love with, another man's wife. Getting caught in the middle of a bit of rough and tumble leads to a much rougher and more serious tumble, a dashing escape through the streets, and one of his pursuers lying dead.
After that exciting start, it's a story about a pursuit across country, bounty hunters, mysterious allies and more than a little magic.
The problem really is the setting, or more accurately it is the author's insistence at thrusting us so deep into the setting that it can be hard, at times, to see the narrative.
There are pages and pages of discussion about the Hussite heresies, and the validity or otherwise of their complaints against the papal church. There are discussions of old wars and those that fought in them and the changing political landscapes across Europe. There were so many unfamiliar names and places being constantly thrown around that one would have to be a medieval scholar to follow it all, and much of it seems to have little impact on the core narrative as our hero and his pursuers don't feel passionately either way about the religious or political controversies.

An excellent narrative, buried in a treatise on the Hussite wars, The Tower of Fools was tough going but ultimately rewarded perseverance.

Received arc from Orion Publishing Group and Netgalley for honest read and review,and this is my review only.
This is a massive book and it (for me) was really quite confusing,no tried to get into it, but I could not seem to feel any of the characters, so I am afraid I could not finish it.
I have read the Witches and thought this could possibly be in the same vein.
But not for me.

A very good read. I really enjoyed the dark athmosphere in this book and the very detailed descriptions. The plot was in my opinion very interesting and the pace of the story grew with tje reading progress. The characters are interesting and the writing style is great. I really enjoyed reading this book.

Such a slow book, it plods along like a lame horse. The characters feel rather one dimensional.

And the summary at the beginning of each chapter was odd; didn't like that.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

This one just wasn't for me. It was clear that the author put in a lot of research into this world and it was interesting to read about it, I just couldn't get into the plot of this book. It dragged quite a lot of me and I wasn't invested in the characters. It didn't work for me, but I'd still recommend checking it out if the synopsis interests you.

As a huge lover of the Witcher series, I was over the moon when I received an ARC of The Tower of Fools. Initially published in Polish back in 2002, this series has now been translated into English by David French, who also translated Sapkowski's Witcher series.

Set during the vibrantly depicted Hussite wars, Reinmar of Bielau 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.

This was a pretty dense read. It is very heavy on the historical side of things, whereas I was hoping for the balance to tip more onto the fantasy elements. I adore the grittiness of Sapkowski's writing, especially where magic and fantastical creatures are involved. As this only had small amounts of fantasy in, I found that I didn't enjoy the writing as much as I was initially anticipating. Also, I despised the sex scenes. Never have I ever read anything more cringey and painful in my life. *shudder*
Unfortunately, I'm not very clued up on this particular part of history, so I felt like a lot of the plot points went straight over my head. This is nothing against the story, but it definitely meant that I didn't appreciate things as much as I could've.

If you are a fan of historical fiction that is dark with a little twist of fantasy then you would probably love this. I loved Sapkowski's fantasy writing but I just wish there was more of it in this book!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I was very intrigued when I found out that Andrzej Sapkowski has a new book series coming out. I read and liked some of the Witcher books and I really liked watching the Netflix Series.
The Tower of Fools also has a male main protagonist. But Reynevan is nothing like Gerald, the Witcher. In contrast to him he seems to be a little boy stumbling from one mistake to the next. Lucky for him he has some good friends who always rescue him and get him out of the trouble he gets himself in. Mostly he gets into trouble because he can neither control his libido nor his feelings. He is bound to be hurt or killed, but manages to survive everything.

The book blurb is kind of misleading as it indicates that he spends most of the book in the Narrenturm, which he does not. Throughout the book he is mostly on the run or getting into trouble. Reinmar of Bielawa is not the most clever person there is, despite having studied at the university of Prague, and sometimes he drives the reader up the wall with his nativity. But there is also a lot of good in him and he is a likable character.

The world the book is set in is our world and I suppose most historic facts used in it are true but I did not check them as I am no historian and to be honest do not really care if it is all 100% correct. Due to this some real historic characters appear like Gutenberg, who invented book printing, and also Walter von der Vogelweide (who made up one part of my university exam) are mentioned. Despite it being set in the „real“ world, there is much more to this world in the book than there really is. For example witchcraft really works and there are magical creatures in it too. This all gives the book a magical touch and makes it a fantasy book and not a historic novel. I really enjoyed the mix between reality and fantastic imagination.

Even though the 15th century Europe the book is set in, is a dark time and there is lots of violence and war, the book has a light tone and made me laugh out loud very often and the three main protagonists (Reinmar, Scharley and Samson) are very likable figures.

As I did not have much time to read I also bought the audio version of the book, read by Peter Kenny. It was a really good experience to listen to Peter Kenny reading this book. I especially liked the way he pronounces the word Narrenturm. He did an awesome job with the book and it is very blissful to listen to him. I wondered more than once how he manages to not stumble over the complicated foreign words.

I can definitely recommend reading the book, especially if you like historic fantasy novels and I will definitely read the following installments.

With thanks to Netgalley and Gollancz

Andrzej Sapkowski is best known for being the author of the Witcher series.

The Tower of Fools is more historical fiction with a bit a of fantasy thrown in for luck.

I enjoyed Tower of fools, it did waffle along in a few bits, but still a good read.

A penitential cross

The author is well known for his Witcher series and many readers will be attracted to this novel for that reason. Be aware that this historical fantasy is very different. Ye gods, there is a tremendous amount going on here. It is the first of three volumes, known as the Hussite Trilogy, set in the Fifteenth century, and showcases the author’s profound knowledge of the wars of religion in that century. So, we are treated to the proto-reformation of the Hussite Bohemians against the Papacy and the attempted crusades against the so-called heretics from the papal loyalists in Silesia and elsewhere. This is fascinating and detailed stuff, but is probably readily available in non-fiction accounts.

The author also offers the reader a full immersion into the social norms of the times, including more Latin than I have ever read in a work of modern fiction: church and theological Latin, scurrilous Latin poetry and song, arcane and magical Latin, scientific and scholarly Latin, even Latin jokes – barely a page in the novel lacks some Latin quotation and dialogue. I personally enjoyed this immensely, especially the jokes and the obscene songs, but I am not sure about other readers. Never fear, I think the novel can be enjoyed without any need for translation and indeed might be read more quickly thus!

In addition, he adds to the detailed historical account a considerable amount of magic and fantastical elements, as might be expected from this author. Imagine the demons, witches and lost souls from paintings, woodcuts and manuscripts of the time brought to life and involved in the action, some benign, some clearly evil, although understated in this first volume.

But what about the plot? The narrative is actually very simple, given the many complexities I have already outlined. A love-struck, capricious student of medicine cuckolds the wife of a knight whose family spend most of the remainder of the novel hunting him down in order to punish, castrate and kill him for his temerity. Along the way he attracts even more enemies so that at every turn he is hunted by a variety of enemies. As he stumbles frantically from one danger after another, from one disaster after another, he finds himself saved by fortuitous allies, all the time finding himself more and more deeply implicated in the contemporary wars of religion, heresy and magic.

I enjoyed this very much, its imaginative scope, the political, religious, literary and social immersion of the narrative, as well as the constant humour and headlong, picaresque plot. The hero in his wanderings through Silesia constantly finds himself at a series of crossroads. Each one has in its midst a penitential cross, ‘one of Silesia’s numerous mementoes of crimes past and belated contrition’. This recurrent image sums the story up, the appalling deeds done in the name of religion, by whatever side, creed or faith.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for a copy of this book.

The description and name of the author had me request The Tower of Fools quickly.

The main character, Reinman, is a doctor, magician, and maybe a charlatan. He gets caught sleeping with a married woman, so he must flee. Cue in everything I love - one big journey, meeting many fascinating characters, politics, history. Action, attacks, running away, meeting more characters. Jokes and good sarcasm. Oh, Reinman loves too easily, young and too naive. His friends have him admit his foolishness.
Every chapter starts with theatrical intro, shortly explaining what we are about to witness.

I enjoyed it, yet somehow it did not fully grab me and I find it hard to figure out why. I wonder if it was the language, which makes me want to check it out in Polish. I know in the Witcher there are passages which are hilarious and sarcastic in Polish yet translated into deep and overcomplicated sentences in English. Or maybe Reinman missed a spark in his personality to keep me wanting to read more about him. There is a lot of talk, and while I love dialogue way more than long descriptions of places, here it was filled with information on religion, politics, history, which sometimes felt too much. But I can already think of readers who would love this book even more because of that. I think this book simply missed something fun. Once in a while some simplicity. A spark.

It was very interesting nevertheless.

It picked up once they ended up in the Tower of Fools, and I was left curious at the end as to what will happen next.

Review to follow on good reads etc. Thoroughly enjoyable. Less fantastical and more historical fiction than originally thought but characters and story were good.

A good historical fiction with fantasy elements.
I appreciated the world building, the excellent character development and the plot.
I was expecting a fantasy story but enjoyed this one nonetheless.
it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I found this book a little different from Sapkowski’s previous books as it takes on a more historical tone. There are still fantasy elements involved but it focuses more on history and religious themes.
We meet Reynevan, a young, good-looking and charming character that makes some foolish decisions when it comes to women. This leads him to a situation where he is on the run from a woman’s family looking for revenge. I love a good journey in a book and this provides exciting, fast paced journeys throughout, in which Reynevan meets different groups of people along the way. The friendships and bonds of brotherhood he forms are written very well and provide the main character with supportive figures. The banter between the characters is entertaining and as they get into trouble along the way their bonds grow closer.
This book is set in the 15th-century around the time of the Hussite Wars. This version is not historically accurate but instead provides and alternative view of events featuring a fantasy element including magic, religious sects, inquisitions, demons and witches. I enjoyed the way in which the magic elements were written and it also felt quite dark at times.
There was plenty of action involved in the groups escapades and I enjoyed this overall.

Likely my fault for not reading any of the others but trying to read Tower of Fools certainly made me feel like one. I loved the television series and, on the basis of that enjoyment, I decided to read this book. The introduction left me feeling stranded in the middle of a dense forest surrounded by the noises that cry in the night. Breaking out into chapter 1 felt like the forest was thinning a bit. Not at all, the more I read, the more confused I became and the more it felt like I was trying to read the book in its original language.

My apologies to all who love this series but I gave up as there is so much out there to read that I will enjoy.

If this is a "good" example of this saga in book-form, I shall be sticking to the television adaptations. My 2 star rating reflects a less than neutral position as I totally failed to understand what the book was about.

The Tower of Fools is a historical fantasy from the master behind the Witcher series, Sapkowski – back is the hefty, unique voice that is pervasive in his writings, the fantastical prose steeped in European lore and myth. Taking place in medieval Europe, this is a tale featuring an eclectic mix of characters, magic, factions and monsters. It’s a historical tale with an undeniable, fantastically researched sense of place; a plot that oozes mystery and is drenched is credibility, but one that takes a while to get going.

The plot sees Reynevan and his flight from the Sterczas, a family who blame him for their brother’s death and for cuckolding another brother with his beloved Adele – along the road of escape, he meets brigands, men of god, soldiers, a randy Werewolf, and Sharley – who is promised to help him escape a fate at the end of the sword. Along with a botched exorcism that results in Samson joining their band, there’s certainly no shortage of antics that drive the plot forward. This plot also features Sapkowski’s trademark character swapping – sometimes beginning chapters in mysterious meetings or with characters who don’t yet mean anything. There’s certainly no shortage of POVs, but for this one I felt that it made the plot drag a little. I was constantly searching for something to keep me enamoured, something (like in the Witcher) that made it impossible not to follow these characters to the end. However, I felt a certain disconnect from the plot and didn’t feel that it delivered the blurbed promises until well after midway in this quite-a-chonk-of-a-book.

I believe the pacing remained the problem throughout the book – I certainly don’t mind it being slower but I felt like Sharley, Reynevan and Samson didn’t get too far too quickly. Although, I did love them. Sharley’s supposed expertise in everything and jack-of-all-trades character did have me laughing in some parts and wowed in others. He was very interesting for one of the main character’s sidekicks, and the bits where he wasn’t on screen well the duller moments. Yet, there were pockets of excitements and strange intrigue throughout the book – with men who wouldn’t be slain, even when they lost their head.

As always with Sapkowski books, the dialogue was the strongest point for me. He seems to drop a lot of exposition in favour of hints throughout the dialogue; for example, you’ll have X character telling Y character to stop doing something, which may seem simple but the balance of getting it right or getting it wrong is tight – on the surface may seem easy, but it is no easy feat to pull off while maintaining genuine-feeling dialogue. Having said that, he does so perfectly.

Overall, this was a book that I’ve looked forward to for a long while; a book that I really tried to love, but struggled at times due to pacing – even leading to sections feeling like a chore to read. For those fans of Sapkowski, I would say give it a go. But those not familiar with his works, I would recommend the Witcher series as a starting point.

This book is so addictive in the best way.

I usually read a story in one day, but this one took me almost a week because I didn’t want to rush it and miss any details.

It’s very long as well, almost double as usual but that didn’t discourage me to enjoy the rich characterization of some of the oldest countries in Europe and the mix of part fiction, part real history.

There’s so much to take in here, so many fascinating characters, and the interaction is just so easy to follow and understand nothing like other novels where I need a thesaurus next to me.

The maturity and real-life scenes are vividly illustrated and some topics left me a bit speechless as I didn’t expect to read about them but they exist since the word was built and even if it’s still a taboo matter for so many civilizations, the author made it authentic and part of life in every scene that matter.

I’m so looking forward to the next books in the trilogy and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

It’s so real and atmospheric, full of twists and historical issues that many people will enjoy.

My thanks to Orion Publishing Group Gollancz for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Tower of Fools’ by Andrzej Sapkowski in exchange for an honest review. It is the first in his ‘Hussite Trilogy’ and was originally published in Poland in 2002.

After the success of his Witcher series, this earlier work is now being published in an English translation by David French, who previously translated the Witcher books.

It is listed as a historical fantasy though it isn’t high fantasy; rather it is historical fiction with the occasional supernatural element- such as a werewolf that assaults people, demons and the like summoned by magicians using grimoires that actually were used during this period. The high point for me was an evocative Witches Sabbath held on a mountain top. In my head Mussorgsky’s ‘Night on Bald Mountain’ was playing.

It is set primarily in Central Europe in what was known as Bohemia and Silesia during the period of the Hussite Wars. Its main character is a young physician and magician, Reinmar of Bielau aka Reynevan. The novel opens with Reynevan being caught in bed with Adela von Stercza by the brothers of her husband. The scene itself has slapstick elements and while Reynevan manages to escape one of the brothers is killed in the pursuit. As a result they vow revenge and continue to hunt him throughout the novel.

Reynevan is something of a fool and continues to tumble from one disastrous situation to another. He remains infatuated with Adela even after she denounces him (his being a magician he clearly must have cast a spell on her). He ends up travelling with Scharley, a penitent with a mysterious past who is a master fighter, and Samson Honey-eater, a wise being from an alternative dimension that has accidentally possessed the body of a simple giant. It is rather a picturesque novel as they have many adventures during their journey. Eventually Reynevan is imprisoned in the Narrenturm, the Tower of Fools, a building that houses the insane.

Even though Reynevan is flawed, his companions are much more sympathetic and are an important part of the novel. I feel that this is deliberate and expect that Reynevan will mature over time.

There is a great deal going on throughout this novel including a threat from a shapeshifter that takes the form of a Wallcreeper and creates chaos in his wake. For some reason he is interested in Reynevan. Again, this is a thread that I expect will continue in the subsequent novels.

Andrzej Sapkowski is faithful to his period setting of the early 15th Century, a time when the Inquisition was active and seeking to crush the precursors to what would become the Protestant Reformation.

It was a time of religious turmoil and widespread persecution. Within the novel as well as the campaign against the Hussites, other targets are the Jewish community, those who practice magic, witches, and pagans. In fact, pretty much anyone not Catholic. A few times a variation on the ever popular ‘God will know his own’ phrase is uttered when a massacre is ordered.

Aside from the historical accuracy, Andrzej Sapkowski creates a strong sense of place by evoking its sights, sounds, and yes smells and tastes. There are some fairly gruesome scenes though the narrative also contains scenes of bawdy humour and some sharp wit.

It is quite a male oriented story and in keeping with the period this wasn’t a great time to be a woman. There are exceptions including Reynevan‘s kinswoman, Dzierżka of Wirsing, the amazing Nicolette, and any number of the witches that are encountered on their journey.

In short, the author doesn’t shy away from the ugliness of the times. He isn’t creating a pre-Renaissance Fayre style novel with modern day sensibilities and added armour, swords, gowns, and wimples. No, it’s very dark and at times a difficult read.

Still, when I read historical fiction I look for accuracy and it’s clearly been well researched. As an occultist I also appreciated the faithfulness to the magical practices of the time, though gave a little leeway for the inclusion of an invocation of the Goddess and Lovecraftian references. I also noted some Tarot imagery and may revisit for a closer reading of the symbolism scattered throughout.

I did find it slow going at first, especially given the many names, places and historical details. Still, I felt sufficiently engaged by the characters and story to continue. Plus, the Witches’ Sabbath was so brilliant.

It’s not a novel that I would expect is going to be to everyone’s taste and again there are some very strong passages in terms of religious intolerance and persecution as well as misogyny.

Overall, I felt that despite it being heavy going in places, that it is a trilogy that I will continue reading when the other novels are published in their English translations.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

This novel is basically about a young man consistently getting involved in escapade after escapade. And then, becoming involved in the Hussite Wars which will change Eastern European history forever. Reynevan is stupid, he’s an idiot, a man that’s addicted to love. But he’s young. Men around his age are always like that. When he can’t see the big picture, he’s thankfully assisted by very many helpful characters along the way, but when you’re young, you don’t have a broad picture of the world as you would wish. Some clever, intelligent men around your age will. Reynevan isn’t that.

This novel is full of Christian lore and the complexities of the Hussite Wars that occurred during this time. There’s many competing factions: The Duchies of Silesia and Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire, the Teutonic Knights who are still licking their wounds after the Polish-Lithuanian army defeated them at the battle of Tannenberg in 1415. Mind you, that battle was more about the expansion of Teutonic influence in Poland than anything else. You will have seen witches, magical creatures and so much more in this novel. I am glad that Andrzej added the fantasy elements which I’ve always seen in medieval manuscripts. It really brings the world alive.

But then, there’s also the fact I discovered: The Hussites have been declared heretics by the Church in Rome. For those familiar with European medieval history, the Church in Rome decreed many movements that were ‘heretics’. The Cathars, for one, were wiped out, the Huguenots another. They were considered ‘heretics’ for what, exactly? For the Church in Rome had become corrupt, corruption, selling fake bones as the relics of a lost and great saint. You’ll see very many religious debates going on this in this time. And a lot of Latin. A lot of latin. Dare I say, they had become more corrupt than the Greek-Roman Paganism priesthood had been. Everyone in this novel is acting in some peculiar way, for the will of God. But no one is following the commandments as set in the Bible. Not everybody of course is evil, let that be said. But you see where Andrzej got his inspiration from when he wrote the world of the Witcher. I loved Scharly, and the Giant named Samson. Two of the best characters in this novel.

This is a little confusing, what with all the names and duchies. As I am not too familiar with this area of history so much. But it is immersive. And a massive thank you to David French for taking on this arduous task of translating as it would not have been easy. Kudos to the cover designer team at Gollancz for making a fantastic effort. This is a historical fantasy, but to me it feels more light in terms of its fantasy content and delivers more on the historical fiction side. This could be because its setting the world up. I wonder if the developers at Kingdom Come Deliverance could hire Andrzej as their next writer for their upcoming games, because I see some similarities between the book and the video game which is set in Medieval Germany. Overall, this novel was great and I give it a 10/10!

I was really interested in this book but sadly in the end it wasn't for me. The folklore element of the story is amazing and it's great to discover another culture's tales through a fantasy book. My main issue is simply that the author's writing style isn't for me.