ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI The Tower of Fools, Book 1 of the Hussite Trilogy. Reviewed by Amelia Dudley
The bestselling author of the Witcher novels turns to history in The Tower of Fools, the first instalment of his latest epic series.
Andrzej Sopkowski’s new historical fantasy trilogy is set in fifteenth-century Eastern Europe during the Hussite wars (the Hussites were Christians who broke away from the Catholic Church), and it delivers all the depth, sparkling wit and dry humour we’ve come to expect from the author of the bestselling Witcher series. However, the writing style is quite different, perhaps to be more evocative of the historical period, but it is still thoroughly enjoyable. The prologue might make it seem like it’s going to be a very dense and difficult read, but persevere and thou shalt be rewarded:
The sight enraged the old prior. He flushed like a beetroot, roared like a lion and jumped into the fray, striking left and right with heavy blows of his rosewood crucifix.
‘Pax!’ he bellowed as he struck. ‘Pax! Vobiscum! Love thy neighbour! Proximum tuum! Sicut te ipsum! Whoresons!’
Reinmar of Beilawa (also called Reynevan) is caught with Adéle Stercza, the wife of a famous knight. While he is on the run, everyone who helps him urges him to forget Adéle, save himself and leave her to the mercy of her vindictive in-laws. His commitment to saving her, even after she accuses him of sorcery, leads him to a cell in the Nurrenturm, the Tower of Fools: an insane asylum or, rather, a prison for those who find themselves on the wrong side of the Inquisition. As tensions escalate between Hussite Bohemia and the Catholic countries surrounding it, and strange creatures scheme in the shadows, will Reynevan be safe anywhere, even if he manages to escape the Tower?
Chapters begin with short summaries of what will follow. Rather than spoiling anything important, these glimpses into the characters’ futures are generally very funny:
In which, after leaving the Benedictine monastery, Scharley lectures Reynevan about his existential philosophy, which can be reduced to the theory that you only need to drop your trousers and look the other way for some unkind person to have a go at you. A moment later, life confirms his arguments in every detail. Scharley is saved from trouble by somebody else the reader already knows or, rather, thinks they know.
There is a lot of untranslated Latin, what with monks chanting and characters quoting famous lines of poetry. Some of the meanings can be guessed from the context or from similarities with English words. So the book could be viewed as an opportunity to learn more Latin – or one could simply enjoy the engaging story.
Similarly, knowing a little medieval history is helpful but not essential. For instance, there are several mentions of the defenestration of Prague that would not be as amusing or dramatic to anyone who didn’t know that this was when the entire government was thrown out of a window. (I’m sure there are other such things that I’ve missed but it doesn’t detract from the story.) Just as with the Latin, the choice of how much to engage with these elements is up to the reader. If nothing else, all of this extra detail adds to the atmosphere of this magical version of the medieval world.
As with Sapkowski’s other work, it’s clear there aren’t good guys and bad guys as much as different people with different agendas. For all the self-righteous talk, nobody has entirely clean hands in this story. Scenes with the two different armies, the Catholic crusaders and the Hussite heretics, mirror each other, both in the actions they take and the reasoning they use to justify those actions: that whenever innocents are killed, God will judge and sort the wheat from the chaff in the next life.
Characters have many thought-provoking discussions on moral questions. At one point when Reynevan tries to apply moral absolutes to everything, he is advised:
‘Do you know what, Reynevan?’ For the first time, [he] manifested something like impatience. ‘Go and play chess. That will be to your taste – black here, white there and all the pieces square.’
The social commentary about the past is to be expected. Thanks to the introduction of a character from another, more spiritual realm, there’s also some delightful commentary that’s more applicable to the modern world.
With both the best and worst of human nature on display, this book is at once gritty and hilarious. While it might not exactly be light reading, it does get easier to follow as you go. For Witcher fans, it might just be a matter of adjusting.
The translation of Book 2 is due in October. I am eagerly waiting.
Andrzej Sapkowski The Tower of Fools: Book 1 of the Hussite Trilogy Gollancz 2020 PB 432pp RRP $32.99
Amelia Dudley studied plant biology and currently works as a tutor. She is the proud auntie of many nieces and nephews. In her spare time, she reads, gardens, draws, paints and doesn’t get to do enough writing.
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Amelia, thanks for a charming review.
You are correct. You really must do more writing.
Thanks for such a lovely comment, Jan. We’ve passed it on to Amelia.