Light Perpetual

adventure, fantasy, historical fiction, Hussite Wars, medieval

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From Goodreads

After his adventures in The Tower of Fools and Warriors of God, Reynevan is on the run again, harried by enemies—some human, and some mystical—at every turn. These are cruel and dangerous times for a man such as Reynevan, and to survive, he must set aside his history as a peaceful healer and idealist and play the brutal role of Hussite spy as crusades sweep through Silesia and the Czech Republic, and the world around him is forever changed.

The third and final book of The Hussite Wars does not disappoint. The ending is satisfying, although heavy on history, bloodletting, and Latin. Reynevan doesn't get the happy ending he is pursuing throughout the book and it is heartbreaking and might get you teary-eyed reading that part, at about 80% of the 640 page book. By the time I finished I can read the weird names without effort and also am able to guess correctly the meaning of the easier Latin passages. 😌

The highlight for me is my favorite character, Samson Honeypot and how he left his "physical body" again reminding me of The Little Prince, or maybe he is a heavenly being who possessed the body of a halfwit monk when Reynevan performed a magic in Book 1. 

Light Perpetual has all the fantasy elements from the first 2 books - magic, shape shifter, murderous evil bishop, nonstop fighting and burning of towns and people. Joan of Arc is mentioned briefly, alchemy, a 200 year old witch, and a golem as awesome as Samson are added to the already superior fantastical characters and story.

Highly recommended.

Warriors Of God

tags: fantasy, historical fiction, Polish, religious wars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From GoodReads

WARRIORS OF GOD, the second volume of the Hussite Trilogy by Andrzej Sapkowski, author of the bestselling Witcher series, depicts the adventures of Reynevan and his friends in the years 1427 to 1428 as war erupts across Europe.

Reynevan begins by hiding away in Bohemia but soon leaves for Silesia, where he carries out dangerous, secret missions entrusted to him by the leaders of the Hussite religion. At the same time he strives to avenge the death of his brother and discover the whereabouts of his beloved. Once again pursued by multiple enemies, Reynevan is constantly getting into and out of trouble.

Sapkowski's deftly written novel delivers gripping action full of numerous twists and mysteries, seasoned with elements of magic and Sapkowski's ever-present - and occasionally bawdy - sense of humour. Fans of the Witcher will appreciate the rich panorama of this slice of the Middle Ages.

There is no shortage of dead bodies in this bloodier second volume of The Hussite Trilogy. The book has more magic, witchcraft, shapeshifting, and dark humor. Most interesting is the almost complete revelation of the true nature of my favorite character, the half-wit looking giant, Samson Honeypot.