I have to give to Sapkowski (and Spanish translator Faraldo): they know how to tell a story. Because on the first part of "Pani jeziora" (that was cut in two volumes for the Spanish edition), nothing really happens to the main story-line, we jump into the story as if we should remember every little detail and character that had come before, and, on top of that, the story jumps so much from different characters and timelines that it would be easy to get lost and tired.
So, what makes the book so compelling and makes the reader want to continue with the story? First, the characters, that ooze so much charisma that some other writers would like just a spoonful of whatever Sapkowski had for breakfast. It is not just Geralt. Even a stable boy has a personality in this book. Second, the atmosphere and mood of the story is perfect. It mixes very realistic, down-to-earth touches, situations and places with fantasy based ones, and the mix is perfectly stirred. You can have characters that sound, behave and spit like that neighbor down the street that never wanted to read a book mixing with a witcher and never finding that the suspension of disbelief fails.
The first part of "Pani jeziora" is really good, a little bit short of great, though, and sets things perfectly for the 'big' ending.
The best: the characters have charisma to spare; some situations are just plain great; the mood; the perfect way it mixes worlds; when you get used to the time jumps it works perfectly; the translation can be head-scratching with its slang and grammatical mistakes, but it's also perfect for the atmosphere and the story
The worst: nothing really happens
Alternatives: Just read the previous books in the story, or Gemmell, Tolkien, Jordan, Tanaka ("Arslan")... Options, out there there are a lot.
7.5/10
(Spanish translation by José María Faraldo)