Re: Tolkien. Not "Classic" high fantasy, but Victorian high fantasy - which I concede that he was born in the Victorian age, he died WELL after (1973) and wrote mostly post WW2. He framed fantasy through the lens of WW1 (he fought at Somme) and a longing for the past.
Tolkien, like Victorian writers, wrote others as caricatures of non-English. Orcs are "in fact degraded an repulsive versions of the (to Europeans) least loved Mongol-types".

The Witcher isn't based on the English Victorian ideals, being Polish ;) . Lots of people say he wrote more in a Grimm vein - i.e. Central European during the end stages of the HRE. Which makes sense as those stories were Dark.

I'm still trying to figure out what is the purpose of confusing the audience for half an hour or more before they say "oh shit, this was in the past."

Does leaving out the "30 years ago" lead the view/reader to some understanding or viewpoint that they would not have had if "30 years ago" was added?

So far i cannot conceive of any extra insight that the confusing presentation imparts. The presentation does impart an emotion that would otherwise not exist; frustration and anger.

Now if at the beginning I was told "scenes not presented in chronological order" and was told when scenes began, then I could enjoy guessing what the timing was. I've watched 6 of 8 and intend to finish because I enjoy the characters.

Time is real and matters in any story. I'll edit my post when I've finished if (or not) I come to find any merit to the surprise timeline approach.

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It doesn't really matter what Phil is saying, the music of his voice is the appropriate soundtrack for a bicycle race. HTupolev

You can hardly go wrong reading to your children--anything. Rowling, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. All great fantasy

Our son is fully grown now. A navy man. We have a rolling book reading club of two. We'll pick out a book (History) and read it together meeting online every couple chapters to discuss the author's thesis,the strength of his argument and evidence. Last couple rotations in Afghan it was the highlight of my week when we'd meet on facetime to discuss our current book reading.

We're currently embarking (a good nautical term) on Hornfishcher's "Neptune's Inferno: The US Navy at Guadalcanal"

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Steve

Interesting. I'd not thought of it in terms of "Victorian" era fantasy. Is that a real thing within the historiography of high fantasy? In the literary world? I've no idea. Historiography would indicate that authors being influenced by their current culture and times would tend to write in a certain manner. Yet you have someone like Le Guin who writes the Earthsea series (world creation high fantasy) and her's ticks backwards towards Tolkien in terms of style and content.

PS: I'd not thought of it but your point about the darkness of Sapkowski's writing being similar to Grimm fairy tale's grim (no pun) nature seem's spot on. Sapkowski is from Poland that Grimms' were from central Deutchland but I suppose both could be influenced by dark Teutonic nature.

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Steve

I finished the first Witcher book and in it, time was irrelevant because the book was a bunch of short stories. The story of Geralt invoking the law of surprise takes place, but you never hear about the child again. I think the non linear timeline was a mistake.

I don't think that is really the first Witcher book. Blood of Elves is the first book that involves the real story arc I think.

The Last Wish wasn't the first book written, but it is first chronologically.