Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collection
Publication
Hachette Audio (2015)
Description
Into a tumultuous time is born a child for whom the witches of the world have been waiting. Ciri, the granddaughter of Queen Calanthe, the Lioness of Cintra, has strange powers and a strange destiny, for prophecy names her the Flame, one with the power to change the world: for good, or for evil.
Media reviews
A breath of fresh air in a well-worn genre. Don’t miss it!
User reviews
LibraryThing member AlexEpstein
This book really frustrated me. It's well written, and far more ambitious than The Last Wish. But it ends in the middle of nowhere. Nothing is resolved. No story has been fully told. It's like the author went on vacation, and the publisher happened to stop by and pick up the manuscript and publish
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it. I really don't recommend picking this up until the next Witcher book comes out in August 2013. Show Less
LibraryThing member Narilka
An enjoyable read. I am looking forward to the next book which will hopefully include more of Geralt.
LibraryThing member SonicQuack
After a selection of short stories which introduced this fantasy setting (The Last Wish) Sapkowski pens a full length novel with the witcher Geralt as one of the main protagonists. Sapkowski's style takes time to develop characters, potentially at the expense of thriils and tension within the
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story. Blood of Elves is not a single volume either, finishing midpoint of a story which could span many volumes to come. The world is well described and the attention to detail is expertly narrated, never distracting from the story. Unfortunately Geralt does not hold centre stage and the story follows a handful of characters as the plot unwinds; a shame since his character has so much to offer. Although a highpoint in polish fantasy ficion, Sapkowski's work is almost bland compared to some of the giants in the genre. It's a solid read, there are far better options out there. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChristopherKellen
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski is the second book of the ‘Witcher’ series to be released in the US. The EU and several other countries have had them in various languages for years, but we’ve only started getting them since CD Projekt released their stellar RPG, The Witcher, here in the
It seems important to note that one should probably read The Last Wish, which is the first book of this series to be released in the US – and is a compilation of short stories starring Geralt of Rivia – before embarking on Blood of Elves. It’s a good idea to have a feeling for Sapkowski’s writing style (well… maybe it’s really the translator’s writing style, I’m not sure) before embarking on this novel.
Blood of Elves is exactly the kind of fantasy that I love. It takes the tired fantasy tropes, including elves, dwarves, halflings and gnomes, and actually creates a believable “medieval” style world around them. It’s very easy for the fantasy tropes to get turned into a “Dungeons-and-Dragons-style” world, where everything’s pretty okay and it all has sort of a shiny veneer on it. Sapkowski’s world, instead, is violent, brutal and very real. It has its flaws, but they are few and far between compared to the usual elf-and-dwarf fantasy.
The author is adept at describing action scenes, and his characterization is good, if not stellar. Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous Witcher, is easily the most developed of the characters. Triss Merigold and Yennefer are both strong females with individual personalities. Ciri, the young girl who Geralt takes on to train, is hotheaded and headstrong, but a real personality begins to show through by the end of the book.
The book ends somewhat abruptly, making way for the next one… and unfortunately, the next book in the series STILL has not been translated and released state-side. So, if you’re going to be disappointed that the next book isn’t immediately available, you might want to wait on this one.
Overall, this book nicely harkens back to the days of swords & sorcery in the able hands of Robert E. Howard & Karl Edward Wagner, two of my favorite authors, and two of the biggest influences for my novel, Elegy.
Final Score: 4/12 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.
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states.It seems important to note that one should probably read The Last Wish, which is the first book of this series to be released in the US – and is a compilation of short stories starring Geralt of Rivia – before embarking on Blood of Elves. It’s a good idea to have a feeling for Sapkowski’s writing style (well… maybe it’s really the translator’s writing style, I’m not sure) before embarking on this novel.
Blood of Elves is exactly the kind of fantasy that I love. It takes the tired fantasy tropes, including elves, dwarves, halflings and gnomes, and actually creates a believable “medieval” style world around them. It’s very easy for the fantasy tropes to get turned into a “Dungeons-and-Dragons-style” world, where everything’s pretty okay and it all has sort of a shiny veneer on it. Sapkowski’s world, instead, is violent, brutal and very real. It has its flaws, but they are few and far between compared to the usual elf-and-dwarf fantasy.
The author is adept at describing action scenes, and his characterization is good, if not stellar. Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous Witcher, is easily the most developed of the characters. Triss Merigold and Yennefer are both strong females with individual personalities. Ciri, the young girl who Geralt takes on to train, is hotheaded and headstrong, but a real personality begins to show through by the end of the book.
The book ends somewhat abruptly, making way for the next one… and unfortunately, the next book in the series STILL has not been translated and released state-side. So, if you’re going to be disappointed that the next book isn’t immediately available, you might want to wait on this one.
Overall, this book nicely harkens back to the days of swords & sorcery in the able hands of Robert E. Howard & Karl Edward Wagner, two of my favorite authors, and two of the biggest influences for my novel, Elegy.
Final Score: 4/12 out of 5 stars. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member kziarkow
Good read intro of a great saga.
LibraryThing member kenzen
Different than the story collections of the first two, but still very entertaining.
LibraryThing member stefferoo
I remember being thrilled when I discovered that The Witcher saga by Andrzej Sapkowski was available in audio format. As a big fan of the video games which were adapted from this series, I was of course interested in reading the books, but as waiting for the English translation from its original
As of this writing though, English versions of The Last Wish, Blood of Elves and The Time of Contempt are now available in audio. In time it would be amazing to see the entire saga get the same treatment, and not least because I think the books stand up quite well in this format. They’ve chosen a very good narrator in Peter Kenny, whose voice lends itself perfectly to telling this type of story. His performance style can be described as almost “bard-like”, which really highlights the book’s opening scene in which the charming minstrel Dandelion holds a crowd rapt by reciting the heroic exploits of the legendary Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.
As a Witcher, Geralt is part of a society of enhanced fighters and monster-slayers. Taken as children, they are subjected to intensive training and a ruthless regimen of alchemical and mutagenic compounds intended to alter their physiology and prepare them to hunt their prey. Although Witchers are meant to remain neutral in matters of politics, Geralt has taken an orphan princess named Ciri into his protection, hiding her from spies and assassins sent to find her. He believes that she is the prophesied child meant to bring great change to the world, not only because of her royal heritage but also because of the magic that flows in her veins – the blood of elves.
The narrative follows Geralt and Ciri on various adventures. The young princess, taught sword fighting and other martial arts by Geralt and other Witchers, learns about supernatural monsters and how to kill them. She also begins training in magic with the sorceress Triss Merigold. But on the way to a school were Ciri will receive a more normal education, the party encounters all kinds of obstacles, including illness, encounters with monsters, Scoia’tael ambushes, and attacks from Nilfgaardian agents. As Ciri’s magical potential becomes more powerful, Geralt realizes he will need the aid of some friends and unexpected allies in order to continue protecting and training her.
It’s important to note that while Blood of Elves is advertised as the first of the series, it is technically preceded by two short story collections in terms of chronology: The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny. It’s not really necessary to read either before tackling Blood of Elves, though it would probably help fill in a lot of the background information. The book is very heavy on world-building elements, and while Geralt is arguably the star of the series, he doesn’t appear as much as you would expect. His character is often seen through the eyes of others, or is talked about in others’ perspectives. On top of this, the switching points-of-view and various flashbacks may make this story feel confusing and disjointed. Having read The Last Wish as well as played The Witcher video games might have familiarized me with a lot of the characters and the setting because I managed to follow without getting too lost, but it might pose a challenge for readers going in blind. It’s probably worth considering The Last Wish as a starting point instead.
In spite of this, the plot was wildly entertaining. One can never be sure how much is lost in translation, but there is some humor that managed to come through. Also, the author sometimes employs an interesting storytelling style where entire scenes are almost completely made up of dialogue, and it often amazed me how much of the atmosphere and plot came through via conversation alone. Again, this is where Peter Kenny’s narration shines, because someone less skilled with differentiating voices would probably have a lot of trouble pulling off these scenes.
Sapkowski definitely has a flare for writing adventure and action, even experienced through the lens of translation. The pacing is strong, despite various breaks in the plot to focus on character development or to explain the political situation. The highlights were of course the scenes of Geralt fighting off enemies and monsters. The book does leave us hanging a bit, but this is after all the first full-length novel in the series and does spend a lot time establishing the premise and setting things up nicely for the next one, The Time of Contempt. I’ll have to seek that out very soon.
If you’re a fan of the games and can’t get enough of Geralt of Rivia, I highly recommend these books. They could also be good for fantasy readers looking for a somewhat different kind of sword and sorcery. The translation is decent, but what I was really impressed with was the way the narrator read for this audiobook. Can’t wait to experience the rest of the series.
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Polish already required a bit of patience, I never really dared hope that the audiobooks would be coming too.As of this writing though, English versions of The Last Wish, Blood of Elves and The Time of Contempt are now available in audio. In time it would be amazing to see the entire saga get the same treatment, and not least because I think the books stand up quite well in this format. They’ve chosen a very good narrator in Peter Kenny, whose voice lends itself perfectly to telling this type of story. His performance style can be described as almost “bard-like”, which really highlights the book’s opening scene in which the charming minstrel Dandelion holds a crowd rapt by reciting the heroic exploits of the legendary Witcher, Geralt of Rivia.
As a Witcher, Geralt is part of a society of enhanced fighters and monster-slayers. Taken as children, they are subjected to intensive training and a ruthless regimen of alchemical and mutagenic compounds intended to alter their physiology and prepare them to hunt their prey. Although Witchers are meant to remain neutral in matters of politics, Geralt has taken an orphan princess named Ciri into his protection, hiding her from spies and assassins sent to find her. He believes that she is the prophesied child meant to bring great change to the world, not only because of her royal heritage but also because of the magic that flows in her veins – the blood of elves.
The narrative follows Geralt and Ciri on various adventures. The young princess, taught sword fighting and other martial arts by Geralt and other Witchers, learns about supernatural monsters and how to kill them. She also begins training in magic with the sorceress Triss Merigold. But on the way to a school were Ciri will receive a more normal education, the party encounters all kinds of obstacles, including illness, encounters with monsters, Scoia’tael ambushes, and attacks from Nilfgaardian agents. As Ciri’s magical potential becomes more powerful, Geralt realizes he will need the aid of some friends and unexpected allies in order to continue protecting and training her.
It’s important to note that while Blood of Elves is advertised as the first of the series, it is technically preceded by two short story collections in terms of chronology: The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny. It’s not really necessary to read either before tackling Blood of Elves, though it would probably help fill in a lot of the background information. The book is very heavy on world-building elements, and while Geralt is arguably the star of the series, he doesn’t appear as much as you would expect. His character is often seen through the eyes of others, or is talked about in others’ perspectives. On top of this, the switching points-of-view and various flashbacks may make this story feel confusing and disjointed. Having read The Last Wish as well as played The Witcher video games might have familiarized me with a lot of the characters and the setting because I managed to follow without getting too lost, but it might pose a challenge for readers going in blind. It’s probably worth considering The Last Wish as a starting point instead.
In spite of this, the plot was wildly entertaining. One can never be sure how much is lost in translation, but there is some humor that managed to come through. Also, the author sometimes employs an interesting storytelling style where entire scenes are almost completely made up of dialogue, and it often amazed me how much of the atmosphere and plot came through via conversation alone. Again, this is where Peter Kenny’s narration shines, because someone less skilled with differentiating voices would probably have a lot of trouble pulling off these scenes.
Sapkowski definitely has a flare for writing adventure and action, even experienced through the lens of translation. The pacing is strong, despite various breaks in the plot to focus on character development or to explain the political situation. The highlights were of course the scenes of Geralt fighting off enemies and monsters. The book does leave us hanging a bit, but this is after all the first full-length novel in the series and does spend a lot time establishing the premise and setting things up nicely for the next one, The Time of Contempt. I’ll have to seek that out very soon.
If you’re a fan of the games and can’t get enough of Geralt of Rivia, I highly recommend these books. They could also be good for fantasy readers looking for a somewhat different kind of sword and sorcery. The translation is decent, but what I was really impressed with was the way the narrator read for this audiobook. Can’t wait to experience the rest of the series.
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LibraryThing member NPJacobsen
"Blood of Elves" is set in the fantasy world popularized by the Witcher video game series. Unlike many of it's counterparts, the books preceded the video games, thus this series gives a deeper perspective and understanding to the world portrayed in the games.I have enjoyed playing the video games
The book starts out in chaos - disjointed segments and memories from Ciri, the princess Cintra, whose capital had been decimated by the invading Nilfgaardians. Normally, starting a book like this isn't a problem as the gaps are filled in during the course of the novel. Not so in this book. There were questions aroused in the first chapter that were never answered to my satisfaction.. Who was the Black Knight? What did he do to Ciri? How did she end up with Geralt? Why did Geralt think she was the child prophesized to change the world, for good or evil? What is the connection between Dandilion the bard and Geralt?
Also, there is very little action in this offering. The title not withstanding, there is only one small skirmish with the elves. Instead, the book concentrates more on Ciri's training and Triss' providing her the mothers touch she so obviously is lacking, as well as the political machinations of the various factions involved. Still, I think these mundane portions had to be included for a greater overall understanding, but maybe less of these would have sufficed. Also, my copy did not have a map, which would have been especially useful when the differing factions were making their plans I had no idea where these different areas were or what factions were in close proximity of them.
And then there is Geralt. His actions did not disappoint. Possessed of uncanny fighting ability, his quiet demeanor made him seem all the more dangerous. Also, I never realized just how much of a stud he was. It seemed his mere presence would cause many a wench to drop her knickers. Triss, Yennefer, and Shani all succumb, and Ciri is also willing even though she is only 13.
Overall, only an average read in my opinion. Not enough action and too much politics. Also, the ending was so very much unsatisfying for my taste, screaming "sequel" so loud it hurt my ears. I don't mind books in a series so much, but the good ones can be read as stand alone novels if one chooses not to read the whole series. Not so with this book. With the ending and so many unanswered questions, one must definitely read further for the story to be satisfying. I don't think knowledge of the video games is critical to enjoying this novel, but familiarity with the games would certainly add to the enjoyment. I did enjoy the video games, and this book did help somewhat with the background to those games, but I felt it could have been handled much better.
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spawned by these books, and was hopeful the books would be even better. To say I was completely underwhelmed would be a massive understatement. Perhaps my expectations were set too high to ever be completely attained.The book starts out in chaos - disjointed segments and memories from Ciri, the princess Cintra, whose capital had been decimated by the invading Nilfgaardians. Normally, starting a book like this isn't a problem as the gaps are filled in during the course of the novel. Not so in this book. There were questions aroused in the first chapter that were never answered to my satisfaction.. Who was the Black Knight? What did he do to Ciri? How did she end up with Geralt? Why did Geralt think she was the child prophesized to change the world, for good or evil? What is the connection between Dandilion the bard and Geralt?
Also, there is very little action in this offering. The title not withstanding, there is only one small skirmish with the elves. Instead, the book concentrates more on Ciri's training and Triss' providing her the mothers touch she so obviously is lacking, as well as the political machinations of the various factions involved. Still, I think these mundane portions had to be included for a greater overall understanding, but maybe less of these would have sufficed. Also, my copy did not have a map, which would have been especially useful when the differing factions were making their plans I had no idea where these different areas were or what factions were in close proximity of them.
And then there is Geralt. His actions did not disappoint. Possessed of uncanny fighting ability, his quiet demeanor made him seem all the more dangerous. Also, I never realized just how much of a stud he was. It seemed his mere presence would cause many a wench to drop her knickers. Triss, Yennefer, and Shani all succumb, and Ciri is also willing even though she is only 13.
Overall, only an average read in my opinion. Not enough action and too much politics. Also, the ending was so very much unsatisfying for my taste, screaming "sequel" so loud it hurt my ears. I don't mind books in a series so much, but the good ones can be read as stand alone novels if one chooses not to read the whole series. Not so with this book. With the ending and so many unanswered questions, one must definitely read further for the story to be satisfying. I don't think knowledge of the video games is critical to enjoying this novel, but familiarity with the games would certainly add to the enjoyment. I did enjoy the video games, and this book did help somewhat with the background to those games, but I felt it could have been handled much better.
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LibraryThing member philae_02
Fantastic Fiction had listed Blood of Elves as the official first in the Witcher Series. In the book, we meet Ciri, a princess saved during a war, and brought to the safety of the Witcher Stronghold, Kaer Morhen. Being trained by Geralt, and advised by Tris Marigold, Ciri learns how to fight and be
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one with her Destiny. I love the video games, and The Final Wish, but BoE, at least to me, was a tad boring. I felt there wasn't enough action in the book. There was a lot of political backstory, and Ciri coming to terms with her Blood of Elves prophesy. I kept wondering "where are the monsters?" Maybe in the next book? Show Less
LibraryThing member Guide2
Read this after playing the Witcher 3. Glad to see that the game represented the book fairly well. As for the book, the scenes are described in a different fashion than usual, i.e. often only through the dialog and not as descriptive text. A bit unusual, but worked well in this context. Overall,
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quite enjoyable, although the ending of this volume leaves a bit to be desired. Show Less
LibraryThing member Karlstar
So... much... conversation. There are pages of this book that are 100% conversation, which would be all right if the conversation was actually useful, descriptive or productive, but many times it is just people talking. Not nearly enough description of people, places, history, events, setting,
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anything. There's also a lot of missed history, as I did not read the first book and it tells in this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member libgirl69
Lots more background with a plot line coming together following The Last Wish.
LibraryThing member jshillingford
I enjoyed the first two Witcher story collections and was eager to dive into the full novels. While interesting, this first book is really just a first act introduction. The threads of an overarching plot are introduced via a prophecy of doom (is there any other kind?) that centers on Ciri.
The
The expanded world-building kept me turning the pages, and Ciri is more engaging and developed here than the tv show. However, without Geralt, the book has very little action and the plot doesn't go beyond a general tesse.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed getting to know Ciri and Yennefer and look forward to seeing where the prphecy leads. Hopefully back to Geralt.
The
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story opens with Ciri living and training in the Witcher stronghold with Geralt. She shows untapped power, and they invite the sorceress Triss Merigold to come assess/help. Ciri is beyond her skill and recommends Geralt contact Yennefer. Come Spring, Ciri travels to Nenneke's temple and the rest of the book takes place there as she is trained by Yennefer. The expanded world-building kept me turning the pages, and Ciri is more engaging and developed here than the tv show. However, without Geralt, the book has very little action and the plot doesn't go beyond a general tesse.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed getting to know Ciri and Yennefer and look forward to seeing where the prphecy leads. Hopefully back to Geralt.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
The original source book for the PC game The Witcher.
Although Sapowiski's works were famous in poland before the copmuter game I'm not sure they'd have made the translation into english without it. I certainly wouldn't have read this without playing the game first, and as such some of my
Ciri flees and is eventually brought to the Witcher's outpost where she undergoes training to become a witcher - the first girl ever to do so. This has it's own problems and eventually the witchers decide they need female help. The only competitant women they
know are two of Geralt's ex-girlfriends. Both of whom are enchantresses, and neither is pleased to be summoned. However when Ciri starts displaying unusual magical tendencies they all become concerned about prophecies involving her and them.
All is fine so far we have introductions and world building which adequetly describes a fairly interesting if standard fantasy world, peopled with the eldest (elves) a few dwarves and a scattering of other races and halfbreeds - and the usual human problem, That being that they breed to fast, outcompete the elder races by sheer numbers if not wit intellect or strength. The narrative then starts jumping around. We follow a bard for a bit, back to Ciri displaced somewhere, Geralt doing boat duty for no reason, back to Cirir, off to some kings and all over the place with little structure or form. And then it ends.
It's a fast read, and if you are basically familiar with the fantasy tropes set against a world plunged into war fairly predicatble, although not badly written - apart from the jumping around. None of the characters have much depth which is a shame becasue there isn't that much dialog to keep you interested either. The enchanctresses are all cold and aloof, the children annoying brats and the witchers cold and efficiant. There is some attempt at moralising over both the terrorists/ freedom fighters and the proper response to dealing with them.
Apart from the exceptionally annoying cliffhanger ending it's a quick and enjoyable read, but not exceptional - although how much this is down to the translation is hard to tell. A must read for game owners, and sufficiently worthwhiel to pick up the sequel when it's going cheap, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else particularly.
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Actually this makes more sense now that I've readthe prequel - the Last Wish, which is the actual book the PC game is based on - this is more tales in the same world.
Although Sapowiski's works were famous in poland before the copmuter game I'm not sure they'd have made the translation into english without it. I certainly wouldn't have read this without playing the game first, and as such some of my
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expectations are marked by the game. Which is exclusively focused around one Geralt The Witcher, unlike the book which spends a lot of time focused on Ciri a child princess of a city now overrun by barbarians. Ciri flees and is eventually brought to the Witcher's outpost where she undergoes training to become a witcher - the first girl ever to do so. This has it's own problems and eventually the witchers decide they need female help. The only competitant women they
know are two of Geralt's ex-girlfriends. Both of whom are enchantresses, and neither is pleased to be summoned. However when Ciri starts displaying unusual magical tendencies they all become concerned about prophecies involving her and them.
All is fine so far we have introductions and world building which adequetly describes a fairly interesting if standard fantasy world, peopled with the eldest (elves) a few dwarves and a scattering of other races and halfbreeds - and the usual human problem, That being that they breed to fast, outcompete the elder races by sheer numbers if not wit intellect or strength. The narrative then starts jumping around. We follow a bard for a bit, back to Ciri displaced somewhere, Geralt doing boat duty for no reason, back to Cirir, off to some kings and all over the place with little structure or form. And then it ends.
It's a fast read, and if you are basically familiar with the fantasy tropes set against a world plunged into war fairly predicatble, although not badly written - apart from the jumping around. None of the characters have much depth which is a shame becasue there isn't that much dialog to keep you interested either. The enchanctresses are all cold and aloof, the children annoying brats and the witchers cold and efficiant. There is some attempt at moralising over both the terrorists/ freedom fighters and the proper response to dealing with them.
Apart from the exceptionally annoying cliffhanger ending it's a quick and enjoyable read, but not exceptional - although how much this is down to the translation is hard to tell. A must read for game owners, and sufficiently worthwhiel to pick up the sequel when it's going cheap, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else particularly.
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Actually this makes more sense now that I've readthe prequel - the Last Wish, which is the actual book the PC game is based on - this is more tales in the same world.
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LibraryThing member SharonMariaBidwell
From reviews, it appears the Witcher series is a little like marmite. While I found some passages in this book duller than any of the previous titles, those parts were necessary to the overall narrative. I like that these books come together with never the same pattern. A kind of tapestry of short
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stories that makes the Witcher so different. In this book we learn more of Ciri and what happened to her where the Netflix series left off. Show Less
LibraryThing member unsquare
This is the first book in the “Witcher Saga” proper. The books leading up to this one are short story collections that set up the characters and relationships while also building out the world.
The funny thing is, this book still felt a bit like several novellas stitched together, like the
Instead, it’s a series of stories about Geralt’s ward, Ciri, her early training, and the dangers she faces from the outside world. Geralt isn’t even the viewpoint character for most of the book, with Dandelion, Triss, Ciri and Yennifer all getting their turns at the helm. I like that this book kept things fairly small-scale. I’m assuming the series only builds in scope from here.
The funny thing is, this book still felt a bit like several novellas stitched together, like the
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old-fashioned fix-up novels from the golden age of sci-fi. The end result is a novel that still feels fairly episodic. It works, but it doesn’t build to much of a climax.Instead, it’s a series of stories about Geralt’s ward, Ciri, her early training, and the dangers she faces from the outside world. Geralt isn’t even the viewpoint character for most of the book, with Dandelion, Triss, Ciri and Yennifer all getting their turns at the helm. I like that this book kept things fairly small-scale. I’m assuming the series only builds in scope from here.
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LibraryThing member SGTCat
The book is mostly dialogue. It's as if the author forgot that he has to put effort into setting the scene. The last 15 pages or so read like a rough draft. If I hadn't seen the show, I probably wouldn't read the next book.
LibraryThing member TheCrow2
Is the third book of the Witcher saga a good book? You bet it is! Is it a renewal of the genre as some say? No, I don`t think so. But the first novel of the Witcher saga is a very well written, entertaining political fantasy mainly building the foundations of the following volumes.
LibraryThing member paulgtr234
I have given up on series for much less than the issues found here.
Misogyny is kind of a staple of so much the fantasy genre that I am used to trying to give the author the benefit of the doubt - "he's a very old world white male from post war Poland, how progressive can he be?" - but the writing
Oh by the way, these three get the majority of the character development that does occur in this book(keep reading it's not as contradictory as it sounds). Any other character seems to have been sourced directly from central casting's 80's S&S department... including the main character who comes here as a cardboard cutout of a Conan/Krull/Beastmaster pastiche. The author ordered a BBEG directly from an 80's Sears Roebuck Catalog castle Greyskull. Need a bungling bad-guy foil to move the plot forward (at a glacial pace)? Order up sir! Did you want him with the Snidely Whiplash(TM) moustache or the facial scar? Both?! You scamp sir, coming right up. How about a gray-beard mentor/management figure that can demonstrate to us us how edgy our main character 'good-guy-but-bad-boy' really is... ugh.
The worldbuilding is only interesting in that it is done exclusively through massive info-dumps of dialogue. Who talks in paragraphs of information like that? Maybe you have that one friend who speaks in blocks of text but there is a reason you haven't invited them over for coffee in while- think about it. Elves, dwarves, gnomes are the indigenous 'savages' -really? How incredibly post-colonial of you sir.
Also, I m pretty sure Paul Krugman would have few bones to pick with you over your slipshod economics - which I understand you have a degree in? Please give us one good reason why the Nilfgarrdians have manufacturing/mass production and powerful magic? Presumably if you have one you don't really need the other. Further, if they a kicking everyone else's asses economically... What the actual EFF are they doing doing wasting time/energy/resources on war with people who are about to become client-states to an empire? JC on a roller-skate, for a series that prides itself on politics is this dumb!
I mean... other than that I thought it was OK.
Misogyny is kind of a staple of so much the fantasy genre that I am used to trying to give the author the benefit of the doubt - "he's a very old world white male from post war Poland, how progressive can he be?" - but the writing
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is so egregiously bad in this regard.... yuck. Others have reviewed this aspect much more articulately than I have here but Ciri, Triss, and Yenefer get treated to so much of the male gaze and so little character development. Oh by the way, these three get the majority of the character development that does occur in this book(keep reading it's not as contradictory as it sounds). Any other character seems to have been sourced directly from central casting's 80's S&S department... including the main character who comes here as a cardboard cutout of a Conan/Krull/Beastmaster pastiche. The author ordered a BBEG directly from an 80's Sears Roebuck Catalog castle Greyskull. Need a bungling bad-guy foil to move the plot forward (at a glacial pace)? Order up sir! Did you want him with the Snidely Whiplash(TM) moustache or the facial scar? Both?! You scamp sir, coming right up. How about a gray-beard mentor/management figure that can demonstrate to us us how edgy our main character 'good-guy-but-bad-boy' really is... ugh.
The worldbuilding is only interesting in that it is done exclusively through massive info-dumps of dialogue. Who talks in paragraphs of information like that? Maybe you have that one friend who speaks in blocks of text but there is a reason you haven't invited them over for coffee in while- think about it. Elves, dwarves, gnomes are the indigenous 'savages' -really? How incredibly post-colonial of you sir.
Also, I m pretty sure Paul Krugman would have few bones to pick with you over your slipshod economics - which I understand you have a degree in? Please give us one good reason why the Nilfgarrdians have manufacturing/mass production and powerful magic? Presumably if you have one you don't really need the other. Further, if they a kicking everyone else's asses economically... What the actual EFF are they doing doing wasting time/energy/resources on war with people who are about to become client-states to an empire? JC on a roller-skate, for a series that prides itself on politics is this dumb!
I mean... other than that I thought it was OK.
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LibraryThing member N.W.Moors
Blood of Elves is supposed to be a novel but actually reads like a collection of stories/novellas. Some parts are pretty good like Yergen's caravan and Geralt's river trip. Others are very slow and seem out of place like Ciri and Yennefer's training. While I like seeing these characters again, the
This is the third book of Sapkowski's that I've read, and I'm still not sure whether or not I like his writing style. Maybe it's a translation problem, I don't know. I didn't expect it to be like the games or even the tv series, but I still thought I'd like the book more.
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book felt very disjointed and not interesting enough for a novel.This is the third book of Sapkowski's that I've read, and I'm still not sure whether or not I like his writing style. Maybe it's a translation problem, I don't know. I didn't expect it to be like the games or even the tv series, but I still thought I'd like the book more.
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LibraryThing member Ray_
This was a very solid start of the series, I truly enjoyed going through it and seeing how Geralt and Ciri were reunited and created their own father-daughter dynamic. I also loved seeing Ciri and Yennefer's relationship start and blossom into this beautiful mother-daughter thing.
However, I must
I do suggest for anyone considering to read this to either watch the adaptation first or read the prequels before this book.
However, I must
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say that if I went into this completely blind and didn't already have a fair understanding of the world and the story in general curtsey of the Netflix adaptation, I would've been so confused. Other than that it's a really good read and I'm really excited to move forward in the series.I do suggest for anyone considering to read this to either watch the adaptation first or read the prequels before this book.
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LibraryThing member Anniik
I’d give this book 3 1/2 stars, actually, but I can’t because goodreads won’t let me. ;) This was an interesting book. I haven’t yet read the two short story collections that come before because Amazon told me this was the first. I think I was able to follow along just fine, though. There
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were places where the language was awkward and clunky but I blame the translator for that. In parts it was slow and it tended to jump around a bit too much, and it doesn’t really END (first in a series). That said, I did enjoy it and will be reading the next one. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fiddleback_
No need to read further.
LibraryThing member mattries37315
The child is hunted because of her lineage and the power in her blood, yet she is under the protection of a man mutated to protect people from monster beasts. Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski is the first novel of The Witcher series as the titular character Geralt of Rivia looks after Ciri, the
Set in the aftermath of a war of conquest a few years before, the story sees Geralt and Ciri—a politically neutral witcher and the fugitive princess of conquered Cintra—navigate the new political order was one looks to find those looking for his ward and eliminate them while learns not only to fight but her magical potential. The novel feels like a string of Sapkowski’s short stories that at first seemed to be linked towards a narrative climax, but suddenly in the middle of the book things just get fractured into different storylines and timeframes with no narrative cohesion nor a satisfying stopping point in the arcs begun in the book. Overall Sapkowski’s action scenes and world building are very good, but the biggest fault is the randomization of narratives that are just introduced haphazardly chronologically in the flow of the book.
Blood of Elves is an okay start of The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski as it has good action scenes and background worldbuilding, but its overall structure especially in the second half of the book muddies things.
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child of destiny and heir of Cintra.Set in the aftermath of a war of conquest a few years before, the story sees Geralt and Ciri—a politically neutral witcher and the fugitive princess of conquered Cintra—navigate the new political order was one looks to find those looking for his ward and eliminate them while learns not only to fight but her magical potential. The novel feels like a string of Sapkowski’s short stories that at first seemed to be linked towards a narrative climax, but suddenly in the middle of the book things just get fractured into different storylines and timeframes with no narrative cohesion nor a satisfying stopping point in the arcs begun in the book. Overall Sapkowski’s action scenes and world building are very good, but the biggest fault is the randomization of narratives that are just introduced haphazardly chronologically in the flow of the book.
Blood of Elves is an okay start of The Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski as it has good action scenes and background worldbuilding, but its overall structure especially in the second half of the book muddies things.
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LibraryThing member 3j0hn
3.5/5 This book starts and ends pretty suddenly. It's set in a very rich world full of interesting characters, but you should o not think that since this is the first novel in the series that you can just skip the short story collections - they are the real start of this series. And to be honest
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this book reads like a its a number of linked short stories anyway. Show Less
Awards
David Gemmell Legend Award (Winner — 2009)
Nagroda SFinks (1995)
Original language
English
Original publication date
1993