Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Blood of Elves (Saga o Wiedźminie #3)

4.26 of 5 stars 4.26 · rating details · 5,314 ratings · 148 reviews

Watch for the signs! What signs these shall be, I say unto you: first the earth will flow with the blood of Aen Seidhe, the Blood of Elves...

For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over, and now the races are fighting once again. The only good elf, it seems, is a dead elf.

Gera...more

Paperback, 398 pages

Published May 1st 2009 by Orbit (first published 1994)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Books You Plan to read 2013

25th out of 259 books — 49 voters

Books Deserving A Movie/T.V. Series

10th out of 25 books — 31 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 31, 2013 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-finish, skimmed

I "feel" (note the use of the word "feel" rather than "think") I should (have) like(ed) this book better. The plot sounds very interesting. The girl Ciri, child of promise and prophecy (yes a common motif in fantasy and folklore) who was promised to the Witcher before she was born. (Evil faeries and so on used to claim that promise). The story of her "education", training, change and all the people around who want to protect or use her.

But I just found the book a sort of yawner. It opens with a...more

like 3 likes · see review

Jan 05, 2009 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: wiedzmin-witchman, polish

First volume of Witchman saga. Witchmen are members of secret society and earn their living by killing monsters. Candidates for witchmen are trained in martial arts and their bodies are changed deeply by magical liquids to prepare them to fight with monsters. Many candidates die during it - if the candidate survives, he becomes infertile, sometimes an albino and often his face is deformed.

Geralt of Rivia takes care of Ciri, the Litlle Lion of Cintra. He discovers that she is the Source - the pe...more

like 1 like · see review

May 21, 2009 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009_release_read, genre-fantasy, read_2009, t2_recommended_2009

After the dark Yellow Eyes, I needed a lighter book and Blood of Elves is just the one; it took me a while and some fast browsing to get into it since Mr. Sapkowski' style (or the translation) is quirky, but then i started fully enjoying it and went back from the beggining as well as starting again Last Wish which thoroughly underwhelmed me on publication last year, probably;y because I did not have patience to get accustomed to it.

The series should be a great one, gotta dust my rusty Spanish s...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Ev rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Am I the only one annoyed by the fact that Sapkowski keeps throwing in the titles of his works in his characters' conversations? Like this book is called "The elven blood" and so everyone here keeps talking just about that and mentioning it every other moment. Really natural, huh?

ALSO CIRI IS RETARDED. Well, I think I can still remember how it was to be 12. Harry Potter was facing Voldemort the second time and killing basilisks and Lyra (from His Dark Materials trilogy) went off by herself to sa...more

like 1 like · see review

Oct 10, 2011 Vladimir Vasquez rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Vladimir by: Guillermo Moreno

La sangre de los elfos de Andrzej Sapkowski nos muestra un estilo muy distinto al que nos tenía acostumbrados en los libros anteriores, si bien los capítulos continúan siendo un tanto episódicos, la verdad es que la prosa de Sapkowski ha cambiado totalmente en este libro, saltos en el tiempo, diferentes grupos de personaje en un solo capítulo, historias pequeñas que se enhebran en historias mayores, etc.

Curiosamente me da la impresión que en este libro es donde Geralt de Rivia "El Brujo" aparec...more La sangre de los elfos de Andrzej Sapkowski nos muestra un estilo muy distinto al que nos tenía acostumbrados en los libros anteriores, si bien los capítulos continúan siendo un tanto episódicos, la verdad es que la prosa de Sapkowski ha cambiado totalmente en este libro, saltos en el tiempo, diferentes grupos de personaje en un solo capítulo, historias pequeñas que se enhebran en historias mayores, etc.

Curiosamente me da la impresión que en este libro es donde Geralt de Rivia "El Brujo" aparece menos. No estoy diciendo que no aparezca, pero a diferencia de los libros anteriores en donde las historias estaban marcadamente centradas alrededor del Rivio, me sorprendió ver que en esta novela, el "personaje central" queda bastante de lado.
Pero no afecta para nada la calidad de la historia, los personajes de Andrzej, están muy bien definidos, me sorprende la habilidad que tiene para crear conversaciones entretenidas.

Hay un pasaje, en donde hay un grupo de reyes que están tramando los destinos de sus varios países, y se aclaran tantos detalles con esa sencilla conversación, al mismo tiempo tan natural como interesante. Me recordó a Jack Vance con sus largas conversaciones y personajes tan bien educados y al mismo tiempo tan malditos.

Pero allí donde Vance se esmera y se destaca en largas descripciones ambientales, Sapkowski prefiere ahorrarse esas líneas y se centra en pequeños detallas significativos, que si bien carecen de la rimbombancia de un Vance, quizá le dan mas libertad a la imaginación del lector.

Pero hay algo que me intriga mucho y es que leí, que en algunos países, me parece que incluso en Polonia, no se editaron los libros de cuentos, o se editó solo el primer libro de cuentos El último deseo pero no editaron La espada del destino o los editaron después de la salida de La Sangre de los Elfos, pero hay tantas cosas que no se entenderían bien de ese modo, me parece toda una locura, hay tantos personajes que se profundizan en La Espada del Destino, que me parece que muchos lectores se perderían.

En fin que es un libro magnífico, entretenido, que se lee rápido, aunque Geralt sale menos y por lo tanto también hay menos acción. Pero estoy seguro que es tan solo un abre boca de lo que me espera en Tiempo de odio.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Oct 09, 2011 Abigail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: second-half-2011, sequals, own

I jumped right into this after reading "The Last Wish" expecting something similar in terms of pacing and structure. Instead this picked up a dangling thread from one of the short stories in the previous book and wove an epic fantasy.

I did feel that I needed a map to keep all of the little countries and their relations to each other, and maybe even a diagram with all the rulers and their relations to each other, but the important ones were easy enough to follow.

To me it felt like Ciri was real...more

like 4 likes · see review

Mar 10, 2011 sabisteb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: buch, fantasy

Geralt aus Riva hat Ciri, die Enkeling von Calanthe, der Löwin von Cintra, gefunden und gerettet. Er nimmt sie mit sich nach Cer Mohen und erzieht sie als Hexerin, nur ohne die Mutation durchzuführen, denn dieses Wissen ist verloren gegangen. Ciri lernt mit dem Schwert umzugehen, zu kämpfen, Körperbeherrschung, alles was ein Hexer braucht, nur ist sie kein Hexer, sie ist ein Mädchen und schon bald eine Frau. Die Hexer sehen sich vor einem Problem. Jahrhundertelang haben sie Jungen ausgebildet, a...more

like · see review

Jun 30, 2009 Aubrey marked it as to-read

From "The Guardian":

Gemmell prize for fantasy goes to Polish novel, Blood of Elves

The David Gemmell Legend prize, established in honour of the later author to lend dignity to the fantasy genre, is awarded to Andrzej Sapkowski's bestselling tale of dwarves, elves, gnomes and humans

A book prize that is intended to restore fantasy to its proper place in the literary pantheon has been won by a bestselling Polish author who is little-known in the UK.

Andrzej Sapkowski outsells Stephen King in Poland,...more From "The Guardian":

Gemmell prize for fantasy goes to Polish novel, Blood of Elves

The David Gemmell Legend prize, established in honour of the later author to lend dignity to the fantasy genre, is awarded to Andrzej Sapkowski's bestselling tale of dwarves, elves, gnomes and humans

A book prize that is intended to restore fantasy to its proper place in the literary pantheon has been won by a bestselling Polish author who is little-known in the UK.

Andrzej Sapkowski outsells Stephen King in Poland, but his fantasy novels, set in a world where the races of dwarves, elves, gnomes and humans are on the verge of war with each other, have only recently been translated into English. His novel Blood of Elves, which follows the story of the mutant assassin Geralt the Witcher, was this evening awarded the David Gemmell Legend prize for fantasy, which was set up by a group of authors in honour of the late David Gemmell, and intended to celebrate "fantasy with a capital F".

Over 10,000 fans from 75 countries voted in the prize, with Sapkowski eventually emerging triumphant from a shortlist of five authors. He wins a battle axe - named Snaga - that featured in Gemmell's fiction, with the runners-up - Joe Abercrombie, Juliet Marillier, Brandon Sanderson and Brent Weeks - all presented with a miniature version of the axe.

"Our winning author is already a huge star in Europe and winning the award will hopefully ensure new readers experience his work in the excellent English translation from Gollancz," said Deborah J Miller, award administrator and author of the Last Clansman and Swarmthief series. "Genre fantasy is often dismissed as being simply gung-ho or macho, as people outside genre circles tend to imagine it's all about epic battles, weapons and warriors – in fact, it is all of those things and so much more. Contemporary fantasy fiction is about far more than escape to other realities. Freed of the constraints and preconceptions of other kinds of fiction, it holds up a mirror to reflect on this world and time through the prism of vivid characters and enthralling drama that engage the imagination like no other genre."

The international scope of the award's voting demonstrates "how fantasy resonates in people's lives and transcends cultural differences", she added. "Not many other genres could claim the same empathic appeal."
(less)

like 2 likes · see review

Dec 15, 2010 Henry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Decent but unexciting fantasy novel. It is kind of in the middle of the series even though it is the first novel—receding it is a collection of short stories contained in The Last Wish— so the character interactions seem a bit odd. It also doesn't really have an ending, just stops at what would seem like a chapter break and I would assume is picked up in the next book. I don't think I will be reading the rest, but that is much more because I don't read much and have a lot I would rather make it...more

like · see review

Oct 12, 2012 Michele (Mikecas) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ebook, heroic-fantasy

Da: http://www.webalice.it/michele.castel... Come avevo detto nel mio invito alla lettura de La Spada del Destino, la seconda raccolta di racconti dopo Il Guardiano degli Innocenti dedicati allo strigo Geralt di Rivia, gli ultimi due racconti rappresentavano la reale introduzione alla saga vera e propria, che inizia con questo Il Sangue degli Elfi. La differenza rispetto ai volumi precedenti � netta, anche se siamo molto distanti da un buon romanzo. Perlomeno stiamo parlando di un romanzo, di un...more Da: http://www.webalice.it/michele.castel... Come avevo detto nel mio invito alla lettura de La Spada del Destino, la seconda raccolta di racconti dopo Il Guardiano degli Innocenti dedicati allo strigo Geralt di Rivia, gli ultimi due racconti rappresentavano la reale introduzione alla saga vera e propria, che inizia con questo Il Sangue degli Elfi. La differenza rispetto ai volumi precedenti � netta, anche se siamo molto distanti da un buon romanzo. Perlomeno stiamo parlando di un romanzo, di una storia unica, con i diversi episodi connessi logicamente e temporalmente. Anche lo stile di scrittura � leggermente migliorato, sempre eccellente nelle scene d'azione, incomincia ad essere credibile anche nelle parti di introspezione dei personaggi, forse perch� ora c'� un obiettivo ben preciso da raggiungere. Il Punto di Vista continua ad essere un poco ballerino nelle scene di dialoghi con pi� di due personaggi, e il Narratore Onnisciente fa capolino fin troppo spesso, anche quando sarebbe meglio evitarlo. Un po' a sorpresa, quello che alla fine mi � apparso il punto pi� debole di questo romanzo � invece proprio la storia, il contenuto narrativo. Scarno e debole pi� di quanto ci sarebbe da aspettarsi da quello che � s� il primo capitolo di una saga, ma che era stato preparato da molti racconti precedenti. In pi� di 300 pagine succede veramente poco, oltre all'introduzione all'addestramento di Ciri sia alle arti strighe che a quelle magiche. Ma cosa sia in realt� Ciri, e cosa rappresenti per il conflitto in atto, non se ne sa ancora niente. Onestamente per il primo libro di una saga � veramente poco. Se poi si considera che per chi non ha letto le raccolte di racconti precedenti l'impatto con questo romanzo dovrebbe essere il primo contatto con la saga, la carenza narrativa, di presentazione dei personaggi, di illustrazione dell'ambiente diventa ancora pi� evidente. Anche l'aspetto di intrigo politico � molto confuso, e la confusione � aumentata dai nomi di stati e di re difficili da memorizzare, difficili da distinguere uno dall'altro, anche perch� di loro se ne parla spesso, ma non se ne d� mai, o quasi, una descrizione che lasci qualche segno nella memoria del lettore. La mancanza di una mappa rende poi ogni descrizione di regni, di difese comuni, di possibilit� e/o difficolt� di attacchi e difese, del tutto incomprensibile. E non ci voleva poi troppo a produrla.(less)

like · see review

Apr 15, 2013 Nofuture rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: analogova-kniha, fantasy, zaklinac

Začiatok románovej pentalógie a koniec príjemných a veselých chvíľ. Čakajú nás kýble beznádeje, bolesti, hnevu a znechutenia a to vsetko v piatich knihách. Toto je prvá z nich.

Všetko sa to rozbieha pomaly. Ciri (Geraltov osud) denne usilovne cvičí, aby sa z nej stal dobrý zaklínač. V iných častiach sveta to zatiaľ vrie, schyľuje sa k vojne a všetky možné záujmové skupiny by rady získali Ciri. Niektorí by sa s ňou oženili a získali tak nárok na trón, niektorí by ju najradšej zniesli zo sveta aleb...more

like · see review

Feb 24, 2012 I love books rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ormai conosciamo bene lo strigo Geralt di Rivia: cresciuto a Kaern Morhen e addestrato all'uso delle armi, Geralt offre la sua spada a chiunque abbia bisogno di aiuto per liberarsi di un mostro. Ma in qualcosa Geralt è diverso dagli altri "mutanti": le sue emozione non sono state soffocart e cancellate dalle pozioni e dalle erbe degli strighi, e per questo motivo Geralt non può essere considerato un vero e proprio assassino senza scrupoli. Questi sentimenti si rafforzano nel momento in cui Ciri,...more Ormai conosciamo bene lo strigo Geralt di Rivia: cresciuto a Kaern Morhen e addestrato all'uso delle armi, Geralt offre la sua spada a chiunque abbia bisogno di aiuto per liberarsi di un mostro. Ma in qualcosa Geralt è diverso dagli altri "mutanti": le sue emozione non sono state soffocart e cancellate dalle pozioni e dalle erbe degli strighi, e per questo motivo Geralt non può essere considerato un vero e proprio assassino senza scrupoli. Questi sentimenti si rafforzano nel momento in cui Ciri, la Leoncina di Cintra, entra a far parte della vita dello strigo: la piccola, dopo la morte della regina Calanthe nell'assedio di Cintra e dopo aver vagato per diverso tempo per le campagne, è stata raccolta dallo strigo e portata a Kaern Mohern. Ma Ciri non è un'orfanella qualsiasi, è la Bambina Sorpresa, destinata allo strigo già da prima della sua nascita; è anche l'unica rimasta ad avere diritto al trono di Cintra, cosa che la rende molto scomoda agli occhi degli altri sovrani. Come se ciò non bastasse, Ciri è anche una Fonte; con l'aiuto di Yennefer, Triss Merigold e Ranuncolo, Geralt cercherà di proteggere da bambina dalle varie parti coinvolte nel complesso e letale gioco della politica..

Aspettavo questo romanzo con grande trepidazione, le avventure di Geralt mi hanno conquistata già dalla prima pagina de Il guardiano degli innocenti; trovo la figura dello strigo davvero intrigante, così avvolta in un alone di mistero che in certi momenti sembra dissiparsi, per poi tornare impenetrabile. Amo il suo carattere all'apparenza un pò burbero, la sua volontà di ferro e il suo profondo rispetto per la vita. Credo che sia uno dei personaggi che preferisco in assoluto.

In questo libro si nota una sostanziale differenza rispetto alle prime due antologie: abbandonati infatti i racconti brevi a volte anche slegati tra loro, Sapkowski si cimenta in un romanzo che non ha nulla da invidiare (a mio avviso, non vorrei scatenare chissà quali polemiche) a Tolkien o Brooks.

La vera protagonista in realtà è Ciri, tutto ruota intorno a lei e sebbene Geralt abbia un ruolo fondamentale nella sua vita non lo si può considerare la figura centrale del libro; troviamo purtroppo poco Ranuncolo, mentre viene approfondita la conoscenza di Yennefer e Triss, due maghe incredibilmente diverse ma legate dall'amore per Geralt. Molto interessante la descrizione dell'addestramento cui vengono sottoposti gli aspiranti strighi e anche Ciri, confesso che mi piacerebbe molto leggere una sorta di prequel per vivere l'infanzia di Geralt e la sua mutazione.

Lo consiglio vivamente a chi abbia apprezzato i primi due libri di questo autore e a chiunque sia alla ricerca di un fantasy "puro", non rimarrete delusi :)(less)

like · see review

Nov 12, 2009 Voressima added it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2009

I didn't like this book by Sapkowski as much as the previous one, but that was a collection of short stories rather than a proper novel like this one. I guess I was in the mood to read stories about Geralt (the witcher)'s encounters with strange and dangerous mythical beings, but instead I ended up reading a serious novel about politics and war, intrigue and destiny. Didn't help that it had an open ending (apparently it's part of a series), and that I continuously had the distinct feeling there...more

like 1 like · see review

Jul 17, 2010 Joy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of fantasy, magic, those who want something refreshing

Recommended to Joy by: Toshi-kun

Shelves: fantasy-magic, public-reads, ebooks

This was a rather laid back novel full of trouble brewing, wars in the making, and the introduction of Ciri, the Child Surprise, Geralt's and the other witchers' destiny.

For those who haven't read the prequel:

In "The Last Wish", there's a story where Geralt was invitied to an event by Queen Calanthe, the Lioness of Cintra and he was asked to disguise himself. The cunning witcher knew at once there's something afoot until there's a commotion, a knight who refuses to reveal his face, (turns out it...more This was a rather laid back novel full of trouble brewing, wars in the making, and the introduction of Ciri, the Child Surprise, Geralt's and the other witchers' destiny.

For those who haven't read the prequel:

In "The Last Wish", there's a story where Geralt was invitied to an event by Queen Calanthe, the Lioness of Cintra and he was asked to disguise himself. The cunning witcher knew at once there's something afoot until there's a commotion, a knight who refuses to reveal his face, (turns out it was hideous because of a curse) claims the hand of Pavetta, the princess. The Law of Surprise was explained: Calanthe's husband was saved by this knight, and he demanded something the king has at home, but wasn't aware of, to which the king blindly agreed to out of gratitude. The king wasn't aware Calanthe was already expecting therefore, it was the child the knight claimed, and he was very strategic about it.

The same law applied to Geralt when the knight asked him his price. He also asked for the same - that after six years, he would come back and claim that which the knight has but doesn't know yet. The story in "The Last Wish" ended with the Princess Pavetta blushing, because she's already with child.

That child is Ciri, and Geralt found her alive after the fall of Cintra, took her the Wtichers' keep and trained her to be one of them. Now those are the parts I liked best - Ciri's training. It's really interesting how she honed her skills and amusing when Triss Merigold stepped in.

I don't know how many lovers Geralt had, but I know with the author's hints, that he and Yennefer belong together. I can't help it I'm female. No matter how much bloodshed, war, and fights there are, I'm glad there's still some hint of complicated love between them, but they never meet in this book.

I hated the part where Geralt screwed Shani, the med student, men would always be men I guess, and he just needs a distraction. I'm obviously pro-Yennefer, I liked her from the start, and I liked her even more when she trained Ciri.

It's amazing how the humor is still there whenever Dandilion is around, there's more to him than the lecherous bard, he's a really good friend to Geralt, and I was touched when Yennefer thanked him for keeping Geralt company. I hope I could get my hands on the next books because this first book just leaves everything hanging for me, and I think that's how the author meant it.

I have to admit I didn't give this 5 stars because I was bored with the long talks of the kings and wizards from the Chapter. I hope to see more action next time.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Apr 30, 2012 Alcuin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A fine sequel to the Last Wish, Young Ciri is an engaging character and I find myself rooting for her to complete her studies and become an Enchantress AND a Witcher. And of course, Geralt is a deliciously loose cannon throughout, the sort of agent of chaos every mediaeval empire needs (not that the setting of the Last Wish and The Blood of Elves IS as mediaeval as it appears at first glance.

like 1 like · see review

May 12, 2013 Yune rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This was rather disappointing after the prequel collection of short stories, which I found better paced and more interesting in its presentation of shaded morality and a veritable bestiary of monsters (who also didn't fit easily on a black and white scale).

It's mostly preoccupied with Ciri, a firstborn princess who was promised to Geralt the Witcher in payment for his services (Witchers are equally skilled with the sword and in dealing with magical threats). He rescues her from the ruins of her...more This was rather disappointing after the prequel collection of short stories, which I found better paced and more interesting in its presentation of shaded morality and a veritable bestiary of monsters (who also didn't fit easily on a black and white scale).

It's mostly preoccupied with Ciri, a firstborn princess who was promised to Geralt the Witcher in payment for his services (Witchers are equally skilled with the sword and in dealing with magical threats). He rescues her from the ruins of her kingdom and brings her to the Witcher stronghold, where she undergoes the standard training. At times this was amusing -- there was an entire scene written in dialogue between her and one of her instructors as she struggles to master the martial arts, but where I could perfectly envision what was happening. Other times Ciri became annoying -- she's an adolescent girl, after all, in dire circumstances she's not entirely aware of, and whining is natural but grating. I have hopes she'll grow more compelling with maturity. Or that we get more of Geralt.

What concerned me was that other key characters didn't hold near as much depth as did some of the "monsters" who appeared for only a handful of pages in the previous book. I have a vague sense of a single strong characteristic for each of Geralt's fellow witchers, and the sorceresses who take charge of Ciri's education for a while felt remarkably shallow for such powerful women.

Meanwhile, there are hints of some great and shadowy threat from the land of Nilfgaard, but nothing overt enough to actually stir up definitive action. It's more frustrating to watch build up than anything else, and the way the book ends without really even introducing a solid problem makes it a purely introductory novel -- almost just one big prologue. And intrigue on the scale of empires is really not what drew me into this world in the first place. Where's all the cool witcher combat? The creatures pulled out of myth and horror? The uncertainty of what is actually the right course of action?

I'm still a big fan of Geralt, and I'll be reading the next in the series, but color me wary unless Sapkowski manages to up the stakes a fair bit. Meanwhile, I've discovered there's another collection of short stories that hasn't gotten translated into English yet, and which may actually be necessary to read in order to understand this book, so I may try to dig up more information on that.(less)

like · see review

Aug 15, 2009 Wilfred Berkhof rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Now I'm very familiar with the middle book syndrom where not a lot of action takes place, but Blood of Elves certainly takes this to new heights of 'nothing much happening'.

Now I've read that there's actually a second book of short stories (just like The Last Wish) that goes before Blood of Elves. Strangely enough Gollancz decided to publish Blood of Elves and get to the second book with short stories later (it's a 5 book series in total).

Now I like the whole setup for the story and the world bu...more

like · see review

Jan 19, 2010 Doug Hyche rated it 4 of 5 stars

Refreshingly enough, this novel was very dissimilar to the prequel - The Last Wish. Rather than just a collection of short stories about the Witcher, Geralt de Rivia, and his exploits to defeat evil creatures and counteract curses, this novel focuses on Ciri, a child of destiny, and her intertwined relationships with the Witcher and a host of other characters against the backdrop of war and political intrigue.

This broad sweeping story was a much more enjoyable read for me for a variety of reaso...more

like · see review

Sep 11, 2012 Dusty rated it 3 of 5 stars

Quality, light fantasy here, but I didn't like it as much as Sword of Destiny or Last Wish. According to the cover this is Blood of Elves, "starring the Witcher." It feels more like he has a minor supporting role or like this is a spin-off focusing more on Ciri. It needs a lot more of Geralt. It's also very much a piece of a larger story. It feels like it cuts off at the end just as it gets going. Also, from reading a little more about the Witcher saga, it looks like there is still a lot of cont...more

like · see review

May 30, 2012 Rhiannon Taylor rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Okay, I had mixed feelings about this book. It’s been knocking around on my shelves for almost six years now. I’d attempted to read it twice before, but stopped around page four or five. Mostly, it was because the beginning was nothing like The Last Wish, which I’d read previously, finished, and very much enjoyed. Now, since I’m playing The Witcher 2, I decided to tackle Blood of Elves and actually finish it. And I did, after a great deal of patience.

Around halfway through, I was sucked in and w...more

like · see review

Dec 28, 2012 Robert Negut rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Though this time it's presented as a proper book, the structure still has something of a short story feel to it, jumping to certain largely self-contained scenes and playing them out. They're connected and it creates a story from them, but it's not quite right and there's still little actual world building, despite the author giving the impression that he really knows what he's going for.
That said, it does manage to touch upon a fair number of important issues and contains brilliant moments. Oft...more

like · see review

Aug 26, 2011 Colin Barnett rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked it a lot, it was considerably different from The Last Wish. Although I prefered The Last Wish much more, this was still a good read for me. There were a couple issues I had with the book, the first thing was feeling like I was missing something almost from the get go, even after reading The Last Wish, I now realize this is because there is another book of short stories that happens before (which I would totally love to read). The other issue I had was how little it actually focussed on G...more

like · see review

May 08, 2012 R.S. rated it 2 of 5 stars

I know this novel takes place after the events in the short story collection, but still, Blood of Elves was just plain boring. For being a famed monster hunter, Geralt does very little monster slaying. Plus nothing really happens. Ciri gets some magician training. Dandilion gets an assignment. Triss wants in Geralt's pants. That's about it. I wasn't too keen on the author's writing style (I know this book was translated into English from Polish) as there were huge sections of just dialogue with...more

like 1 like · see review

May 04, 2013 Cristofer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Even better than The Last Wish. Unlike the aforementioned book, this one *is* a complete novel with a real story line, rather than a collection of short stories given as flashbacks. And like the first book, this one is still great despite translation. I do find myself wondering how much was lost in translation, though.

Good character development for a few of the characters, though some were left lacking; mostly those who were developed in the first book. Original storyline and great ideas; I can...more

like · see review

Oct 26, 2011 Jean-Marc rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

C'est mon livre préféré a travers toute la série (jusqu'a saga 5). Les deux partis que j'ai beaucoup apprécié est que on apprend beaucoup plus sur les sacrifices impliqués pour devenir un sorceleur (ou une magicienne). C'est la vieille histoire d'etre pres a donné son ame pour devenir puissant, mais en meme temps on est transformé pas toujours vers le mieux.

La parti moins bonne est qu'il y a de tres grand conflits dans l'histoire et on sens que l'on se dirige vers une grande guerre (qui arrive d...more

like · see review

Feb 05, 2013 Jay Szpirs rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Sapkowski's prose remains concise and crisp in translation. Description is sometimes lacking...by the novel's end, I'm still not sure what Geralt looks like beyond the white hair, sword, and buckled boots. Even moreso than other genre novels (GoT, for example...) this story is incomplete and supplies hardly a shadow of resolution; however, it assembles an unconventional cast of characters in a rich, captivating setting, while setting a complex and intriguing plot into motion. Action sequences ar...more

like · see review

Mar 07, 2013 Melinda rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was simply awesome! Did not go as I expected it but I really liked it, it was funny and made me laugh and facepalm so there is centrainly humor in it - which is good! I wanted to continue reading it after I read the last sentence so I really hope there is a third book out there and if there isn't I hope there will be soon. I really recommend the book, if you have read the frist one you have to read the second one as well of course. I was suprised that there really was so much hate on elves in...more

like · see review

Nov 01, 2012 Luca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A worthy successor to Sapkowski's The Last Wish, continuing the story of the Witcher and the troubled times he lived in. The flow of the novel is pretty weird at first, considering the fact that it's much more of an ensemble piece than the Geralt-centric video games would have you believe.

Sapkowski's writing is witty and down-to-earth as usual, with the odd awkwardness in translating text from a Slavic language.

I knocked a star off for the very weird pacing issue that is the final chapter where...more

like · see review

Jan 17, 2011 Claudiu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Claudiu by: Noarev

If you're a new comer to this author's work (haven't previously read 'The last wish') then this book should prove a nice surprise.

What I've enjoyed about this book most must have been how magic was portrayed and how, for the first time since I've started reading fantasy, there is a glimpse into the real work that is required to master magic. It felt real most of all and that I've enjoyed. Too bad only a relative small part of the book had been dedicated to the subject.

Another thing that I enjoy...more

like · see review

Aug 29, 2012 Basia rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

I like Ciri and Triss, but other characters I find really annoying. Especially Geralt and Yennefer.
The plot is fine: witches, fights and magic, but the whole book is made of 6 chapters and they consist of small parts that are divided completely unnecessarily.
The other thing that really bothered me is the constant repeating of the same phrases like " blood of the elves" or that someone's face turned red or Ciri being really childish screaming all the time. And it's not just written that she scre...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (35)

More editions...

Genres

Fantasy

94 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

12 users

European Literature > Polish Literature

11 users

Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

11 users

Fantasy > Magic

10 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

8 users

Speculative Fiction

8 users

Adventure

6 users

Fantasy > Dark Fantasy

6 users

Novels

5 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Andrzej Sapkowski

Andrzej Sapkowski, born June 21, 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. Sapkowski studied economics, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior sales representative for a foreign trade company. His first short story, The Witcher (Wiedźmin), was published in Fantastyka, Poland's leading fantasy literary magazine, in 1986 and was enormously successful both with readers and critics....more Andrzej Sapkowski, born June 21, 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. Sapkowski studied economics, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior sales representative for a foreign trade company. His first short story, The Witcher (Wiedźmin), was published in Fantastyka, Poland's leading fantasy literary magazine, in 1986 and was enormously successful both with readers and critics. Sapkowski has created a cycle of tales based on the world of The Witcher, comprising three collections of short stories and five novels. This cycle and his many other works have made him one of the best-known fantasy authors in Poland in the 1990s.

The main character of The Witcher (alternative translation: The Hexer) is Geralt, a mutant assassin who has been trained since childhood to hunt down and destroy monsters. Geralt exists in an ambiguous moral universe, yet manages to maintain his own coherent code of ethics. At the same time cynical and noble, Geralt has been compared to Raymond Chandler's signature character Philip Marlowe. The world in which these adventures take place is heavily influenced by Slavic mythology.

Sapkowski has won five Zajdel Awards, including three for short stories "Mniejsze zło" (Lesser Evil) (1990), "Miecz przeznaczenia" (Sword of Destiny) (1992) and "W leju po bombie" (In a Bomb Crater) (1993), and two for the novels "Krew elfów" (Blood of Elves) (1994) and "Narrenturm" (2002). He also won the Spanish Ignotus Award, best anthology, for The Last Wish in 2003, and for "Muzykanci" (The Musicians), best foreign short story, same year.

In 1997, Sapkowski won the prestigious Polityka's Passport award, which is awarded annually to artists who have strong prospects for international success.

In 2001, a Television Series based on the Witcher cycle was released in Poland and internationally, entitled Wiedźmin (The Hexer). A film by the same title was compiled from excerpts of the television series but both have been critical and box office failures.

Sapkowski's books have been translated into Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, and Portuguese. An English translation of The Last Wish short story collection was published by Gollancz in 2007.

The Polish game publisher, CD Projekt, created a role-playing PC game based on this universe, called The Witcher, which was released in October 2007. There is also a mobile version of the game which has been created by Breakpoint Games and is being published by Hands-On Mobile in Western Europe,Latin America and Asia Pacific.

The English translation of Sapkowski's novel Blood of Elves won the David Gemmell Legends Award in 2009.(less)

More about Andrzej Sapkowski...

Books by Andrzej Sapkowski

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Krew elfów

1 trivia question

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Blood of Elves

“Lepiej zaliczać się do niektórych niż do wszystkich.” — 15 people liked it

“Zwyczajem wszystkich szpicli świata unikali patrzenia w oczy i jak wszyscy szpicle świata mieli pospolite i wyblakłe gęby, którym usilnie starali się nadać mądry wyraz, dzięki czemu przypominali umysłowo chore małpy.” — 5 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Blood of Elves
avg rating	preview: Blood of Elves Goodreads rating: 4.26 (5314 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6043781-blood-of-elves?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344269645l/6043781.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6043781-blood-of-elves?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski[/url]

Blood of Elves (Saga o Wiedźminie #3)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website