Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Blood of Elves (The Witcher, #1)” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

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

Open Preview

Blood of Elves

(The Witcher #1)

Andrzej Sapkowski,

Danusia Stok (Translator)

4.10 · Rating details · 159,530 ratings · 8,690 reviews

The New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher.
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.

Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as ...more

Get A Copy

Mass Market Paperback, 398 pages

Published May 1st 2009 by Hachette Book Group (first published 1994)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

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

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Blood of Elves, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz

Best Polish Books

559 books — 506 voters

J.R.R. Tolkien 4-Book Boxed Set by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

The Best Epic Fantasy (fiction)

3,575 books — 25,324 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.10 ·

Rating details

· 159,530 ratings · 8,690 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Blood of Elves (The Witcher, #1)

Mar 21, 2017 Joey Woolfardis rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: intriguing-but-ultimately-naff, 2017, masculine, bookshelf, myths-magic-and-mordor, polish, ce20

This review can be found on Amaranthine Reads.

Considering how well-written and quick-paced the short story prequel collection The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski was, this was ridiculously disappointing and underwhelming. We have the same characters as was to be found in The Last Wish, and we had their personalities expanded and explored further, but we had none of the excitement or fantasy that was found there.

Blood of Elves is very slow and very closed-off. We spend far too much time in one pla This review can be found on Amaranthine Reads.

Considering how well-written and quick-paced the short story prequel collection The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski was, this was ridiculously disappointing and underwhelming. We have the same characters as was to be found in The Last Wish, and we had their personalities expanded and explored further, but we had none of the excitement or fantasy that was found there.

Blood of Elves is very slow and very closed-off. We spend far too much time in one place alone, and we follow conversations at a snail's pace to the point where what they're saying is no longer important but pointless chit-chat. It takes over half the book for us to leave Geralt and Ciri, who have taken up most of the book doing pretty much nothing in one place. The narrator is supposed to be omniscient, but it feels more like first-person narrative with just one or two dips elsewhere to move the rather vague plot along.

It's such a huge disappointment because the inclusion of our own folklore and fairytales in The Last Wish was a very good idea and following Geralt as he went about the countryside tackling monsters and demons (which is the job of the Witcher) was exciting, refreshing and kept the stories moving along. In Blood of Elves we meet one monster and little else.

It is mostly full of political intrigue, none of which is that interesting, nor does it deviate from the generic fantasy trope of races warring with races, crossing borders and sacking cities. But even then, with the generic fantasy tropes, we barely even get in to them because the characters are too busy having inane conversations whilst, presumably, just standing about being targets.

There was, however, a better set of female characters in this, though it was a bit too James Bond-esque how they all seemingly dropped their knickers are the mere sight of Geralt of Rivia. If one can get past this obvious High Fantasy trope and author-projection, we see some female characters that are developed beyond their breasts, but only just.

It's a relatively fun fantasy day-out. A quick read, won't challenge you much and will give you a good dose of non-YA fantasy goodness if that's what you're looking for (it's why I gravitated toward it) but it is by no means anything brilliant or ground-breaking. I will, however, finish the series, maybe pick up the other short story collection I haven't gotten around to and possibly play the game that was inspired by it.

(It's worth pointing out that this book is the first of a series, despite GoodReads naming it the third. This book is the first full-length novel and makes up the series of full length books, with two anthologies of short stories taking up 1st and 2nd in the series.)

...more

flag 541 likes · Like · see review

Oct 31, 2018 James Tivendale rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

Blood of Elves is chronologically the 3rd entry within The Witcher saga. Whereas previously all the short stories followed Geralt of Rivia working on certain monster assassination assignments, within Blood of Elves he is one of 3 or 4 main characters that we share the minds of. For the novels, you can start here but I wouldn't recommend it. I found that I completely loved the groundwork I'd put in with the previous narratives and then hearing about the past stories mentioned of which I'd already Blood of Elves is chronologically the 3rd entry within The Witcher saga. Whereas previously all the short stories followed Geralt of Rivia working on certain monster assassination assignments, within Blood of Elves he is one of 3 or 4 main characters that we share the minds of. For the novels, you can start here but I wouldn't recommend it. I found that I completely loved the groundwork I'd put in with the previous narratives and then hearing about the past stories mentioned of which I'd already read such as recollecting thought regarding meeting the Golden Dragon and about the macabre events that happened at the downfall of Cintra. It was also an excellent feeling meeting familiar characters (often a bit too spontaneously) that we'd briefly crossed paths with within the previous books. I can't state it enough that this book is so much deeper and more enjoyable if you've read what comes beforehand. The important side characters from the recent stories are more prominent here, most notably Ciri and Yennefer. I'm gutted we don't see more of one of my favourite characters, the womanising troubadour Dandelion.

The tale starts at a safe haven underneath a giant tree where Dandelion and his apprentice tell the epic poem of Geralt. We know the stories if we've read the previous entries but the poetry and the action is accentuated for the audience and is more picturesque, beautiful, and heightened in this form. Dandelion is the finest bard in the land who causes the ladies to swoon, the lords to be jealous and the brothel owners to panic! The ensemble of all assembled then discuss what happened at the end of the depicted action. Was Geralt murdered? Did the Child of Destiny, the Princess Ciri escape? Did her and Geralt meet up as was prophecised? It's a really intriguing beginning and sets the action up expertly. Geralt is an extremely famous Witcher whose name is world-renowned. Everyone claims to know him and his exploits but he's not been witnessed in two years so how much is a mere fabrication to attract the attention of revelers in a bar on a weekend evening?

In this outing, Ciri, the child of Destiny is essentially the main character with Geralt being more of a shadowy father figure who aids her development as an upcoming Witcher although she also has magical capabilities she does not understand. He is the infamous Witcher, Yennefer is an enchantress and "will they-won't they" love interest and although not the biological child of the aforementioned she seems like a perfect mix of arguably the other two main characters.

This tale was much deeper than what had come beforehand and as I've previously mentioned I wish to read all of these before the Netflix series is released. The first 30% is mainly focused on Ciri's training at the Witcher halls of Kaer Morten under the watchful gaze of the remaining handful of Witchers but also sorceresses Triss and Yennefer who are both former love interests of Geralt. Geralt does love Ciri as a father would and their relationship is complex, loving in a lack-of-emotion way from Geralt's perspective. He's a complex character as he's been genetically mutated to be a heartless monster killer but he has extreme morals and will not take sides in any sort of debacle. One person's right is another's wrong and he shouldn't take sides and that's not what he has been manipulated for.

Honestly, there isn't too much action throughout this novel, but that's fine. This is the foundation of what will no doubt be an exceptional next five books. The main drama is caused by a fire-scarred magical-wielding individual who has an unknown vendetta against Geralt and wants Ciri. Imagine if the Queen on a chessboard was infinitely more valuable and in the eyes of the soon to be warring nations this (even though they don't know if she's alive) 12-year-old young lady has a very important part to play. Child of Destiny isn't a title that everyone is able to flaunt after all.

Blood of Elves is very conversation heavy. Sometimes, with players having similar and confusing names it does get a bit over-bearing. Often a conversation will have eight contributors but it doesn't always make it obvious who is saying what so in these scenes I found my mind bouncing around thinking... "who said that?" - "who was that to?" etc? The vibe and the point of the scene are expressed well but it's not always easy to keep a perfect picture of progression.

I loved the majority of the short stories and only a few remain weak and uninteresting in my mind. This seemed like a well constructed but quite safe progression to the novel side of things. It didn't really have an exciting finale. The only event that could be considered as such was a confrontation at the eighty percent mark and then we were gifted a Ciri training session to conclude. This series isn't perfect yet. However, I am really enjoying following this interesting and multi-layered cast. This could go on to being one of my favourite fantasy series. At this point I believe I've only witnessed the tip of the iceberg and Ciri's destiny and the Witcher's influence is amazingly intriguing. I can't wait to read the next one. ...more

flag 313 likes · Like · see review

Jan 22, 2020 Miranda Reads marked it as to-read

D*mm.

Never thought I'd see Amazon go out of stock like this... and for a book over a decade old! So cool that it's in such high demand!

But... what's not cool is the stunning lack of hardcover options.

Don't they know I'm addicted to a beautiful book jacket? ...more

flag 204 likes · Like · see review

Dec 30, 2019 Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell marked it as fantasy-wishlist

10/10 would fuck the Witcher on the back of a unicorn

Currently on sale for $2.99 for Prime Day. YISSSS

flag 177 likes · Like · see review

Oct 09, 2016 Gene rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This book signifies a sharp departure from the previous two. The first and second ones were collections of short stories mostly told from Geralt the Witcher POV. This time this is a full-length novel with multiple POVs. Actually we only see Geralt's POV in just one chapter - and a shortish one too. In my opinion the book still shows its origins in short story format as the transitions between the chapters are mostly not continuous. Instead they start with a jump in time to give a flashback to co This book signifies a sharp departure from the previous two. The first and second ones were collections of short stories mostly told from Geralt the Witcher POV. This time this is a full-length novel with multiple POVs. Actually we only see Geralt's POV in just one chapter - and a shortish one too. In my opinion the book still shows its origins in short story format as the transitions between the chapters are mostly not continuous. Instead they start with a jump in time to give a flashback to connect the events between the previous chapter and current time.

As to the plot it is quite easy to outline. The last story of the second book left Geralt stuck with - supposedly - his destiny; namely a child (not his). The poor Witcher was doing all he could and even more to prove that destiny does not exists - at least in his case, only to fail spectacularly. Coming back to destiny's child:

oops sorry, wrong picture. It turns out everybody and their brother want to find the poor kid. I mean it literally: it was easier to count the number of named characters of the novel who could not care less about Geralt's protégé than the searchers. I also need to mention some of them were so insistent they would not hesitate to leave a dead body (or ten) if somebody happened to be in their way. Now Geralt needs to provide the protection. He also wants to remain neutral in the intensifying political games and this task turns out to be practically impossible unlike disposing of hired thugs.

I have some complaints about the book. Geralt is supposed to be a monster hunter first and foremost. Well he hunted exactly one monster in here; none others bothered even to show up. There is something to be said about the evil created by humans being the biggest monster of them all, but I seriously missed a tentacled multi-headed poison-tailed chitin-armored creature waiting for its butt to be kicked by a skilled professional.
Chtulhu

Now that I finished the book, I cast my mind back and realize that not much actually happened here: a lot of talks, a lot of politics, but by the end most of the characters remained right where they started. Things were brewing, but had not come to boiling point yet.

For all the slowness the book has charm. I cannot quite put my finger on it, but somehow I was never bored reading and the read itself was quite fast. For this reason I give the higher rating than I usually do for such book: 4 stars. ...more

flag 159 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2017 ✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: blah-blah-blah-heaven, 2018, poof-gone-harem, set-sail-for-disappointment, fantasy, machalo-tbr-cleaning-challenge-2018, deadly-land-of-meh

Geralt of The Last Wish, where art thou?!

Do I need to call the puny human authorities and tell them to issue an AMBER alert? Have the obnoxious aliens abducted you again, as I suspect they did in book 2? Or is it that the Evil Russians™ are holding you hostage until I surrender my East Siberian Sea dominion? That very well could be. The Fluffy Siberian Bunnies (FSB™) can get bloody shrimping devious like that sometimes. Then again, I don't think that this is what happened here. You know what I t ...more

flag 112 likes · Like · see review

Dec 18, 2013 Markus rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lovely-ladies, 2010-2012, extraordinary-gentlemen, the-white-wolf, fantasy

"The era of the sword and axe is nigh, the era of the wolf’s blizzard. The Time of the White Chill and the White Light is nigh, the Time of Madness and the Time of Contempt: Tedd Deireádh, the Time of End. The world will die amidst frost and be reborn with the new sun. It will be reborn of the Elder Blood, of Hen Ichaer, of the seed that has been sown. A seed which will not sprout but will burst into flame. Ess’tuath esse! Thus it shall be! Watch for the signs! What signs these shall be, I sa ...more

flag 104 likes · Like · see review

Feb 09, 2022 Em Lost In Books rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2022, 4-star, translations, 1990-99

Quite different from the drama, and also much better in execution.

flag 97 likes · Like · see review

Mar 14, 2022 Sean Barrs rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 4-star-reads, darkness-horror-gothic

Blood of Elves sets the stage; it pulls back the curtain and begins to tell a story that is clearly going to develop into something quite grand.

Make no mistake this is Ciri's novel, and this is very much the start of her story. Breaking the mould of the episodic short stories of The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, which follow the adventures and monster killing contracts carried out by Geralt of Rivia, this is about the growth of Ciri and the trials she faces as she attempts to discover ex ...more

flag 85 likes · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2017 Celise rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites, fantasy-adult, owned-read

For anyone who's played The Witcher games, or anyone who has not but is interested in dark fantasy, I encourage you to consider reading The Last Wish, which is the first of The Witcher books, an anthology of short stories. Read it before this, and Sword of Destiny too. They're good, and you'll thank yourself for it later when you're not trying to decipher the backstory behind this one. The Blood of Elves is the first full-length novel in the series, and I was not disappointed. It's even made it For anyone who's played The Witcher games, or anyone who has not but is interested in dark fantasy, I encourage you to consider reading The Last Wish, which is the first of The Witcher books, an anthology of short stories. Read it before this, and Sword of Destiny too. They're good, and you'll thank yourself for it later when you're not trying to decipher the backstory behind this one. The Blood of Elves is the first full-length novel in the series, and I was not disappointed. It's even made it onto my "favourites" shelf.

The general concept is that Geralt, a Witcher created through elixirs and brutal mutilation as a child, hunts and kills monsters for pay. This volume is about the child Ciri, who we meet in the short stories of The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, and her training in both magic and witching (I don't know if that's what the Witcher craft is called but hey I used it). The other part of this is the brewing war between the Nilfgaardians and the countries on the other side of the river.

Character relationships are complex and full of history. They're so tied together by destiny, yet so emotionally stunted towards each other that at some point it's just sad. Poetic and lovely, and not pathetic enough to become angsty and melodramatic. Ciri is kind of the light in the dark, probably to her detriment. She's the one to which Triss's longing for Geralt, and Yennefer's pain over him, is actually put into words. This is the first book in which Triss appears and while I was geared up to immediately feel bitterness towards her, none of Sapkowski's characters end up deserving that. All that said, this isn't a sappy romance love-fest, and is very much story-oriented.

Sapkowski's sense of humour is exactly within my tastes too: cynical and quippy, as well as a little mean. Yennefer and Triss both have that sharp tongue that made me laugh out loud a few times, and Ciri is just comical by nature.

And here's a less reviewy part and more of a collection of my thoughts. At this point, I'm not sure if Ciri being "destined" for Geralt means she's meant to eventually be his partner, or more of a daughter, and I have not played the games to know. Also no spoilers, please. Yennefer's initial resentment towards Ciri would be justified either way, either as a woman with a past with Geralt, or as a woman unable to bear her own children. In this volume at least, Ciri is his ward, and he trains her in Kaer Morhen to be a witcher. Her early training in magic (and how to survive puberty, let's be honest) is carried out by Triss Merigold, whom I adored for being one of the only characters who just said what they were feeling, and later by Yennefer. Yennefer's interactions with Ciri were my favourite part of the book, ultimately. In my opinion, Sapkowski writes the relationships between a young girl and her older female mentors with sincerity and impressive believability.

I usually struggle with fantasy not making me truly feel things, but there's plenty of heart torture for me in these! ...more

flag 84 likes · Like · see review

May 08, 2018 Michelle Von rated it did not like it

Shelves: author-cant-write-women-for-shit, lackluster-worldbuilding, sexy-women-with-an-ugly-man-fetish, boring-mc, the-worst, the-adaptation-was-better

So yeah, I had high hopes for this series, but it was a total fail for me. I can't remember whose recommendation steered me towards this series, which is probably for the best, because only the strongest relationships could withstand the level of betrayal I feel right now.

Like, seriously, I look at all the positivity online for this series, and I just want to scream! I know everyone has different opinions, so I'd expect at least some people to like or love it, but I'm scrolling through endless 4 ...more

flag 83 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2020 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-shelf, fantasy, epic-fantasy

Maybe I'm a slave to TV after all. I watched the Witcher production before picking up any of the short stories or the novels. Even before playing the games! (And I admit I still haven't played the games.)

So obviously, my opinion is going to be somewhat SKEWED from the rest of the hoards of fans of Sapkowski. Or maybe improved. Who knows?

The fact is... I had a wonderful time reading this.

At no point did I ever feel underwhelmed, think that the pacing was off, or want to complain about the lack o ...more

flag 75 likes · Like · see review

Sep 30, 2009 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was ok

Shelves: skimmed, didn-t-finish

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

flag 72 likes · Like · see review

Apr 22, 2017 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: witcherverse

“Blood of Elves”, the third book in “The Witcher” series, is the first full length novel. I recommend reading the two short story collections first (“The Last Wish” and “The Sword of Destiny”) as they are linked together to form the background for this book. It will also give you a feel of the writing style and pacing of the whole series. This is not an action pack, high stakes thriller. This is a very slow, character driven tale where the enjoyment is taken from world-building escapism. I'm not “Blood of Elves”, the third book in “The Witcher” series, is the first full length novel. I recommend reading the two short story collections first (“The Last Wish” and “The Sword of Destiny”) as they are linked together to form the background for this book. It will also give you a feel of the writing style and pacing of the whole series. This is not an action pack, high stakes thriller. This is a very slow, character driven tale where the enjoyment is taken from world-building escapism. I'm not saying it's boring, but if you're use to modern western fantasy stories, you may not enjoy the slow pace.

Though there is plenty of Geralt to go around, you’ll realize that this is really Ciri's story. It primarily offers some insight to her childhood after she's taken in by Geralt, showing the early relationships she had with the other characters. The backdrop, of course, is a distinctly sociopolitical tragedy. It mostly sets the scene of two enemy countries, on the brink of war, and how Geralt of Rivia is stuck in the middle, with both countries and numerous independent guilds after him and those he loves. I won't spoil anything but there's a scene that speaks loudly to the futility and toll of war: that very little is gained from killing in the end.

Like the previous books, “Blood of Elves” is mostly based on dialogue -- using the characters words or thoughts to set the scene. This does, at times, make it feel a bit rushed and shallow but not enough to detract you from the story. The characters are memorable, the prose is far more sophisticated than in most fantasy, and the world Andrzej Sapkowski created is deeply compelling. I loved almost everything about it: from the sharp dialogue to the complex and multifaceted treatments of racism, sexism, colonialism and other socio-political issues that affect us in the real world. I particularly appreciated the way the book managed to operate simultaneously as serious fantasy and as a tongue-in-cheek deconstruction of the genre's tropes and cliches.

That, of course, is in part because the characters are just ridiculously good! I think Geralt is one of the most fully realized protagonists in fantasy. He's powerful, but reluctant to use his power in a way that might play into the world's terrible politics. He'd like nothing more than to opt-out completely and go about his business killing monsters for coin, but he can’t, and is inevitably dragged into affairs of war and peace. He's quiet, yet thoughtful; violent yet only hesitantly so; hard yet shows a greater capacity for empathy than anyone else in his world.
The powerful enchantresses he is romantically involved with, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Triss Merigold, are no less compelling. Any scene with Yennefer is pure gold! She's prideful, antagonistic and fierce. Yet, beneath the hard exterior -- undoubtedly caring and sympathetic--exactly the kind of complex, independent female character that male writers often have trouble writing. Her tortured relationship with Geralt is one for the ages, and works because she is his equal in every way.

“Blood of Elves” serves more as an introductory chapter to the overall story arc, and while it isn't the most exciting or plot driven story I've read -- it excels in delivering interesting, fleshed-out characters that you can't help but want to learn more about and sets the stage for the rest of the series. The ending is not an ending at all, but more of a lead into "A Time of Contempt”. Patience is required! If you ever want a more realistic approach to a fantasy world where politics of the realms have a larger impact on the world than a single character -- “The Witcher” is worth the effort. ...more

flag 67 likes · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2009 Logan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, all-time-favorites

I loved it like I knew I would. It was well worth the wait, and I can not wait until the next installment. For some reason, my wife and I were possessed by the title and now run around the house doing some ridiculous call and response thing-
Me(from downstairs, yelling black metal voice): "BLOOD OF ELVES"
Her (from upstairs, shrieking black metal voice): "BLLLLLLLLLLOOOOD OF EELLLVVVVEEES"

There are worse reactions a book can inspire. ...more

flag 64 likes · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2021 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, young-adult, fantasy, european, adult, literature, polish, adventure, epic, poland

Krew elfów = Blood of Elves (The Witcher #1), by Andrzej Sapkowski

Geralt, the witcher of Rivia, is back — and this time he holds the fate of the whole land in his hands ...

For more than a hundred years, humans, dwarves, gnomes and elves lived together in relative peace.

But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over and now the races once again fight each other and themselves: dwarves are killing their kinsmen, and elves are murdering humans and elves, at least those elves who are friendly to ...more

flag 64 likes · Like · see review

Jul 30, 2015 Edward rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, reviews

Check out my review for Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski on Grimdark Magazine here: Grimdark Magazine

Blood of Elves, the first ‘proper’ book in the tale of The Witcher, is a story of extreme training, bards songs and of course, swords. You’ll want to read this and the previous two instalments before you commence your journey into Netflix’s The Witcher.

“When you know about something it stops being a nightmare. When you know how to fight something, it stops being so threatening.”

The 3rd instal ...more

flag 60 likes · Like · see review

Nov 22, 2017 Helen rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, reviewed

Boring. After reading The Last Wish, short story prequels, I was expecting fairy tale influenced monster hunting and adventuring. What I got was endless discussions about kings and politics, who wants to marry who and who wants to take over who's country.

I didn't like the way the women were written. They all lost all sense at the sight of Geralt, falling head over heels for him for no apparent reason because he has about as much personality as a stick. And the author appears to understand nothi ...more

flag 58 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2020 Trish rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This is the first full-length novel in the Witcher universe. The previous two books, that I've read in January, were collections of short stories.

Ciri is now with Geralt and at the Witcher settlement where she is trained despite being a girl. And I celebrated her fighting windmills, carrying a sword and turning from damsel-in-distress-with-a-twist to a determined warrior-to-be who won't take shit from anyone.
The problem is that she's not just a princess whose fate is intertwined with Geralt's - This is the first full-length novel in the Witcher universe. The previous two books, that I've read in January, were collections of short stories.

Ciri is now with Geralt and at the Witcher settlement where she is trained despite being a girl. And I celebrated her fighting windmills, carrying a sword and turning from damsel-in-distress-with-a-twist to a determined warrior-to-be who won't take shit from anyone.
The problem is that she's not just a princess whose fate is intertwined with Geralt's - she has powerful magic her current companions can't teach her anything about. So the enchantress Triss is asked to help. But her power has limits so the trio soon sets out to get Ciri to a save place where she can train all of her skills while Geralt goes off wandering again.
Along the way, they encounter the political problems of this world: the races are as good as at war with one another, sometimes they even kill their own kind for being too friendly to another race.

So we get to marvel at old ruins of elven palaces and weep for the story of their demise. We witness dwarves killing each other. We're also fighting alongside Geralt and his convoy, experience first-hand the horrors of war (burnt corpses, tortured creatures, death and fire).
As a contrast, we also get to know about places such as the University of Oxenfurt that shows us a different aspect of this world that is no less important.
I was also very pleased that there weren’t only Ciri and Geralt (plus a few other players) but that we got a bit more of Yennefer as well when she became Ciri’s teacher. Yep, I really like her.
Other than that, we sadly didn’t get too many creatures (read: monsters) as Geralt had no time to follow his original profession as monster hunter since everyone and their mothers were after Ciri and he needed to keep her safe and her whereabouts secret.

There was a bit of a lull in this book from time to time. The short stories got to the point much more quickly, of course. However, we trade the snappiness of the action for beautiful worldbuilding. Some details might seem random at first but the author has strewn them about purposefully and picks up the strands later to weave a gorgeous albeit grim and dark tapestry of a world where magic and fantastical creatures still roam the earth and every breath could be your last.

In the middle of such a turmoil, the author asks important questions such as the meaning, purpose and consequence of neutrality in a conflict. Or the motivation of different factions, the complex aspects that often have to come together in just the right way to spark war. How and why some individuals are trying to prevent it. The devastating results and how to pick up the pieces afterwards.

Some elements resonated more with me than others, as is to be expected. One such element suckerpunched me right at the beginning of the book when Triss contemplated collective responsibility, guilt for something that happened long before one’s birth, and refused it. I happen to be a person supposed to accept such a collective responsibility and I, too, refuse it. Thus, there was an instant connection I hadn't expected. Just one more example of deep thoughts being implemented into an action-fantasy story.

Yes, this is fantasy. But it is SMART fantasy. Very well written in a wonderfully detailed as well as fast-paced way that has only few equals.

I sure as hell hope that the second or any subsequent seasons of the Netflix adaptation will feature this story or aspects of it at least. We've seen the motives being addressed in season one already but I definitely want to see the Witcher settlement / school (and more Witchers). ...more

flag 54 likes · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2020 Dana Ilie rated it really liked it

Recommended to Dana by: Daniel B.

Shelves: fantasy

4.5 stars

I believe I did a bad decision when I started the series with The Last Wish. May be I have to read the novels after I read all the main books. I believe I did a bad decision when I started the series with The Last Wish. May be I have to read the novels after I read all the main books. Long story short: I picked The Last Wish after I hear Daniel Greene ( my link text )on you tube that he is reading The Witcher and is so good I have to try, but I did not like the book. Most of the time we ...more

flag 59 likes · Like · see review

Apr 05, 2020 Dannii Elle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-books-read, fantastic-fabrications

This is the first full length instalment in The Witcher series, but does follow from two prequel short story collections The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny.

Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, a magically-enhanced individual paid to slaughter the beasts that prey on the humans of the land. His current task involved the transportation and ensured safety of Ciri, the child of his destiny and the individual in which his future lays. Enemies lie on every side of them, keen to either abduct Ciri for their o ...more

flag 53 likes · Like · see review

Sep 10, 2019 Holly (Holly Hearts Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is such a conflicting read because I LOVED the first half of this but I could not focus on the second half and actually got to a point where I wanted it to be over. I guess I’m just Geralt and Ciri trash and only wanted to read about them XD

flag 49 likes · Like · see review

Mar 29, 2020 Zitong Ren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, diverse, 2020, epics, action, war, adult, fantasy

My first Witcher book, and hey, it was a total success! I know that it is generally recommended to read The Last Wish first, but I don’t have that on me and going to the library or going out and buying it isn’t really an option in times like these where I am happily self-isolating. I do have the first three books of the Witcher however as some of the last few physical books I actual have at home(since I mostly rely on libraries) and have decided that I might as well binge read them. I do plan to My first Witcher book, and hey, it was a total success! I know that it is generally recommended to read The Last Wish first, but I don’t have that on me and going to the library or going out and buying it isn’t really an option in times like these where I am happily self-isolating. I do have the first three books of the Witcher however as some of the last few physical books I actual have at home(since I mostly rely on libraries) and have decided that I might as well binge read them. I do plan to get to The Last Wish eventually, which like, might be a while.

Like I said, it was a success and I did really enjoy it, however, I do also have some criticisms and other things that detail to personal preference that means that this book is a 4 star instead of 5.

One thing that I did really enjoy was all the characters and the many interactions that we saw between them. There is lots of dialogue in this book, and a lot of descriptions, which is very different for a fantasy novel, though since this is a translated work, and I don’t know anything about Polish Literature, it may be something more common in Polish works compared to English fantasy, which is basically known for having super long descriptions about everything while being slow. This book instead was honestly the opposite with minimal descriptions and a lot of dialogue, which truthfully, I didn’t mind that much, since it was written really well and some of these characters are plain awesome. Now, when I initially saw these books, I was quite surprised at how little pages it had for an Epic fantasy, but now that I have read this book and have noted that there aren’t that many descriptions, it makes a lot more sense, as most fantasy authors would have made this easily a good 600 pages.

There isn’t a map in this book, which I understand, not every author likes a map in their book, yet it also mentions lots of places geographically that I had no idea where they were in relation to the rest, yet thankfully, due to the internet, I did spend some time staring at the map Netflix made for the show, which honestly, is such a beautifully done map(if anyone’s wondering, I have not seen the Netflix adaptation).

I did like the world building in this book and at how the author gave us some background history to the current situation and hints of political intrigue as well, though there was not a lot of this. I would have liked to have learnt a bit more about each individual country and the culture behind it. We did get some decent information on Cintra and Nilfgaard, but would have liked a bit more on some of the other prominent nations in this book such as Redania or Kaedwen. I know that this is book 1 and it is very likely that we will get more worldbuilding in the near future.

It was interesting at how this book was laid out, since instead of having a direct goal or point of interest for the characters, each individual chapter was more like a short story of its own that joins to together to form the book. There are some chapters dedicated to Ciri and her training, yet there are other chapters which does not feature her at all and instead focusses on another plot line that has little relevance to her, even by the end of the book. Another thing to note about the ending is that there is no pay off at all, and largely consists of conversations and simply leads into the next book instead of the usual action packed ending of more traditional fantasies, which I found interesting as in reading a translated work, it sort of shows that different cultures have different ways I suppose in writing the same genres that I know and love, even though it is based roughly on the same ideals.

This is definitely a book that sort of highlights the transition in a way between traditional and modern fantasy, since while it features elves and dwarves, there are also lots of cooler newer aspects, the Witcher and world itself to mention some of them. I mean, overall, I thought that this was an awesome book and I can’t wait to start book to to see where my characters are off to in the uncertain times that they are in. 8/10 ...more

flag 41 likes · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2020 Elle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

After two collections of short stories, I’ve finally arrived at the first novel in The Witcher series. Though this is marked as book #1 in many places, including Goodreads, I really can’t imagine diving into this world without having some background knowledge and context for the events occurring. Whether that’s from The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, the several video games or the first season of the Netflix show, I wouldn’t recommend having Blood of Elves be your introduction to Geralt, Yennef ...more

flag 40 likes · Like · see review

Jul 25, 2019 TS Chan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Blood of Elves expands beyond the introduction of Geralt of Rivia and brings forth a different level of worldbuilding into the story in a character-driven narrative.

While this book is technically the start of the main series, I wholeheartedly recommend reading the prequel short stories in The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny first. A lot of references to past events in Blood of Elves were covered in those two books - important past events. I even found myself doing a quick read of some of those sh ...more

flag 38 likes · Like · see review

Jul 21, 2020 Lucy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

”magic is Chaos, Art and Science. It is a curse, a blessing and progress. It all depends on who uses magic, how they use it, and to what purpose. And magic is everywhere. All around us.”

I really enjoyed this as the first “official” book in the series (not including the prequel/short series). Here we follow some of our favourites from the short stories: Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer and Dandelion. This book takes place a while (a year to two years) after the massacre at Sodden Hill.

In this book we get t ...more

flag 38 likes · Like · see review

Jan 03, 2013 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it really liked it

Shelves: action-adventure, review-copy, audiobook, fantasy, magic

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/07/01/a...

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 Polish already required a bit of patience, I never really dared hope that the audiobooks would be coming too.

As of this writing t 4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.com/2015/07/01/a...

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 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 are available in audio with The Time of Contempt coming soon. 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. ...more

flag 39 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2021 Hamad rated it liked it

Shelves: 2021-reads, paperbacks, adult-books, good-covers, fantasy

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷 Support me ☕

“Mistakes,’ he said with effort, ‘are also important to me. I don’t cross them out of my life, or memory. And I never blame others for them.”

The Last Wish ★★★★
Sword of Destiny ★★★★
Blood of Elves ★★★ 1/2

My history with this series dates to a short period before the release of the first show. I read The Lats Wish then as recommended by a friend and then watched the show which I enjoyed. I have never played the video games so I don ...more

flag 36 likes · Like · see review

Sep 26, 2021 myo (myonna reads) rated it liked it · review of another edition

i love the characters so much :( just not a lot going on but i still enjoyed the book

flag 33 likes · Like · see review

Dec 28, 2019 Nils | nilsreviewsit rated it really liked it · review of another edition

‘I’m a Witcher: an artificially created mutant. I kill monsters for money. I defend children when their parents pay me to. If Nilfgaardian parents pay me, I’ll defend Nilfgaardian children. And even if the world lies in ruin - which doesn’t seem likely to me - I’ll carry on killing monsters in the ruins of this world until some monster kills me. That is my fate, my reason, my life and my attitude to the world.’
~
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski is chronologically the third book in The Witcher ‘I’m a Witcher: an artificially created mutant. I kill monsters for money. I defend children when their parents pay me to. If Nilfgaardian parents pay me, I’ll defend Nilfgaardian children. And even if the world lies in ruin - which doesn’t seem likely to me - I’ll carry on killing monsters in the ruins of this world until some monster kills me. That is my fate, my reason, my life and my attitude to the world.’
~
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski is chronologically the third book in The Witcher series, and marks an end to the short stories which were the format of the prequels, and begins our main narrative. If you haven’t read the first two prequel books, then I’d highly recommend that you begin with those, as this book makes many references to past events and characters that were featured in The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny. Part of the joy of reading this novel is discovering those connections, and seeing how certain events develop.

This book primarily centres around three main plots; the aftermath of the Nilfgaard’s invasion on Cintra, the uprising of the Scoia’tael elves, and the character, Ciri, a young child, whom Geralt of Rivia, our Witcher, took into his protection during Sword of Destiny. Throughout the first half of Blood of Elves we see Ciri training in Kaer Morhen, known as the Witcher’s Keep, a place mystical to the outside world as only a few have ever set foot inside its walls. There we see Ciri study the art of being a Witcher, whilst she builds on her agility and learns their techniques in swordplay, something which a female has never done before. The last part of the book sees Ciri in the Temple of Melitele with the enchantress, Yennefer, as she hones her ability to use magic. However, from the very beginning, it becomes apparent that there are forces out to capture, Ciri. A prophecy foretells that she is a child of Destiny, for good or ill, Ciri will change the world, and therefore there are those that seek to destroy her. It is upon Geralt to keep her alive.

I would certainly say that Blood of Elves is a character driven story, which I feel I particularly enjoyed because I was already invested in many of the characters. Ciri has lost everything, her home, her family, and all the wealth that she should have rightly possessed being the granddaughter of Calanthe, the Queen of Cintra; she’s riddled with nightmares and underneath her sassy bravado, she is very much a scared and lonely child. I found Ciri’s coming of age narrative was poignant, yet heartwarming as she struggles with her place in the world, and develops bonds with Triss Merigold, and Yennefer, who both become her mentors.

In fact these were some of my favourite chapters. I had long been anticipating meeting Triss, as I’d previously only read snippets about her. I loved the way she was assertive towards men in a time where women were sidelined, the way she took charge of Ciri’s needs as a young female, and her caring nature was like a breath of fresh air amongst a world of mostly hostile and rigid characters. Then there was Yennefer, my beloved Yennefer, who is the most twisted, and deliciously complex character that I’ve come across in a while. I seriously love any chapter that has her in it! Although our Yennefer remains her darkly humorous, cold, enigmatic self, we do see beneath her exterior; she also has a caring side, which is particularly highlighted in the brilliant last chapter where she shows an affection towards Ciri.

So, what about Geralt of Rivia? This is a question I kept asking myself throughout the book. Although I wholly enjoyed having some spotlight on the main female characters, I feel that Blood of Elves sorely lacked in its characterisation of Geralt, in fact, it was almost nonexistent. That’s not to say Geralt is absent from the narrative, he is present during a lot of scenes, and he does build a father-daughter bond with our Ciri, but we hardly get any passages from his point of view. He falls to becoming more of a background character, which I found quite disappointing. For a series that is called The Witcher, there really wasn’t enough of the Witcher. This also subsequently made the book less action packed than the prequels, as there were hardly any scenes where Geralt was slaying monsters, and I for one missed this. Where were the monsters, Sapkowski?!! I am exaggerating a little, there were at least three fantastic action scenes, that I thoroughly enjoyed; it was elves, wizards and humans that became the monsters this time around, but I was still hoping for a few fantastical beasts being killed too. I feel that had the book been longer, this could have also been included.

So, instead of an action packed narrative, this novel focuses more on political intrigue. I feel that this aspect may let the book down for many readers, as politics and warmongering can become tedious. Personally, this wasn’t the case for me. I found having a perspective from the various Kings and Queens, to see their plotting against both the Scoia’tael elves and the Nilfgaards, who have already invaded and conquered the land of Cintra, was highly fascinating. There were many occasions where I found myself reading between the lines, as many of the characters held a lot of inner deceit. Sapkowski, cleverly showed humans to be the oppressors, and the non-humans to be savagely fighting for their place in the world, rather than being dominated under human rule. I loved the way I could sense an all out war brewing, which I can’t wait to see played out in the following books, but I also can’t wait to see whose side our main characters will be on.
~
‘I state that we ought to live. Live in such a way that we don’t later have to ask for forgiveness.’
~
Overall, I think it helps that I’m madly in love with this world, and it’s characters, because despite wanting more from Geralt’s perspective, and having a lack of fantastical monsters, Blood of Elves was still a highly enjoyable read. If you’re a fan of The Witcher games, or of the newly released Netflix adaptation, then I’d entirely recommend reading this book, immediately!
...more

flag 32 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Speculative Ficti...: Witcher Challenge, Feb. 2022: Blood of Elves	17	18	Apr 10, 2022 05:54PM
Fantasy Buddy Reads: Blood of Elves (Witcher #1) [February 8, 2022]	151	147	Mar 19, 2022 02:12PM
Bibliophile Cafe ...: * The Witcher, Book #1 - Ch. 1-3 DQs	1	2	Feb 12, 2022 10:10PM
Goodreads Librari...: wrong numbers	2	334	Feb 05, 2022 08:10PM
Bibliophile Cafe ...: * February's Book Club Reading - The Witcher, Book #1 (Blood of Elves) by Andrzej Sapkowski	5	6	Feb 04, 2022 02:48AM
Goodreads Librari...: wrong page number	1	9	Sep 29, 2021 06:19PM
Books2Movies Club: The Witcher - book(s) and TV series	5	27	Apr 10, 2021 11:19AM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fantasy

9,301 users

Fiction

1,440 users

Audiobook

371 users

Fantasy > High Fantasy

337 users

European Literature > Polish Literature

275 users

Adventure

270 users

Adult

266 users

Fantasy > Magic

231 users

Fantasy > Epic Fantasy

201 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

133 users

See top shelves…

About Andrzej Sapkowski

Andrzej Sapkowski

14,134 followers

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. 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. ...more

Other books in the series

The Witcher (6 books)

Books by Andrzej Sapkowski

The Tower of the Swallow (The Witcher, #4)

More…

Articles featuring this book

Want to know which adult fantasy books are trending now with your fellow readers? We dug into the genre's current movers and shakers to see what's...

Trivia About Blood of Elves (T...

12 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Blood of Elves

“To be neutral does not mean to be indifferent or insensitive. You don't have to kill your feelings. It's enough to kill hatred within yourself.” — 315 likes

“Mistakes,’ he said with effort, ‘are also important to me. I don’t cross them out of my life, or memory. And I never blame others for them.” — 160 likes

More quotes…