Enter The Witcher. This first novel of Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher series is a must read after the first two short story collections. Fianlly giving us the long form Witcher tale the short stories have set us up for and drawing us into the thick of Geralt's life.
From the blurb;
'The Witcher holds the fate of the world in his hands.
'For over a century, humans, dwarves, gnomes, and elves have lived together in relative peace. But now the races are fighting once more - killing their own kind and each other.
'As the threat of war hangs over the land, Geralt of Rivia, must protect the child of prophecy, Ciri, from those who are hunting her for the extraordinary power she holds. A power that could save the world - or destory it. This time, Geralt may have met his match.'
Transitioning between characters viewpoints and narration throughout the novel, Blood Of Elves, provides a broad world view and keeps readers on their toes as Geralt hides Ciri from the world that longs to control her.
Pressed into the role of protector and father figure a softer side to The Witcher emerges in this fast paced high fantasy read, and the risk is higher than ever.
While for those who have seen the live action verison of the books on Netflix much of this first entry into the series will be familure, however Netflix has failed to capture a lot of the nuance and delicate world building that Sapkowski is expert in, making this novel an intence and engageing read for those who have seen the live action Netflix adaption as much as for those who have not.
A returning cast of favourate characters from the short stories bouys this novel, and brings with it some comic releife scattered throughout the tense chapters of the story. Blood of Elves stands as a captivating introduction to the series that will leave readers wanting more.
While the world is going to war on itself we are left to wonder whether Geralt can keep his promise to protect Ciri, or if her destiny is one even the great White Wolf cannot fight.
We give Bloof Of Elves four stars,
ISBN - 978-1-473-23107-8 Cover Price - £9.99 Firts published in Great Britain in 2008 by Gollancz an imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd.