Blood of Elves (The Witcher, #1)

Title: Blood of Elves (The Witcher, #1)

Author: Andrzej Sapkowski

Published in: 1994

Date read: 12th February 2022

Score: 4/5

Genre: Fantasy, Thriller, Supernatural

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Blood of Elves" is the first full-length novel in Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher Saga, following the short story collections. It expands the world and deepens the political and personal stakes introduced earlier, focusing heavily on Ciri and the rising tensions across the Continent.

The story picks up with Ciri, the Child of the Elder Blood and former Princess of Cintra, now in training at Kaer Morhen, the ancient stronghold of the witchers. Under the tutelage of Geralt of Rivia and the few remaining witchers (Vesemir, Lambert, Eskel, Coën), Ciri learns basic combat skills and the way of the sword. However, it quickly becomes apparent that her unique magical abilities, particularly her uncontrolled bursts of prophetic visions and immense power, cannot be handled by the witchers, as they are not sorcerers.

Recognizing the need for proper magical training and unable to ignore the political forces relentlessly pursuing her, Geralt eventually takes Ciri to the Temple of Melitele. There, she is placed under the care of Nenneke, the high priestess, and importantly, begins to receive magical instruction from Triss Merigold, a powerful sorceress and friend of Geralt.

However, Ciri's presence and her extraordinary lineage are of immense interest to various powerful factions across the Continent, particularly the expansionist Nilfgaardian Empire, led by Emperor Emhyr var Emreis, who seeks her for her royal blood and the prophecy surrounding the Elder Blood. The Northern Kingdoms, allied against Nilfgaard, also view Ciri as a strategic asset. Spies and agents from both sides are actively searching for her, often coming dangerously close.

Meanwhile, the escalating conflict between humans and non-humans (elves, dwarves, etc.) forms a crucial backdrop. Racial tensions are at an all-time high, with pogroms and massacres against non-humans becoming increasingly common. This leads to the rise of elven guerrilla groups like the Scoia'tael (Squirrels), who fight back violently, often blurring the lines between freedom fighting and terrorism.

The novel features other key characters, including Dandelion (Jaskier), Geralt's loyal bard, who inadvertently spreads information about Ciri through his songs, leading both friends and foes closer to her. Yennefer of Vengerberg, the powerful sorceress and Geralt's long-term love interest, also becomes a central figure, eventually taking Ciri under her wing to provide the advanced magical training she desperately needs.

"Blood of Elves" sets the stage for the full-scale war to come, intertwining Ciri's personal journey of discovery and control over her powers with the larger political machinations and racial conflicts that threaten to engulf the entire Continent. It firmly establishes Ciri as the central figure around whom the fate of the world may revolve.

Comments:
Brilliant book, follows on and sets up the next one. I have just been wondering, how many other fantastic stories are out there but they have just not been popularised yet because they are only produced in non-English? I hate to think that we may have completely missed this series, the TV adaptation and, of course, the games if the books had not been translated.

Books that we've read by Andrzej Sapkowski (5):
Sword of Destiny (The Witcher, #0.7) (1992), The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5) (1993), Blood of Elves (The Witcher, #1) (1994), The Time of Contempt (The Witcher, #2) (1995), Baptism of Fire (The Witcher, #3) (1996)