Blood of Elves

By: Andrzej Sapkowski

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

Geralt of Rivia, the cunning assassin known as The Witcher, has been waiting for the birth of a prophesied child. This child has the power to change the world - for good, or for evil.

As the threat of war hangs over the land and the child is hunted for her extraordinary powers, it will become Geralt's responsibility to protect them all - and the Witcher never accepts defeat.

Following The Last Wish, Blood of Elves is the new novel starring Geralt of Rivia, the inspiration for the critically acclaimed videogame The Witcher.

©2015 Andrzej Sapkowski (P)2015 Hachette Audio

A great start to a Promising Series

Let me start by saying that Blood of Elves is technically not the start of the series. From what I have found out and read is that The Last Wish, wich is on Audible and Sword of Destiny, wich is not on Audible preceed this novel. Both are short story collections, neither directly impacts the story, but they provide background information on the characters in the series. They are not necessary to read in my opinion, but they do help a bit. Now to the novel, it is very well written with skillful prose and a decent plot. Because this is the first novel in the series, the plot is still being fleshed out so not that much significant happens, but that does not make the novel boring. The pace is steady and the characters are very well developed. The author does something rather unique wich I appreciated very much. Large sections of the novel are strictly dialogue between the characters with almost no description. Therefor, it is as if the reader is sitting in a different room from the speakers, and can here the conversation between them. I found it refreshing and enjoyable. Finally, the narrator does a fantastic job with both differentiation of characters and portraying their emotions correctly. Overall, I enjoyed this book very much and I look forward to the next one being put on Audible.

45 of 47 people found this review helpful

Wonderful, enhanced my enjoyment of the game!

I actually played the first two games on the X-box before my boyfriend informed that the games were based on books. I was so excited! I was familiar with the characters which helped, but I recommend listening/reading to The Last Wish (also on Audible) and Sword of Destiny before this book. They are prequels of short stories that introduces the characters, and explains events that are just assumed you know about in the first novel. The first book just jumps right in and I spend the first 25% of the book a little confused before I knew about the prequels.

That being said, this book/series is excellent, well written with engaging and likable characters. It's hard to separate the first book from the series, since they all flow together and since I played all three games witch also has some spoilers. But I will say, that Mr. Sapkowski does high fantasy really well. While the "prophesied child" is par on course for high fantasy, Sapkowski gives it a few new twists. The child is female and is actually a supporting character, not the main one. This is just one example, the author takes old ideas and makes them seem fresh and exciting.

Peter Kenny is the perfect choice for narrator. This is the first book I heard him narrate but he has excellent voice control. I even enjoyed his female voices, which tends to be my biggest complaint with male narrators.

13 of 13 people found this review helpful

Loved the games but loved the books much more!

A must listen/read for fans of the fantasy genre. I only wish I had discovered them before now.

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

World immersion & character training

I'm writing this review having read this and the next two books in the series, currently reading the fourth.

If you haven't read the previous short story collection you'll be fine but be warned this is not a action pack, high stakes thriller. This is a very slow, character driven tale where the enjoyment is taken from world building escapism. The author spares no expense in his descriptions and details creating a vibrant world and characters, at the expense of pacing. I'm not saying it's boring but if you're use to modern western fantasy stories, you may not enjoy the slow pace.

The first book reads as a training montage. The witcher Geralt brings the orphaned princess Ciri to the witcher's and is trained in the art of combat. Many jokes prevail as a female sorceress arrives and has to explain to the group of male warriors the particulars of female 'issues'. Without giving much away the story advances to magical training.

There is no particular incident or scene that stands out, and there isn't a concluding ending. The story essentially stops expecting you to pick up the next one in the series.

I recommend reading the first two short story collection first to get a feel of the writing style and pacing. If you enjoy those, like character driven stories that have a slow pace, immersing you in the world then give it a try. Remember if you want a satisfying ending you'll have to commit to the next few books as well.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Great read!

It was flawless through and through. Still have the paper book on my shelf been neglected for a year. Finished in 3 days on here

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

great story and reading

narrator uses great emphasis and tone sounded just like I imagined. lived it and will definitely get the next

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Good.

It was really good. I was expecting a little more action seeing as how they made a game out of it. Haven't played the game at all but looking forward to the next chapter of this book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

awesome story and voice acting

Love this series and the reader does a great job with his voice acting. overall good book., only the onky reason I gave it 4 stars was the story was a little slower than the last few,.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

AWESOME great narrator!

I love the video games and wanted to experience even more of the story. It didn't disappoint. Also the narrator is one of the best I've ever heard!

The worst part about the book is the lack of Geralt chopping people's heads off and killing monsters. It surprisingly lacks a lot of action because much of the plot focuses around Ciri and her development, and the political moves going on in the realms.

Still the narrator is excellent and reads in a way the captures the imagination and the story is exciting enough to maintain your interest.

11 of 14 people found this review helpful

Excellent first novel in a series!

It's not the best Witcher novel, but it introduces the world and those important within it admirably. If you've never read a Witcher story before, read "The Last Wish" first; it is, in my opinion, a more rewarding, shorter read that, if enjoyed, should wet your appetite for what "Blood of Elves" provides. Be warned, however, this is a much quieter read more concerned with world- and character-building than action and suspense, and the ending is not an ending at all but more of a lead into the next in the series, "A Time of Contempt." Patience required! Still, a wonderful read filled with memorable characters that left me wanting to see what will happen next. Highly recommended!

10 of 13 people found this review helpful