Blood of Elves

De: Andrzej Sapkowski

Narrado por: Peter Kenny

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

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.

A fascinating yet loosely constructed novel

If you could sum up Blood of Elves in three words, what would they be?

Epic but fun

What was one of the most memorable moments of Blood of Elves?

The training portion near the end, where you really start to get a feel for Yennefer's character

Which character – as performed by Peter Kenny – was your favorite?

Geralt, of course

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Several moments made me laugh

Any additional comments?

The book is very good, but lacks focus in some places. I felt like not much transpired over the course of 11 hours or so. Still worth reading, just be prepared to be in this for the long haul.

Awesome

it was a good story with interesting characters. It had me hooked after not even 30 min. I would definitely recommend this book.

Amazing!!!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend this audio book to a random stranger, it's that good!

What did you like best about this story?

This book gives you so much story, especially if you've already read The Last Wish and or play the video games. It ties together a lot of pieces and gives you insight into Ciri and Yennefers lives, as well as Yennefer and Triss's relationships with Geralt.

What does Peter Kenny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The way Peter Kenny reads each character is beyond! He could sniff and you'd know it was Dandelion without him saying anything else. He makes the world of The Witcher come to life, and gives meaning to every word.

Any additional comments?

I love love loved this. Favorite book so far!

Entrancing world, frustrating story

I was excited to read this book. I had just finished the first two in the Witcher series, the Last Wish and the Sword of Destiny, which were more collected short stories than novels. I had blazed through them with enthusiasm, enjoying my view of Sapkowski's world through the eyes of Geralt of Rivia.

I purchased the Blood of Elves at once, ready to again inhabit the mind of a witcher and slay monsters for coin. This did not happen. The book begins from another character's point of view, and though the events indirectly involve the witcher, he takes no part. After this we take the perspective of a different character, also depressingly not Geralt.

It doesn't get much better from there. In fact, Geralt is involved in maybe half the events of the book, and we get less than half of that from his perspective. Most of the story is told from the perspective of a 13 year old girl, who while an interesting enough character, keeps the reader always away from the heart of the action. It was not the book I was hoping for.

Still, the mythology and lore of this world are incredible, and even if the story is lacking there is much to love about this book. The characters are complex and flawed, the politics Machiavellian and nuanced, and the social dynamics realistic. While I would have much preferred a story focused on Geralt, still the most interesting of the bunch, I happily fed on the scraps of my favorite character Sapkowski saw fit to drop in the Blood of Elves. Worth the read.

Pretty Good

If you like The Witcher series this story is pretty good, though as a part of a series, the ending is rather abrupt. There are some moments where I feel Sapkowski isn't the best at writing believable female characters, but it's not bad enough that I wouldn't read more in this series. The narrator was a bit rough to listen to at first, sounding a bit like William Shatner reciting lines. Either I got used to it or he got better as he continued. He was quite good at giving each character an unique voice and accent though, so I enjoyed that.

A great start!

Though I didn't enjoy this as much as I enjoyed the prequels, this was a great start to a fantastic series. I can't wait to see what's to come! Highly recommended.

Well...I guess they can't all be gems.

Amazing performance. Mediocre story at best. Stick with The Last Wish or Sword of Destiny if you want the best of The Witcher.

Great story, interesting writing

This is a great book written in an interesting style. It 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 seriously from the book.

This book tells a story but mostly sets the scene of two enemy countries, on the brink of war, and how the Witcher Geralt of Rivia is stuck in the middle, with both countries and numerous independent guilds after him and those he loves.

Read 'The Last Wish' first, its only a book of short story about Geralt, but is a good read and provides some back story to these characters.

good, but basically just a prologue

It's good, though slower than the short stories and is basically one long build up to the rest of the series