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Review
"Sapkowski's world, and the sense of depth, is reminiscent of Middle Earth. And while he includes all the traditional fantasy characters you would expect, Sapkowski also manages to revitalize the genre with energetic and compelling writing. A breath of fresh air in a well-worn genre. Don't miss it!" (DREAMWATCH TOTAL SCI FI )
"The character interplay is complex, unsentimental and anchored in brutal shared history. All bodes well for twisty plotting in future volumes." (Nic Clarke SFX ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"The character interplay is complex, unsentimental and anchored in brutal shared history. All bodes well for twisty plotting in future volumes." (Nic Clarke SFX ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
Geralt, the witcher of Riva, is back - and this time he holds the fate of the whole land in his hands . . .
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed the first book, The Last Wish, and its interesting take on old fairy and folk tales and I enjoyed this second one even more as I felt the writing style was more mature (the first book degenerated into silliness on occasion). I just have one problem. To me there appears to be a book missing, there seem to be many events referred to, particularly about Ciri, in passing as if they had appeared in an earlier novel. Also there is nothing about the period Geralt and Yennefer spent together, again referred to merely in passing. I cannot honestly see the first and third books of a series being published without the second so what is the problem? Bad writing? Translation difficulties? I avoid translations as a rule as it is incredibly difficult to translate a fantasy novel into another language as no two languages totally correlate (or even closely correlate in some cases) and books of any kind always seem to lose something in translation to another language.
I did notice another reviewer mentioned that there is a book of short stories by the author which includes stories pertinent to the series which has not been translated into English but this method should only be used after a series is completed to maybe give extra information for fans and expand on the main story. I certainly would not expect to have to buy a set of short stories to fill in important information missing from the main series. So, I have to assume that the chunk of time completely omitted from Blood of Elves (ie from when Geralt leaves Cintra having secured his child surprise to after when Ciri is found by Geralt) is deliberate. It does not however make for good storytelling. Either leave the unmentioned period a blank (mentions of Ciri's travels after escaping Cintra just make the reader want to read about them in more detail) or give a proper description, or even synopsis, of events. I have noticed large periods of time missing in fantasies before but this is generally because the missing period has no real relation to the current book. Ciri's travels (and the Geralt/Yennefer relationship) to me are crucial to the formation of the characters and should have been given more than a brief mention.
Still, the one good point for some readers about the missing information is that Blood of Elves can easily be read without necessarily having read The Last Wish first. I actually read Blood of Elves thinking it was a standalone and ordered The Last Wish from the library, when I began to read I realised I had already read The Last Wish some time earlier! I do read a lot of books (6 a week on average and have been known to forget I've read them on occasion) but that just proves the lack of continuity between the first book and the second.
I did notice another reviewer mentioned that there is a book of short stories by the author which includes stories pertinent to the series which has not been translated into English but this method should only be used after a series is completed to maybe give extra information for fans and expand on the main story. I certainly would not expect to have to buy a set of short stories to fill in important information missing from the main series. So, I have to assume that the chunk of time completely omitted from Blood of Elves (ie from when Geralt leaves Cintra having secured his child surprise to after when Ciri is found by Geralt) is deliberate. It does not however make for good storytelling. Either leave the unmentioned period a blank (mentions of Ciri's travels after escaping Cintra just make the reader want to read about them in more detail) or give a proper description, or even synopsis, of events. I have noticed large periods of time missing in fantasies before but this is generally because the missing period has no real relation to the current book. Ciri's travels (and the Geralt/Yennefer relationship) to me are crucial to the formation of the characters and should have been given more than a brief mention.
Still, the one good point for some readers about the missing information is that Blood of Elves can easily be read without necessarily having read The Last Wish first. I actually read Blood of Elves thinking it was a standalone and ordered The Last Wish from the library, when I began to read I realised I had already read The Last Wish some time earlier! I do read a lot of books (6 a week on average and have been known to forget I've read them on occasion) but that just proves the lack of continuity between the first book and the second.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In comparison to "The Last Wish" compilation this seem's to be a bit more of a mixed bag, which is odd given that it's a novel. That's not to say that it's a bad read. It's well worth a look, all the elements that made "The Last Wish" such a good read are still to be found in places, but after the high expectations that "The Last Wish" set it's a bit of a let down.
The narrative is disjointed with characters and sub-plots jumping in and out of the mix at will. More interestingly Geralt is absent for extended periods, which is not necessarily a bad thing but many of the characters that replace him (while still far better than the average fantasy template) don't stir much empathy. As I found myself reaching the last chapter I had to wonder "Is that it?"
The narrative is disjointed with characters and sub-plots jumping in and out of the mix at will. More interestingly Geralt is absent for extended periods, which is not necessarily a bad thing but many of the characters that replace him (while still far better than the average fantasy template) don't stir much empathy. As I found myself reaching the last chapter I had to wonder "Is that it?"
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The first book was a slightly different view of the usual fantasy stereotypes with a few original pieces and made for a riveting read.
Was pleasantly surprised that the author has continued the cracking pace and scene setting that marked the first book. Big holes all over the place in the plot and the characters but they got me thinking ( and trying to fill them in in my head...) and hoping that they're worked on in the next book(s)
Was pleasantly surprised that the author has continued the cracking pace and scene setting that marked the first book. Big holes all over the place in the plot and the characters but they got me thinking ( and trying to fill them in in my head...) and hoping that they're worked on in the next book(s)
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
THE OTHER HALF OF THE WITCHERS' SKY
I am going to go against the current here but I actually enjoyed this third collection of the Witcher stories better than the first book, The Last Wish. Read more
Published 9 months ago by NeuroSplicer
The witcher series - more translations please
I have come very recently to this series of books... through the RPG game and i am very new to playing those as well... Read more
Published 10 months ago by morganblackcrow
Excellent fantasy book.Masterpiece.
Awesome book from Sapkowski!It is a continuation of the story presented in The Last Wish.Unlike all other fantasy books one has ever read, this one successfully blends medieval... Read more
Published 18 months ago by FireBladed
Ok but forgettable.
An ok read.
This is a fairly simple fantasy.
It is well written but doesn't contain any originality, the story of an orphan child with mysterious powers and a... Read more
This is a fairly simple fantasy.
It is well written but doesn't contain any originality, the story of an orphan child with mysterious powers and a... Read more
Published 19 months ago by plot hound
Nice beginning
Again, as with The Last Wish, having played the game The Witcher on my PC probably helped with the locations and the people. Read more
Published on 21 April 2010 by R. Court
A poorly-planned disappointment in the wake of the glorious 'The Last...
Gollancz are not generally known for their marketing booboos, but in the case of 'Blood of Elves' it would appear that a potentially hugely successful fantasy franchise has been... Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2010 by Mark Quire
Strong characters, little action
After a selection of short stories which introduced this fantasy setting (The Last Wish) Sapkowski pens a full length novel with the witcher Geralt as one of the main protagonists. Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2010 by Mr. G. Battle
Entertaining but highly dissapointing
A much hyped book, anticipated by many. Reading the Polosih readers' reviews, one is lead to think that this books would equal the best fantasy bokks out there. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by C. Hauvre
Beginning of the wildest of rides...
Dear All. Please, do listen to all the simpletons that did not like the book.. its just no for everyone as fighting monsters and doing heroic battles is not the paramount issue. Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2009 by Ender Porto
Long winded and boring
I just couldn't get into this book, it just seemed to go on and on without ever starting.. Didn't like the concept or the writing style.. Not for me..
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by Mr. Shane Kennedy
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