Blood of Elves

A very well written story for a fantasy book, a qualification I unfortunately must add. I read almost exclusively fantasy books, and in regards to prose quality, there are 2 types: good prose, bad story and good story, bad prose. This one is fulfills the checklist of what I consider to be a minimum for a descent reading.

The story shows signs of tactical thinking, the plot is well planned out. The geopolitical discussions regarding kings and wars are meaningful, short and to the point. So are the fight scenes, the world building and the apprenticeship scenes. The “school apprentice” is a trope that can make me quit a book imediately, but it is well executed here. Ciri's learning period as a witcher and latter as a sorceress has a good amount of character focus rather then on the day to day activities which I find dreadful.

The plot itself is nothing exceptional, but the the characters take the front seat by being well fleshed out and with distinct personalities.

Geralt is the most boring one because he is so simple, but he does have a Conan like quality of the brute that talks little, understands nothing but kicks ass when needed. For him life is about duty, and his mission is to kill monsters for a living.

He is not a knight in shining armor, but a magically and genetically mutated monster slayer mercenary on drugs. He uses his brutal training, forced physical mutations and magical elixirs to overcome his foes. He has no emotions, and has no use for concepts such as morality. Or at least that's what everybody thinks. And so does he, most of the time.

He does have a code of honor though, and that is good enough for him. Or used to be enough. Where once he was a lone, uncaring monster killing machine, now he has friends he cares about. And the things their friends care slowly starts to sip in to him, making him care about those things too. Or almost care, it is not clear yet what he believes in. Wars come and go, people will always kill each other. It is not his business to interfere.

Dandilion plays perfectly his role of the unlikely friend. He is the opposite of Geralt, he talks a lot, is wise in knowledge but has no fighting skills. Life for him is about pleasure, and his mission is to exercise his skills as a bard and poet to create beauty in the world, and in turn, to indulge in everything beautiful the world has to offer.

In spite of his demeanor of a care free bon vivant, his loyalty to Geralt is unyielding.

Triss Merigold is a powerful sorceress and Geralt's former lover. She is strong willed and just might be the only person in the world capable of bossing around the witchers of Kaer Morhen. She is loving and caring towards others. She dislikes the witchers indifference to the rest of the world, as she herself is willing to give her life for the sake of others, and even to disobey her superiors in the council of magic.

Ciri is the focus of the story, and the most colorful character in the book. Her personality shines throughout the story. She is the one that came to challenge Geralt's life long belief that he lives somewhat apart from this world, unmoving to the pain of others unless it involves a monster and a payment. Destiny has put them together, no matter how much he tried to deny his fate. And Ciri is his fate.

He takes her along to the witchers training grounds fortress and she begins her first apprenticeship as one of their own. He does not put her through the more harsh challenges and forced mutations a witcher has to endure though. The only reason given for this is that they are uncertain of how the girl's innate and mysterious powers will interact with their usual magical herbs and trials routine.

That's where Triss Merigold comes in. She has proven to be their friend in the past, and someone they can trust with Ciri's secret. Maybe she can figure it out just what her strange power is.

After Triss arrives, even if the witchers did plan to make Ciri into a fully fledged witcher, Triss would not allowed it, as it is very cruel to submit any child to the sort of procedures that makes a witcher. That and the fact that they never used their mutagens on a girl before.

Triss's beauty, imposing presence and protectiveness makes Ciri to immediately become attached to her.

Yennefer comes in a little late to the party. She is Geralt's current love affair, although they aren't on speaking terms for quite some time. At the suggestion of Triss, she is entrusted to care for Ciri's instruction in the ways of magic, to keep her safe and to find out just what kind of power she has. She and Triss are very good friends, having fought and nearly dying together

Triss is hoping that Yennefer's greater knowledge of the magical arts can help to figure it out the source of Ciri's mysterious predictions and nightmares. She is stern in her teachings, acts like a cold hearted and bossy bitch. Ciri didn't liked her at first. But in time, their master apprentice master relationship evolves into a beautiful friendship, the lengths of which are still to be developed in the book series.

Yennefer and Geralts are basically Ciri's adoptive parents, an informal arrangement brought by need that suits all three of them very nicely.