I’ve recently finished Blood of Elves, the first entry in Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher Saga. Despite being the first book in the saga, Sapkowski has written three books before the events of Blood of Elves. Two of those books are a collection of short stories, while one is a stand-alone novel. Those three books, and the five books of the Witcher Saga all follow Geralt of Rivia, the eponymous Witcher. Sapkowski’s books eventually became the basis for the Witcher video games which have won broad acclaim. The most recent Witcher video game, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, has even been celebrated as one of the greatest video games of all time.
My brother is an active gamer and is a massive fan of the Witcher video games. It was his love of the games that led him to Sapkowski’s books, which he then encouraged me to read. He loaned me his copy of The Last Wish, which I massively enjoyed. The Last Wish is one of Sapkowski’s collections of short stories, a format at which he excels. Sapkowski’s works are delightfully folkloric and his style is perfect for the short story. One can well imagine telling a tale of Geralt around a campfire when the night is especially dark and fearful sounds emirate from the forest.
Having been ensured by Sapkowski in The Last Wish, I was slavering for the chance to enter into the saga proper. Admittedly, Blood of Elves does little to forward the plot of the Witcher Saga; it merely sets the stage. However, it is one of the delights of Sapkowski’s writing that he does exceptionally well with a limited plot. His characters are interesting, if a little melodramatic, but his world is endlessly diverting. Additionally, Blood of Elves is riddled with foreshadowing that compensates for the slow beginning to the series. As with most fantasy series, it will be best to judge the overarching plot of the saga, rather than nitpicking at a single book. I know I’d much rather have Sapkowski tell a wonderful story than throw in unnecessary twists to keep me engaged. A good writer can make anything interesting, and need not rely on cheap tricks to maintain the interest of his readers. I think Sapkowski is a good writer. I’m happy to read about caravan rides, long conversations, and strolls through the city because Sapkowski writes them well.
I think the most special and noteworthy characteristic of the Witcher books is their folkloric ambiance. Most fantasy books sound like poor imitations of other fantasy books. It is only the very best fantasy books that can sound authentic, akin to the sagas and epics of old. I find that those authors usually have a great love for myth and legend, and they include many sly nods to their sources of inspiration. What’s brilliant about Sapkowski’s work, is that he hasn’t gone down the same path as even the very best fantasy authors. Most of those authors were drawn to what’s known as the “high tradition”, the stories that were composed by the great bards of their time, but which would have been largely unknown to the common folk. Hesiod’s Theogony, Homer’s Illiad and Odyssey, the Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge, and Beowulf would all be considered part of the “high tradition”. They are works that would be recited by professional bards in the presence of the nobility, and would not have been well known by the laypeople. On the other side lies the “low tradition”, those stories that were known by every common laborer and nursemaid. These are the stories that have been collected in Grimm’s Fairy Tales and the Kalevala. Sapkowksi has noticeably chosen the “low tradition” as his muse. Though I’ve enjoyed the “low tradition”, I have always most admired the “high tradition” with its sweeping tales of human courage and frailty, its complex metaphors, and its inspired poetry. Sapkowski’s work has therefore been a welcome surprise. He’s demonstrated that folklore is rich soil for growing new stories and strengthened my desire to examine it further.
The Sensiahd word of the day is “scethem”, meaning “story”. Example sentence: Nes sciet scethema amcurra eth pyran. We told stories around the fire.