Blood of Elves

Blood of Elves is the first novel in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher saga, but it is the third book in the series, following the short story collections The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny. Originally published in Polish in 1994, Blood of Elves was first translated into English in 2008 by Danusia Stok. This study guide uses the first trade paperback edition of that translation, published by Orbit in 2017. Several plot elements and character relationships in Blood of Elves inspired the second season of Netflix’s The Witcher series, starring Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia, Anya Chalotra as Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Freya Allen as Cirilla (Ciri).

The novel is deeply invested in themes of Monstrosity, Identity and Belonging, Family Relationships, and Racial Tensions between Humans and Nonhumans. These thematic elements, as well as the presence of magic and a medieval-inspired setting, place the novel firmly in the fantasy genre; however, Sapkowski upturns some of the genre’s most common tropes, expanding the bounds of traditional fantasy.

Content Warning: This guide contains references to torture, wartime violence, and genocide/ethnic cleansing.