Krew elfów
Encyclopedia
Blood of Elves is the first novel in the Witcher Saga written by Polish
fantasy writer
Andrzej Sapkowski
, first published in Poland in 1994 (English translation has been published in late 2008). It's a sequel to the Witcher short stories collected in the books The Last Wish
and Miecz przeznaczenia (A Sword of Destiny) and is followed by Czas pogardy (The Time of Contempt). It was published in Czech Republic
(Leonardo, 1995), Russia
(AST, 1996), Spain
(Bibliopolis, 2003), Lithuania
(Eridanas, 2006), Germany
(Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2008) the United Kingdom
(Gollancz, 2008) and most recently in the United States
(Orbit, 2009).
Krew elfów was the winner of the Polish Janusz A. Zajdel Award
for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel in 1994. In 2009 the book won the David Gemmell Legend Award in the United Kingdom.
In 2011, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
gave US President Barack Obama
diplomatic presents, as is custom, on his visit to Poland. One of these was a signed copy of Blood of Elves.
blood in her veins.
The girl is protected by Geralt of Rivia
, a witcher - a magically and genetically mutated monster slayer for hire, and also a man whose destiny is bound with that of Ciri. Aided by several others including the famous bard Dandilion and a powerful sorceress named Yennefer, Geralt quickly learns of a man named Rience who is hunting Ciri relentlessly, aided by some powerful and influential allies.
As she learns the ways of both a witcher and a magic user, Ciri and those around her begin to realise that almost everybody wishes to either use her for her mysterious power or kill her so that such a power cannot become wielded by others.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
fantasy writer
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski
Andrzej Sapkowski, born 21 June 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his best-selling book series The Witcher.-Biography:...
, first published in Poland in 1994 (English translation has been published in late 2008). It's a sequel to the Witcher short stories collected in the books The Last Wish
The Last Wish (book)
The Last Wish is one of the two collections of short stories , preceding the main Witcher Saga, written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The first Polish edition was published in 1993, the first English edition in 2007...
and Miecz przeznaczenia (A Sword of Destiny) and is followed by Czas pogardy (The Time of Contempt). It was published in Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
(Leonardo, 1995), Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(AST, 1996), Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(Bibliopolis, 2003), Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
(Eridanas, 2006), Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 2008) the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(Gollancz, 2008) and most recently in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(Orbit, 2009).
Krew elfów was the winner of the Polish Janusz A. Zajdel Award
Janusz A. Zajdel Award
The Janusz A. Zajdel Award , often called just Zajdel,is the annual award given by the Polish science fiction and fantasy fandom for the best stories published in the previous year...
for Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Novel in 1994. In 2009 the book won the David Gemmell Legend Award in the United Kingdom.
In 2011, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk
Donald Tusk
Donald Franciszek Tusk is a Polish politician who has been Prime Minister of Poland since 2007. He was a co-founder and is chairman of the Civic Platform party....
gave US President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
diplomatic presents, as is custom, on his visit to Poland. One of these was a signed copy of Blood of Elves.
Plot summary
The Empire of Nilfgaard attacks and overwhelms the Kingdom of Cintra. Queen Calanthe of Cintra commits suicide and her granddaughter, Cirilla, called Ciri, or "Lion Cub of Cintra" somehow flees from the burning capital city. Emhyr var Emreis, Emperor of Nilfgaard, sends his spies to find her. He knows that this young girl has great importance, not only because of her royal blood, but also because of her magical potential and elvenElf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
blood in her veins.
The girl is protected by Geralt of Rivia
Geralt of Rivia
Geralt of Rivia is a fictional character and protagonist of The Witcher series by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski, as well as its adaptations.-Fictional biography:...
, a witcher - a magically and genetically mutated monster slayer for hire, and also a man whose destiny is bound with that of Ciri. Aided by several others including the famous bard Dandilion and a powerful sorceress named Yennefer, Geralt quickly learns of a man named Rience who is hunting Ciri relentlessly, aided by some powerful and influential allies.
As she learns the ways of both a witcher and a magic user, Ciri and those around her begin to realise that almost everybody wishes to either use her for her mysterious power or kill her so that such a power cannot become wielded by others.
Translations
- Czech (Leonardo, 1995)
- Bulgarian (InfoDAR/ИнфоДАР 2008) ISBN 9789547613324
- English
- UK (Gollancz, 16 October 2008) ISBN 0575083182
- US (Orbit, April 28, 2009)
- German (Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag, 1 November 2008) ISBN 3423247002
- Lithuanian (Eridanas, 2006)
- Russian (AST, 1996)
- Spanish (Bibliópolis, 2003)
- Swedish (2011)
External links
- Krew elfów on Witcher Wiki
- Nic Clarke, The 2009 David Gemmell Legend Award Shortlist, Part Two
- Blood of Elves review in Fantasy Fan
- Review in Total Sci-Fi
- Review in Dark Wolf's Fantasy Reviews