Rose Reviews: Blood of Elves
And we're back.
First off - Awesome book. I really liked it. If you want to read it without spoilers, Go Buy It Now. It's, like 7 bucks on Amazon. Go now.
Okay, there is no way to talk about this one without Spoilers, so I'm not even going to bother with a spoiler tag. Everything after this point is going to be wall to wall spoilers. You have been warned.
Anyway, back in my Last Wish review, I briefly mentioned Geralt ending up with a "Surprise" Child - he did a job breaking a curse and asked for the Princess's first born child as payment. Because Geralt successfully guessed that the mother was pregnant, the child is destined to be his.
Which brings us to "today" - the beginning of Blood of Elves. We start with Dandelion telling the tale of Geralt rescuing Ciri, aka Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, aka the Surprise Child, from Nilfguardian invaders - and specifically from a Black Knight. After the tale, various individuals argue about whether or not the story is true. This leads to some world background and Dandelion being hauled off by a mysterious Wizard to be tortured for information on said Princess.
It turns out that Dandelion made it up - it just seemed like something Geralt would do. The torturer isn't satisfied, however - which doesn't matter, because Yennifer kicks in the door and uses Lightning Bolts straight out of the Pathfinder core book to murder the Wizard's minions. The Wizard activates a gate spell, but not before Yen tosses a fireball through as well for him to remember her by.
I'd like to say one thing here. Yennifer is FUCKING BADASS. Where was this woman in that stupid dragon story? Ah well.
Anyway, onward to a new POV. It's Triss! During that world background section, it was mentioned that at the famous battle of Sodden Hill, where the northern kingdoms repelled Nilfguard's invasion (the same one that claimed Ciri's kingdom), Triss Merigold was killed. Turns out, not quite. It is later revealed that she was so badly injured that no one realized that the maimed survivor was actually HER. Since they couldn't find "Triss" she was presumed dead until someone healed her enough to speak and tell them who she was. And, during that time, they'd already carved her name on the statue, so they just didn't bother fixing it.
I'm asiding, but it's my review, so I can do that. Yennifer was blinded in the same battle, but her eyes have since been healed. Likewise Triss, it sounds like, had her face burnt off (and possibly a limb or two). But it's okay, she has a new one now. Another woman mentioned later somehow got her wounds cursed so they couldn't be healed - she wears an illusion to hide the fact that she's missing her lower jaw. Damn.
Back to the story in progress. Ahem.
So Triss has been summoned to Kaer Morhen. She wonders why - and kinda hopes it's to get sexy with Geralt. It turns out that, since their romance in the Last Wish, that Yennifer and Geralt have been sort of on-again/off-again in the romance department. During one bit of downtime, Triss decided to see if Geralt was really all that good in the sack as Yen had indicated and took him for a ride. And Triss is hoping to go for another ride. Hm.
Well, Triss then bumps into Ciri in the woods. Training on the "Killer" - the deadly training course that the Witchers use, so called because it has killed actual Witchers. And 13 year old (or so) Ciri is training on it.
Thus begins the establishment of Ciri as a badass.
Triss continues jumping to conclusions. The best (and the one I was kinda hoping for) is that they've brought her to help manage the Ritual of Grasses that will transform Ciri into a yellow-eyed mutant like the rest of them.
Sadly, no. Ciri goes into a brief prophetic trance and talks about how Triss is already dead. Well, technically true - without the insanely powerful magical aid she received, she would have died of those wounds. The fact that she looks fine now is a testament to how powerful healing magic is in this world.
Weirdly, Triss makes a comment about how her injuries, while mostly healed, prevent her from wearing low-cut outfits. This confused me because she wore low-cut outfits throughout the Witcher games, particularly the first one where she wore a little net over her breasts. Either she got the scars removed finally, or she's talking about someone else, or the game designers weren't paying attention, or they were, but decided "fuck canon - let's show her tits".
Whatever the case, Triss is welcomed and we get to see the Witchers hosting her. After dinner, Triss goes to fix Ciri's outfit and talk to her more, but when Ciri strips, Triss learns two things. 1) Witcher training is fucking BRUTAL. Ciri is covered in bruises - bruises she doesn't seem very fazed by. 2) Ciri has started getting periods, and is embarrassed to let the men-folk find out.
Once again, Ciri's badass points increase. And the girl is only 13 years old (an assumption based on the start of her period).
Triss has a little talk with the older Witchers about periods and steroids - yes, apparently the Witchers use good old-fashioned steroids as part of their "potions". Good to know. Also, the girl is a "Source" like Alvin. She'll need proper magical training, and Triss doesn't think she has the experience to provide it.
What follows is, I kid you not, a text-based Rocky-style training montage. Cue the song from World Police.
Ciri's badass points increase yet again. This girl is fucking awesome.
And then, it's time for Ciri to go get some religious training from Nenneke. So Geralt, Triss, and Ciri head off to Temeria. It's a long trip, and they end up meeting Yarpen the dwarf. This is after Triss gets sick with... something? It is never explained what happened to Triss. Maybe a bad bout of "almost burnt to death but magically healed"? Or maybe food poisoning. Fucked if I know.
Anyway, this introduces the Squirrels. They've been attacking the area and Yarpen is glad to have Geralt along just in case. So much so that eventually he makes Geralt and Ciri scouts for the group. While scouting, Ciri spots a group of Squirrels and hides. Before she can head back, Geralt wants to show her a ruined elven city and explain why Witchers remain neutral - because both sides are right, and both are wrong. The elves are acting out, but they have a reason to. The elves aren't agents of Nilfguard, as one person suggested, but angry children lashing out at a hurtful world.
Unfortunately, this education in Neutrality occurs just as those same Squirrels attack Yarpen's caravan. Oops. Geralt and Ciri head in, but Ciri freezes up. Geralt saves her, killing several Squirrels in the process. Ciri sees several of the people she's been traveling with die - some quickly, and some painfully, lingeringly.
Worse yet, it turns out that Yarpen has been transporting rocks (he believed he was transporting arms and armor secretly at the behest of King Henselt). He was set up - bait to draw out the Squirrels. Yarpen finds his world view - and his personal loyalty to King Asshole - shaken by this.
But no time for that, because Ciri has school to attend.
Time skips ahead a bit here. Geralt is riding on a barge, waiting for a river monster to attack. While he does so, he reads letters from Ciri (happily in school) and Yennifer (sarcastically punishing him for calling her a "friend" instead of a "love" in his last letter). All goes well until minions of that Wizard from the beginning show up and try to arrest Geralt.
What follows is A) Geralt kicking ass, B) the river monster's arrival, and C) the river monster's MATE's arrival. Geralt avoids getting eaten, but between his sword and the river monsters, none of the attackers survive.
Meanwhile, Dandelion goes to the University of Oxenford (Oxford University, ha) to meet Shani! He's being followed and (after having Shani get a message to Geralt) we learn by whom. It turns out that Dandelion is a spy for Redania.
....
HOLY SHIT! I had no idea that Dandelion actually, you know, DID stuff. Suddenly, Dandelion just turning up at random in the games makes MUCH more sense. He's a fucking Redanian spy! How... appropriate.
Anyway, he refuses to betray Geralt. Good for him. To make matters weirder, Phillipa is there too! This shouldn't be that surprising, since we know form the game that she advised the King of Redania until his death and then ended up ruling Redania for a while. What's surprising is that she's here talking to Dandelion. Wow, I'm quite impressed. That means that Dandelion is the Miles Vorkosigan of Redania.
Dandelion just got a ton of bad-ass points. His first ever.
Oh, another revelation here. Dandelion is 50 years old. WHAT THE FUCK?! That means he must be like 60 in the games. Holy crap, but he's aged well. Does HE have the blood of elves in him? Or is he secretly a Wizard? Or has he had some of that youth potion that Yennifer uses to keep herself young? Damn.
Anyway, back to Phillipa. I didn't really think that Phillipa was a character from the novels. It's kinda shocking that they cut out her eyes in the game (although she can regrow them, ala Yen, so not necessarily a long term issue).
Anyway, Dandelion heads to meet Geralt to warn him - and finds Geralt in bed with Shani. Ha. THAT I saw coming. No pun intended.
What I didn't expect was for Phillipa-the-Owl to fly in the window. So the owl thing is canon too. Weird. Phillipa also checks out Shani. So, Phillipa is a lesbian in the canon. Interesting.
Which actually brings me back to something from WAY earlier. Triss mentions a... "lesbian phase" that she went through. As a bisexual woman, it rather ticks me off when fiction portrays bisexuality as a passing phase. It isn't a phase - if you like both men and women, you like both men and women, even if you like one more than the other. Calling any sexual orientation a phase is insulting.
That said, although I used quotes earlier, the author didn't actually use the word phase. He described what sounded a lot like a phase, and heavily implied it, but what Triss said afterwards could be taken one of two ways.
1) Triss only sleeps with male Wizards or Witchers now.
2) Triss only sleeps with spellcasters - of either gender - now.
The text seems to assume 1 is the only way to read it, but it can also be read as version 2.
Because I like the book and don't want to be insulted by it, AND because the author left the door open by his ambiguous phrasing, I am choosing to believe, now and forever, that Triss Merigold is canon bisexual.
That means that the Witcher games featured a bisexual female protagonist (not a playable protagonist, but a major NPC) as the main positive female character.
That is fucking awesome. Now, when people ask for a well written gay character in video games, I will state "Triss Merigold" from the Witcher 1 and 2 - and note that she is canon bisexual in the novels, and thus even though she only sleeps with Geralt in the games, she still counts.
Ahem. Where was I? Oh, right, Phillipa checking out Shani. Very cute moment - Dandelion couldn't make Shani blush, but Phillipa managed it.
So, it turns out Shani has met this Wizard guy who's been stalking Ciri and Geralt. So, the whole group heads off (via the window) to find him.
They do so, resulting in him getting punched in the face and then briefly tortured before Phillipa gets bored and pulls the information from his brain. Ah, Phillipa, never change.
Outside, the Wizard himself shows up with minions. Geralt, high on a Cat potion (and a Wolverine too, maybe?), absolutely wrecks them. The Wizard runs, but Geralt catches him and beats the shit out of him. Until Phillipa shows up and lets the Wizard escape. Because... she's realized who he's working for.
...?
Okay then?
We also learn, from some cut-away scenes, the following:
The Kings of the four kingdoms have met (along with the Queen of Lyria) to talk. They proceed to decide to attack Nilfguard and liberate Cintra (Ciri's kingdom). They also decide that, if Ciri really does yet live, that she needs to be killed because they don't want her messing with their plans to make Cintra a puppet government and buffer kingdom against further Nilfguard attacks.
Also, in Nilfguard, that Black Knight from earlier is chatting with the fucking Emperor of Nilfguard. And apparently the Wizard is working for them. But... maybe not just for them?
Meanwhile, the Wizard conclave is ticked off about the Kings planning things behind their collective backs.
While all of this is going on, Ciri is training with Yennifer. The author did this very strangely, starting at the end, the day before Ciri and Yen leave, and then flashing back to their first meeting and the Sorceress training that Ciri has been getting.
The training proves quite interesting. It does bring up one question, though. If spellcasting itself ruins your glands and eventually makes your sterile, then why are they training Ciri in high-level magic? They decided to NOT give her the Ritual of Grasses because they didn't want to make it impossible for her to return to Cintra and become queen - but becoming a Sorceress will do the same thing (albeit without the eyes) since she can't have heirs if she's sterile.
I ask because I was kinda hoping that Ciri would take the trail. Her Destiny should protect her from dying outright, and then they'd have a brand new Witcher who will be alive for a hundred years or so.
Ahem. Anyway, the novel ends with Yennifer and Ciri preparing to leave the Temple.
Overall: Great book. I loved reading from Triss and Ciri's points of view. I also enjoyed getting to know Yennifer better. Andrzej Sapkowski does a fine job of writing with a convincing female voice, even if he does occasionally slide into stereotype. Even then, the characters are unique and interesting enough that I don't mind that much. Andrzej Sapkowski still writes from the female POV than Jim Butcher (one of my top three favorite authors) does. That's not to say that Mr. Butcher is about to be dethroned, just that he should never ever attempt to write from a female POV ever again, where as Andrzej Sapkowski handles his female POV fairly well.
That said, I'm kinda shocked that this novel got published. I mean, I'm glad it did, but the book is nothing but set-up. Very little actually happens. There is no sense of beginning-middle-end - just lots of beginning.
I've had those translations of books 2+ on my computer for a while, so I'll start reading those now. Sadly, I can't read those in the bath-tub like I could the paperbacks. However, I'm not about to wait until August to see what happens next - to say nothing of stuff beyond book 2 which might not make it over here for years yet.
I quite enjoyed the book. It answered a lot of my questions about the World of the Witcher, and it was just a damn good read. Highly Recommended.
