Cover of Blood of Elves

Blood of Elves

core novel 1994 The Witcher

Record

Original titleKrew elfów
First published1994
Original language PL
First English translation2008
TranslatorDanusia Stok
Work typenovel
Canon statuscore
Reader rating4.10 (259,118 ratings, collected 2026-09-13)
Page count398
First-edition ISBN9780316029193
First-edition publishersuperNOWA
First-edition countryPL

Synopsis

The first novel-length installment of the Witcher saga, in which Geralt brings young Ciri to the witchers' stronghold of Kaer Morhen as political tensions and prophecy swirl around her. The book opens with the continent's kingdoms and factions increasingly aware of Ciri's significance as the child of an old prophecy, forcing Geralt to weigh his duty to protect her against pressure from sorcerers, kings and the witchers themselves, each with their own designs on her future. Training and mentorship at Kaer Morhen sit alongside political maneuvering happening far away, as Geralt tries to keep Ciri out of the hands of those who would use her for their own purposes.

Where it sits

Awards (verified)

  • David Gemmell Legend Award (Best Novel), 2009: won; Inaugural Gemmell Legend Award.

Notes

  • Saga #1. UK Gollancz 2008 (US Orbit 2009). Won the inaugural David Gemmell Legend Award 2009.
  • From the series record (The Witcher): Reading order: collections first (official superNOWA numbering), then the 5-novel saga, then standalones. Polish and English publication orders both differ from reading order.

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.

Sources

← The Witcher dossier · All universes

Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.