“The sword of destiny has two edges. You are one of them.” ― Andrzej Sapkowski, The Sword of Destiny
To date, one of the best series I’ve read is The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski. In total, the universe consists of two short story collections, followed by six novels, three wildly popular video games, and a highly acclaimed TV series. To say that Sapkowski created a complex and fascinating world with an enormous cult following, would be an understatement. The world in which The Witcher takes places is vast and incredible combining fairy tales with Slavic, Celtic, and Germanic mythology, all retold in an extraordinarily dark fashion. The mixing of these elements along with multidimensional aspects give the series color, depth, and intrigue. There are battling noble families, race wars, ambiguous family secrets, richly developed towns, magnificent monstrosities, enchanting sorceresses, and of course the mutated witchers, such as Geralt of Rivia.
Geralt is an antihero or neutral hero at best. A man who had been transformed and transfigured through an alchemical experiment known as the Trial of Grasses. The few that survive the mutagenic mushrooms, herbs, and plant stimulants are then trained relentlessly to hunt and destroy monsters. Unfortunately, this frequently puts Geralt at odds with choosing between the lesser of two evils. What is a monster to one, may not be to another.
“Mistakes are also important to me. I don’t cross them out of my life, or memory. And I never blame others for them.” – Geralt of Rivia
Though he tries to remain neutral, Geralt is sometimes faced with killing people and is always conflicted and haunted by the choice he makes. One such choice follows him throughout his life when he is dubbed the Butcher of Blaviken. The conflict forced upon him in that moment shapes and directs him for the remainder of the series.
It is during the first book of short stories that Geralt’s destiny is sealed. He is called to an engagement feast by Queen Calanthe of Cintra in hopes he will slay a monster that is said to be plaguing the castle. In short, no monster is eliminated but Geralt is nonetheless rewarded through the Law of Surprise, the promise of that which one has that they do not know. This ultimately gifts Geralt Calanthe’s future granddaughter, Ciri.
When war finds its way to the kingdoms, Geralt spends much of book two trying to find his orphaned child surprise after Cintra is sacked by the invading Nilfgaardians. It seems their king’s sole purpose is to obtain Ciri at all costs. It is during the attack on Cintra that Queen Calathe is revealed as nothing short of complex, skilled, and fierce. Her reign and battle accomplishments did earn her the name, the Lioness of Cintra afterall.
“As in life, it is impossible always to be fully prepared for battle. Keep your sword close and keep moving.” – Queen Calanthe.
Without revealing more than I already have, I will say that the remaining books have both Ciri and Geralt meeting many rough, dark, diverse, and even bright, comedic characters. I personally listened to the books on Audible and the narrator, Peter Kenny brought the characters to life in a way that can only be described as pure art. These books are raw, dark, deep, and not at all for the squeamish. Therefore, reader beware but if you do decide to take the journey with Geralt and Ciri, it won’t be one you forget any time soon.
Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless hunter. Yet he is no ordinary killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good . . . and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.
Graphic content and language warning
