Listen free for 30 days
-
Blood of Elves
- The Witcher, Book 1
- Narrated by: Peter Kenny
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Blood of Elves
Buy Now for £12.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
Summary
The Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, holds the fate of the world in his hands in the New York Times best-selling first novel in the Witcher series that inspired the Netflix show and video games.
For more than a hundred years humans, dwarves, gnomes and elves lived together in relative peace. But times have changed, the uneasy peace is over and now the races once again fight each other - and themselves: dwarves are killing their kinsmen, and elves are murdering humans and elves, at least those elves who are friendly to humans....
Into this tumultuous time is born a child for whom the witchers of the world have been waiting. Ciri, the granddaughter of Queen Calanthe, the Lioness of Cintra, has strange powers and a stranger destiny, for prophecy names her the Flame, one with the power to change the world - for good, or for evil....
Geralt, the witcher of Rivia, has taken Ciri to the relative safety of the Witchers' Settlement, but it soon becomes clear that Ciri isn't like the other witchers. As the political situation grows ever dimmer and the threat of war hangs almost palpably over the land, Geralt searches for someone to train Ciri's unique powers. But someone else has an eye on the young girl, someone who understand exactly what the prophecy means - and exactly what Ciri's power can do.
This time Geralt may have met his match.
More from the same
What listeners say about Blood of Elves
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Filip
- 09-10-16
Good, if you read them all.
The blood of elves is the first book of the Witcher Saga by Andrzej Sapkowski, and if you give it a try you will realise it's very confusing at first. At least I found that. It all comes together however, so keep listening! It's worth reading the entire saga and the short stories. The world and the writing is outstanding and bound to draw you in, if you ever wanted a more realistic approach to a fantasy world (anti-fantasy), where politics of the realms have a larger impact on the world than a single character (at least throughout the entirety of the book).
The reading is fantastic. As a person who took this one up as one of my first audiobooks, I very quickly got accustomed to it and the range of voices for different characters is just astonishing. I found myself realising who was talking even without explanation.
Highly recommend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
85 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- A. Bentley
- 26-04-16
Lore lovers need apply
I really enjoyed digging deeper into the lore of the Witcher.
The book itself is very good though I was not keen on some of the way the author choose to rely only on dialog to describe some scenes, it's odd and seems a little lazy. The book also ends very abruptly leading me to believe the author was pushed to publish a little early.
Regardless of my little issues with eh writing it is a book well worth reading especially if you are into the Witcher universe.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
25 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jakob
- 13-12-14
Fantastic fun to listen to
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Yes, the dialogue is witty, the characters are believable and Peter Kenny is an amazing Narrator
What did you like best about this story?
The way Peter Kenny brought the characters to life
What does Peter Kenny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Amazing pacing, fantastic voices
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes
Any additional comments?
Different than other fantasy as it is often just scenes with dialogues, but it is so well written you want to keep listening.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
23 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mark Strawbridge
- 22-02-16
A Modern fairytale!
From the wonderful short stories featuring Geralt the "witcher" begins this epic, set in a believable world full of spy's, witches and kings, heroes, villains and those in between. A unique take on traditional folk story's and fantasy epics, it deals with racism and the reality of war! Fantastic.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 02-06-16
Very good story
The narration was masterfully executed. I only wish Geralt played more of a part throughout.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss Dawn K Saunders
- 18-03-16
very enjoyable I didn't want it to end
wonderful book I usually listen to these while I fall alseep bit this one kept me awake, very funny at points and kept you involved. the voice acting was very good too, peter Kenny breathed life into the characters. I really need to hear the rest now, I love the video games and now I love the books.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- michael smith
- 31-05-15
Wonderful, BUT...
What did you like best about this story?
The world that the story is set in.
Any additional comments?
The story is great when taken as a part of the overall series by Sapkowski, but falls a little flat on it's own.
The only real negative for me was Peter Kenny's pronunciation of certain names and places such as Dandelion the bard, dan dell ee on, Nope, sorry, WRONG, even the author says it's pronounced dandy lion, like the plant. This infuriated me on so many levels I couldn't finish it. Currently looking around for a better Narrator, one who knows the source material.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Samuel Wallace
- 27-05-15
Fantastic!!
Builds upon the foundation laid by the short story collection, The Last Wish. Peter Kenny's narration is again superb.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Rosemary White
- 13-11-14
Swords, Elves, Magicians but no magic.
I was hoping to find a new author and a series of books I could enjoy during the 2 books for 1 credit promotion. I have found a few new treasures this way. Sadly, on this occasion this is not the case.
I was impressed by the translator's efforts, it does sound as if English is the primary language of the author so there are only a few awkward or odd phrases as can sometimes happen.
The narrator did a reasonable job I suppose but I feel another may have done better. He has a large and interesting repertoire of different accents and tones, but I don't think his style was best suited to the material.
There are "Witchers" who also seem to be male warrior types but don't really have much in the way of witchery, there are magicians who are mostly females but they don't do much magic.
There is the odd bit of conflict; some suitably naughty baddies and the heroine is not unlikeable although insipid and not very intelligent. Apparently she is the sole survivor of her family with "The Blood Of Elves" running through her veins though why or if it matters is still a mystery.
There's the promise of warefare between Elves and Humans with other non-humans on the sidelines and there are personal antagonisms, there's a prophecy too but there doesn't seem to be a need or use for one.
Perhaps the structure of the story is too big to describe the outline clearly in this first book, or maybe a good editor could have tightened it up to make a comprehensive picture. Maybe the author was hoping to challenge Tolkien with an epic tale on a grand scale but the threads of the story are too loose and floppy to compete with a Lord Of The Rings.
I finally finished listening to this fairly long book and thought "Ho hum, I don't really care!" I'm not interested in what happens next. I'm bored with the interminable conversations and the lack of any real development of the characters or their part in the story; it all seems rather pointless and doesn't really achieve any progress from beginning to end.
Unlike many stories spanning several books, this is not a stand-alone story and so the final chapter just kind of wound down and stopped.
I will be utilising Audible's excellent policy - I didn't enjoy this book and will return it and am not interested in any subsequent books.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Ryan Pascall
- 08-12-15
Disappointing.
As a big fan of the videogames of The Witcher I had high hopes but while the narration was great the story was, unfortunately, extremely dull and boring.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 16-03-16
Worst Witcher Book So Far
Is there anything you would change about this book?
I would probably sprinkle more action into it. And not just "Oh, whoops, we've gone a few thousand words without a fight scene, better send a couple of assassins after Geralt", but action which actually has bearing on the narrative and impacts the plot. I would also really cut down on all the pointless political talk, and I would downplay Ciri's training in favor of a main plot featuring Geralt, since he's the protagonist of the book and the person we want to follow. Well, in fairness, I guess the book would have to be rewritten entirely.
What was most disappointing about Andrzej Sapkowski’s story?
I think that this book has two major crimes (I'm not talking specifics - if I were, the crimes would be a lot more than two) - it's boring, and it's pointless. Nothing happens throughout the book. Nothing. The entire book is basically an extended explanation about Ciri's training as a Witcher and, later, as a sorceress. That's it. There's a subplot about a group of people trying to find her and kill her, but that's never resolved. Really, you could have compressed this entire book within a single sentence - "Ciri trained with the Witchers and gained many of their skills, and later with Yennefer and understood magic". That's all that really matters. You really don't need to waste 10+ hours of your life to a story that's riddled with political talk and prolonged conversations about awkward subjects.
Have you listened to any of Peter Kenny’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I listened to Peter Kenny's other Witcher adaptations, and as always he was lovely. But not even he can salvage the snooze-fest that was "Blood of Elves".
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Probably, but only because I really love "The Witcher". And because I'd be curious to see if a movie adaptation can fix the huge problems of the book.
Any additional comments?
Skip this one, folks. Save your money, you're really not missing anything.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 22-11-20
Narrator speaks too fast
Good story but I had to reduce the speed of the narration ( speaking rate) from standard speed to slightly slower. Either it’s set wrong to begin with or the narrator speaks way way too fast to enjoy listening to the story.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
4 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rushdan Rashid
- 04-12-19
The Story of Ciri
I have enjoyed reading while listening to the narrator on Audibles. I guess that is the way when you have Kindle and the Audible paired together, makes reading much more interesting and faster to finish the book.
Not much on Geralt or monsters but on Ciri. I love that this book contains both of my beloved characters, Triss and Yennefer.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 20-12-18
A great beginning for the upcoming long journey
got introduced to the book through the famous Witcher game. I am not disappointed at all. Great style of storytelling and excellent narrator.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Lasse Jensen
- 23-12-17
Not nearly as good as the short stories
Suddenly Sapkowski tries too hard with unfitting and unwarranted grandiose imagery and the fascinating style of connected short stories is abandoned.
The first in an exciting but ultimately bad story of the young Ciri suffering and suffering and suffering and vain attempts at depth by insisting on and repeating poor metaphors. And suffering. Torture and rape over and over has replaced the moral dilemmas that gave the short stories such depth.
If you enjoyed The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, then I recommend you enjoy them again rather than start on these novels.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Vukibog
- 18-08-22
Amazing story!
Amazing story and I really loved the narrator and his performance. I will definitely pick up the hard copy as well.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stian Husby
- 01-07-22
The back story of so many things
Did you play The Witcher 3 and wondered about the backstory of some of the characters?
For me, I got into The Witcher 2 video game. Following the amazing story of how Geralt regained his memory. Fast forward to The Witcher 3 I struggled abit to find my way into the story since Ciri was a newish character.
This is the book that underscores Ciri's connection to most of the games characters, her emotions and feelings for said characters.
It is a book that comes of as a hard read/listen because it jumps around alot. But Peter Kenny is amazing. He manages to imbue each character with personality and spirit, not a single character sounds like another.
Enjoy this book, enjoy this story and most definitely enjoy the series in book, game or TV show
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- James Depret
- 26-03-22
best narrator on audible
of all the books I've had on audible, this one was the best narrated so far.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 25-02-22
The lack of variation in intonation made me stop
All the non dialogue sentences seem to have the same intonation pattern. It just takes me out of the story too much to continue listening to it. Be wiser than me and listen to a sample before you buy.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 16-01-22
Great narration
Peter Kenny is great, and I can't wait to get more of Geralt of Rivia!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!