The Witcher Novel Review: Loss of Ideals & Evil’s Nature

It was not, the Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski released Mrs. Lake, and in 1999 he ended his saga the Witcher. And the end. Šlus. Deireadh, as they say in the archaic language of this fantasy world. Thousands of those who love the Witcher or Hunters of Geralt of Rivia, Princess Ciri, Bard Marigold or the witch Yennefer, bitterly.

But miracles happen. The series of computer games of the same name in the new millennium introduced the Witcher to the next generation and contributed to the fact that over 30 million copies have been sold worldwide.

In 2014, the author returned to Geralt’s past, in the book Storm Season offered the story immediately preceding the first story about the hero nicknamed the White Wolf. Prose was Bonvivan and playful, for Sapkowski typically short story than novel. In addition, at least partly, it was also taken as a certain author’s reconciliation as the Witcher began to live independently of it, from video games to comics to the later TV series Netflix, which will continue in October in October.

At the same time, the storm season showed how disillusioned the whole story of Geralt, trying to get back its two stolen Witcher swords. Under the jokes, the stories and melancholy, for which Andrzej Sapkowski was inspired by the best detective stories Raymond Chandler and the statement of Jrr Tolkien, that all the big stories are at the core of the tragedy, hiding a causing view of powerful and functioning or working rights. The young Geralt in the book, again, following the example of Chandler’s private detective Philip Marlow, received loaded from authorities, spent many nights in prison and eventually only got moral satisfaction.

In a novelty called the crossroads of Ravens, which appeared in Polish at the end of last year and this Tuesday in Czech translation by Stanislav Komárek published by the publishing house Leonardo. While Sapkowski decided in the human hypocrisy and the ability to commit evil to rinse a nose with an even larger taste. Perhaps the most important thing we take from the news is so understanding why Geralt will say so tired after years: “Evil is evil, Stregobore. Smaller, bigger, middle, everything.”

The plot is simple. Young Geralt, at that time still without any name, goes to the world for the first time. From the beginning he has complicated his life because it is full of ideals and thinks that every good and help people in trouble will be deservedly rewarded. Well, unfortunately.

On the first pages, the hero faces a relatively serious threat of hanging. Fortunately, Preston Holt hits, an experienced witcher, but because of the consequences of a serious injury he can no longer perform his mission. When he saves the indiscriminate Geralt, he offers him an agreement, background and “know-how”, how to perform a Witcher profession professionally and efficiently. Geralt agrees and Preston Holt becomes his second great mentor after the old village of Kaer Morhen.

The crossroads of the ravens again takes the form of a short story. Geralt is experiencing adventures that are diverse but at the same time marvelous. We are almost exclusively in the Kingdom of Kaedwen, whose history and geography we learn a number of new information. This will please everyone who appreciates deepening and developing a fictional world.

At the same time, everything is subordinate to Geralt. Some of his events thus act as a promise of future things. It does not matter whether Geralt for the first time will come to the forbidden love of two young people, in which the mages of mages play the role of mages, or “rehearse” how to treat strigas or undead monsters, whose curse we can break only by not letting them into their tomb for three nights. Sapkowski happily blinks to the reader and non -violently changes our perception of later events from the original stories and novels.

Last but not least, there is a line with a pamphlet against the Witcher called a monster or a scientist of a portrayal. “The truth is that you will not find anything more repulsive above the monsters, called scientists, which stand against all nature, for they are the spoils of the nasty bosoring and the demons of invocation,” we read in this fundamental writings of the local world to destroy the ancient Fortress Kaer Morhen. The scientist is a designation for the Witcher, in Kaer Morhen, these monster killers were trained.

Sapkowski has planted the novelty not only in the time of Geralt’s maturation, but also to the times when the witnesses of the frantic attack of Kaer Morhen’s mob, during which most experienced witches died and a lot of valuable secrets died. What’s more, not only witnesses, but also the architects, including the author of the tractate, do not live.

Geralt in the book gradually discovers that the echoes of ancient events cannot be ignored and that Preston Holt, who survived on Kaer Morhen, still covers revenge. The title crossroads of the ravens thus become a specific choice for the protagonist. Will he be able to step out of a merry -go -round of violence and blood vengeance, if he hadn’t been the scientist for which he had society, and on the contrary, became a real spell for which the service is at risk and innocent always in the first place?

The crossroads of the ravens represent a fun return to the favorite world, where depressed things are happening, and Sapkowski continues to look at his favorite theme of racism, prejudices and ostrakization of weaknesses, as well as abuse of power. On the one hand, we get a fun scene about how unreasonable it is to attack the Witcher with something as heavy and clumsy as forks. On the other hand, we are witnessing that the right in the hands of the powerful is just an empty term. Who, moreover, remembers how Bard Marigold was saved in the lake at the last minute, this time the main characters of happiness will not be held.

The question remains how much readers will be perceived by these dark undertones of the book. Above all, Sapkowski proves that he can tell in a riveting, charming way. From the first pages, the reader in the novel feels at home.

Geralt is Holobrádek, but his world welcomes us with open arms. There will be fights full of pirouettes and terms that smell of some music theory. The characters with the taste plung into long monologues and verbal shootouts in which it is teeming with Latin quotes or their patvars. Geralt, however hungry, repeatedly comes to the gourmet festivities, we even find franchise of luxury Kaedwen restaurants. And one of the funniest lines is when he triggers a new culinary fashion throughout the kingdom of the preparation of dangerous monsters.

Although the crossroads of the ravens is a clamped prose, where everything is related to everything and that transmits a network of relationships or references across the saga, it is also a natural book, in the best sense of a juicy, full of flavors, smells and stinks. One would not be surprised if Geralt came to Markéta Lazarová and the robbery nobleman of Kozlík. Instead, he only meets a water sprite. And it’s a wonderful essence of the whole book.

“The creature crushed and stepped from his paw. He rolled on Geralt and opened his mouth.

‘You’re fucking luck,’ the Witcher said, that I don’t have time for you. So fall. ”

We are lucky that Andrzej Sapkowski has found time for another Witcher.