I am one of
the millions of people who bought, played, and absolutely loved CD
Projekt Red’s Witcher 3: The
Wild Hunt video game. The
tip-top best in storytelling action-adventure, the dozens upon dozens
upon dozens of hours I spent playing were wholly engrossing for a
variety of reasons I won’t go into, here (rather, here). But The
Witcher IP remains the creation
of writer Andrzej Sapkowski, and reading recently of his disgruntled
(jealous?) views towards the game’s development and writing, I
decided to have a go at his novels to see how the original compares.
The Blood
of Elves (1994) opens on the
dramatic scene of a young princess forced to flee her ruined and
pillaged kingdom of Cintra. Attacked by the ruthless Nilfgardians
from the North, princess Ciri finds her way to Kaer Morhen, home to a
small enclave of witchers (magically endowed monster hunters) who
teach her what they can of their art. Ciri’s mysterious potential
for magic discovered in the process, the group decides the best
course of action is to entrust her to a school for enchantresses.
But transporting Ciri from Kaer Morhen to the school is not an easy
task. The Nilfgardians still looking to kill the princess to
rightfully claim Cintra, the witchers entrust Geralt of Rivia to
escort Ciri through the hazards of the cities and the wilds—something
which proves to be a bigger challenge than just killing monsters.
The Blood
of Elves is a character and
scene focused intro to a pentalogy. Unfolding slowly, much of the
novel spends its time in dialogue, laying out the racial tension
between humans, elves, and dwarves that populate the wider setting,
building a political backdrop among the kingdoms posturing for war,
and telling the backstories of the main characters. Save the witcher
elements, the book feels Tolkienian.
But it is
precisely in the witchers that the book is unique. Mutated humans
possessing limited magic, witchers like Geralt are a step above the
average human in terms of abilities. They train hard with the sword
to fight monsters, but they also have bountiful knowledge of plants
and herbs, knowledge they use to decoct powerful elixirs that help
them fight in differing conditions with various supernatural beasts.
And they have a small repertoire of spells at their disposal as the
need allows—nothing resembling the magic of wizards and magicians,
but something to help in a pinch. Outcasts from society, however,
they fight the good fight with little appreciation, making for gray
characters that are not found in the good vs. evil of Tolkien.
To be clear,
The Blood of Elves
is not the first Witcher material I have read. Many years ago I read
The Last Wish,
a collection of short stories that was mediocre. My criticism was
that the ethical and philosophical discussions were too overt, too
simplistic for the limited page length of each story. While The
Blood of Elves skims the surface
of some of this same thematic material, the broader canvas of a novel
feels a more comfortable home to Sapkowski’s ideas. Short stories
apparently too small a place to house concerns, the dilemmas and
situations Geralt finds himself in as he trains and escorts the teen
Ciri feel more natural to the world, rather than forced themes on a
certain scene. All in all, the novel makes for the more natural, and
thus enjoyable reading experience. (The translation was markedly
better, as well, which may have something to do with the reception.)
Which seems a
good time to jump in on the discussion of the Witcher game versus the
books. After foolishly signing over the rights to CD Projekt Red to
make video games many years ago for a measly $10,000, Sapkowski sued
CD Projekt Red in 2018 for 16 million, trying to recuperate what he
perceived were lost royalties. Another way of putting this is: CD
Projekt Red’s implementation of the Witcher concept was
overwhelmingly more successful than the books. And while I need to
finish reading the series to make a final judgment, the initial
reasons seem clear. The first is the overall quality of the video
game, particularly Witcher 3.
CD Projekt Red did a phenomenal job building the world and
implementing its ideas. It represents the pinnacle of
action-adventure gaming on current platforms. Secondly is audience.
CD Projekt Red had a global market to sell the game into. In the 90s
when the books were first published, Sapkowski had only the
Polish-speaking audience—a significantly smaller market. And
lastly, I would argue CD Projekt Red’s treatment of the story
material is more mature, both in substance and technique. This is
not to say Sapkowski’s material is on par with the simplistic likes
of David Eddings or any other generic epic fantasy. It isn’t. But
at the same time, the game treats the player more like an adult,
putting them in situations and giving them options that feel more
gritty, lived and true. Storytelling in video games denser in form
given the amount of space needed for visuals, it forces video game
writers to value each word written, and deliver situations and
dialogue with impact. Again, not that Sapkowski is ineffective at
this (The Blood of Elves
stands on its own feet), only that the game’s writers are more
effective. Thus, while I can’t fault Sapkowski for trying to
profit from the video games’ successes, the criticisms he levels at
CD Projekt Red’s storytelling seem unwarranted given that without
the games people like me wouldn’t be reading his books—let alone
in English.
In the end,
the game The Wild Hunt
remains the better Witcher experience for a variety of reasons, but
it does not mean the source material, started in The
Blood of Elves, is bunk.
Sapkowski has a unique idea (the witchers) laid on top of familiar
ones (dwarves, elves, and other typical aspects of Medieval fantasy),
and treats them with a much appreciated moral grayness. Good vs.
evil is not the moral foundation. While the backdrop and
characters are familiar, the story moments and overall arc are not,
making for a fresh enough experience for readers coming from the
games, like me, to enjoy.
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