First, my one-sentence summary of the work: “Geralt, a cross between Sherlock Holmes and Aragorn, stumbles onto the estate of a cursed man; from there, things get messy.”
A word from the publisher: “Geralt takes a short cut down a beaten path, where he makes a grim discovery of two corpses. Backtracking their trail, he’s led to a derelict mansion secured with elevated walls and a gate—mysterious and ramshackle, yet adorned with a rare elegance Geralt could not ignore. He is met with the mansion’s owner—not quite human, but a beast with the faculties of a man. With Geralt unfazed by his monstrous appearance and displays of aggression, the beast invites him inside. A kind but wary host, he shares stories of his family, his life . . . and his curse. If the weight of his misdeeds could condemn him to the body of a beast—a retribution spoken of only in fairy tales, could there be another grain of truth in these tales of fantasy—one that could help him elude his fate and lead him to salvation?“
What Worked For Me:
- The art is well-rendered and fits within the dark ethos of the Witcher franchise.
- The story focuses on investigation (rather than combat). The main character, Geralt, uses a variety of tricks and tools to both assess and overcome the challenges he faces. I enjoyed being walked through his thought processes.
- I appreciate that the story is self-contained; I was able to enjoy it without deep knowledge of the Witcher’s setting / lore / etc.
What Didn’t:
- I’m not sure if there was a Witcher-tax applied to this work, but $11 for a 56 page eBook is quite the asking price. The only reason that I’m not grousing more is because I was able to rent this one for free from my local library (via the “Libby” app).
- The story includes rape. It isn’t depicted, but those sensitive to depictions of violence against women may want to skip this one.
- The ending bothered me, but that’s a major spoiler. You can view it at the bottom of this post if you’d like the low-down.
Conclusion:
Fans of the Witcher will probably enjoy this work. Geralt is on hand with charm and wit, and the world is as dark as ever. With that being said, those sensitive to discussions of sexual assault and rape may want to skip this one. I also think this one is a bit too pricey for what it offers; if you’re on a strict literary budget but you still want to read this work, you may want to acquire it second hand or from your local library.
Check it out here.
You may also enjoy …
- “Archival Quality” by Ivy Noelle Weir and Christina Stewart (illustrator); you can see my review here.
- “The Wicked and the Divine” by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie (illustrator); you can see my review here.
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Spoiler Discussion:
- The rapist finds “redemption,” in the end, and the curse on him broken. Some might argue “he was just a boy,” or, “he was pressured into it,” when he committed the act, but it was still rape. Yuck. The fact that he did it by killing a female-coded monster (a “bruxa”), and only after trying to break his curse by “bedding maidens,” only adds insult to injury.
