My thoughts on Crossroads of Ravens…

Two videos, alike in dignity! The international release of the new Witcher book, Crossroads of Ravens, is out, and that means it’s new video time.

I already created an essay about the book when it released in Polish last December. In my recent video, I speak a little about why it took me a couple of months to put my thoughts together about the book.

Here is a short review for those of you who are more text-inclined.

This is a Witcher book, with witcher contracts, drama, and discoveries.

With a decent linear plot and all of the character work and thematic messages everyone expects of Andrzej Sapkowski, I was pleasantly surprised by this new title.

I was hesitant about the release of Crossroads owing to my opinions on Season of Storms, which I’m sure I’ll talk more about later at some point. Perhaps I sounded too harsh about it in the video, but I personally find Season of Storms to have a pace that’s too chaotic to enjoy fully. The linear plot of this novel, for some, was a drawback, but for me it was sweet relief.

More importantly, I thought it was an enjoyable reading experience and rewarding for anyone who is familiar with the series.

The book is quite a fun romp: it’s short, simple, and sweet.

As this is a prequel about the young Geralt, the book seems more geared towards a younger audience (teen / YA). Which isn’t so much of a problem for me, because I am YA, but I don’t typically reach for Andrzej Sapkowski titles when I feel like kicking back and turning off my brain. I go to his books when I’m troubled and confused, when I want to sink my teeth into something philosophical that will make me laugh, cry, but most of all, think. (That reminds me, I still need to start my reread of the Hussite Trilogy…)

That said, I can’t help but feel like this book is also something like a Trojan horse. It starts out lighthearted and fun, but by the midpoint, serious revelations have been had, and it takes a sharp turn towards the dramatic and gritty. Heartbreak, woe, misery, and all that good stuff starts to encircle our heroes like a noose.

(Too soon?)

It reads like an outreach from the author to young readers, although there is certainly so much nostalgia in the text for older ones who have been with Geralt since the beginning. Perhaps it is my own sentimental thoughts, but I feel like the novel is full of advice and messages for young readers who are lost in the world and need a guiding hand, like Geralt with Preston Holt.

It is like “The Witcher, for teens.”

In contrast to a lot of Sapkowski’s work, Crossroads feels nearly age-appropriate, but not censored. I was surprised at how little sexual content there is in the book, compared to the rest of his repertoire.

That’s not to say that the book is without teeth. It’s emotional, full of growing pains and fears, and also, might I add: graphic violence. The main story devolves into a cycle of revenge spanning generations, which tortures and takes lives indiscriminately, allowing hate to fester. And, to top it all off, intense bodily suffering for our protagonist: in a word, mutilation, horror.

However, when compared with something like Tower of the Swallow, in which the core plot is predicated on the fact of sexual assault and sadist torture… Crossroads starts to look almost family-friendly.

I don’t know exactly why this is. One could think that maybe our author has aged since the 1990s, and wants to round out his career by writing more wholesome stories as the cherry on-top. In another interpretation, one could chalk it up to the gender of the protagonist, which determines what kind of trauma they experience. One may also even imagine that the book is just plain short, and Sapkowski crammed all of the violence he could into it as was possible.

Despite that, it is worthy of the Witcher title. I don’t just say that because there is witcher work, dealing with monsters, negotiating contracts, getting paid and getting fed. This is about something deeper.

What I like most about this novel is that Sapkowski understands Geralt as a character, and does not stray from that which he created in the short stories and in the saga. He writes about his emotions, his insecurities, his fears. The result is a young protagonist who resonates off the page, who I can believe and accept grows to be the same Geralt who shares a tearful confession with Yennefer in “A Shard of Ice,” the same Geralt who is terrified of claiming Ciri in “Something More.”

More than that, Sapkowski returns to his roots and creates a plot where the antagonists are the persecutors, those championing hate and prejudice. He writes in jokes about Prawo i Sprawiedliwość and emphasizes that abortion is a woman’s right. He mocks the law that blames a witcher because a witcher is there to blame. And that justice is not always just the domain of the law and the courts.

And what’s even more, there is a characteristic flair to the writing that is undeniably Sapkowski, which feels like a solid conversation and a reassuring pat on the back. The humor, the jokes, the games: it is all there.

But finally, let’s talk about the obvious.

Prequels aren’t necessary.

Is the book a “must-have” if you want to read The Witcher?

Perhaps, if you are inclined towards new releases and the novel format. It’s quick and easy to get into, and could be a good starting point for many fans. I certainly wouldn’t turn it down as a winter holiday present or birthday gift.

But I also, of course, am mindful of marketing strategy.

2025 has been an explosion of “Witcher”: The WItcher IV tech demo, Crossroads of Ravens release, The Witcher in Concert, and, well… also in the corner there, is Netflix’s Season 4 of The Witcher… although I advise no one touch it, for you might catch something.

Men of the North, we stand at a precipice. But… above what?

I have mixed emotions. The Witcher is expanding rapidly as a franchise, with the books as part of that. On the one hand, this could contribute to global overconsumption and shallow, low-effort engagement with the series, which would be upsetting to witness.

But on the other, I am so ready for the books and games to take back the U.S. market, because… it is getting desperate over here! No one around me knows who Geralt of Rivia is, and if you get an answer, it will be: “Henry Cavill.” Sigh.

As Regis says, “Let’s proceed with forethought and due prudence.”

I think it depends on what kind of community we choose to create, consider carefully what types of behavior we choose to reward. Buying all the latest and greatest items is fun, but what meaning does it have, really?

To find meaning, we have to not look only outward, but inward.

Fandom is a community, but it is also, in my mind, a personal journey. Consider what matters to you and what you want out of your fandom experience. As much as I’d like to, I don’t think buying every single thing with the Witcher brand on it will bring me happiness (… although it could get me pretty close).

Things are rewarding to me on a personal basis: I have a collection of Witcher items, but I don’t gain joy from something just because it has The Witcher name on it. There is something deeper, something… more, which speaks to me. Sometimes it’s history, sometimes it’s a memory.

And sometimes it’s just a good story which I enjoyed.

If The Witcher books and games do need to expand in order to claim market share, I say: Let it, and also: Hallelujah.

If a prequel must be written, let it be done by Andrzej Sapkowski. If a sequel must be made, let it be done by CD Projekt RED. Let it be done by people who intimately understand The Witcher and want to create something beautiful.

Not all new content is bad content because it dared to be created; it becomes bad when it was created with bad intentions and ends up failing to communicate a message.

I’m here for The Witcher redemption arc.