Crossroads of ravens

Bestseller Sapkowski returns to his Witcher series with this standalone prequel following an 18-year-old Geralt on his first ever adventure as he is pulled into a complicated quest for vengeance by an elder Witcher with a checkered past. Preston Holt rescues Geralt from an angry mob; trains him at his estate, Rocamora ("revenge" in the Elder language); and offers to continue on as his patron. But Geralt, suspicious of Holt's connection to the infamous Witcher massacre at Kaer Morhen, takes his leave, wandering off to find his own monsters to hunt. When other powers take an interest in the fledgling Witcher, however, Geralt gets sucked back into Holt's schemes to eliminate the anti-Witcher agents who threaten both them and their priestess allies. Sapkowski presents the young Geralt as a blank slate upon whom others feel free to write their own agendas, while keeping his base decency intact. Anyone wishing to learn more about Geralt's early years will be pleased to see the Witcher in action again, even as he stumbles a bit. This is a gift for series fans. Agent: Patricia Pasqualini, Patricia Pasqualini Literary. (Sept.)