Crossroads of Ravens

Did You Know?

• The only character from earlier chapters of the saga to appear in the book is the priestess Nenneke.
• Shortly before publication, Sapkowski told Polityka that there would be a new Witcher book within three or four years.

Plot

The novel follows Geralt of Rivia shortly after he completes his training and sets out on the path. He kills a deserter who attempted to rape a young peasant girl, is convicted of murder, and is saved from hanging by the elderly witcher Preston Holt, who becomes his mentor. Geralt later refuses to provide evidence against Holt when questioned by Estevan Trillo da Cunha, prefect of the guard of Kaedwen. From the priestesses of Melitele, Geralt learns that Holt escaped the massacre at Kaer Morhen, leaving his companions to die; the three main ringleaders of the attack were spared by authorities but later killed by a guilt-ridden Holt.

Holt eventually tells Geralt he will no longer be his mentor. Geralt responds to an invitation from the mage Artamon of Asguth, discovers Artamon is the author of the anti-witcher text Monstrum, or Description of the Witcher, and kills him after learning Artamon ordered the murder of Holt and all the priestesses of Melitele. Holt surrenders to justice, confessing to killing the ringleaders and taking blame for Artamon's death. Da Cunha explains that Artamon's mistress, Countess Cervia Herrada de Graffiacane, wants Holt executed, suspecting him of killing her bastard son.

Background and writing

Sapkowski had long stated that the Witcher Saga ended with The Lady of the Lake (1999) and that he did not intend to return to it. The Witcher became a global phenomenon through video games by CD Projekt Red (first released 2007) and a Netflix TV series (2019). In 2013, Sapkowski published Season of Storms, set between his short stories. In June 2018, he said he no longer ruled out writing another part of the saga, wanting to set it before the published works.

On 1 February 2023, at the Taipei International Book Exhibition, he announced plans to write new Witcher books. In August 2023, he revealed he was working on a new Geralt book, to be finished in about a year. In November 2023, at Comic Con Vienna, he gave first details. In August 2024, he told Chimères magazine that work was complete.

The title and cover were to be revealed exclusively by Nowa Fantastyka in issue 12/2024, released 22 November 2024. A distributor of Prószyński Media broke the embargo a day early, revealing the artwork and title. The next day, Nowa Fantastyka published a fragment of the first chapter.

Reception

The publisher did not disclose total sales, stating only that the book 'is selling as expected and even better'. On Allegro, Poland's largest e-commerce platform, over 20,000 copies sold within three days. Onet estimated at least 30,000 copies sold after three days, calling the result 'staggering' for the Polish book market. Crossroads of Ravens won the 2024 Janusz A. Zajdel Award for Best Novel, the 2024 Empik Bestsellers award in Popular Literature, the 2024 Lubimyczytać.pl Book of the Year Award for Best Fantasy Book, the 2025 Nowa Fantastyka Awards for Best Polish-language Book, and a Silver Distinction (3rd place) for Best Novel at the 2025 Jerzy Żuławski Literary Awards. Śląski Klub Fantastyki gave Sapkowski the 2025 Śląkfa award for Best Author, calling the book 'exactly the story we have been longing for all these years'.

Anna Garas of Gry-Online praised its lore expansion but noted it suffers from the same structural issues as the Witcher Saga and Hussite Trilogy. Michał Jarecki of Spider's Web said the author 'avoids excess more than ever', making the book more specific and better structured. Bartosz Czartoryski called it 'probably Sapkowski's most specific and objective work' and a coming-of-age story.

Translations

Crossroads of Ravens was published on 30 September 2025 simultaneously in twenty-one languages, including English (translated by David French). The UK edition was published by Gollancz, the US edition by Orbit.