When a humble bard graced a reading of The Witcher… Joey Batey portrays the fan-favorite Jaskier in Netflix’s The Witcher. Known for his talents as a bard and for the absolute earworm of “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher,” Jaskier makes every scene he’s in about ten times more amusing. Geralt begrudgingly accepts his presence, but I welcome it. And I welcome this new video from Netflix featuring Batey reading 15 minutes from the first of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Witcher novels, The Last Wish.
I wish it was longer than 15 minutes. I could listen to him all day. Batey, delivering an absolutely lovely performance, calls out the all important note that Jaskier’s name in the English version of the books is Dandelion. That’s not a bad name at all, but it doesn’t have the same ring to it at all. Appropriately, Batey reads a selection about Dandelion—specifically about his friendship with Geralt, the notorous Witcher. Aww! Never mind that the excerpt includes more than a couple of insults of Dandelion. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of flattery to drown out the rude words.
Also, please note the description of Dandelion’s outfit: “a lilac jerkin with lace cuffs.” It brings such a vivid image to mind. That’s true across Sapkowski’s prose. I’m only a few chapters into The Last Wish, but the text enthralled me immediately. The story is so rich.
And if your day needs more of a soothing voice reading from The Last Wish, stop everything you’re doing to let Geralt himself tell you a tale. Henry Cavill‘s voice is like butter.
Now I just want Batey and Cavill to take turns and read the entirety of The Witcher novel series. Is that so much to ask?
Featured Image: Netflix
Amy Ratcliffe is the Managing Editor for Nerdist and the author of Star Wars: Women of the Galaxy. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
