The Witcher Books: Reading Order and Where to Start
It might be some time before that The Witcher Season 2 Displayed on Netflix. Filming took place in 2020, but we likely won’t see results until later this year – possibly in winter. Meanwhile, why not check out the source material? There are tons of Witcher books to read.
But it’s not as easy as one, two, three. The series began as a collection of short stories in the 1980s for a Polish fictional magazine, and the initial fiction came third in their competition to find new ideas and writers. The stories were so popular that they went on to produce full-length novels, which were then published in Polish in 1993. The books were released in English somewhat late, starting in 2007, with Danusia Stok translating the first novels and David French taking charge of the duties of the third book. . Then eventually the books became the games (and now Netflix show) we know and love.
The book series, written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, follows a man named Geralt who happens to be a witcher – a person of supernatural powers who has been trained since childhood to fight monsters that threaten the audience. Of course, the books are about more than that: The central arc follows Geralt as he protects Ciri, the princess whose country has been conquered.
If you want sword movement and hideous monsters, you’ve come to the right place.
Where do The Witcher Books begin
You’ll want to start with Another wish. While published later, it shows stories set before the first full-length book and establishes the continent as a backdrop. It also introduces the reader to Geralt and the basics of what a magician is and does. You’ll read about Geralt’s fighting monsters, indulging in barroom fights, and his bedroom adventures.
This collection of stories offers everything you see in games. Sapkowski narrates about Geralt’s silver sword with which he killed the monsters of magic, and depicts the often corrupt and residing governments around the world, and we meet a host of characters. These include Dandelion (also known as Jaskier), a poetess friend of Geralt who listens to these tales we are going through, Yennifer, the witch with whom Geralt begins a tumultuous relationship, and Triss, who is also a witch, Geralt’s girlfriend but also the third point of Geralt’s love triangle. And Yennifer and Triss.
The second group for the short story, Sword of Destiny, We must continue because we’re here to meet Ciri, and every story takes place right before the main narratives.
What is the order of reading The Witcher’s books?
- Another wish
- Sword of Destiny
- Storm season (Optional, shown below)
- The blood of the elves
- A time of contempt
- baptism of fire
- Swallow Tower
- The Lady of the Lake
After following the short stories, you might think that it is better to read the rest of the books in the order in which they were published, but in a recent edition, Storm season, Is actually set in the stories of The Last Wish. Honestly, it’s not worth reading Season of Storms unless you want to experience everything The Witcher has to offer, as the events that take place aren’t integral to the main arc – but they do plant some seeds for what will come in the rest of the series.
Otherwise, read books in the order they were issued: The blood of the elves, A time of contempt, baptism of fire, Swallow Tower And the The Lady of the Lake.
Here are the best prices for these books individually, but they both sell on Amazon – 1st Six books in total are on Amazon US And the The first seven clusters together on Amazon UK.
Novels are also worth a read The Witcher World, Which is a compendium of information created directly by CD Projekt Red. It’s a beautifully illustrated addition to the series that contains everything you need to know about monsters, weapons, people, and places. Be careful, though, as it contains spoilers for games and books.
There is a specific Witcher 3: Wild Hunt art book but it is so rare that it was only released with collector’s editions. One to look for though; I know I always do this. And there’s more art available now after Gwent’s release, as she now has her own art book: The Art of the Witcher: The Gwent Gallery Collection. And to wrap up the artistic side of things, there is Adult Witcher Coloring Book He will keep you busy all night, give your favorite characters unique outfits and paint your own witcher pictures.
The Witcher graphic novels
Apart from short stories and novels, Dark Horse Comics has been released graphic novels. Although not written by Sapkowski, the comics do a great job of adding additions to stories that have already been released, plus they look great as the art conjures up the bad themes of books and games. Volume 1, Volume 2 And the Volume 3 All of them include several stories each, while being compiled Library edition It packs everything in one.
Why should i read it if i play games?
In short, because they are good books and a great way to get more of the witcher in you. They are fun readings and can be accessed at a fast paced. Of course, it depends on your personal taste, but in general the novels and short stories are good fun. It would be easy to say, “Well, like movies, books are better,” but that’s generally not the case here, as games give you a better view of the movement in that setting, while still providing a really great story experience.
However, reading books will give you a better sense of the world, embody more actors and create a stronger bond between you and situations in tradition. Characters are drawn in more depth, and while a lot of the plot will define you if you play the games, the books fill small gaps here and there.
How well do The Witcher games fulfill the books?
Very much, although a lot of books have been brought directly into the games. CD Projekt Red went to great lengths to bring the intelligent, cynical and powerful Geralt of Rivia of Sapkowski to its gamers. Because of the game’s branching narratives, the plot is “based” on books, not a direct retelling. Everything you’ve seen in games, from runes to weapons and monsters, is featured in the novel series.
There is an interesting gap between how Sapkowski sees his world and how it has been translated into games, but readers will only notice small differences here and there. Coming to books from games brings a certain spark of life to fights and battles.
It is worth noting that the game, especially the one with the quality featured in the The Witcher series, is designed to bring excitement and danger. This can make some sections of the book – mainly political discussions – somewhat boring in comparison. The games, since they present the story in very small portions between killing and hunting, provide the most intuitive way to consume Geralt’s story.
How well does the Netflix Witcher series fulfill the books?
Much more than games by design. Officially, the Witcher Show is based directly on books, not games. Having said that, the show requires some freedoms, and timing. To naturally introduce viewers to Geralt and the world around him, the Season 1 story is a mixture of short stories for The Last Wish and the beginning of Ciri’s arc in Sword of Destiny.
It was a bit confusing, as Netflix put together a Wonderful timeline map To keep everything straight (spoiler warning for books, obviously).
Where can I get all these books?
Because the profile of the series and The Witcher Books has been raised to impressive heights and world-famous, books are, in general, available from all major retailers, including Amazon. The one thing that’s hard to come by, as mentioned above, is the collector’s edition of the Witcher 3 art book but it usually appears on eBay every once in a while. However, for ease and convenience, see the best rates currently running in all of the books below.