the witcher series book review

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Blog – Posted on Wednesday, Dec 18

How to read the witcher books in order (2024 update).

Since the release of Netflix’s 2019 adaptation of The Witcher, everyone's been buzzing with the same age-old question: are the books better?

We're biased towards books ourselves, of course. But we'll let you decide for yourself — and we'll be here to help you the entire way with the best reading order for The Witcher books.

But first, for anyone new to the series, here's a quick refresher: the origins of The Witcher books actually go all the way back to the 1980s, when Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski entered a short story called The Witcher into a contest run by the magazine Fantastyka . Placing third, that entry spawned a collection of short stories that then inspired the publication of a five-novel series, the Witcher Saga — which then became an entire franchise.

The Witcher focuses on Geralt of Rivia, a man with supernatural abilities that enable him to fight beasts and monsters . The novels primarily revolve around his goal to protect Ciri, a young princess of a recently conquered country who has a great prophecy hanging over her head — but the series is also so much more than that. These are stories that hit hard , by turns sweeping you up in the adventure of slaying monsters, wringing you through the epic tragedy of war, and breaking your heart with the perfect redemption romance.

Here’s a quick look at the series in their recommended reading order, so that you know what you’re in for:

• The Last Wish (2007)
• Sword of Destiny (2015)
• Blood of Elves (2008)
• The Time of Contempt (2013)
• Baptism of Fire (2014)
• The Tower of Swallows (2016)
• The Lady of the Lake (2017)
• Seasons of Storms (2018)

Without further ado, let's dive in!

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1. The Last Wish

While it may be tempting to jump straight into the novels, you should really start here. This short story collection contains the roots of the Witcher books, and will provide you with background information and character details that will be important once you get into the full-length books.

The Last Wish contains seven stories. The first one serves as a framing device, showing an injured Geralt seeking shelter in a temple; as such, it’s actually broken up into smaller sections and scattered between all the other stories. The remaining six are memories that he flashes back to while recuperating, each one with its own narrative arc. Together, they allow us to really get to know Geralt in all his complexity. The stories are clever, epic, and daring — perfectly setting the stage for the novels to come.

2. Sword of Destiny

While the English edition of Sword of Destiny was published after the first few novels were released in English, the stories within actually take place before the events of the series. That’s why we’d recommend you pick up this one next.

Unlike the first collection, Sword of Destiny follows a much more straightforward timeline: we’re treated to six more amazing stories in roughly chronological order. Many of them provide context for major characters in the main Witcher Saga, including the introduction of Ciri. In fact, one of the stories serves as a direct prequel to Blood of Elves , showcasing events from shortly before that book begins. If you’re looking for a full picture of the Witcher storyline, this is a vital book to add to your list.

3. Blood of Elves

With Blood of Elves, the main saga begins in earnest. Blood of Elves is set about a year after the downfall of Ciri’s kingdom. This tragedy sets off a hunt for the missing princess, with factions on all sides vying to get their hands on her. Unfortunately for them, young princess Ciri has fallen under the protection of one of the most famous witchers alive.

Taken to safety to learn how to hone her skills, the rambunctious and headstrong Ciri wants nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of Geralt, the man she admires so much. But as her powers grow, Geralt is compelled to mend bridges with his long-lost love, Yennefer of Vengerburg, for help. Yennefer’s skills as a witch are exactly what Ciri needs to hone the power she’s destined to wield — but as Yennefer and Ciri’s bond grows, so too does the evil that seeks Ciri out.

After the breakneck pace of the short story collections, some readers might find this book a bit of a slow start — but don’t let that fool you. There is plenty of adventure to be found in Ciri’s struggle to grow up, and in the subsequent books, the payoff for all this setup will absolutely be rewarded.

4. The Time of Contempt

Time of Contempt picks up where Blood of Elves left off. Ciri and Yennefer set off for the city of Gors Velen. Yennefer hopes to enroll Ciri in a magical academy there — but of course, even the best-laid plans can go awry. Between an incident involving a Wyvern, Ciri’s own rebellious escapades, and a long-overdue reunion with Geralt, there’s more than enough for Yennefer to keep track of as she attempts to protect the wayward princess.

But the book is also much larger than that. Here, the pace of the series jumpstarts, as all the major plot threads in the rest of the series ignite. This huge book is a wild ride, with everything from spies and betrayals, to seductive sorceresses and unicorns, to the very real danger of a war erupting. It’s a story about vulnerability and control, about humility, about chaos breaking out across the world. The pacing leaves you breathless, unable to escape the need to find out what happens next.

5. Baptism of Fire

This is the midpoint of the series, and Geralt is certainly in the thick of things by now. In Baptism of Fire, war continues to rage on, and all sides are growing increasingly determined. In the aftermath of events from the previous book, Geralt is recovering from injuries — but how can a protector protect if he’s unable to fight?

Geralt’s determination drives much of this book, as he rallies and gathers allies in an effort to reach Ciri before the rumors of her impending marriage can come true. It’s a complex, nuanced book that explores what it means to be a “monster.” It tears old bonds apart as Ciri takes a turn down a darker path, and it throws Yennefer against terrible odds as she’s imprisoned and struggling to reunite with her family. The slow tension draws you along, never once allowing you to let your guard down.

6. The Tower of Swallows

Ciri returns to center stage in The Tower of Swallows. Everyone is hunting her, but she’s retreated into an anonymous life of banditry and killing... until fate intervenes, and her life is changed once again.

Much of Ciri’s recent story is told in recalled flashback, similar to the framing story of The Last Wish . Some of what she experiences at the hands of a chilling new villain may be difficult to read, but they’re important to understand the depths of her torment and the lengths she will later go to for exacting revenge.

Meanwhile, Yennefer and Geralt deal with situations on their own: she’s seeking out old allies in her quest to find Ciri, and he ends up seduced by someone he probably shouldn’t have allowed himself to fall for. The pacing here returns to the slower setup of a few of the previous novels, building for the payoff of the final book. But it’s still thoroughly engrossing, as Ciri processes her recent past and learns what she’ll need to in order to strike out at those who’ve caused her pain.

7. The Lady of the Lake

All good things must come to an end. For many authors, it’s a struggle to figure out how to write an ending to such an epic fantasy series, but Sapkowski is more than up to the task.

The Lady of the Lake finds Ciri trapped on an elven world, alone and cut off from the people she loves. But where others may fall into desperation, Ciri faces her challenge with the determination we’ve grown to expect from the former princess. Meanwhile, Geralt and Yennefer continue in their adventures as they search for the young woman they’ve grown to see as a daughter. Readers will ache to see if the “family” will ever be reunited and get the happy ending they so richly deserve.

We’re not going to say more for risk of spoiling the many surprises this concluding book takes. What we will say is that it’s loaded with cleverly plotted twists and turns, and features appearances by pretty much every character that’s been introduced so far. This book is a thrilling wrap-up to a beloved series.

8. Season of Storms

Although Season of Storms was one of the last Witcher books to be published, it actually takes place after most of the stories in the first collection, but before the novels.

So why did we list it last? Simple: although the timeline is earlier, it ties directly into a major conflict that takes place in the previous five novels. Reading it beforehand will be less interesting without the context — and it spoils several moments from the other books.

For those who have read the rest of the series, however, this standalone prequel will be a welcome dip back into the world of The Witcher , as we follow Geralt on a quest to regain his lost signature weapons. A satisfying dessert to follow the incredibly rich meal that was the rest of the Witcher books.

9. Bonus: The comics adaptations!

Last, in addition to the Netflix series and video game franchise, The Witcher has also been adapted into graphic novels. A couple of times, in fact! And while the earlier series have not been translated to English, Dark Horse Comics started a Witcher series in 2014 based on the storyline from the video games.

Written by Paul Tobin, with art by Joe Querio, this comic series has covered four different story arcs so far. They’re currently available in a trade pub bind up (as well as a single-volume collection of the first three arcs), and make the perfect addition if you finish the books and find yourself wishing to spend just a little more time in the Witcher universe.

The Witcher Volume 1: House of Glass

The Witcher Volume 2: Fox Children

The Witcher Volume 3: Curse of Crows

The Witcher Library Edition Volume 1

The Witcher Volume 4: Of Flesh and Flame

And there you have it — everything you need to know to dive into the rich and engrossing world of the Witcher books. Pick them up today, and you’ll be ready to laud your spoilery knowledge over all your friends as they wait for season two to drop on Netflix.

Can’t get enough fantasy stories? We’ve got you covered! Check out our list of the Best Fantasy Books of All Time , or find a new favorite with our guide to all the different Fantasy Subgenres .

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If This Is Henry Cavill’s Geralt Replacement, I’m Happy He Left The Witcher

Freya allan's sci-fi movie with 80% on rt gives me hope for the witcher season 4's ciri story, “i feel sorry for him”: liam hemsworth’s the witcher geralt recasting backlash addressed by ciri actor.

Have you binged all eight episodes of  The Witcher  on Netflix yet? If not, there's still time to stay ahead of the cultural touchstone the show is about to become. If you have seen the show and are confused, clarity is available in the books. If you want more details than the show already provided information is available, in the books. If your impatient and don't want to wait until the next season comes out to find out what happens to Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer, there are the books.

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There are eight books, now all translated from Polish into English, available. Two of the books are short story collections following all your favorite characters, one is a standalone about Geralt, and five are the greater overarching story of Geralt and Ciri and their destiny. Reading the books in chronological order always makes the most sense (even if the show didn't really go in chronological order) but below we look at the books in order of their popularity from least loved to most adored.

Season of Storms - 3.95 Stars

Season of Storms  is the most recent  The Witcher  novel and, according to Goodread, the least beloved.  Season of Storms  is the least connected of the eight novels, being a standalone story all about Geralt and the loss of his weapons. Chronologically the novel is set sometime during the short story collection  The Last Wish (so about the same time as the first season of the show on  Netflix ), but its plot leaves it sitting off on a shelf by itself in a way none of the other books seem to. Part of  The Witcher 's popularity comes from how its sometimes disparate storylines later come together, and this book (while still popular) can't quite compete with its siblings.

Blood of Elves - 4.17 Stars

Blood of Elves is technically the third book in  The Witcher  series, but it is the first sort of saga novel, its two chronological predecessors being the short story collections (along with the new  Season of Storms ). It is very impressive that of eight books all but one in the series are rated at four stars or higher. This story is really where Geralt and Ciri's relationship actually takes off (so connected in its way to the first season of the Netflix show).

RELATED: 5 Reasons The Witcher Geralt Will be a Better Dad Than the Mandalorian (& 5 Reasons He Won't)

It is well-loved though, obviously as an early book in the series, has to do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of setting up the story, which may explain its lower rating.

The Last Wish - 4.19 Stars

The Last Wish  may sound familiar to Netflix viewers as the short story for which this first collection is named does make up one of the most prominent episodes in season one (where Geralt and Yennefer first meet). If you are looking for some of the major source material for the first season of  The Witcher  on television, this is the book for you. One of the two short story collections in  The Witcher  series, this book is home not only to Geralt and Yennefer's first meeting, but also the season premiere episode in which viewers are introduced to Geralt as the Blaviken.

Lady of the Lake - 4.24 Stars

The Lady of the Lake  is the final book in  The Witcher  series by Andrzej Sapkowski, though it's the last book chronologically, which means there could still be other Geralt and Ciri stories to tell in other collections. Anyway, the grand finale of the sage comes in right in the middle of the list. It obviously means the ending to the long story is at least satisfactory to most, though not their favorite adventure overall. If you're a Ciri fan this book gives you the most Ciri screentime, no contest, so that's something to look forward to if you are planning to take on all of the books.

The Time of Contempt - 4.26 Stars

The Time of Contempt  i s the second book in the saga (so again, behind two short story collections as well as The Blood of Elves ). Having set up the world already it seems readers enjoy being able to slip right back into the war on the continent rather than having to learn about it as they go. This is where things get serious and scary (not that there wasn't action and chaos in  The Blood of Elves ). Here Geralt and Ciri really begin to understand how unstable the world around them really is and what being important to the fight might actually mean for them.

The Tower of Swallows - 4.32 Stars

The Tower of Swallows  again puts the reader right in the middle of the Geralt/Ciri story. War is real and spreading and (spoiler alert) Ciri has disappeared. She's not dead, but she's certainly not at Geralt's side, or even with Yennefer. Here the stories of the main trio once again diverge, though they desperately fight to find one another again. The Tower of Swallows  is the penultimate book in the saga series and, it seems, does such an excellent job setting up for the finale of the series that it is a more well-loved story.

Baptism of Fire - 4.34 Stars

Baptism of Fire  is the third novel in  The Witcher  saga stories: Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Tower of Swallows, and Lady of the Lake . That means it is the very center of the saga story and, apparently, the most popular of all five books. Again, Ciri and Geralt are separated, and rumor has it Ciri has finally been taken by Nilfgaard and resides in its court.

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Geralt will try and rescue her. She may be his destiny, but Ciri is also far from Geralt's only problem. These problems make  Baptism of Fire  all the more popular as a story.

Sword of Destiny - 4.35 Stars

Just squeaking by to take the top spot from  Baptism of Fire  is  Sword of Destiny,  the second of  The Witcher  short story collections, after  The Last Wish . This collection is actually where Ciri first appears (chronologically) in the pages of the series. The fall of the Kingdom of Cintra, as seen in season one of the Netflix show, appears in this collection.  The Sword of Destiny  may be a favorite because it does an excellent job setting up the wider world of  The Witcher  while also introducing characters and plot points that will play large roles in the greater saga to follow.

NEXT: The Witcher: 10 Questions the Netlfix Series Needs to Answer in Season 2

• The Witcher

Geralt of Rivia

Author : Andrzej Sapkowski Publisher : Orbit Genre : Fantasy

It is no small secret among the staff in the video game department at Geeks Under Grace that I am incorrigible in my Witcher fandom. The  first game alerted me into the franchise’s universe despite its jank; the second game utterly enthralled me; the thir d   put to rest my vacillating when asked what is the greatest game of all time. As CD Projekt RED escalates its marketing for Cyberpunk 2077, so too have I scheduled my life in anticipation of its release. I invested 120 hours of blissful gameplay with Witcher 3, yet never played its two expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine, despite purchasing them, not wanting the excellence of the chronicles to end. Therefore, I decided to prolong my enjoyment by reading the Witcher novels first!

As usual with fans of fiction based upon a book series, they would claim the literature’s superiority. At the time that I learned of a Witcher novel series, they had yet to be translated from Polish to English. Still feeling the burn of reading through George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire (pun intended) with no conclusion to that series in the foreseeable future, I waited for the entirety of the Witcher saga to be translated before reading.  As of 2017, all seven of Andrzej Sapkowski’s books have been translated, and I have spent the second quarter of 2018 reading all but the newly-released Season of Storms . Thus, I am able to produce reviews in case there are others interested in reading these excellent manuscripts.

Content Warning

Readers sensitive to mature content should approach the literary Witcher series with caution equitable to how one would approach the video games. Whereas The Chronicles of Narnia is written with children in mind, the target audience for the Witcher series is adults. As each book in the series is over 300 pages, I will leave certain details undisclosed both intentionally and unintentionally; an exhaustive catalog of all content worth mentioning in every novel would warrant this guide extending to a full-page alone! To supplement potential gaps, I recommend reading the content guides of our reviews of   The Witcher ,  The  Witcher 2 ,  and  The Witcher 3   for additional insight concerning the mature nature of this franchise.

“Tell that to Hereward. No, not Hereward. Tell that to his wife, the noble Ermellia, adding that if she wants to continue receiving an uninterrupted supply of aphrodisiacs from my pharmacy, she’d better calm her duke down. Let her curb his humors and whims, which look ever more like symptoms of idiocy. ” (84)

Sexuality : “…with a light but decisive movement of her hips…”  The Last Wish opens with a sex scene within its first four pages.   Therefore, expect sex to be a topic far removed from taboo. It is so frequent, in fact, that every story includes a reference to sexuality, including incest (9), rape (60), one-night stands (2, 120), virgins “popping cherries” (185), and some casual, likely post-coital, nudity (257).  

And as far as bed is concerned, well…Pox on it, virtue is rarer today than a rock dragon” (66).

Language and Crude Humor : To the credit of Sapkowski, the language in this book adapts according to the audience and speaker. This means that at a king’s court, one is admonished for using coarse language. But among commoners, uncouthness is the common tongue.  The full gamut of four-letter bombs can be experienced here, though they are placed strategically through the narrative so as to tread into excessive vulgarity. E uphemisms are also popular. For example, one character says that “I became a man,” to describe his first sexual encounter, which is a rape. “Pox on it,” as quoted above, is a popular curse from the Middle Ages. Alcohol and Drug Use : Beer in the world of the unnamed continent is more plentiful than water on earth. Verily, I found myself googling how harmful diuretics could be, wondering if characters would perish from dehydration, for no one seems interested in any other beverage, with the exception of one who demands juice.  Geralt himself consumes special elixirs to enhances his combat abilities. Though I would consider neither combat enhancers nor the ancient medicinal techniques practiced in the temple of Melitele a content concern , they are nevertheless worth mentioning here. Spirituality : The world of the Witcher acknowledges pagan influences. Prominent here is the cult of  Melitele  (41), where “The Voice of Reason” takes place.  Phrases such as “by the gods!” are popular . Note that when a character says “god d—n it!” they are not referencing any of the trinitarian godhead, but pagan ones. Earthly religions are completely absent here; fatalism, in fact, is more popular, peddled in the form of a “destiny” motif. Still, despite Geralt’s devout atheism, Sapkowski provides this dialogue as a punchline:

     “Don’t you think” — he smiled — “that my lack of faith makes such a trance pointless?” “No. I don’t. And do you know why?” “No.” Nenneke leaned over and looked him in the eyes with a strange smile on her pale lips. “Because it would be the first proof I’ve ever heard of that a lack of faith has any kind of power at all.” (44)

This text was written before “mic drops” became a thing.

Violence : Usually, violence is the first category in our content warnings here at GUG, but I am listing it here because though it is pervasive in the text, it is positioned as a necessity for survival rather than a means to an end—the natural end result of the character and plot mechanisms deployed up to that moment. Of course, this runs alongside Geralt’s vocation to slay monsters to make a living, he also acknowledges that some monsters are actually human (132).  Expect descriptions of disembowelment, decapitations, and the like during finales as this is an adventure series. In the event that the blood is spilled, it will come in the form of a flood.

Everyone agrees that the US covers of the Witcher saga suck, to put things plainly. Publishers thought it would be a good idea to generate hype for the literature by using imagery from the video games. For the GUG reviews, I will be using the artwork Alejandro Colucci curated for the editions published in the United Kingdom.

The Last Wish is the first of a long series of texts in the Witcher saga, a collection of seven short stories. The first, “The Voice of Reason,” functions as a Frame Story, whose chapters appear between each non-chronological short story as a lead-in. The first whole story, “The Witcher,” is the text that inspired the introductory cutscene to The Witcher video game. No other tale in the entire Witcher franchise is as cogent as this introduction of Geralt of Rivia as a deadly machine mutated via alchemy for the purpose of hunting monstrosities. As King Foltest accurately points out, he is capable of suppressing thuggery without lethal force (24), but he arguably does so as a demonstration of his lethal skill. Importantly, “The Witcher” reveals that Geralt is not invulnerable, and it is in fact, necessary that he heals faster than humans because frequent mortal injuries are an occupational hazard. 

“This talking has made me tired, Geralt. Briefly: there were two after Primula, Ilka, and Venimira. Everything happened in the same way, to the point of boredom. First, a mixture of fear and reserve, then a thread of sympathy they reinforced by small but precious gifts, then ‘Bite me, eat me up,’ Daddy’s return, a tender farewell and an increasingly discernible depletion of the treasury.” (65) 

The Last Wish returns to “The Voice of Reason” and Geralt during his stay at the Temple of Meli tele , where he recovers from his wounds from battling the striga in “The Witcher.” He debates with, or rather entertains a lecture from, head priestess Nenneke on the grounds that his lack of faith in anything is a weakness. This makes sense after reading “A Grain of Truth,” a story where Sapkowski showcases his mastery of hospitality, decorum, and good conversation, but not before exhibiting Geralt’s forensic skills which set him on the path to encounter a creature that is monstrous, but does not transgress his code as to what qualifies to be slain. This narrative reveals some limitations in Geralt’s abilities as a monster hunter and tops things off with a Disney-like ending.

X-Men fans will remember the Friends of Hu manity , and not for good reason. The Order of the White Rose is the Witcher saga’s equivalent, and two knights show up at the Temple of Melitele to give Geralt the boot from town in the next segment of “The Voice of Reason.” By this time, readers will have grown wise to the fact that Sapkowski likes to directly reference the titles to his stories; here Geralt explicitly requests that the knights listen to the voice of reason (83) and leave, but they only heed Nenneke’s threats. This frame story appropriately leads to “A Lesser Evil,” where Geralt is asked to choose between two evils: murder and murder. Geralt regretfully chooses murder; it is here where Geralt earns epic epithet, the Butcher of Blaviken, after where this story takes place.

“Evil is evil, Stregobor,” said the witcher seriously as he got up. “Lesser, greater, middling, it’s all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I am not a pious hermit. I haven’t done only good in my life. But if I’m to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer to not choose at all.” (104)

In the next “Voice of Reason” segment, Geralt decides to speak to Iola, the girl who seduces him in The Last Wish ’s introduction. While the entire book provides glimpses into Geralt and the lifestyle of a witcher, he lays things out plainly to the girl who has taken a vow of silence, particularly why he practices a code of neutrality in the matters of politics and everyday human life. This code is challenged in “A Question of Price,” the first short story in this collection that I found taxing to read. Admittedly, this might be attributed to the fact that the conflict here is resolved without violence even though Queen Calanthe of Cintra enlists Geralt as an enforcer to ensure that her daughter Pavetta chooses the correct suitor at a feast. Though this is my least favorite story in The Last Wish , it is arguably the most important in the entire Witcher saga, for it is here where Geralt evokes the Law of Surprise, where in six years he will return for a child who has yet to be born, setting in motion his perpetual struggle with destiny, a theme persistent all the way through even the Witcher games. I was only able to appreciate “A Question of Price” after several additional reads.

“I visited towns and fortresses. I looked for proclamations nailed to posts at the crossroads. I looked for the words ‘Witcher urgently needed.’ And then there’d be a sacred site, a dungeon, necropolis or ruins, forest ravine or grotto hidden in the mountains, full of bones and stinking carcasses. Some creature which lived to kill, out of hunger, for pleasure, or invoked by some sick will. A manticore, wyvern, fogler, aeschna, ilyocoris, chimera, leshy, vampire, ghoul, graveir, werewolf, giant scorpion, striga, black annis, kikimora, vypper…so many I’ve killed. There’d be a dance in the dark and a slash of the sword, and fear and distaste in the eyes of my employer afterward.” (133)

Sapkowski unleashes come comic relief through infamous poet and unfaltering  friend Dandelion in the next segment in the fifth chapter of “The Voice of Reason.” He appears coincidentally, as many encounters take place in the Witcher saga; here, however, Dandelion arrives to the chagrin of Nenneke, but to the delight of Geralt. Lifting the spirits of the latter, who had been wrestling with the existential crisis of being a sterile mutant who hunts monsters for a living where if there are fewer monsters, he has less work, and thus his existence becomes unnecessary if not terminal. They recall how they became friends, and traveled together to the Valley of Flowers, where “At the Edge of the World” takes place. In this misadventure, Geralt is recruited to discourage a trickster sylvan from dwelling near a hovel, but he and Dandelion end up in a situation where they suddenly find their very lives at the mercy of a certain race on the brink of extinction.

“Coodcoodak, on his knees, was strangling Draig BonDhu’s bagpipes with his hands, while, with his head thrown back, he shouted over the monstrous sounds emerging  from the bag, wailed and roared, cackled and croaked, bawled and squawked in a cacophony of sounds made by all known, unknown, domestic, wild, and mythical animals.” (171)

In the sixth chapter of “The Voice of Reason,” Geralt tries to leave the temple, but Nenneke calls his bluff and says that he need not try and avoid his lover, who had already visited earlier. She eventually asks how they met, which prompts the book’s titular short story, “The Last Wish.” This begins with another blunder where Dandelion and Geralt are fishing for lack of food and money—their everlasting poverty being a common theme. Rather than a fish, they catch a jar resembling an amphora, and within lives a djinn, who strikes down Dandelion and escapes after Geralt exclaims to it a certain “incantation.” Riding post-haste to the nearest town, Geralt demands to see the wizard living there so that he may heal his troubadour friend. The wizard turns out to be a sorceress named Yennefer of Vengerberg, who, after Geralt relays the story to her, formulates her own plans for the djinn. Things get out of hand, necessitating an unconventional solution, but one that will have a lasting impact throughout the Witcher saga.

“She leaned over him, touched him. He felt her hair, smelling of lilac and gooseberries, brush his face and he suddenly knew that he’d never forget that scent, that soft touch, knew that he’d never be able to compare it to any other scent or touch.” (306)

The Last Wish concludes with the seventh and final chapter of “A Voice of Reason.” As Geralt prepares to leave the temple, the knights of the Order of the White Rose await him, with the offended knight prepared for a duel. The caveat is that if Geralt defeats him, he will be arrested; if he refused the duel, he will be hanged. Well, this short story collection has by now taught the reader that conflict resolution in the Witcher series is often not what one will expect, and things are no different here. I will confess that The Last Wish is my second-favorite text in the Witcher saga, but important to potential readers is how it molds its world filled with towns, kings, and even metaphysical properties that the priest Neville reluctantly but pridefully denotes in The Last Wish . Sapkowski avoids overburdening the reader with his worldbuilding; he devotes a whole chapter to Cintra while barely mentioning is geographical position compared to other important places in the northern kingdoms such as Vizima, Temeria, or Skellige, but there is enough to establish that these are important places to keep in mind for later texts.

There are no throw-away characters to be found in this book. Fans of the video games will recall Dandelion and Yennefer, of course. But even the members of Shrike’s band in “The Lesser Evil” can be remembered for their joke about Geralt’s maternity. Characters who play bigger roles, such as Neville or Nivellen, contribute substantially in ways that one will be able to recall for years. The parallel Sapkowski draws between the Aen Seidhe and Native Americans could hardly be more poignant.

I wish to remain objective in all media I consume—digital, or in this case, hard copy. However, it is nigh impossible to not descend completely into “fanboy mode” over this outstanding collection of short stories. Mark my words: by the time the  Witcher series on HBO is done filming, Sapkowski will be a household name like C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, or George R. R. Martin, and J. K. Rowling. The shows (plural because The Hexer was once a thing), the games, and everything else, however, all begins here with The Last Wish .

Stay tuned for further reviews of our adventures with Geralt of Rivia.

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The Bottom Line

Maurice Pogue

I’m wondering how you reconcile the sexual aspect of this book with your faith. Doesn’t reading it cause you to think sinful thoughts? In the games you can just skip over the nudity and don’t have easy access to it, with a book it’s always there. Just wanted to know how you’re able to read it as a Christian.

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The Witcher Book Reviews

This is a list of all the Witcher book reviews at The Fantasy Review , the fantasy series by Andrzej Sapkowski .

The Last Wish (The Witcher #0.5)

Sword of Destiny (The Witcher #0.7)

Blood Of Elves (The Witcher #1)

The Time of Contempt (The Witcher #2)

Baptism of Fire (The Witcher #3)

The Tower of the Swallow (The Witcher #4)

Lady of the Lake (The Witcher #5) – Review coming soon!!

Similar to The Witcher Book Reviews

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The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski (The Witcher #1)

"Only Evil and Greater Evil exist and beyond them, in the shadows, lurks True Evil. True Evil, Geralt, is something you can barely imagine, even if you believe nothing can still surprise you. And sometimes True Evil seizes you by the throat and demands that you choose between it and another, slightly lesser, Evil.”

The Last Wish is the first novel by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski to be published in English of The Witcher series (translated by Danusia Stok!) It is the collection that inspired CD Projekt Red's badass Witcher video games, of which I am a huge fan of. I've been playing those games for years, with the intention of eventually getting to the source material. Mainly the setback was that it took a long-ass time for the English translations to be released. Then of course there is the problem of an endless TBR... which truly is a wonderful problem to have! But it makes getting to a series more difficult, of course. There's just.. so much out there that I want to devour! With season one of the Netflix adaptation having finished production, here I am. Finally.

The Witcher game series takes place within this world (an unmapped land known as the Continent), but is set years after the final book. The games aren't direct adaptations, rather, they are spin-offs. Written in 1993, The Last Wish introduces us to Geralt of Rivia. In the first game, Geralt suffers from amnesia & doesn't remember any of the events that happened in these books. The books consist of two short story collections & five full-length novels.

Witchers are genetically enhanced humans that train intensely from an early age to battle monsters. After years of mental & physical torture... er... "training," they go through a ritual where most do not survive. Those that do are never the same. They become merciless assassins with magical powers that are immune to most diseases. They also gain an unnaturally long life span, yet become sterile.

The Last Wish is a loosely connected collection of six short stories. It actually took me a hot second before realizing that because the book is broken up into chapters, which made it seem like one full story. It literally begins with Geralt getting fucked, which... if you've played the games, you know this isn't out of character. Dude doesn't have any trouble getting laid, that is for sure.

My favorite was the titular story, The Last Wish. Unsurprising, really. This is when  Geralt meets Yennefer, the powerful sorceress who I couldn't help but fall in love with in the game.

::Spoiler:: Having to choose between Yen & Triss is one of life's toughest decisions! ::End spoiler::

I was also happy to see more of Dandelion, the bard (& Geralt's best friend), in these stories. He steals each scene he is in! The Last Wish managed to give him more depth & elevate the friendship that we get a glimpse of within the games.

Delightfully dry humor, mythology brimming with radical creatures & a group of interesting characters, The Last Wish is a great introduction to this universe. However, something I was missing is the detailed world-building I look for in a first book. Because these are short stories, it feels like it jumped around in terms of fleshing out the Continent. I'm assuming this will be rectified further in the series, considering there are plenty more books to detail such things.

I'm thoroughly looking forward to more of Geralt's adventures! Holly Grimdragon, 8/10

This review has been reproduced courtesy of OF Blog of the Fallen . The review is by Larry and the original can be seen here - The Last Wish review - OF Blog of the Fallen .

For over four years, Andrzej Sapkowski has been one of those authors that has been dangled in front of me, mentioned in passing by Polish readers here and elsewhere, along with an occasional mention on a couple of non-English-language sites that I frequent on occasion. Maciek (Vanin) in particular has been one who has been singing his praises to me, even going so far as to post a link to a fan-translated story (one that was done with Sapkowski's blessing, I later learned). What I read was intriguing enough for me to want more. I looked into buying the Spanish-language editions, but the shipping costs (close to $25 per book) were too prohibitive for me to import from Spain and I never could find any available in American online stores. So I waited. And waited some more, fearing that Sapkowski might never be published in English translation. Until last year, when I heard that Gollancz, perhaps influenced by the upcoming The Witcher game (which stars the main character, Geralt, of most of Sapkowski's stories), agreed to publish some of Sapkowski's work in English translation for the UK market. The Last Wish is the first of those works to be published in English.

The Last Wish is a slender, 280 page collection of six loosely-connected stories and intervals starring Geralt. Originally released in 1993 in Poland as Ostatnie Zyczenie, The Last Wish contains some of the oldest of the Geralt tales, although it was not the first Geralt book released in Poland. It is, however, an excellent introduction to the character and to the type of story that Sapkowski apparently wants to tell.

Geralt is a Witcher, an altered human being who has enhanced eyesight, a quicker healing/recovery mechanism for his body, and supposedly immune to most of the normal human emotions (although some of his interactions with various characters belies this to some extent). As a Witcher, Geralt's task is to roam the countyside and towns, looking for and destroying true monsters. While this might sound like a perfect D&D-style adventure series, Sapkowski quickly shows a combination of a sly wit and a tendency to not just subvert these adventure tropes, but to twist them and spin them upon their head until they collapse, too dizzy to assert themselves in the story themes.

Although Geralt is trained as a killer and does have some impressive skills as a fighter, violence is not a staple of these stories. Rather, it appears to be that there are two overarching themes to these tales: overcoming first impressions and the notion that the truest monsters might have a comely appearance and be fair of speech. Geralt elaborates on this in one scene:

"People," Geralt turned his head, "like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live."

Each of these stories have moments like this, moments where Geralt shows that his greatest strength is not in how fast he can decapitate a monster (although he does this on occasion) or how quickly he can evade an attack (these, too, occur on occasion), but rather in how he is able to take a keener look than his companions at what is truly at stake. There are moments of humor here, as when a monster, Nivellen, discovers that by being generous with his gold, he can get quite a few merchant's daughters for a bit more than the usual roll in the hay. How Geralt deals with Nivellen is one of the more humane and understanding stories that I've read in this genre of work, but I'll leave that story's conclusion to the gentle reader.

There are many elements of Slavic mythology, from various creatures that do not have exact analogues in Western mythologies to codes of behavior, that make this collection a bit more mysterious to me. I suspect there are a few elements that would be funny to a Polish or other Eastern European-reading audience but which might be taken more literally by the likes of me, born and raised on Western European and Southern mythologies. Perhaps this is the main reason why, despite selling over two million copies of his works in certain European countries, Sapkowski had to wait almost twenty years for the first English-language publication of his work. It is a shame that it has been this long, as I believe that there are enough elements in common that most fantasy readers in the English-speaking world can relate to and enjoy them to much the same degree as German and Spanish-speaking readers have enjoyed Sapkowski for years.

Summary: The Last Wish is a series of connected short stories that recount the adventures of a Witcher named Geralt. Told in third-person omniscient PoV, these tales take traditional fantasy adventure motifs and play with them in a parodical fashion on occasion. Highly recommended for those who like a mixture of humor and depth to their stories, especially to those who like Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett.

• Buy on Amazon

Review by Holly Grimdragon

4 positive reader review(s) for The Last Wish

Andrzej Sapkowski biography

The Witcher

• Season of Storms (The Witcher #0)
• The Last Wish (The Witcher #1)
• Sword of Destiny (The Witcher #2)
• Blood Of Elves (The Witcher #3)
• Time of Contempt (The Witcher #4)
• Baptism of Fire (The Witcher #5)
• The Tower of the Swallow (The Witcher #6)

Jean from United States

Hard to follow, don't know who's talking, very confusing.

Daniel from Nigeria

I love it so much!

Philip from Serbia

I forgot to say, I recommend this wonderful book to anyone who is a fan of fantasy and Tolkien and those who are not.

I have to say, although some parts in that book were confusing, I still enjoyed it. An excellent combination of fantasy, dark humor and Slavic mythology, finally someone who can add something original. Great job, I just wish he could write more the Witcher novels, but I guess you can't have everything.

9.8 /10 from 5 reviews

All Andrzej Sapkowski Reviews

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Book review: the last wish (the witcher, #1) by andrzej sapkowski, march 25, 2022 petrik leo comments 0 comment.

Review copy was provided by Gollancz in exchange for an honest review.

Cover art illustrated by Tommy Arnold

Cover designed by Lauren Panepinto

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series:   The Witcher (Book #0.5 of 5)

Genre:  Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy

Pages : 352 pages (Illustrated edition)

Published: 7th December 2021 by Orbit (US) and Gollancz (UK)

The Last Wish made me feel like I was reading Geralt doing his side quests in the game.

Similar to millions of gamers—now readers—around the world, I heard about The Witcher book series through the video games adaptation. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt remains one of the best open-world role-playing games I’ve played, and even though it has been years since I finished the game, I still think about my 100+ hours of adventure with the game. More than six years have passed since I first finished The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , and I’ve wanted to know more about the characters, magic, and world I felt invested in. It’s not until The Last Wish Illustrated Edition published by Orbit Books and Gollancz came out a few months ago that I finally took the plunge to start reading the series. As someone who loves the game a LOT, and considering that this is a different medium of storytelling compared to the books, I honestly don’t expect the books (this time) would be able to live up to the satisfaction and escapism I got from playing the games. I’m not saying the books can’t achieve that; from my experience, books (original material) are often superior to their adaptations. But compared to Witcher 3: Wild Hunt , I don’t think the books can match the quality of storytelling and experience from playing the game. However, the video games adaptation is supposedly a continuation of the books series. And I fully expect I would love reading the books, too. If not, why even bother reading, right? I will be reviewing The Last Wish based on my thoughts on the overall book instead of a specific review for each short story. And at the end, I will also be giving my thoughts on the illustrated edition and whether you should buy it or not.

Picture: The Last Wish by Navar

The Last Wish is—chronologically—the first set of short stories in The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski, but publication wise, The Last Wish was published after Sword of Destiny . It has frequently been mentioned, The Last Wish worked so well as an introduction to the characters and world of The Witcher Saga , and as far as a reading-guide goes, I think The Last Wish indeed worked nicely as—technically—the first book of the series. There are seven short stories in The Last Wish , and one of the short stories, titled The Voice of Reason , takes place in the present timeframe. Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher. After being injured in battle, he’s resting in a temple during the present timeframe. He’s recounting some of the recent events he encountered, and these flashbacks are told in a short story format, but there’s one exception. The present timeframe is a short story/novella interspersed throughout the novel. I read Hyperion by Dan Simmons last month, and the relatively unconventional format of The Last Wish reminded me of that.

“People,” Geralt turned his head, “like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live.”

If you know my reading taste, then you’ll probably know that I’m not a fan of short stories in fantasy. I tend to find them underwhelming due to their short length. The Last Wish , and probably Sword of Destiny , have this working against their favor. Or at least that’s what I thought, but that’s certainly not the case. I’ve watched the two seasons available so far in the TV series adaptation of The Witcher , this means I knew the events in this collection of short stories already. That’s why it’s so surprising to me that I still found myself intrigued by the narrative. Other than The Edge of the World , which was underwhelming, I enjoyed every other short story here. My thoughts on the characters are, undoubtedly, influenced by my feelings on the characters of the games. I don’t think I can change this no matter how hard I try. I read this collection of short stories, my thoughts and imagination treat the narrative as a prequel to the video games. Whether they’re actually canon or not, at this moment, they are canon in my head. And because of this, I am slightly more receptive and biased towards the characters and the world. Even if we only get to see glimpses and an introduction to them here, it felt like I was reading the origin story of The Witcher video games characters I came to love. A Grain of Truth , The Lesser Evil , and A Question of Price , were my favorite short stories in The Last Wish .

“Evil is evil, Stregobor,” said the witcher seriously as he got up. “Lesser, greater, middling, it’s all the same. Proportions are negotiated, boundaries blurred. I’m not a pious hermit. I haven’t done only good in my life. But if I’m to choose between one evil and another, then I prefer not to choose at all.”

I didn’t have much of an issue reading The Last Wish . Themes of morality and ambiguous characters’ actions were discussed well in a relatively short novel. That being said, as I mentioned earlier, having watched the TV series already definitely decreased my satisfaction. Only alternate reality Petrik could confirm this, but I would’ve enjoyed The Last Wish more if I hadn’t watched the TV series adaptation. Also, this has been talked about many times, but prose-wise, some sentences here and there felt a bit awkward. I personally didn’t mind them too much. Plus, I heard from many sources that this issue is caused due to the quality of translation rather than Sapkowki’s prose. Other than these, I think this is a solid collection of short stories. It somehow felt like I was watching Geralt doing side quests in the game. I had a great time reading it, and I look forward to reading Sword of Destiny next month.

“They weren’t lying. They firmly believed it all. Which doesn’t change the facts.”

Now, I will review the illustrated edition. Published by Orbit Books in US and Gollancz in the UK, I am more than fortunate enough to receive both US and UK editions of the book to make a comparison. But as far as the comparison between the two goes, the illustrated edition looks almost exactly the same. The new cover art by Tommy Arnold looks gorgeous, and the stunning hardcover edition featured a special naked hardcover appearance with a quote from the book. Both editions have a slight difference in the design of the naked hardcover, and the color on the cover art looks different as well; the US edition is red, the UK edition is maroon. Also, the US edition has a thinner paper than the UK edition, but the US edition is floppier than the UK edition.

Picture: The Last Wish Illustrated Edition by Tommy Arnold Plus the Naked Hardcover

That’s pretty much where the differences between the two ended. In addition to the beautiful red and black hardcover, the illustrated edition also featured beautiful endpapers, AND the main course of it all, eight exquisite interior illustrations by a range of award-winning artists. The artists involved in this edition (in order of appearances for their work) are Tommy Arnold, Kiri Østergaard Leonard, Bruce Brenneise, Jeremy Wilson, Jen Bartel, Allen Williams, Martina Fačková, and Winona Nelson. I think every artist did a spectacular job for the story they got to do, but my favorites will have to be Tommy Arnold’s art on The Grain of Truth , Bruce Brenneise’s art on The Lesser Evil , and Martina Fačková’s art on The Last Wish .

Picture: The Last Wish by Martina Fackova

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The Witcher Book Review: ‘The Last Wish’ by Andrzej Sapkowski

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In a world where fairy tales are born and monsters are real, lives a man who denies the first and kills the second. His name is Geralt and he is a witcher. From childhood he has been raised with one purpose: to destroy monsters at every turn. But just because something looks like a monster doesn’t make it evil, and appearing to be good is no guarantee of kindness. It’s up to Geralt to determine what is right or wrong and protect the world from the real monsters. Meet this last great warrior in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Last Wish (Translated into English by Danusia Stok ).

[ Warning : My review of The Last Wish contains some spoilers !]

The beginning of the witcher’s tale

Witchers are taken from their families at a young age and trained to be ruthless assassins. They are subjected to horrible magical and medicinal transformations to make them into the perfect killing machines. Few candidates (the safe way of saying children) make it through the trials alive to become witchers.

Of those that have made it, none have undergone as many mutations as Geralt of Rivia (played by Henry Cavill in Netflix’s The Witcher series). He executes his work with amazing grace and skill. Songs are sung about him throughout the land. 

Yet most of the time he is alone. Most people are afraid of witchers. Not only are they highly skilled fighters but the many trials they go through also rob them of their emotions. This is supposed to make them better warriors. But something went wrong with Geralt. He claims to have no emotions, and he doesn’t seem to have quite the responses that most humans have, but there is no denying that he does have some feelings and attachments.

The Last Wish shows attachments aren’t weaknesses

One of these attachments is to his friend Dandelion. Dandelion is a wandering troubadour. He and Geralt have many chance meetings during their travels. And whenever they meet up they travel together for a while. Dandelion helps to bring some humanity to Geralt, and mischief. Geralt always seems to end up in some kind of trouble when Dandelion is around. Sometimes it is the poet’s fault and sometimes he just seems to attract trouble.

Geralt’s other attachment is to Yennifer (yes with a Y). Yennifer is a sorceress. Like Geralt, she underwent numerous magical changes to become what she is. Those changes left deep scars that can’t be seen. But Geralt sees them. And he falls in love with her, although he denies even being able to feel love. Their weird on-again off-again romance is heartbreaking. Both are so afraid that they aren’t enough and that they can’t really be happy that they sabotage their own best chance at happiness before they can really even get started.

A different style for this Andrzej Sapkowski novel

The Last Wish isn’t your normal adventure book with one large exciting story tying the chapters together. It’s more of an anthology or even just an accounting of Geralt’s life. There is no overarching goal that Geralt is trying to achieve. No big adventure, war, treasure hunt, or promise to fulfill. Even the title doesn’t come in until the last story, and it is only related to that one story.

It’s also interesting to me that each story didn’t fit neatly into one chapter. Some stories had multiple chapters, some stories shared chapters. It was almost more of a journal but presented as a normal, third-person narrator novel. 

What it really reminded me of is a monster-of-the-day television show. Fans of early Supernatural seasons or X-Files will enjoy and appreciate the format. I actually enjoyed the lack of a higher purpose. I’ve always wondered something about heroes that have big adventures: what do they do when it’s over? I mean you save the world and then what? I felt like The Last Wish gave me a glimpse of the answer. They just keep going. 

Now Geralt doesn’t save the world (that’s the point I was making a couple of sentences ago) but he does have some really harrowing battles. And he just gets up the next day and goes to the next village and does it all over again. This made him seem more real because The Last Wish was just his daily grind. He wasn’t someone fantastic who did something incredible and then disappeared. He was there day in and day out just working to make things better when he was. It was a really different approach to the hero genre and I really enjoyed the change.

Multiple media forms try to tell Geralt of Rivia’s tale

Geralt’s exploits as a witcher are so exciting that one form of media just wasn’t enough for them. The Witcher has been transformed into a video game and a Netflix series of the same name. The first season of The Witcher was based on The Last Wish and Sapkowski’s second book Sword of Destiny (that review is coming soon). The second season was based on The Blood of Elves. The newest season, coming out June 29th and July 27th will be based on Time of Contempt. And hypothetically the fourth season will be based on Baptism by Fire when it is released. The video game is set in the future after the books and is its own story.

Now all these adaptations are fine. Plenty of people like them (I enjoyed the Netflix series). But for me, the best form will always be the books. The detail is so much richer and the internal thoughts are just too difficult to translate to the screen. So if you already have experience with The Witcher  through these other outlets, I highly recommend checking out the source material. 

The Last Wish has a bunch of exciting mini-adventures. Part of what made the book so fun to read was the number of fairy tales that Sapkowski weaves into Geralt’s exploits. I have always loved fairy tales so seeing Sapkowski’s twists on these stories made my day. As he says “in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth” and it was fun to see the “truth”. 

My Rating: 8/10

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski (Translated into English by Danusia Stok )   is available now!  Will you be checking this novel out? Let us know on Twitter or in The Cosmic Circus Discord.

Review: The Witcher: Blood Origin

Luna Gauthier

I've always been a bookworm and fantasy is my favortie genre. I never imagined (okay, I imagined but I didn't think) that I could get those books sent to me for just my opinion. Now I am a very happy bookworm! @Lunagauthier19 on Twitter

Luna Gauthier has 235 posts and counting. See all posts by Luna Gauthier

The Witcher books reading order: where to start with the short stories and novels

Reading order recs for starting your Witcher novels journey.

• Reading order
• Other books and comics
• Should you read them?

The world of The Witcher is more popular than ever and if you're keen to go back to the source material, you'll need to know where to begin with The Witcher books. The videogames, and the many new TV show adaptations, take the broad strokes of their plots directly from the Witcher stories written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

The Witcher books include lots of stories, but the central arc follows the titular Witcher, Geralt of Rivia as he protects Ciri, a princess whose country has been conquered. If you want sword-wielding action, romance, family ties and grotesque monsters, you're in the right place.

Witcher books reading order

It's not the most complicated fantasy series ever, but because the stories weren't released in chronologic order, release date won't be your best guide . The Witcher started in the '80s as a series of short stories written by Sapkowski for a fantasy magazine. In the '90s, the stories were published in two collections, which were followed by five novels, all published throughout the same decade. The books were released in English in 2007, with Danusia Stok translating the first two and David French taking over duties from the third book.

Let's get down to business: what order should you read the books in?

The Witcher books reading order

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• The Last Wish
• Sword of Destiny
• Season of Storms (optional; explained below)
• Blood of Elves
• Time of Contempt
• Baptism of Fire
• The Tower of the Swallow
• The Lady of the Lake

You'll want to start with The Last Wish . While it was published second, it's the chronological beginning of Geralt's story and the best introduction to the world. 

The Last Wish introduces the world as you know it from the games and TV show : Geralt's role as a Witcher, his opinions on monsters and his Witcher code, his friendship with the poet Jaskier (Dandelion, in the games), and the beginning of his relationship with the sorceress Yennefer. It includes some of the best known Witcher stories—his battle with the Striga, how he earned the name Butcher of Blaviken, and his negotiation with Queen Calanthe of Cintra—then ends with titular The Last Wish in which he meets Yennefer. 

The second book of short stories, Sword of Destiny, digs into the nuance of Geralt's moral code about killing monsters and shows several jobs during which he refuses to hunt certain creatures or comes to their defense. It also shows the developent of Geralt and Yennefer's troubled romance and brings young Ciri into the story for the first time. If you never quite figured out the multiple timelines in season one of Netflix's The Witcher, reading through both The Last Wish and then Sword of Destiny will set you straight on how Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri all become destined to intersect.

The final story in Sword of Destiny, Something More, aligns with the end of season one of the TV show and also sets up the political events leading into the full length novels that you'll nead next.

The Witcher 4 : What we know The Witcher season 3 : Trailers and cast Witcher 3 mods : Good hunting

A recent release, Season of Storms , takes place within the stories of The Last Wish. While its events aren't integral to the main arc, it's a lore-heavy entry that's worth reading. You can read it after Sword of Destiny without spoiling the rest of the novels if you want, or save if for later. After that, read the books in the order they were released.

Below are the best prices for these books individually, but they do get sold together on Amazon—the first six books all together on Amazon US and the first seven bundled together on Amazon UK .

How many Witcher books are in the series?

As counted above, there are eight books in the Witcher series —six novels, and two short story collections. Some lists will count the series at nine books, including The Witcher, the original 1990 publication of the first five Witcher short stories. Because those stories were all republished in The Last Wish when the series jumped publishers, and because the original book is now out of print, it's not really worth considering as a separate title.

Other Witcher books and graphic novels

The Witcher graphic novels

Aside from the short stories and novels, Dark Horse Comics have released a lot of Witcher graphic novels. The majority of the comics are based on CD Projekt Red's videogames, not directly on the novels. While not written by Sapkowski, the comics do a great job of adding extras to already released stories, plus they look great as the art evokes the nasty themes of the books and games.

Some of the earlier volumes are difficult to find as standalones in print, so you'll want to find their respective omnibus editions as detailed below.

The Witcher Omnibus

• Volume 1: House of Glass
• Volume 2: Fox Children
• Volume 3: Curse of Crows
• (One-shot) Killing Monsters

The Witcher Omnibus #2

• Volume 4: Of Flesh and Flame
• Volume 5: Fading Memories
• Volume 6: Witch's Lament

The Witcher Volume 7: The Ballad of Two Wolves The Witcher Volume 8: Wild Animals The Witcher Volume 9: Corvo Bianco (issues still releasing as of 2024)

Dark Horse has also produced a couple comics specifically adapting stories from The Last Wish: The Witcher: A Grain of Truth and The Witcher: The Lesser Evil .

Lastly, there's The Witcher: Ronin which is a manga reimagining of Geralt's story, also by Dark Horse, in which Geralt travels to a world inspired by Edo-period Japan to tail a mythical Lady of Snow.

Are there other Witcher books?

Away from the novels, it's also worth reading The World of the Witcher , 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'll want to know about monsters, weapons, people and places. Be warned, though, it does feature spoilers for the games and the books. Read it, and you too can call yourself Geralt of Trivia.

There is a designated Witcher 3: Wild Hunt art book but it is pretty rare as it was released only with collector's editions. One to look out for though; I know I always do. And there's yet more artwork available now following the release of the Gwent game, as it too now has its own art book: The Art of the Witcher: Gwent Gallery Collection . And to finish the art side of things off, there's a Witcher Adult Coloring Book that will keep you occupied long into the night, giving your favourite characters unique outfits and painting your own Witcher pictures.

Should you read The Witcher books?

Why should i read them if i’ve played the games.

Because you are obviously desperate for more Witcher content, that's why! One joy I took from rereading the series was reading them with the voices of the games' characters in mind. I could hear Doug Cockle's dulcet tone every time Geralt spoke, which adds a greater depth to the stories. 

They are wonderful books to read with complex political narratives, plenty of backstabbing, magic and love. They aren't just for fantasy nerds, either; they are accessible to lovers of all genres who just want a good series to read. Once you've read them all, you can finally take part in the "What's better: the books, Netflix series or games?" discourse. Come with your notes prepared.

Reading the books will give you a better sense of the world, flesh out more of the cast and create a stronger bond between yourself and the situations in the lore. Characters are drawn with more depth, and although much of the plot will be known to you if you played the games, the books fill in small gaps here and there.

How faithful are The Witcher games to the books?

Very, though only so much of the books was directly brought to the games. CD Projekt Red went to great lengths to bring Sapkowski’s witty, wry and strong Geralt of Rivia to players of the games. Due to the branching narratives of the games, the plot is based on the books, rather than a direct retelling of every story. Everything you’ve seen in the games, however, from runes to weapons and monsters are featured in the series of novels. 

There’s an interesting divide between how Sapkowski sees his world and how it was translated to games, but readers will notice only small differences here and there. Coming to the books from the games brings a certain spark of life to the battles and fights.

It's worth noting though that the games, especially ones of such quality, are designed to bring excitement and danger. This can make some sections of the book—mainly the political discussions—rather dull in comparison. The games, because they deliver the story in bite-sized chunks between the killing and hunting, offer the most interactive way to experience part of Geralt's story.

How faithful to the books is the Netflix Witcher series?

A lot more than the games, by design. Officially, the Witcher show is based directly on the books, not the games. That said, the show takes some liberties, particularity with timing. To more naturally introduce viewers to Geralt and the world around him, Season 1's story is a combination of The Last Wish's short stories and the beginning of Ciri's arc in Sword of Destiny.

The first season was confusing for some folk, so Netflix put together a gorgeous timeline map to keep it all straight (spoiler warning for the books, obviously).  The second season is much more linear and easy to understand, with a few adaptations to stories here and there.

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How To Read ‘The Witcher’ Books in Order (Chronologically and by Release Date)

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The Big Picture

• Netflix's The Witcher series is a hit based on Andrzej Sapkowski's novels, providing an epic fantasy adventure.
• Fans can immerse further in The Witcher 's world by reading the books, offering more depth on Geralt and Ciri's story.
• The best order to read The Witcher books can be in release date order or chronological order for a better understanding.

When Netflix announced in 2017 that they would be making a live-action adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski ’s The Witcher saga, it became clear right away that the streaming giant wanted their own Game of Thrones . An epic, mature fantasy adventure series that takes place in a dark world with a complex mythology, the Polish novel series seemed to be exactly what Netflix was looking for, with the high viewership of the show’s three seasons proving them right.

With a fourth season on the way, some fans may want to further immerse themselves in the world of The Witcher by delving into the novels that started it all. Whether you want to see how Geralt and Ciri’s story differs from the show or want to be prepared for what’s to come in future seasons, the books are a great place for fans, both new and old, to expand their knowledge of the franchise. Now the only question is, what is the best order to read The Witcher books? Well, see below to find out how to read the books in order of release or in chronological order.

The Witcher

Geralt of Rivia, a solitary monster hunter, struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts.

'The Witcher' Books in Order of Release Date

Note: Publication dates are of the original Polish language releases.

'The Witcher' Books in Chronological Order

So now you have a roadmap to read each and every book in the series in the order in which they were introduced. However, the first two books, in particular, are structured in an anthology collection of short stories , and the timeline can get a bit jumbled concerning when things take place. Those who would rather read everything as close to the chronological order as possible simply need to refer to the listing below:

'The Last Wish' (1993)

Though it's the second book to be released in the series, The Last Wish features events that come earliest in The Witcher timeline. It also ultimately functions as a much more accessible entry point into the series , with its introductions to the major characters of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg, and Dandelion (known as Jaskier to fans of the show). Rather than being a straightforward linear storyline, The Last Wish takes more of an anthology approach with a series of seven short stories that tease a wider narrative. Fans will also probably recognize the title as being about a critical point in the relationship between Geralt and Yennefer that will intertwine their fates for the rest of the series.

The love story between Geralt and Yennefer is a driving force in both the original book series and the numerous adaptations of the source material. On one hand, you have Geralt of Rivia - a stoic Witcher whose entire life is dedicated to hunting monsters that threaten innocent villages. On the other, you have Yennefer of Vengerberg - a remarkably talented sorceress who used her magical abilities to heal the disfigured form she's had since childhood. In one of Geralt and Yennefer's first meetings, they both encounter an immensely powerful being known as a Djinn , which inevitably binds the fates of the two characters together forever.

'Season of Storms' (2013)

Season of Storms is the most recent and most unusual entry in Geralt's story . Not only is it a standalone spin-off that doesn't relate to the wider storyline, but it's also a bit difficult to tell where exactly this takes place in the timeline. The consensus seems to agree that it takes place sometime during or after the events of The Last Wish , but again, because it's an independent entry, its position in the timeline isn't super important. While not the most popular novel, it's still interesting to see Geralt in a situation where he doesn't have his monster-slaying weapons and has to use his wit and skill to succeed.

'Sword of Destiny' (1992)

The first book to be published in the series, Sword of Destiny , similar to The Last Wish, is a collection of short stories following the many adventures of mutated monster hunter Geralt of Rivia. It continues to chronicle Geralt's adventures but also introduces the character of Ciri, a young princess who is arguably the most important character in the entire saga . The concluding story of the novel perfectly sets the stage for the remaining saga to come.

Ciri grew up as a princess of Cintra until she decided to leave her kingdom behind to forge a new life for herself. Along her travels, she meets Geralt and Yennefer, who ultimately become her guardians against those who wish her harm. Ciri is frequently sought out by the many villains of The Witcher universe, not for her royal lineage, but because she is a descendant of the " Elder Blood ." Since birth, Ciri has been capable of astounding feats of power and magic that even the most skilled sorcerors are unable to replicate.

'Blood of Elves' (1994)

Now is the point where things really start to get rolling in the story of Geralt and Ciri. A more traditional novel with one overarching story, more or less ditching the established anthology format, Blood of Elves sees Geralt and Yennefer squabble over the training of young Ciri , whose awesome powers are becoming increasingly difficult to manage. It's a bit of a slower-paced tale that does take some getting used to after the breakneck pace set up by the shorter stories in The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny , but it still does a great job setting the stage for an epic saga.

War has officially come to the land of Cintra, as the ruthless Nilfgaardian empire has led a full-blown attack on the kingdom. Ciri was able to escape the bloody battles, but that didn't stop the unrelenting emperor of Nilfgaard, Emhyr var Emreis, from sending every resource at his disposal after the all-powerful magical being. Little does var Emreis know that Ciri is already under the protection of Geralt, who is not keen on letting his young ward fall into the clutches of the empire.

'Time of Contempt' (1995)

The adventures of our protagonists continue right where Blood of Elves left off, with the tides of war between neighboring kingdoms and non-human races like elves and dwarves rising to a boiling point. While the previous story focused more on where Ciri's story was going to go , Time of Contempt gives more of a glimpse into the impact that the current political climate is having on the larger world. It plants the seeds for a difficult moral quandary for the main characters, with them having to decide whether it's better to pick a side or remain neutral.

'Baptism of Fire' (1996)

Much like Blood of Elves , Baptism of Fire spends a good portion of its time setting up adventures to come. While this method of writing may be tedious to some, the halfway point for the main saga introduces some of the unique and interesting characters so far , which is saying something given the already complex people that have already been introduced. Geralt, this time around, is once again seeking Ciri after the chaotic events in the previous story, now with a ragtag group of companions to accompany him .

Baptism of Fire also functions as the first "by release date" appearance of Geralt's vampire companion, Emiel Regis Rohellec Terzieff-Godefroy. Regis circumvents a lot of the stereotypes of other vampires, as the "Higher" variety like him do not consume human blood to survive (though not doing so is not necessarily socially acceptable). Regis is said to make his big live-action debut in The Witcher Season 4, played by Laurence Fishburne .

'The Tower of the Swallow' (1997)

The penultimate chapter of Geralt's quest to protect Ciri sees the world around him in the middle of an all-out war. While Geralt's fellowship is out searching for her, Ciri has adapted to her new life as a bandit , with a taste for violence and bloodlust clinging to her like a malignant parasite. Seemingly not realizing how important both she and her abilities are to the rest of the world, Geralt may be Ciri's only hope to help her find her true destiny .

'The Lady of the Lake' (1999)

The Witcher saga finally reaches its conclusion in The Lady of the Lake , where the fates of practically every major character are ultimately revealed. With war tearing the world apart, with evil leaders and sinister sorcerers at every turn, Geralt and Ciri now face the outcomes of every decision they ever made , leading to a finale that's sure to make fans who were along the ride for this epic journey satisfied.

We daren't spoil the definitive (as of now) ending to The Witcher saga, but it's a conclusion that is filled to the brim with unexpected developments and shocking character deaths. That goes double for the fates of Geralt and Yennefer, as their grand finale may not be what many fans of the series might expect. However, despite these stories not necessarily being canon in the books, the story does actually continue via a somewhat surprising medium - video gaming .

Freya Allan Teases a "Dark Turn" For Ciri in 'The Witcher' Season 4

"I'll be intrigued to see how they translate that to the TV version."

Geralt's Story Continues in the Video Games

When CD Projekt Red acquired the rights to begin a video game series based on The Witcher , they opted to do something a bit different by making the games a continuation rather than a direct adaptation. All three of the main games and the two spin-off games are available on Steam. While the older entries are admittedly a bit dated, the stories are still so gripping that they're worth playing (though that is set to change for at least one of them, as a remake of the first Witcher game is reportedly in development at CD Projekt Red). Plus, decisions made by players in one of the three main games will carry over to the next game in the series , giving hardcore fans who have read the books an amazing opportunity to role-play as Geralt and try to make decisions he would make. Every game in the series can be found below, and, in addition to the remake of Witcher 1 , a fourth chapter in the saga is also in development.

Spinoff Games

Netflix Adaptations of 'The Witcher'

The Netflix series starring Henry Cavill has seen some tremendous success, with The Witcher serving as a much more direct adaptation of the books. Although Cavill will no longer be part of the series, Liam Hemsworth will be replacing him in the role of Geralt in Season 4. In addition to the main show, Netflix has big plans to expand the IP even further. The series has multiple spinoffs, including an animated spinoff following Geralt's mentor Vesemir titled The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf and also a live-action prequel series starring Michelle Yeoh titled The Witcher: Blood Origin . Lastly, those who search for The Witcher on Netflix will find some educational lore-centric videos, including the two-part The Witcher Beastiary .

Stream all episodes of The Witcher on Netflix in the U.S.

Watch on Netflix

• TV Features

The Biggest Differences Between Netflix's The Witcher And The Book Series

The Netflix original series "The Witcher" is an epic fantasy adventure filled with magic, monsters, and romance. Henry Cavill stars as the intrepid monster slayer, Geralt of Rivia, along with Anya Chalotra as the  fan-favorite Yennefer of Vengerberg  alongside Freya Allan as Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon –- or Ciri, for short. The show centers on the journey of these three main characters as they go up against harrowing dangers while trying to ascertain what they mean to each other.

Most fans of "The Witcher" are aware of the popular video game series from Polish studio CD Projekt Red, particularly the award-winning "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt." However, even before it became a successful game franchise, "The Witcher" was a series of novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. It is from these books that the story of the Netflix TV series is based –- although many things were changed or lost in the adaptation process. Let's take a look at the biggest alterations made when "The Witcher" was lifted from the pages of Sapkowski's works to the small screen.

Yennefer's origin story isn't in the books

"The Witcher" Season 1 shows the perspectives of the three main heroes across various timelines. The earliest of those timelines is Yennefer's, who grows up in an abusive environment due to her elvish heritage and physical appearance. When her magical abilities become apparent, Yennefer is taken to the school of Aretuza to study under the strict tutelage of Tissaia de Vries (MyAnna Buring). Though Yennefer struggles to control the balance of Chaos in her initial lessons, she soon proves that she has the potential to become a powerful sorceress.

Undergoing an intense transformation through powerful dark magic, Yennefer becomes the official sorceress of King Demavend of Aedirn. After years of service, and narrowly escaping an assassination attempt, Yennefer decides she has had enough of politics and strikes out on her own. However, none of these details are in "The Witcher" novels. 

The first time the reader meets Yennefer in the books is also the first time Geralt meets her. In Sapkowski's short story, " The Last Wish ," Geralt is directed to a sorceress in Rinde to help cure Dandelion, aka Jaskier (Joey Batey), from a genie's wish gone awry. The books give very little information about Yennefer prior to meeting Geralt, only alluding to the fact that she used to have a curved spine and was once a student at Aretuza. "The Witcher" showrunner, Lauren Schmidt Hissrich, once spoke with TV Guide about diving into Yennefer's origin story. "I really wanted to get in and just dig into her past," said Hissrich. "I wanted to have a much fuller idea of who she was."

Triss was not in Temeria when Geralt fought the striga

In the Season 1 episode "Betrayer Moon," Geralt takes on a contract to destroy a vicious creature known as a striga in the kingdom of Temeria. There he meets the sorceress Triss Merigold (Anna Shaffer) , who works for Temeria's King Foltest (Shaun Dooley). Triss conveys to Geralt that the striga is truly the daughter of Foltest's sister, Adda, and the heir to the throne. Rather than kill the beast, Triss asks Geralt to break the curse.

The two appear before King Foltest to tell them their plan, but Foltest seems reluctant to go along with it. Geralt surmises that the striga was the result of an incestuous relationship between Foltest and his sister, and he must discover the one responsible for the curse to lift it. After lifting the curse and turning the striga back into a human, Geralt takes his reward and bids Triss farewell.

The tale of Geralt and the striga is from another short story by Sapkowski titled " The Witcher ." The episode adapts the events faithfully from the book, with one exception –- Triss Merigold does not appear anywhere in the story. In fact, the books never reveal when exactly Triss and Geralt first met. Triss first appears in the novel "Blood of Elves" when she arrives at Kaer Morhen to help train Ciri in magic. It is briefly mentioned that Triss and Geralt once had a romantic tryst, but readers are given no further details.

Dara only appears in the Netflix series

After Ciri escapes the Nilfgaardian siege on Cintra, she is assisted by a young elf boy named Dara (Wilson Radjou-Pujalte) in the Season 1 episode "Four Marks." Together, Dara and Ciri share a campfire and a meal before parting. They reconnect in a later episode when they find themselves in Brokilon Forest as guests of the dryads but are later attacked by a doppler posing as Ciri's mentor, Mousesack (Adam Levy). This causes Dara to leave Ciri's side for good, believing that she is too dangerous to be around.

Dara returns in Season 2 of "The Witcher" after being recruited as a spy by the head of Redanian Intelligence, Sigismund Dijkstra (Graham McTavish). Dijkstra sends Dara to the city of Xin'tra, where the elves and Nilfgaardians have formed a tentative alliance. He spies on the elf queen Francesca (Mecia Simson) and the Nilfgaardian sorceress Fringilla (Mimi Ndiweni), delivering his reports to a white owl later revealed to be sorceress Philippa Eilhart (Cassie Claire). When the newborn baby of Francesca and Filavandrel (Tom Canton) is murdered, Dara severs his ties with Redania and joins the elves.

Played by Wilson Mbomio, Dara is an entirely new character in the Netflix series. According to "The Witcher" Twitter fan account Redanian Intelligence , executive producer Hissrich outlined the reason behind the addition of Dara by explaining, "Ciri's journey this season is she's on the run ... We needed someone for [Ciri] to talk to and mirror her experiences."

Cahir did not employ a doppler to find Ciri

There are a number of villains, both human and otherwise, in the world of "The Witcher." One is Cahir (Eamon Farren), a Nilfgaardian black knight charged with finding Ciri and turning her over to the Emperor. This quest becomes an obsession, as Cahir believes that he is helping Ciri fulfill her true destiny.

Cahir plays a much more significant role in the Netflix series than in the novels. One of the largest departures from the books is the subplot where Cahir employs a creature called a doppler who can take on the appearance of any human. The doppler, Adonis (Ben Wiggins), tracks down Ciri by taking on the appearance of Mousesack. Adonis then fools Ciri into leaving Brokilon Forest by promising to take her to Geralt. Thankfully, Ciri sees through the doppler's ruse and escapes.

While dopplers do exist in the "Witcher" books, there is no mention of the character of the Adonis, as he was created just for the series. Cahir's journey in "The Witcher" series is also much different from the books. In the novel " The Tower of the Swallow ," it is revealed that after Cahir failed to capture Ciri during the siege on Cintra, the knight was imprisoned by Emperor Emhyr as punishment. After his release, Cahir found himself on a surprising new path. Whether the series decides to stay faithful to Cahir's original story arc remains to be seen.

The Battle of Sodden Hill is not depicted in the books

The Season 1 finale of "The Witcher" centers on the clash between mages and Nilfgaardian soldiers at the Battle of Sodden Hill, where Yennefer and her fellow magic users fight to defend their lands from the army's assault. After the sorcerer Stregabor (Lars Mikkelsen) and the other members of the Brotherhood refuse to fight the Nilfgaardians, Tissaia and Vilgefortz (Mahesh Jadu) lead a rebel group to stand against the bulk of Emperor Emhyr's forces.

Although outnumbered, the combined powers of the mages manage to defeat the Nilfgaard army, though they suffer heavy losses. The Battle of Sodden Hill, which takes place in the episode "Much More," gives viewers a series of dramatic scenes packed with high fantasy action. Though most everyone can appreciate a good battle sequence, the skirmish was created from scratch by the writers of the Netflix series. 

In the books, only the aftermath of the battle is depicted. In the short story "Something More," Geralt wanders the fields of Sodden Hill and comes upon an obelisk that lists the names of those who died. After reading the names, he is relieved to find that Yennefer's is not listed and holds on to the hope that they will meet again.

How Geralt and Ciri really met

Besides the Battle of Sodden Hill, the biggest highlight of "The Witcher" Season 1 finale is the moment when Geralt and Ciri are united. This meeting has been destined to occur ever since Geralt invoked the Law of Surprise after saving Duny, Ciri's father. Though Geralt initially denied his claim to Ciri for many years, it seems that fate would not free him from his obligation to the young lion cub of Cintra.

While "The Witcher" series does borrow elements of Ciri and Geralt's first meeting from the books, there are a number of ways in which the event differs. In the short story "The Sword of Destiny," Ciri finds herself in Brokilon Forest, just like on the show -– however, in the original text, things happen quite differently. The tale begins with Geralt going into Brokilon to deliver a message to Eithne, the dryad leader. On his way, he finds a trail of human bodies that have been shot down by arrows. Geralt then finds an injured man who begs Geralt to find and protect "the princess."

As Geralt ventures further into the forest, he comes upon a giant centipede attacking what he initially believes to be a halfling. After killing the monster, Geralt realizes that he has actually rescued Princess Cirilla of Cintra. Though the two spend only a brief amount of time together, it becomes clear to both of them that their destinies are intertwined. They go their separate ways but are later reunited after Ciri escapes the invasion of Cintra.

Eskel in the TV show versus Eskel in the books

One of the biggest sources of controversy for fans of "The Witcher" books and video games is how the series depicted the character of Eskel (Basil Eidenbenz), a witcher who lives at Kaer Morhen. In the Season 2 episode "Kaer Morhen," Geralt brings Ciri to the home of the witchers, where she meets their leader, Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), and the rest of the few surviving monster slayers.

Shortly after their arrival, Eskel makes his entrance following a tough fight with a leshy, during which he sustained a serious injury, although he insists it is nothing to worry about. Later in the episode, Eskel transforms into a terrible tree-like monster who has to be put down by Geralt and the other witchers. In his brief appearance on the show, Eskel is presented as a cocky, antagonistic character who is not pleased by Ciri's presence. He disrespects Vesemir by inviting prostitutes into Kaer Morhen, which results in a tense confrontation with Geralt.

The Eskel of Sapkowski's stories is nothing like the character in the series. He first appeared in the novel "Blood of Elves," where he helped train Ciri and was very fond of her. In that book, Eskel is a thoughtful and kind gentleman, as well as a skilled fighter. His character is not very prominent in the books, but he is like a brother to Geralt and becomes a beloved mentor to Ciri.

Istredd is featured more prominently in the TV series

In "The Witcher," Yennefer first discovers her magical abilities when she accidentally portals into a strange cavern. There she meets the sorcerer Istredd (Royce Pierreson), who becomes her first true friend, and, later, her lover. Istredd goes on to have an important role in the series, eventually working for the Brotherhood as Stregobor's assistant.

He reappears in Season 2 when Yennefer finds him working on a Nilfgaardian excavation. Istredd relays to Yennefer that a large monolith has been discovered underground which may come from a time before the Conjunction. Istredd continues his research on the monolith when he runs into Geralt, who is investigating strange phenomena and new monsters that may be related to the monolith.

While Istredd plays an important supporting role in the Netflix series, he is much less present in the original books. His one appearance is in the short story "A Shard of Ice," in which Yennefer reveals to Geralt that she has been unfaithful to him with an old flame. That old flame turns out to be Istredd, who confronts Geralt and challenges him to a duel over Yennefer. Though Geralt beats Istredd after the fight, he leaves the sorcerer alive, and both men soon discover that Yennefer has decided not to be with either of them. Istredd does not appear in any more of Sapkowski's stories, beyond a brief mention of him in "Something More."

Vesemir never tried to make more witchers in the books

Season 2 of "The Witcher" introduces Vesemir (Kim Bodnia), Geralt's mentor and father figure, who is the leader of the witchers at Kaer Morhen. In a time when witchers are nearly extinct, Vesemir holds the duty of caretaker of the fortress and advises the few who remain.

Vesemir senses that Ciri's arrival at the fortress bodes a time of great change as her powers are unlike anything they've seen before. In the Season 2 episode "Turn Your Back," Triss discovers that Ciri is a child of the Elder Blood, meaning she has powerful magic which she inherited from a great elven queen of legend, Lara Dorren. Upon learning this, Vesemir develops a plan to use her blood to finally create more witchers and keep their kind from dying out. When Vesemir approaches her with the idea, Ciri eagerly offers to be his test subject. Fortunately, Geralt returns to Kaer Morhen just in time to stop the experiment.

This subplot was completely invented by the writers of the TV show and appears nowhere in the original books. It does give Ciri a dose of character development, as she later tells Geralt that her reasons for agreeing to the mutation were so that she could move on from her past, and gives Ciri and Vesemir the chance to bond, but it is an entirely new story arc for the Netflix series.

The series fills what happened to Yennefer after Sodden Hill

Like Yennefer's origin story in Season 1, the second season of the Netflix series fills in the gaps of the sorceress' journey that were left out of "The Witcher" novels. While the books mention that Yennefer was involved in the Battle of Sodden Hill, she is not seen again until she swoops in to rescue Dandelion — or Jaskier, in the TV show — from torture by the evil mage, Rience (Chris Fulton).

The fate of Yennefer following the Battle of Sodden Hill is revealed in Season 2 when she is taken captive by her old friend Fringilla, who leads what is left of the Nilgaardian army. Shortly after, Yennefer and Fringilla are taken hostage by the elves, who are led by Filavandrel and Francesca. After traveling together for a time, they encounter the home of a powerful witch called Voleth Meir. Following that meeting, Yennefer finds herself alone and stripped of her magic entirely.

Yennefer manages to find her way back to Aretuza but is under severe suspicion from Stregabor. The Brotherhood decides to test Yennefer's loyalty by commanding her to execute the Nilfgaard soldier Cahir, but she cuts him free and the two make their escape together. They find their way to Oxenfurt, where Yennefer is reunited with Jaskier.

The show spends more time with Francesca and Fringilla than the books do

The Netflix show fleshes out many minor characters from the original stories and makes them feel more complete. This is the case with Fringilla Vigo, the mage advisor to Emperor Emhyr, and Francesca Findabair, the elven sorceress.

In the original novels, both Francesca and Fringilla are members of the Brotherhood and eventually the Lodge of Sorceresses. In Sapkowski's "Time of Contempt," Francesca betrays the Brotherhood by teaming up with Nilfgaard against the Northern Kingdoms. She does so because of a proposal from the emperor himself, who offers to give her dominion of Dol Blathanna if Nilfgaard wins the war.

As for Fringilla, she plays an important role in the book "The Lady of the Lake." Geralt meets Fringilla while she is doing work for the Lodge in Toussaint. Fringilla's mission is to distract Geralt from finding Ciri so that the Lodge can carry out their political plans for Lara Dorren's heir. The two have a brief romantic affair, though Geralt's heart remains faithful to Yennefer, and he eventually breaks things off with Fringilla. 

In the TV series, Fringilla and Francesca are shown developing a friendship and an alliance. Though the two have few interactions in the books, it makes sense that their mutual interests would lead to them spending a lot of time together.

Voleth Meir was an original creation for the TV series

Along with expanding on the supporting characters, Netflix's "The Witcher" also added a few new ones. In the Season 2 episode "Kaer Morhen," Fringilla and Yennefer find themselves at the mercy of Francesca, the elven leader. Francesca, it seems, is on an important mission to find Ithlinne, a goddess that she believes will bring her people back to a brighter future. As it turns out, all three women are having dreams that feature a robed woman, and they might be connected.

After traveling through the wilderness, Francesca, Fringilla, and Yennefer come upon a magical hut which they are soon transported inside. Each of them is approached by a unique vision that offers them what they most desire. Yennefer is the only one who isn't fooled by the witch's disguise, and the creature reveals itself to be an ancient entity called Voleth Meir. Also called the Deathless Mother , Voleth Meir is a demon who feeds on pain. It later possesses Ciri and causes havoc for the witchers at Kaer Morhen in the finale episode, "Family."

Though Voleth Meir is an original character in the TV series, it is more than simply just another monster for Geralt to fight. It sees the darkest wishes of each person it comes in contact with, revealing the character's true motivations and what they are willing to do to achieve them.

The monoliths storyline is not in the books

Yet another departure from "The Witcher" book series is the storyline involving the magical monoliths in Season 2. After Eskel was turned into a monster and killed, Geralt made it a priority to find out the meaning behind this unprecedented occurrence. His investigation leads him to some tall black stone structures, which appear to be portals leading to another realm. When Ciri escapes from Cahir's grasp after emitting a powerful scream in Season 1, her mysterious abilities somehow break one of these monoliths, allowing strange new monsters to enter their world.

Geralt later teams up with the wizard Istredd, who is also researching the monoliths. Through his studies, Istredd learns that the monoliths are likely conduits that helped bring about the Convergence, the alignment of spheres that brought both monsters and humans to the Continent. The Convergence is a large part of "The Witcher" lore and is spoken about extensively in the original text. However, there has never been any mention of monoliths in the books, and this is a unique plot device in the TV series.

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The Last Wish: Illustrated Edition (The Witcher, 1) Hardcover – Illustrated, December 14, 2021

• Part of series The Witcher Illustrated Edition
• Print length 336 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Orbit
• Publication date December 14, 2021
• Dimensions 6.3 x 1.2 x 9.55 inches
• ISBN-10 0316333522
• ISBN-13 978-0316333528
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit; Illustrated edition (December 14, 2021)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316333522
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316333528
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.3 x 1.2 x 9.55 inches
• #284 in Historical Fantasy (Books)
• #1,200 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
• #1,785 in Epic Fantasy (Books)

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The Last Wish Illustrated Edition

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About the author

Andrzej sapkowski.

Andrzej Sapkowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈandʐɛj sapˈkɔfskʲi]; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer and former economist. He is best known for his best-selling book series The Witcher. In 2012 Sapkowski was awarded the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Czech Wikipedia user Packa (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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slow paced at first but fantastic book

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