Before the award-winning RPGs or live-action show, there was The Witcher book series. Andrzej Sapkowski’s original story of Geralt of Rivia was heavily inspired by Slavic mythology as well as classic fantasy series like Lord of the Rings. Whether you already enjoyed Netflix or CD Projekt’s The Witcher adaptations or are just looking for a great book series, this wild world is worth diving into.
How Many Witcher Books Are There?
Andrzej Sapkowski has technically published four short story collections and six Witcher books since he started writing the series back in the mid-’80s. Geralt of Rivia’s first appearance in print was in a short story called Wiedzmín — “The Witcher” — published in the fantasy magazine Fantastyka in 1985. It quickly became a hit, leading to countless more short stories that were published as a collection called Wiedzmin in 1990. This collection is now out of print and every story it contains except one — “The Road to No Return” — was included in 1993’s The Last Wish.
So, after getting those details out of the way, here are the two short story collections and six books we recommend (in order) on our The Witcher Reading Guide:
1. The Last Wish (Short Story Collection)
2. Sword of Destiny (Short Story Collection)
3. Blood of Elves (The Witcher Saga #1)
4. The Time of Contempt (The Witcher Saga #2)
5. Baptism of Fire (The Witcher Saga #3)
6. The Tower of Swallows (The Witcher Saga #4)
7. The Lady of the Lake (The Witcher Saga #5)
8. Season of Storms (Prequel)
Short Story Collections
The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny
The Last Wish is your starting point in The Witcher, which is important to note because it was published a year after 1992’s Sword of Destiny. The Last Wish takes almost every single story from Wiedzmín and adds more, all of which feature events that occur before the previously published Sword of Destiny. It’s basically a prequel collection written to prep you for Sword of Destiny, the second collection of short stories that continue to expand on Geralt’s adventures and first introduces the character of Ciri. If you’re solely interested in covering what’s featured early on in the TV series, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny short story collections should be fine. However, if you want to know the ins and outs of the world and ensure that you’re a true Witcher connoisseur, you’ll want to dive deeper into the saga below.
The Witcher Saga
Once you’ve read The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, you’re ready to move on to the saga. This saga comprises of five novels, all of which tell the stories of Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, Triss, Dandelion, and other characters you may recognize from the games. These books also introduce a range of characters that don’t appear in CD Projekt Red’s adaptations, most of whom are great. The Witcher saga focuses largely on the relationship between Geralt and Ciri. This is where the bulk of Geralt’s stories unfold, and makes up the main constituent of The Witcher universe at large — at least in terms of Sapkowski’s conception of it. Here are the five novels in order:
Blood of Elves
The first book in the saga, Blood of Elves, introduces Nilfgaardian Emperor Emhyr var Emreis’ pursuit of Ciri, Geralt’s adopted daughter, in order to marry her and attain power over Cintra, the land that is hers by birthright. In an effort to thwart Emhyr’s plans, the Northern monarchs meet and decide to assassinate Ciri, but Geralt of Rivia watches over her in Kaer Morhen, the remote keep inhabited by Wolf School witchers. Meanwhile, a mysterious sorcerer is also trying to locate Ciri.
The Time of Contempt
The Time of Contempt picks up where the previous novel finishes. The Northern Kings are still conspiring with one another in an effort to lure Nilfgaard into war, while Ciri is due to be enrolled at Aretuza in order to study magic. Ciri comes into contact with some of the most powerful sorceresses on The Continent. As war becomes inevitable, she finds herself on the run with a bandit group known simply as The Rats.
Baptism of Fire
Geralt spends time in Brokilon forest recovering from events in the previous book, which is where he and Dandelion encounter an elven archer named Milva, who decides to join their group. People who have played the games will be glad to know that the dwarf Zoltan Chivay temporarily joins Geralt’s ragtag group too, as well as the vampire Regis. A Nilfgaardian knight named Cahir also tags along because he feels indebted to Ciri. Geralt officially receives his “of Rivia” title after an epic battle while Ciri begins to feel at home with The Rats.
The Tower of Swallows
Ciri is gravely injured after an encounter with Nilfgaardian bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, who was hired by the coroner Stefan Skellen to kill her. A kind old man nurses her back to health while Geralt’s party continues their search for Ciri and Geralt renounces his status as a witcher. The Lodge of Sorceresses attempt to gain control of a country called Kovir while Triss Merigold seeks information on Yennefer of Vengerberg. (Known as The Tower of Swallows in the U.S.)
The Lady of the Lake
Ciri encounters Arthurian knight Sir Galahad who believes she is the eponymous lady of the lake. The story cuts to a dream in which Geralt overhears Skellen and sets out to rescue Yennefer from a faraway castle. Ciri, meanwhile, tells Galahad about her time in the elven world of Aen Elle, home of the Wild Hunt. She begins to jump between worlds in order to escape them, but Eredin Breacc Glas persistently chases her, as she heads towards a final meeting with her surrogate parents Geralt and Yennefer.
Now we’re up to seven out of eight books. The last text is also a novel, but it’s a bit difficult to place and depends on personal preference…
Bonus: Season of Storms
If you’re somebody who likes to know everything that happens as it happens, then you might want to read Season of Storms immediately after The Last Wish. Originally published in 2013 — 14 years after Sapkowski wrapped the saga — Season of Storms contains stories that take place between the stories in The Last Wish, which aren’t necessarily in strict proximity to one another. However, because it’s written after the saga was completed, Season of Storms contains slight hints about what’s to come, if not outright spoilers. If you’re dying to read the series in strictly chronological terms, it could be worth reading it right after The Last Wish. If you’re the type of person who worries about spoilers, though, save it for the end and enjoy it as a retrospective piece.
Where Do The Witcher Games Fit on the Timeline?
The Witcher book saga starts roughly 10 years before the games, with most of the books’ plotlines wrapped up by the time the first Witcher game starts. So, for those curious, playing the games first does mean you get some of the book series spoiled. That said, both the books and the video games are fantastic (we specifically called The Witcher 3 “Amazing” in our review), so whichever one you start with shouldn’t affect your overall enjoyment.
What’s Next for The Witcher?
Between the books, video game franchise, and TV series, there’s a lot going on in the world of The Witcher. And if you assumed that just because it’s been 10 years since Season of Storms there would be no more Witcher books, you’d be wrong. In 2023, Sapkowski announced a new book in The Witcher series that released in Poland in late 2024. The new book, titled “Rozdroże kruków” in Polish, will hopefully recieve an official English translation and release at some point in 2025.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s live-action The Witcher is chugging toward it’s fourth season, which will be the first with Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia. The streaming giant also just released a new animated film called The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.
What About The Witcher 4?
Of course, the big question is when we’ll get another Witcher game. While CD Projekt has spent the past couple of years focused on Cyberpunk 2077, in early 2024, they proclaimed that the “bulk of its effort” is now going toward The Witcher 4. The new game was officially announced with a cinematic trailer at the 2024 Game Awards. We don’t have a release date yet, but The Witcher 3’s active community is making the wait a little bit easier.