How to Read The Witcher Books in Order

Brief Story Collections

The Final Want and Sword of Future

The Final Want is your start line in The Witcher, which is vital to word as a result of it was revealed a 12 months after 1992’s Sword of Future. The Final Want takes nearly each single story from Wiedzmín and provides extra, all of which characteristic occasions that happen earlier than the beforehand revealed Sword of Future. It’s principally a prequel assortment written to prep you for Sword of Future, the second assortment of quick tales that proceed to broaden on Geralt’s adventures and first introduces the character of Ciri. In case you’re solely in masking what’s featured early on in the TV sequence, The Final Want and Sword of Future quick story collections must be nice. Nevertheless, if you’d like to know the ins and outs of the world and be sure that you’re a real Witcher connoisseur, you’ll need to dive deeper into the saga beneath.

The Witcher Saga

When you’ve learn The Final Want and Sword of Future, you’re prepared to transfer on to the saga. This saga includes of 5 novels, all of which inform the tales of Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, Triss, Dandelion, and different characters chances are you’ll acknowledge from the video games. These books additionally introduce a spread of characters that don’t seem in CD Projekt Purple’s variations, most of whom are nice. The Witcher saga focuses largely on the connection between Geralt and Ciri. That is the place the majority of Geralt’s tales unfold, and makes up the principle constituent of The Witcher universe at massive — no less than in phrases of Sapkowski’s conception of it. Listed here are the 5 novels in order:

Blood of Elves

The first e 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 energy over Cintra, the land that’s hers by birthright. In an effort to thwart Emhyr’s plans, the Northern monarchs meet and determine to assassinate Ciri, however Geralt of Rivia watches over her in Kaer Morhen, the distant hold inhabited by Wolf College witchers. In the meantime, a mysterious sorcerer can also be making an attempt to find Ciri.

The Time of Contempt

The Time of Contempt picks up the place the earlier novel finishes. The Northern Kings are nonetheless conspiring with each other in an effort to lure Nilfgaard into struggle, whereas Ciri is due to be enrolled at Aretuza in order to examine magic. Ciri comes into contact with among the strongest sorceresses on The Continent. As struggle turns into inevitable, she finds herself on the run with a bandit group recognized merely as The Rats.

Baptism of Fireplace

Geralt spends time in Brokilon forest recovering from occasions in the earlier e book, which is the place he and Dandelion encounter an elven archer named Milva, who decides to be a part of their group. Individuals who have performed the video games will probably be glad to know that the dwarf Zoltan Chivay briefly joins Geralt’s ragtag group too, in addition to the vampire Regis. A Nilfgaardian knight named Cahir additionally tags alongside as a result of he feels indebted to Ciri. Geralt formally receives his “of Rivia” title after an epic battle whereas Ciri begins to really feel at residence with The Rats.

The Tower of Swallows

Ciri is gravely injured after an encounter with Nilfgaardian bounty hunter Leo Bonhart, who was employed by the coroner Stefan Skellen to kill her. A form outdated man nurses her again to well being whereas Geralt’s celebration continues their seek for Ciri and Geralt renounces his standing as a witcher. The Lodge of Sorceresses try to acquire management of a rustic referred to as Kovir whereas Triss Merigold seeks data on Yennefer of Vengerberg. (Often known as The Tower of Swallows in the U.S.)

The Woman of the Lake

Ciri encounters Arthurian knight Sir Galahad who believes she is the eponymous woman of the lake. The story cuts to a dream in which Geralt overhears Skellen and units out to rescue Yennefer from a faraway citadel. Ciri, in the meantime, tells Galahad about her time in the elven world of Aen Elle, residence of the Wild Hunt. She begins to leap between worlds in order to escape them, however Eredin Breacc Glas persistently chases her, as she heads in the direction of a ultimate assembly together with her surrogate mother and father Geralt and Yennefer.

Now we’re up to seven out of eight books. The final textual content can also be a novel, however it’s a bit tough to place and relies on private desire…

Bonus: Season of Storms

In case you’re any person who likes to know every little thing that occurs because it occurs, then you may want to learn Season of Storms instantly after The Final Want. Initially revealed in 2013 — 14 years after Sapkowski wrapped the saga — Season of Storms accommodates tales that happen between the tales in The Final Want, which aren’t essentially in strict proximity to each other. Nevertheless, as a result of it is written after the saga was accomplished, Season of Storms accommodates slight hints about what’s to come, if not outright spoilers. In case you’re dying to learn the sequence in strictly chronological phrases, it may very well be price studying it proper after The Final Want. In case you’re the kind of one who worries about spoilers, although, reserve it for the top and revel in it as a retrospective piece.

The place Do The Witcher Video games Match on the Timeline?

The Witcher e book saga begins roughly 10 years earlier than the video games, with a lot of the books’ plotlines wrapped up by the point the primary Witcher sport begins. So, for these curious, taking part in the video games first does imply you get among the e book sequence spoiled. That stated, each the books and the video video games are improbable (we particularly referred to as The Witcher 3 “Wonderful” in our evaluate), so whichever one you begin with should not have an effect on your total enjoyment.

What’s Subsequent for The Witcher?

Between the books, online game franchise, and TV sequence, there’s lots occurring in the world of The Witcher. And in case you assumed that simply because it has been 10 years since Season of Storms there can be no extra Witcher books, you would be fallacious. In 2023, Sapkowski introduced a brand new e book in The Witcher sequence, releasing in early 2025 after an preliminary publication in Poland.

In the meantime, Netflix’s live-action The Witcher is chugging towards it is fourth season, which would be the first with Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia. The streaming large can also be creating a brand new animated movie referred to as The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.

After all, the large query is once we’ll get one other Witcher sport. Whereas CD Projekt has spent the previous couple of years fairly targeted on Cyberpunk 2077, they not too long ago introduced that the “bulk of its effort” is now going towards The Witcher 4 (codenamed “Polaris”). We do not have a launch date but, however The Witcher 3’s energetic neighborhood is making the wait a bit of bit simpler.