After showing several TV seasons of the TV series The Witcher from Netflix, many fans of this franchise would not refuse to re-read something from the science fiction writer Andrzej Sapkowski (with an identical cycle, and from a paper source). Some people are just bored and want to stir themselves up by starting to re-read the pages they have already read, some have never heard of such a work before and want to delve deeper into its essence, and someone was misled by the sequence of episodes in the television series, and he wanted to clarify the information in the books.
If you haven’t heard of the books yet and learned about the Witcher universe only from the game characters and the TV project, then be sure to read a brief description of the order in which to get acquainted with the wonderful fantasy cycle.
“Last wish”
It is better to start reading from this work. The book was the very first to be printed, it contains several short stories. There are 6 of them in total, they are connected by an interlude (“Voice of reason”).
2. “Sword of Destiny”
After getting acquainted with the debut collection, a smooth transition to the next collection is quite appropriate. It also includes 6 stories. Someone will be wary of the need to start reading fantasy sagas from stories, but for Sapkowski, for a better assimilation of further storylines, it is very desirable to do this.
3. “Blood of Elves”
Fans of Sapkowski’s works can rejoice, because after the two books listed above, you should continue to get acquainted with the novel in this literary genre. The narrative contains a good biography of Geralt of Rivia, his named daughter Ciri, his friends and enemies.
4. “Time of Contempt”
The plot of the work picks up the events that began in the previous timing. The plot gradually twists so interestingly that after this novel it is simply impossible to stop until all the pages are “swallowed”.
5. “Baptism of Fire”
Here, on the pages of the book, the paths of the main characters diverge, and it is already necessary to observe them separately.
6. The Tower of Swallows
The book contains new interesting details of the life story of the main male character, his chosen one Yennefer and their named daughter. The suspense grows even more, so everything is read literally in one breath.
7. The Lady of the Lake
The final novel by Sapkowski links the biographies of all the characters into a single thread and brings everything to a logical conclusion. This novel will definitely interest fans of medieval battles, because in it the author describes in detail and very interestingly the main battles between the northern princes and Nilfgaard.
8. Season of Storms
After reading the above books from the saga, you can also read the sixth novel about The Witcher – Season of Thunderstorms. Although this book was published after The Lady of the Lake, it is not a continuation of it. The events of the work are described in the same epochal interval.
9. “A Road with No Return” and “Something ends, something begins”
If you have reached this point, then you just need to familiarize yourself with two small stories that take place in this microverse. The first of the short stories depicts the acquaintance of the real parents of the main character, and the second mini-story presents an alternative version of the non-canonical finale of the cycle. The author himself jokingly calls this story “fan fiction about himself.”
10. “Witcher Legends” and “Claws and Fangs”
If you have read all of the above with interest and already miss the Witcher universe a little, then you will be interested in two more books. “The Witcher Legends” contains on its pages 8 stories about the “Witcher”, the authors of which are Russian and Ukrainian writers. The collection about The Witcher, Claws and Fangs, consists of 11 stories and was written by science fiction Poles. All editions contain good stories, but in their uniqueness and originality, none of them can be compared with the original saga.
The Witcher cycle can definitely be attributed to fantasy in the style of “postmodern” – a subgenre that is significantly inferior in general direction to “canonical ideas” regarding works made in the “epic” subgenre, and is a more rigid and naturalistic variation. Sapkowski “establishes” a props stylized as the Middle Ages for a trivial fantasy saga.
