How to Read The Witcher Books in Order

Short Story Collections

The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny

The Last Wish is your starting constituent successful The Witcher, which is important to enactment due to the fact that it was published a twelvemonth aft 1992’s Sword of Destiny. The Last Wish takes astir each azygous communicative from Wiedzmín and adds more, each of which diagnostic events that hap earlier the antecedently published Sword of Destiny. It’s fundamentally a prequel postulation written to prep you for Sword of Destiny, the 2nd postulation of abbreviated stories that proceed to grow connected Geralt's adventures and archetypal introduces the quality of Ciri. If you’re solely funny successful covering what’s featured aboriginal connected successful the TV series, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny abbreviated communicative collections should beryllium fine. However, if you privation to cognize the ins and outs of the satellite and guarantee that you’re a existent Witcher connoisseur, you’ll privation to dive deeper into the saga below.

The Witcher Saga

Once you’ve work The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, you’re acceptable to determination connected to the saga. This saga comprises of 5 novels, each of which archer the stories of Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, Triss, Dandelion, and different characters you whitethorn admit from the games. These books besides present a scope of characters that don’t look successful CD Projekt Red’s adaptations, astir of whom are great. The Witcher saga focuses mostly connected the narration betwixt Geralt and Ciri. This is wherever the bulk of Geralt’s stories unfold, and makes up the main constituent of The Witcher beingness astatine ample — astatine slightest successful presumption of Sapkowski’s conception of it. Here are the 5 main Witcher novels successful order:

Blood of Elves

The archetypal publication successful the saga, Blood of Elves, introduces Nilfgaardian Emperor Emhyr var Emreis’ pursuit of Ciri, Geralt’s adopted daughter, successful bid to wed her and attain powerfulness implicit Cintra, the onshore that is hers by birthright. In an effort to thwart Emhyr’s plans, the Northern monarchs conscionable and determine to assassinate Ciri, but Geralt of Rivia watches implicit her successful Kaer Morhen, the distant support inhabited by Wolf School witchers. Meanwhile, a mysterious sorcerer is besides trying to find Ciri.

The Time of Contempt

The Time of Contempt picks up wherever the erstwhile caller finishes. The Northern Kings are inactive conspiring with 1 different successful an effort to lure Nilfgaard into war, portion Ciri is owed to beryllium enrolled astatine Aretuza successful bid to survey magic. Ciri comes into interaction with immoderate of the astir almighty sorceresses connected The Continent. As warfare becomes inevitable, she finds herself connected the tally with a bandit radical known simply arsenic The Rats.

Baptism of Fire

Geralt spends clip successful Brokilon wood recovering from events successful the erstwhile book, which is wherever helium and Dandelion brushwood an elven archer named Milva, who decides to articulation their group. People who person played the games volition beryllium gladsome to cognize that the dwarf Zoltan Chivay temporarily joins Geralt’s ragtag radical too, arsenic good arsenic the vampire Regis. A Nilfgaardian knight named Cahir besides tags on due to the fact that helium feels indebted to Ciri. Geralt officially receives his “of Rivia” rubric aft an epic conflict portion Ciri begins to consciousness astatine location with The Rats.

The Tower of Swallows

Ciri is gravely injured aft an brushwood with Nilfgaardian bounty huntsman Leo Bonhart, who was hired by the coroner Stefan Skellen to termination her. A benignant aged antheral nurses her backmost to wellness portion Geralt’s enactment continues their hunt for Ciri and Geralt renounces his presumption arsenic a witcher. The Lodge of Sorceresses effort to summation power of a state called Kovir portion Triss Merigold seeks accusation connected Yennefer of Vengerberg. (Known arsenic The Tower of Swallows successful the U.S.)

The Lady of the Lake

Ciri encounters Arthurian knight Sir Galahad who believes she is the eponymous woman of the lake. The communicative cuts to a imagination successful which Geralt overhears Skellen and sets retired to rescue Yennefer from a faraway castle. Ciri, meanwhile, tells Galahad astir her clip successful the elven satellite of Aen Elle, location of the Wild Hunt. She begins to leap betwixt worlds successful bid to flight them, but Eredin Breacc Glas persistently chases her, arsenic she heads towards a last gathering with her surrogate parents Geralt and Yennefer.

Now we’re up to 7 retired of 8 books. The past substance is besides a novel, but it’s a spot hard to spot and depends connected idiosyncratic preference...

Standalone Witcher Novels

If you’re dying to work the bid successful strictly chronological terms, it could beryllium worthy speechmaking it close aft The Last Wish. If you’re the benignant of idiosyncratic who wants to acquisition the communicative arsenic , though, prevention it for the extremity and bask it arsenic a retrospective piece.

Season of Storms

Originally published successful 2013 — 14 years aft Sapkowski wrapped the saga — Season of Storms contains stories that instrumentality spot betwixt the stories successful The Last Wish, which aren’t needfully successful strict proximity to 1 another. However, due to the fact that it's written aft the saga was completed, Season of Storms contains flimsy hints astir what’s to come, if not outright spoilers.

Crossroads of Ravens

The astir caller summation to The Witcher publication bid was published successful Poland successful 2024 earlier getting an authoritative English translation successful 2025. Now up for preorder, Crossroads of Ravens is simply a prequel that follows Geralt's "first steps" arsenic a Witcher. The caller takes spot earlier immoderate of the archetypal Witcher stories, making it the earliest connected a chronological timeline. Still, arsenic the astir caller release, Crossroads of Ravens assumes immoderate familiarity with the remainder of the series, and is apt champion enjoyed with cognition of what's to travel successful Geralt's Witcher career.

Where Do The Witcher Games Fit connected the Timeline?

The Witcher publication saga starts astir 10 years earlier the games, with astir of the books' plotlines wrapped up by the clip the archetypal Witcher crippled starts. So, for those curious, playing the games archetypal does mean you get immoderate of the publication bid spoiled. That said, some the books and the video games are fantastic (we specifically called The Witcher 3 "Amazing" successful our review), truthful whichever 1 you commencement with shouldn't impact your wide enjoyment.

What's Next for The Witcher?

Between the books, video crippled franchise, and TV series, there's a batch going connected successful the satellite of The Witcher. And if you assumed that conscionable due to the fact that it's been 10 years since Season of Storms determination would beryllium nary much Witcher books, you'd beryllium wrong. In 2023, Sapkowski announced a caller publication successful The Witcher bid that released successful Poland successful precocious 2024. The caller book, titled "Rozdroże kruków" successful Polish, is releasing successful English connected September 30, 2025.

Meanwhile, Netflix's live-action The Witcher is chugging toward it's 4th season, which volition beryllium the archetypal with Liam Hemsworth arsenic Geralt of Rivia. The streaming elephantine besides conscionable released a caller animated movie called The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep.

What About The Witcher 4?

Of course, the large question is erstwhile we'll get different Witcher game. While CD Projekt has spent the past mates of years focused connected Cyberpunk 2077, successful aboriginal 2024, they proclaimed that the "bulk of its effort" is present going toward The Witcher 4. The caller crippled was officially announced with a cinematic trailer astatine the 2024 Game Awards. We don't person a merchandise day yet, but The Witcher 3's progressive assemblage is making the hold a small spot easier.

Originally posted:

Sep 29, 2025 2:56 pm