Following the news that Henry Cavill would be replaced by Liam Hemsworth as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher Season 4, there’s been a surge of interest in reading the books on which the Netflix original series is based. Going back to the source material is always an exciting prospect, but when there’s so much to get through, that can lead to being overwhelmed. Here’s how to read the Witcher books in order.
The Witcher books reading order
- The Last Wish (1993)
- Sword of Destiny (1992)
- Blood of Elves (1994)
- Time of Contempt (1995)
- Baptism of Fire (1996)
- The Tower of the Swallow (1997)
- The Lady of the Lake (1999)
- Season of Storms (2013)
Reading the Witcher novels in the right order is paramount to enjoying the story they have to offer. You might want to put a chunk of your time aside to get through them, however, as there are eight Witcher books currently published by author Andrzej Sapkowski.
Despite being published later than Sword of Destiny, you will want to start your Witcher reading with The Last Wish. It takes almost all of the short stories written by the author, which feature events before those that take place in Sword of Destiny. Think of it as a prequel, but essential reading, before moving on.
Once you’ve finished both The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, you’re ready for the five-book Witcher saga. These books introduce Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer, Triss, Dandelion, and other characters you may be familiar with if you’ve played any of the Witcher games, or watched the Netflix series.
Season of Storms is the final Witcher book available, and while it takes place between the events chronicled in The Last Wish, there are spoilers for what’s to come. For that reason, we’ve included it last in our list, but if you want to go strictly chronologically and don’t mind a few spoilers thrown in, then read Season of Storms after The Last Wish.
The first season of the Netflix series The Witcher pulls from both The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, with elements from Blood of Elves which then go through to heavily impact Season 2. The Witcher Season 3 will debut at some point in summer 2023, but no official release date has yet been set.
