Summary

• The Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski are popular and follow the adventures of the witcher Geralt, inspiring the Netflix series.
• There is no definitive order to read the Witcher books, but starting with The Last Wish may be a good option for new fans.
• Readers can choose between reading the Witcher books in release order for a traditional experience or in chronological order for a different perspective.

The Witcher books are a hugely popular series of fantasy novels written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, although the Witcher books in order can be a little confusing. The novels follow the life and adventures of the eponymous witcher, Geralt of Rivia, who uses his supernatural abilities to hunt beasts and protect the people around him from danger. The Witcher was adapted into a successful series on Netflix in 2019, but the show doesn’t exactly follow the events of the Witcher books in order.

Because of the show’s big changes from the Witcher books, it’s difficult to know exactly where new readers should begin. There are five full-length novels in Sapkowski’s main series, but the author also wrote one standalone novel and two short stories that take place in the same universe and advance the overall narrative even further, and readers should definitely include these in their list to understand the full story. There’s no definitive order to read the Witcher books, but there are two methods that will provide the best reading experience.

The Witcher is available to stream on Netflix.

How To Read The Witcher Books In Release Order

The Witcher Reading Order From The Last Wish To Season Of Storms

Reading the Witcher books in order of release is the most obvious method for tackling this dense narrative, and there are plenty of advantages to doing so. Although Andrzej Sapkowski’s original novel, The Witcher, was never released in English, The Last Wish is a great starting point for new fans thanks to its short word count, heavy exposition, and disconnect from the rest of the series. From there, readers will get to experience the development of this universe as it was written, following the story from the perspective of the author.

There is a slight issue with Sword of Destiny since it was released in Polish in 1993 with the title of Ostatnie Zyczenie, but overall, reading the Witcher books in order of release makes a lot of sense for newcomers to the franchise. The release order is slightly different in English than in the original Polish, but the main saga remains the same — meaning readers won’t miss any important information between books.

How To Read The Witcher Books In Chronological Order

Andrzej Sapkowski’s Short Story Collections & Prequel Take Place Much Earlier In The Timeline

Reading the Witcher books in chronological order will offer a slightly different experience for first-time readers, particularly due to the position of Andrzej Sapkowski’s two short story collections and his prequel novel. They take place before the original saga, and reading the series in chronological order means exploring the early years of The Witcher universe before beginning the main story of the franchise. It’s a more authentic reader order for those who already intend to read all eight stories, but it’s not completely necessary for those only interested in the main saga.

The events of the books Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, and The Tower of the Swallow all take place within the same year and cover a few months each, though there is a small amount of overlap.

This order could prove slightly more confusing since Season of Storms was actually written last and presumes that most readers will already be familiar with the events of the main The Witcher saga. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but there are certain elements of Season of Storms that can only be fully enjoyed after reading books such as The Lady of the Lake and The Tower of the Swallow.