Want more Geralt while you wait for the next season of the show? Here's how to dive into the books

A quick guide to The Witcher books

It might be a little while until we see The Witcher season 2 back on Netflix. To get your Geralt fix in the meantime, why not check out the source material — Andrzej Sapkowski's brilliant series of fantasy novels...

The tales of monster hunter Geralt of Rivia first started as a series of short stories in a Polish fantasy magazine back in the '80s. Such were their popularity, they were published as full-length novels in 1993.

When were the Witcher books first published?

The reading order of The Witcher books goes like this...

Which one should I read first?

1. The Last Wish
2. Sword of Destiny
3. Season of Storms
4. Blood of Elves
5. Time of Contempt

6. Baptism of Fire
7. The Tower of the Swallow
8. The Lady of the Lake

Because they're good books and are a great way to brush up on Witcher lore. Reading them will give you a better sense of the world, with characters who are written in more depth than their counterparts from the games.

Why should I read them if I've played the games?

Very, though only some of the stories from the books were covered by the action-RPGs. CD Projekt went to great lengths to bring Sapkowski's wry and witty Geralt to its trilogy.

How faithful are the games to the books?

The show is even more faithful to the books than the games. The first season is largely based on the first two novels, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, though it takes liberties with timings.

How closely does the Netflix series stick to the books?

Now that Geralt is world-famous, you'll find the books at all major retailers. The brilliant Witcher Adult Coloring Book is hard to get hold off, though. If you're lucky, you might find it on eBay.

Where can I buy them?

While they weren't written by Sapkowski, Dark Horse Comics' graphic novels do a great job of adding extra little details to the main books. The art is also grimy and violent in a way that's entirely in-keeping with the games.

There are also graphic novels you can read

To read the full article, head to...

READ MORE