You finally decided to dive into the world of Geralt of Rivia. Maybe the Netflix show hooked you, or perhaps you spent three hundred hours wandering the marshes of Velen in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Now you want the source material. You go to a bookstore or look online and see eight books staring back at you. It looks simple. It isn't.
If you just grab the book that looks like "Volume 1" based on some random publication list, you’re probably going to be confused. The Witcher novels reading order is notoriously messy because the series didn't come out in a straight line. Andrzej Sapkowski, the Polish mastermind behind the Continent, started with short stories. Then he wrote a five-book saga. Then he wrote a standalone prequel/side-quel decades later.
Honestly? Most people mess this up by starting with Blood of Elves. Don't do that. You’ll miss the entire emotional foundation of Ciri and Geralt’s relationship. You’ve gotta start where the magic actually begins, even if the spine of the book doesn't have a big "1" on it.
The Short Story Cruciality
The biggest mistake is skipping the short story collections. You might think, "I want the main plot, I'll skip the side stuff." Big mistake. In the world of The Witcher, the short stories are the main plot.
The Last Wish is your actual starting point. It introduces Geralt, his philosophy, his weird relationship with Yennefer, and the concept of the Law of Surprise. Without it, the rest of the series feels hollow. You see, Sapkowski wrote these as individual tales for Fantastyka magazine back in the 80s. Later, they were collected. If you jump straight into the novels, you’re basically starting a movie at the one-hour mark.
After that comes Sword of Destiny. This is where things get heavy. This book contains "Something More," arguably the most important story in the entire franchise. It bridges the gap between Geralt’s monster-hunting days and his role as a father figure. It’s emotional. It’s gritty. It’s mandatory reading.
Breaking Down The Witcher Novels Reading Order Properly
Once you’ve cleared the short stories, you enter the "pentalogy." This is the main saga. It follows a traditional chronological path. You start with Blood of Elves, where the world is on the brink of war and Ciri is training at Kaer Morhen.
Then you move to Time of Contempt. This one is a fan favorite because everything goes wrong. The Thanedd coup is a masterclass in political betrayal and magical chaos. Seriously, the pacing in this book is wild.
Next up is Baptism of Fire. This is Geralt’s "road trip" book. He gathers a "hanza"—a group of misfits including a vampire, a sharp-shooting archer, and a talkative knight. It’s weirdly funny despite the bleak setting.
The Tower of Swallows follows, focusing heavily on Ciri’s brutal survival in the wilderness. It’s dark. Like, really dark.
Finally, The Lady of the Lake closes out the main story. It’s a massive, sprawling epic that touches on Arthurian legend and multiverse theory. It’s divisive because it gets very "meta," but it’s the definitive end to the Geralt and Ciri arc.
What About Season of Storms?
This is where the The Witcher novels reading order gets contentious. Season of Storms was published in 2013, long after the main saga ended in 1999. It’s technically a prequel. It takes place during the timeframe of the first book, The Last Wish.
Should you read it first? No.
Absolutely not. Even though it happens early in the timeline, it contains spoilers for the very end of the series in its epilogue. It also assumes you already know and love these characters. Think of it like a "bonus track" on an album. Read it last. It’s a fun, self-contained adventure about Geralt losing his swords, but it hits way harder when you already have the context of his entire life.
Why Chronological Isn't Always Better
Some purists insist on chronological order, but they’re overcomplicating things. Literature isn't just a timeline; it's an experience. Sapkowski’s writing evolved. His world-building deepened. If you read Season of Storms first, you're getting a more modern, polished writing style that doesn't quite match the raw, folkloric energy of the early stories.
Also, the mystery is part of the fun. In The Last Wish, Geralt is a mystery. You learn about him through his actions. If you’ve already read the later books, some of that mystery is stripped away. Stick to the publication order of the original Polish releases, with the caveat that The Last Wish must come before Sword of Destiny (even though some early English editions were a bit confusing about this).
The English Translation Hurdle
We have to talk about David French and Danusia Stok. They did the English translations. For years, the English-speaking world was behind. The Last Wish didn't get a US release until 2007, right around the time the first game came out. This delay caused a lot of the initial confusion about the The Witcher novels reading order.
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If you find the prose a bit stiff at first, give it time. The translation settles in. The banter between Geralt and Dandelion (Jaskier) is where the writing really shines. It’s snarky, cynical, and deeply human.
Mapping Out the Journey
Let's look at the definitive path. No fluff.
- The Last Wish (Short Stories)
- Sword of Destiny (Short Stories)
- Blood of Elves (The Saga Begins)
- Time of Contempt
- Baptism of Fire
- The Tower of Swallows
- The Lady of the Lake (The Conclusion)
- Season of Storms (Standalone/Prequel)
There. That’s the list.
Don't let anyone tell you to skip the "boring" parts of Blood of Elves. Yes, there's a lot of talk about elven bloodlines and Nilfgaardian politics. But that’s the meat of the story. It sets the stakes. Without the politics, the fights are just people swinging swords. With the politics, every swing of the sword determines the fate of a kingdom.
Common Misconceptions About the Books vs. Games
A lot of gamers think the books are novelizations of the games. It’s the other way around. CD Projekt Red made what is essentially high-budget fan fiction. Brilliant fan fiction, but still. The games take place after the books.
If you’ve played The Witcher 3, you’ve already seen spoilers for the end of the books. But the books will explain why Geralt is so protective of Ciri and why his relationship with Yennefer is so complicated (and often toxic). The books are more grounded. Geralt isn't a superhero; he’s a tired, poor, mutated man just trying to pay his rent and keep his head down in a world that hates him.
The Netflix series also takes massive liberties. Characters like Fringilla Vigo or Cahir are completely different in the prose. In the books, Cahir is much more sympathetic, and Fringilla's role is far more subtle. Reading the original text gives you a version of these characters that feels more consistent and, honestly, more intelligent.
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The Cultural Impact of the Witcher
It’s easy to forget that this series is a pillar of Polish culture. When President Obama visited Poland, the Polish Prime Minister gave him a copy of The Witcher 2 and the books. It’s a source of national pride.
The stories are steeped in Slavic folklore, but they subvert it. The "monsters" are often just misunderstood animals or victims of curses, while the "humans" are the real villains. This moral ambiguity is what makes the The Witcher novels reading order so rewarding. You aren't just reading a hero’s journey; you’re reading a deconstruction of what it means to be a hero in a broken world.
Actionable Steps for Your Read-Through
- Buy the right editions: Look for the covers that don't just have Netflix actors on them if you want a more "classic" feel, though the content is the same.
- Keep a map handy: The geography of the Northern Kingdoms can get confusing. Knowing where Temeria is in relation to Redania helps when the war talk starts.
- Don't rush the short stories: Each story in The Last Wish is a self-contained masterpiece. Savor them.
- Pay attention to the prophecy: The prophecy of Ithlinne is mentioned constantly. It’s not just flavor text; it’s the engine driving the plot.
Start with The Last Wish. Turn off your phone. Get some coffee. Dive into the world of the silver and steel swords. You won't regret it.