Your Ultimate Guide to Reading All of The Witcher Books in Order

It’s our final season with Henry Cavill playing our Witcher and it’s safe to say we are devastated. Part 2 of Season 3 is set to drop tonight, and we already know you’re about to go through another round of Witcher withdrawal. Therefore, it’s unsurprising to see you’re probably eyeballing every other piece of The Witcher content you can find, from the books the show is based on, to the video game series and comics.

As it turns out, there are quite a few of them, and if you’re unclear on the order of The Witcher books it can be difficult to know where to start.

We’re here to help you with a chronological list on how to read all The Witcher books and other associated media in order.

What order should you read The Witcher books in?

Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski is the mind behind the world of The Witcher, which began initially as a group of short stories. Sapkowski’s first volume of stories featuring Geralt of Rivia is out of print but was eventually recollected into the book known as The Last Wish. This is where you should start your reading, even though Sword of Destiny is technically published first.

Season of Storms is another outlier. It was written by Sapkowski over a decade after he wrapped up The Witcher saga in Lady of the Lake and serves as a prequel, taking place between the events of The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny. It’s considered an optional read seeing as it’s more of a standalone instalment.

The main Witcher saga then kicks off in Blood of Elves and follows chronologically by publish date.

Here’s a rundown of The Witcher books in timeline order:

1. The Last Wish
2. Season of Storms
3. Sword of Destiny
4. Blood of Elves
5. Time of Contempt
6. Baptism of Fire
7. The Tower of the Swallow
8. The Lady of the Lake

Here they are in publish order if you’d prefer to read them that way:

1. Sword of Destiny (1992)
2. The Last Wish (1993)
3. Blood of Elves (1994)
4. Time of Contempt (1995)
5. Baptism of Fire (1996)
6. The Tower of the Swallow (1997)
7. The Lady of the Lake (1999)
8. Season of Storms (2013)

Where to buy The Witcher books

If the TV show or the games have got you sold, take the plunge and buy Sapkowski’s complete box set from either Amazon ($135), Booktopia ($140) or Dymocks ($140).

If you’re not sure that you want to commit to the entire series, feel free to grab an individual copy from any of the retailers below:

• The Last Wish: Amazon ($12) | Booktopia ($19.25) | Dymocks ($22.99)
• Season of Storms: Amazon ($20.35) | Booktopia ($20.35) | Dymocks ($22.99)
• Sword of Destiny: Amazon ($17.70) | Booktopia ($20.35) | Dymocks ($22.99)
• Blood of Elves: Amazon ($19.25) | Booktopia ($19.25) | Dymocks ($22.99)
• Time of Contempt: Amazon ($12) | Booktopia ($20.35) | Dymocks ($22.99)
• Baptism of Fire: Amazon ($17.70) | Booktopia ($20.35) | Dymocks ($22.99)
• The Tower of the Swallow: Amazon ($17.70) | Booktopia ($20.35) | Dymocks ($22.99)
• The Lady of the Lake: Amazon ($17.70) | Booktopia ($20.35) | Dymocks ($22.99)

Where does the TV show fit into the timeline?

Netflix’s The Witcher is an adaptation of Sapkowski’s books, not the video games.

Season one covered many of the stories told in The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, while season 2 moved into the events of the Blood of Elves.

The third season is expected to continue the timeline order of the books and cover the events in Time of Contempt, so that’s where you should read up to if you’re reading and watching simultaneously.

Netflix’s other The Witcher spin-off Blood Origin is set thousands of years before the books, so no reading is required there.

The Witcher video games in order

The Witcher video games from CD Projekt Red are pretty self-explanatory and can easily be played in release order. That being:

1. The Witcher
2. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
3. The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt

The initial two The Witcher games are a bit older and are yet to be remastered for newer consoles, so it can be a little hard to get a hold of them. If you’re after a hard copy, feel free to order a copy of The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt from any of the following retailers:

• PlayStation 5: Amazon ($57) | Big W ($69)
• PlayStation 4: Amazon ($45) | Kogan ($49)
• Xbox: Amazon ($57) | Big W ($69) | Xbox ($59)
• Nintendo Switch: Amazon ($74.99) | Kogan ($69)

Most people agree that you can easily skip the first two games and just dive into The Witcher 3 if you’re keen to give the games a go after seeing the Netflix show. Although, it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on on some of The Witcher lore online if you’re finding it hard to keep track.

Once you’ve finished the games, feel free to check out the comics! If you expected the comics to be a riff off the books, you’ll be sorely mistaken. The comics act as additional content for the games, which is designed to keep that fire burning if you’re in need of a Witcher fix. Especially since the next Witcher video game is aeons away.

There are seven volumes to pick up, each fixating on a different monster hunt. You can grab a copy below:

1. The Witcher: Volume One
2. The Witcher: Volume Two – Fox Children
3. The Witcher: Volume Three – Curse of Crows
4. The Witcher: Volume Four – Of Flesh and Flame
5. The Witcher: Volume Five – Fading Memories
6. The Witcher: Volume Six – Witch’s Lament
7. The Witcher: Volume Seven – The Ballad of Two Wolves