Witcher novels reading order

This is a contested page, so here is the house position in one paragraph.

Polish magazine publication, Polish book publication, and English publication are three different histories. Sword of Destiny appeared as a Polish book before the final Last Wish collection. English readers got The Last Wish, then jumped to Blood of Elves, and only later received Sword of Destiny. The first-read path is not “pick up whichever paperback says Book One.” It is the two collections, then the five-novel saga, then the later standalones.

Games and Netflix are cousins. They rearrange, invent, and skip. They are not a table of contents.

First-read order

Years in the table are first Polish book publication for the saga, which is the history that creates the order argument. English years differ, especially for Sword of Destiny (2015 in English).

Sword of Destiny is listed second even though its Polish book date is 1992. That is the usual English reading sequence, and it is the sequence that introduces Ciri before the novels spend her. Lists that stamp it “Book 0” because of the copyright page are doing chronology of editions, not a first-read syllabus.

The two later books

Season of Storms (2013) sits, in story time, among the early short-story years. It also knows the saga exists. Read it after The Lady of the Lake. Treating it as a missing chapter between The Last Wish stories is how people meet later furniture early.

Crossroads of Ravens (Polish 2024; English 2025) is a young-Geralt prequel. Some publisher copy will call any prequel a valid start. For this series, a first-time reader who starts there is starting with a late book about an earlier calendar. House rule: ninth, or not at all, on a first pass.

What the games and the show are not

The CD Projekt games begin after the saga and invent their own continuation. They are not Witcher books 8–10.

Netflix draws on short stories and then on the novels, out of book order, with original material. If you watched first, still start with The Last Wish. You will recognize incidents. You will not be holding a season guide.

Common mistakes

• Starting with Blood of Elves because it is the first novel.
• Skipping Sword of Destiny because English published it late.
• Reading Season of Storms or Crossroads of Ravens first because they are “earlier.”
• Using a game quest list as a novel order.
• Treating the short-story collections as optional flavor. The saga expects them.

What to read next

1. The First Law (Joe Abercrombie) — If you want another fantasy that thinks politics are a dirty job, with a sequel generation that should not be book one.
2. The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan) — If you want a finished long epic after a saga that is shorter than it looks on the shelf.
3. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon) — If you came from a screen adaptation and need the author-stated book order, including a spin-off that sits in the middle.
4. The Stormlight Archive (Brandon Sanderson) — If you want a long series that at least agrees with itself about book one.
5. The games, after the books. If the point was Geralt, play after The Lady of the Lake, and do not use the save file as a bibliography.

FAQ

Can I skip the short stories?
You can. The novels will assume you did not.

Why is Sword of Destiny year 1992 if I read it second?
Polish book publication. English readers still read it after The Last Wish.

Is Blood of Elves book one?
It is saga novel one. It is not the start of the Witcher books.

Should I read Crossroads of Ravens first?
No.

Do I need the games to understand the books?
No. The books do not continue into the games.

Sources

• Orbit / Hachette, The Witcher series — English list treating The Last Wish as the first chapter and including Sword of Destiny, the five saga novels, Season of Storms, and Crossroads of Ravens. Opened 2026-09-13.

Polish first-publication years follow standard bibliographic records for the saga volumes. English Sword of Destiny is 2015; English Crossroads of Ravens is 2025.