One of the most popular fantasy stories in our time is The Witcher Saga, which brought Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski truly world-wide popularity. Based on it, a series and a feature film were shot, comics, three parts of the computer game "The Witcher", which were a resounding success, were published. But the main thing, of course, is the source - books. In this article about the Witcher series, books will be presented in order and briefly reviewed.
A little bit about the plot
This is the story of the witcher Geralt of Rivia, who was raised this way since childhood with the help of various kinds of artificial mutations and potions. These mutagens increase strength and stamina, improve reaction rate and regeneration, and also make them immune to diseases and poisons. Witchers are created to chase and kill monsters attacking people. This is Geralt’s job - to kill monsters for money. So it was until he found little Cyril, his Destination, the only heiress of the destroyed state of Cintra. She is an important figure in the political game between the northern kingdoms and the powerful empires of Nilfgaard. Geralt and his beloved, the sorceress Yenifer, now must protect the little Tsiri, and thus the witcher is firmly drawn into political intrigues, the center of confrontation between states. The main character will have to demolish the enemies' heads, protect the girl and figure out the complicated relationship with Jennifer.
The Witcher saga: books in order, first collections
The series begins in 1986, when the Witcher storybook comes out, in 1993 reprinted under the title Last Wish. They differ in that the interlude story “Voice of Reason” was later added, which is divided into parts that precede each of the other stories. In a collection of seven works, some play on famous fairy tales, such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. There is also a key story about the Destination “Price Question”, as well as “End of the World”, where Geralt meets his future best friend - the troubadour Lyutik. In 1992, another short story collection, The Sword of Destiny, was published, which describes the adventures of the witcher with Buttercup and Jennifer. It is here, in the story "Sword of Destiny", Geralt meets Ciri. In total, the collection has six works.
The beginning of a great adventure
Whole novels The Witcher begin to go further, a series of books continues with the work “Blood of the Elves”, in which the Empire Nilfgaard captures the kingdom of Zintra. The monster hunter sends Ciri to shelter, to the stronghold of the witches, where she has magical abilities. The girl is entrusted to the sorceress so that she learns to control her abilities. The following year (1995) saw the light of "Hour of contempt." Adventures continue, and Jennifer together with Cyril go to the Arcane gathering. The sorceress wants to send the young princess to study at a magic school. The witcher goes after them, simultaneously dissolving the rumor that Ciri is no longer alive. However, there is a rebellion among sorcerers, which marks the beginning of a new round of war. Yennifer is in captivity. Geralt miraculously survived, but turned out to be far away, and Ciri, using the old portal, fell into the desert, where she was saved from death by a unicorn with whom she eventually made friends. When she tried to get out of there, she was captured by the Nilfgaards. Having strayed away and fled from them, Cyri changes his name and joins the Rats, a gang of robbers.
The story goes on
In The Witcher cycle, books were published in order every year. The next, fifth part of the saga was the novel "Baptism of Fire." Geralt, after serious wounds during the rebellion, got to his feet under the watchful supervision of the dryads and went in search of Cyril. On the way, he meets his friend Buttercup. Archer, knight and vampire join them. Friends get acquainted with these fellow travelers in the process of their searches and dangerous adventures. Meanwhile, Falk (the new name of the princess in the gang) is robbing along with the Rats, plunging the Borderland into horror. Rumors of a gang spread quickly, and now the coroner of Nilfgaard sends the best bounty hunter to destroy the unbelted robbers. Yennifer managed to get out of captivity, and she also begins to search for Ciri.
In 1997, the continuation of the book by Andrzej Sapkowski on the witcher called “Swallow Tower” was published. Yennifer herself is in trouble while searching for the heiress of Cintra. Herald with the company stubbornly follows the goal, but he is still far away. After all the fights and torment, hiding from his pursuers and enemies, Tsiri is left alone. She has to get to the magic Swallow Tower.
In the next novel, “Lady of the Lake”, it turns out that the Tower is a portal to another world, where not the most friendly creatures live. Ciri managed to escape from them, but as a result she was lost in parallel worlds, from which she still managed to get out, but not without help. Returning to her world, Cyril tried to save Jennifer, but fell directly into the trap of Wilgefort, the evil Nilfgaard sorcerer who dreamed of getting the girl from her very birth. He needed her, since it was in her that she had the opportunity to rule the world. At this time, Geralt finds out where Wilgefortz is hiding, and in a fierce battle defeats the evil sorcerer. The question is - at what cost !?
A story without a beginning and an end
Years later, in 2013, a new saga novel was released, written by Andrzej Sapkowski. "The Witcher" received the so-called prequel "Season of thunderstorms." Rather, the action takes place after the events of the story “The Witcher” and before the “Last Wish”. Prior to this, in the cycle “The Witcher”, books were published in order in chronological order. Here, the plot consists of several parallel stories, which eventually converge into one whole. The novel describes the whole month of the life of young Geralt, his bloody battles with monsters, incredible adventures and wild adventures. And all this against the backdrop of royal and magical intrigues, as well as the confrontation of people and nonhumans: elves, dwarf people and others.