The Witcher Books - Should You Read Them?

[@11huamulan11]

As a polish I can say I'm really happy how well you explained the Witcher! (Especially as it was my first fantasy series)

[@cronkthebookguy]

Good!!! I kept thinking to myself, 'Polish people will watch this, so get it right!' 😅 Glad you liked it.

[@waldo8791]

My first too! Loved it

[@Ciervoaseado]

Just a point: Nilfgaard is not "non human", Niflgaard is just a vast human empire that is growing.

[@O.Hölder]

Its bascially the roman empire.

[@bogna8877]

I guess the English name of Jaskier refers to Dandy - a stylish and fashionable artist from the Romantic era (see Lord Byron). In Polish it is Dandys. So, instead of unfortunate Buttercup, the game translators came up with a great wordplay Dandy Lion, which works both as a name and as a perfect character description.

[@MajklAstarin]

I loved this series. Before I got to read GoT series, this was my first "adult" fantasy series. I read it in Czech translation and maybe becuase the langauges are so close to each other, I found it very good and immersive. Also, since Czechs have Slavic origins as well, I found it so cool that there were so many myths I knew from real life folklore. I also played the Wither 3 game and that was awesome too. The Netflix show was a garbage. Maybe the first season was not as bad but still pretty average. Such a shame.

[@seanandrews5329]

Holy moly how much experience do you have reading in several languages my guy?

[@MajklAstarin]

@@seanandrews5329 I only read it in Czech...

[@AmandaInEly]

Brilliant summary, Book Guy! You are a gift to KZbin and I am very much looking forward to the sci-fi month!

[@cronkthebookguy]

This legit got me a bit emotional. ❤Thank you, my friend.

[@FerSanchezArt]

First of all, new subscriber here. Highly enjoying your content. Second, I love these series of books. I find the writer super funny, sarcastic and loved the world building and now that you explained about literary fiction I get it even more. And after reading the books I couldn’t continue watching the tv show, I feel it doesn’t make any justice.

[@richardaubrecht2822]

Witcher is based way more on folklore than on mythology. There are no Peruns or Radegasts running around. In fact when there is some religious/mythologic stuff it's more based on the typical fantasy/Celtic stuff like the goddes of healing Melitele or the typical Conanesque spider god Coram Agh Ter. The folklore itself is typically Central European, a comfortably familiar (to me) mix of Slavic, German and Balkanic spirits beasts and monsters. There's as much of brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen as anything Slavic. A LOT of the Arthurian legends and Chansons de geste combined with Irish folklore. And all that firmly grounded on Central European history. Similarities of some parts with Polish WW2 history are quite obvious.

[@TheLiterateCapybara]

I’m always excited when I see a new video show up. Keep it up!

[@cronkthebookguy]

Thank you!! I'm always excited too, cause it means the editing process is finally over! 😅😂

[@hectatereads105]

Thanks for such an awesome summary! You’ve convinced me to try the Witcher, especially since it’s literary fiction. I love a not traditionally commercial fantasy. Love the humour and keep it up!

[@amusicalbookworm]

I can’t wait for your Earthsea video! It doesn’t get enough love on Booktube. Great video and great music! That song is such a bop lol

[@baskinthestory]

This was superb! Thank you! I have seen a few mixed reviews of this series and the explanation you have of it being literary fiction makes a lot of sense. I think many people go into this series with the wrong expectations and are disappointed. I am even more keen to read this now after watching your video!

[@kilk5304]

I am currently reading the second Witcher book and was already planning on finishing the series, but still wanted to watch the video. Very much enjoying it (both the books and video 😁)

[@bartoszwojciechowski2270]

Youre the first Westerner who understands the deeper Central European lore that the books pay homage to. Though sadly, there are some things lost in translation into English, but that's inevitable since we all grow up with a different set of folk tales. But there are some similarities, I especially love the short stories because they subvert and satirise classic European fairy tales that every European no matter the country will understand.

[@zax9154]

I've first played the games and after that I found out about the books, and like a year after I finished wild hunt I started reading the books but was a floop because I didn't had the time last winter I've restarted to read the books and omg I'm at the forth book best choice I have ever made. And for the record I haven't read that many books but I think The Witcher started my taste for reading books. That is all and thanks to whoever read my comment have a nice day :)

[@lokalnawrozka]

Nilfgardians are humans as well... so the war is not human vs non human.

[@Eldorin-04]

Maybe he meant the Scoia‘tael? But you‘re write it‘s mainly a war against humans

[@bunniewood]

Nerd

[@colinaudette291]

They are humans yes, but it is implied that nilfgaardians are more closely related to elves than nordlings. I forget the specific passage that discusses this sadly

[@Eldorin-04]

⁠​⁠@@colinaudette291Im not sure, but I think that the nilfgardians had elven ancesters. So the nordlings thought they are better because of that but if I remember right the human and elf blood mixed over time. So there should be no difference between them.

[@colinaudette291]

@@Eldorin-04 pretty much yeah, still don’t know how this guy read the whole series and thought nilfgaardians were elves. The distinction between the empire and the elves is quite clear when emyr deems Francesca findabair as queen of the elves and Dol Blathanna

[@TheIkathy]

Hello!!! I'm so glad you made a video about this series!!!! I've finished it last month, so it's still fresh in my head and I think you did a great job telling people about it. And I didn't know it was literary fiction! But after you explained it, it makes so much sense. And your cover was so great!!! Now this song will get stuck in my head (again) for at least a week. It's the most catchy song I've ever heard and I think it's exactly what a bard's song should be (and Joey Batey was born to play a bard). I greatly enjoyed this series, but I wouldn't freely recommend it to everyone, so I would like to talk about a few things that weren't mentioned in the video and offer my opinion to people who are considering reading it. (long comment, but not the same as the ACOTAR one akjhdakjshkj sorry) And just FYI: I've read a Brazilian Portuguese translation. I don't know if it's considered a good translation or not, but my thoughts are based on this version. 1- If you watched the Netflix series: it feels a lot like Game of Thrones. The first season is very similar to the first books. After that, some things changes. I read the series because I liked the TV show, but after reading the whole thing, I've gotta say that maybe the changes in the TV show are not the best. I haven't watched the third season yet, though the general opinion is not great, but if you've seen at least season 2 you already know major spoilers which are revealed only in the last book. Still, I think having watched 2 seasons of the show helped me understand a lot of things about the universe, such as the conjunction of the spheres, why the humans and elves are in conflict and where the monsters came from, etc. These details are not fully explained in the books, it's bits of information here and there that you have to put together. Also, you get to see a bit more of beloved characters in the TV show, like Vasemir and Tissaia. 2- The writing style is not the easiest to read (again, based on the translation I've read). I've learned a lot of words in my own language tbh, specially plants. Sometimes, the dialogues are super philosophical too. So if you are a casual reader who enjoys fast-paced story telling and/or if you like reading in loud environments, maybe you'll have a little bit of trouble focusing on this one, because sometimes I had to stop and reread things to fully understand what was being talked about. But it was totally worth it!!! There are a lot of social issues on Witcher and the dialogues are super smart. Geralt is not a grumpy himbo, guys. He is highly intelligent. Also, there's a LOT of acid humor in these books. Sometimes you'll need to be paying attention to realize it, but I screenshotted my kindle lots of times to show my friends because some scenes and dialogues are hilarious. 3- The first 2 books (short stories) are super focused on Geralt, but from book 3, POVs start to change. A LOT. I don't disagree when Book Guy said the books are not about the war, but... sometimes it doesn't feel like they are about Geralt and Ciri either lol. Don't start book 3 expecting the story to be like the previous books, otherwise you'll get frustrated when the author changes the POV and there's not a single character you care about. If you like political games, intrigue, spying, etc, you are going to enjoy these series more. If you only care about Geralt and friends, maybe you'll have a hard time going through the whole series. I agree with Book Guy that reading book 3 is enough to decide if you want to continue or not. Now, here are the reasons I don't fully recommend the books to everyone. I'm not going to give any spoilers, but I'm going to talk about some trigger warnings, so maybe it can feel a bit spoiler-ish for you. So be warned! For a series that was written in the 90s, the books are SUPER progressive. There are great female characters (yes, in plural!!!) and the author even mentions topics like abortion and choice. The author could easily have fallen into that old excuse of """"medieval-ish setting"""" in which everyone is rude and mysoginistic and life is hard for everyone who's not a white male and blablablabla "this situations are realistic", etc etc, yet he really tried to subvert some plots, like Book Guy said. I was positively surprised. Buuut, it's still not perfect and it can bother some people. 4- The fact that physical imperfections are corrected by magic is super ableist and feels like the first Shazam movie. All of the female sorceress are obsessed with beauty and perfection and being young and skinny. ALL of them. If you struggle with these topics, it might feel uncomfortable for you. 5- Speaking of weight, fat people are always described in a pejorative way. Most of the fat characters are also villains. 6- LGBT representation: while there is a little bit of representation like Book Guy said, it's only between women. The female sorceress are sort of open to varied sexual experiences, while the men are... not. To be fair, the male sorceress, with the exception of Vilgefortz, are useless to the story. But still. While reading these series, I've got my self thinking whether LGBT representation was for the male gaze only (because men think 2 women together is hot but not 2 men together) or if it's some sort of female empowerment. Because a lot of males show homophobic behavior and, in this sense, women would be more progressive and not stuck to some archaic notions... Anyway, there are a lot of mixed signs and conflicted emotions on this one. 7- Finally, the topic that really bothered me and might seem the most spoiler-y to you: Ciri's sexuality and how it was handled. Ciri ends the series with 15 years old, if I'm not mistaken. She goes through a lot during the series, but I felt like NOTHING pertaining to her sexuality was executed well. Her sexual awakening was in a context of no consent. Throughout the series she goes through a lot of situations of sexual assault that not only were not necessary to the story, but also felt highly kinky. Damn, she's a teenager. I felt phisically uncomfortable reading Ciri's POVs and I haven't seen anyone talking about this. Given how progressive the author is with everything else and the fact the books were written in the 90s, I don't think this was counsciously done. But I know there are a lot of people sensitive to these topics and they need to be warned. Overall, the ending and the issues with Ciri didn't make me enjoy the last book as much as the others. At the same time, I don't regret reading the whole series. I recommended Witcher to lots of my friends, but always warning them about topics 4 to 7. Some chose to read it, some didn't. Anyway, I'll be reading the next Witcher book that was announced this year by the author. Thanks for the video, Book Guy! I recommended the channel to my book friends and they love your content as well.

[@Herr_Gamer]

I know this comment is almost a year old, but I just felt like pointing something out; while the books don’t delve into overt sexism and whatnot because of it’s medieval setting, you do have to consider the setting regarding the characters’ preferences and form. The sorcoresses are ALL schemers and they very much use their looks for the purpose of manipulation. As Book Guy says, beauty isn’t always an indication of goodness or good will. They make themselves look beautiful after the standards of the times. Keep in mind the games are not necessarily accurate with their portrayal of sorcoresses, as the supermodel-skinnyness of some of them would not be in style at the times, but neither would an overtly overweight look. Regarding weight, you have to keep in mind the setting again. Obesity levels have never been even a quarter of what they are in our times and the only ones who would be notably plump in the 1300s (the time period of the Witcher) would be the wealthy. Wealth and greed go hand in hand and greed is usually not the trait of a good guy

[@justink5000]

I think you might like Bookborn's video on the series! She talks about how she enjoyed the worldbuilding immensely, but that she was ultimately put off by the repeated objectification of women.

[@d7LS]

I feel very similarly about these books. You can really talk about them forever. So refreshingly feminist sometimes but also can be very indelicate and sloppy with some topics. FantasyCounterProgramming has a cool video on this kzbin.info/www/bejne/pX3Wh2mElLCDbtUsi=IczLDRgjsnMpFIrV

[@CarpinchoStormBlessed]

Man, congratulations on that sick cover. I loved it! PS: I have my enthusiasm for The Witcher renewed! On the TBR after Stormlight

[@emkalina]

For a reader from Poland, Witcher was heavily influenced by British mythology, especially the arthurian legends of which we know pretty knothing about. So it's a double-edged sword really. Also, while now Polish fantasy is huge, at Sapkowski's times it was considered inferior to sci-fi and that's one of the reasons the Witcher had a problem to start. The other reson being Sapkowski is not exactly known to be nice or approachable person. It's generally known you read his books, and try not to have a great relationship with him.

[@richardaubrecht2822]

It seems to me that the Westerners see only the parts they don't know and ignore the rest. The Slavic parts are completely new to them so they are centering aroudn them, but the setting is truly Central European. There is everything from Northern Italy (and even Provence) to Amsterdam do Sweden and back to East and South. And not just in the places, in the culture and mirrored history too. The common culture is as much German as it is Slavic, Brothers Grimm mixed together with the Arthurian legends and even Celtic folklore and Balkan nightmares. Similarly like CE Europe was filled with Slavic peasants, German townspeople, Italian minters, Dutch merchants, Jewish shopkeepers, French sellswords and the occasional Turkic hordes. It's all here, and it's all in the books. Kobolds side by side with aes sídhe, vodyanoys, mermaids, strigas, Silesian miners masked as dwarves, ... hell, there's even Krakonoš!

[@emkalina]

@@richardaubrecht2822 the other thing is games are more 'exoticly slavic' than the books

[@hexesandheroes]

Do not like the "now on netflix" brand on the front of many of these books. Especially considering how awful the TV show and Netflix in general are.

[@zumzoom6368]

Yeah, even Hexer is better.

[@SorceressWitch]

They do that for any book that has TV shows or movies. I think it's to get people who are into the show or movie to read the book. They also change front covers of some books to the show/movie version to get people into them. I don't like those covers TBH. It's a publishing thing so not much we can do about it. You only can get past that if you got the books before the show was out.

[@Amonny]

We all know how the Netflix show went... let's not even mention it.

[@Doctor_Lunatic]

Love the song cover at the end ❤

[@arinad2]

Loved the rants and the song at the end :)

[@Ciestiel]

Great video! I never thought about the Witcher being literary fiction before but it makes total sense. Also was happy to hear someone else point out that sometimes names or nicknames do not have to be translated XD thats one of my biggest problems with the English translation. And one of the few things I was happy the show writers did that made sense, going back to Jaskier. (Also the intro and little skit in the beginning sold me on your channel that was most amusing and then the video was great and I just had to subscribe!)

[@mrs.darling5865]

I actually disliked the last book significantly more than the rest of the series (lady of the lake). Now, looking at it through the Lit Fic lense, it makes more sense. Great video!

[@cronkthebookguy]

Interesting! Yeah I was frustrated reading book 3 and really struggled. But it was book 4 that made me realise it was Lit Fic, and it massively helped me enjoy the series more once I knew.

[@peteinfernicous5865]

Thank you for making an in depth video about the Witcher. Most booktubers don't like the series and i was finally happy to see an understanding review, aside from not enough Geralt - book bad. The series has a special place in my heart and while it has flaws I'd rather read something like that than commercial fantasy like mistborn (oops, I ain't the biggest fan). I think that fantasy and the fantasy community should be more open to other types of fantasy that don't fit the norm of the western civilization. It's happening with asian inspired literature but Americans don't really seem to understand Eastern European culture in the least 😢. Aside from mythology and history the witcher is also influenced by classic central and eastern european authors.

[@Belladonna_Q]

I’m so sorry, I giggled a little when you tried to say “Łódź” - but to be fair it’s a really hard word, albeit short. ;-) I never thought about the Witcher in the literary fiction category, we have a little different division of literary genres and different definitions of them, but it is an interesting way to look at it. Definitely unique! I always assumed "literary fiction" = “literatura piękna”, which is definitely not a fantasy, it might be magical realism, but not fantasy. Thank you for mentioning Slavic influences, it’s actually all of European mythologies influences - German, Celtic, especially Mabinogion and Arthurian legends, which Andrzej is enamoured with, it shows especially in the last bit of the books. And don’t get me started on classic Polish literature or political references. I fell in love with The Witcher almost twenty years ago when I first read it, and it was a revelation for a young teenage girl (comparing to other fantasy stories in early '00 in Poland? this was feminist literature af!) Thank you for a very interesting and enjoyable video!

[@OneCatholicSpeaks]

Thanks, this was a big help. My heritage is Catholic and Polish. I have been interested in learning something about Polish mythology. So, I will give it a try up to the first novel, then go from there.

[@ReadRe-sellRepeat]

So glad this popped into my feed, cannot believe you haven't before now - awesome review - love it - subscribed!

[@excuseme4884]

I just finished whole series, timing couldnt be better! Thank you for this summary!

[@jespersoderlund1055]

The best Witcher plotline is when Geralt just wants to buy a new jacket.

[@mujexzilla]

I'm about to start reading Time of Contempt and so far I like what I'm reading. My first exposure to the witcher universe were the videogames, and quite honestly the less we talk about the Netflix show the better, but with the recent anouncement of the Witcher 4 and all the controvercy related to her becoming a full witcher, I decided to start reading the books to have "the secret knowledge" and innoculate myself in case I see bullshit online.

[@markolepotan]

Hey I love your videos and your enthusiasm and energy and creativity ❤ Whitcher was and still is one of my favorite fantasy book series. For me it was very entertaining and I absolutely loved the characters and was deeply emotionally invested throughout the whole series!!! (Don’t understand how some people may find it boring??) When it comes to the Netflix adaptation I just watched a couple of episodes and was very unhappy because I am such a big fan of books. I don’t think they did books justice. Anyways books are amazing, beautifully written, characters are so deep and layered and flawed and even though they are “magical” they are very human and relatable, and the story for me keeps getting better with each book (or maybe all books are equally good?) I hope more people read them!

[@susinok]

Loved the song! I loved the Dan Vasc take on it. I read and listened to all of the books. It makes sense that they are literary fiction.

[@Thatsuburbanfakewasteofspace]

OMG, I love the curious case of the dog in the night-time!!

[@michaelaporee260]

Yes been waiting for this one! Also started ASOIF because of your video and already love it

[@cronkthebookguy]

That's awesome!!! 😁

[@Hellsing7747]

Me too and I had a blast. I also re-watched the tv show and I enjoyed it a lot more as well. I love ASOIAF universe.

[@Hummingbirder1]

02:06 I'm not sure I'll agree... Having heard Dan Vasc's cover! That's a tough act to follow... I think I just will listen your take on the books.

[@cronkthebookguy]

@@Hummingbirder1 😆😆 fair!! Dan Vasc is legendary!

[@Manga_Swag]

I picked up the 2 comic book omnibuses on in stock trades but havent got around to reading them yet

[@steakismeat177]

I think that's the main problem with the TV show. It is going for spectacle and flashiness when they should focus on the crux of the themes and narrative. They completely rewrote the first novel in season 2 to make it more fast paced. I know they changed things in Season 1, but they were generally minor changes, outside of Geralt and ciri's meeting. The one thing I partially agreed with is revealing the identity of Emperor of nilfgaard, but I would have done it later in season 3 at the earliest and probably not until season 4.

[@alexdoorn234]

I really should read the rest of the series, i'm at Tower of the swallow so far my favourite book is Baptism Of Fire but that is because of the introduction of a certain vampire. My introduction to this beautiful world was The Witcher 3, I finished my exams and was just sitting at home not quite sure what to do. Then my brother told me that I should play The Witcher 3 and that I would probably like it, he was right I became completely obsessed with the world of the Witcher and Geralt as a character. It has taken over my life so much that the 2 songs that i'm the most comfortable with singing are both from the games: Wolven Storm and Lullaby Of Woe. At my birthday the following year my brother gifted me something I will never forget: a wolf witcher amulet from the game I loved so much. I am happy that I finally bought the books it is definitely more to my tastes then other books I have tried. Look I know i'm a weird person, I read codexes in games for fun which is probably the reason that playthroughs take so long. Oh and a recent Witcher related gift I got from my entire family they all chipped in to give me this are all the Gwent cards from the Witcher 3 I can now play Gwent irl. I also have 2 dnd dice sets gifted by my oldest and youngest brother respectivly, a Ciri themed set from my youngest brother and a Geralt themed set from my oldest brother.

[@RubALamp]

My favourite aspect of The Witcher is how it satirizes fantasy and uses it to build the story. It is quite unique in how this satire is the source of most of the cleverness, entertaining, and funny scenes in the series (Baptism of Fire's ending being a prime example); whilst also being source of some of the most touching and emotional scenes I've ever read (the ending of Something More, Geralt and Ciri's reunion at Stygga Castle, Milva's pregnancy, the Rivian pogrom, etc.).

[@Manga_Swag]

I've been enjoying the Witcher Netflix show , I heard its loosely based on the novels . It starts of slow but about 4 episodes in ig starts picking up .

[@Okolaa]

Worth the read many times ! The Witcher books are The Best and my favourite Fantasy Books Ever Written along with A Song of Ice and Fire! Played the games too❤ Netflix adaptation killed my dream lolz

[@yura_riabov]

This was one of my first fantasy series, and i read it before playing the games or watching the show, and I loved it. Have been wanting to reread it for a while now

[@Amestria]

Awesome review and very well prepared. I just wish English translation was better. A lot is lost in translation compared with Polish.

[@xavier4dinner]

Learned a lot from this vid. Subbed.

[@maybelore]

I really like how creators have latched onto the witcher song. Because it resonates with them, they get to do what they love and people pay them for it! I just have to remember the "oh valley of plenty" part because I do not have enough to show my support monetarily. with that being said, yet another great video! you are really coming into your own as a booktuber. I don't know if I missed it but how mature are the books? Because the show and games I am aware have some stuff in them to put it lightly. 8:54 wow, you just summarized hours long video essays on why the last jedi was bad. Bravo 23:00 it's okay I watch anime dubbed too, mostly because I can't read very fast. Yes I am tortured by the big beautiful books and long series that take me weeks if not months to finish.

[@cronkthebookguy]

Ha! I get that. I would love to patreon so many youtubers and creators. There's only so much money these days. Thank you for always having lovely comments! 😍 Wish I could give you a 'top fan' badge or something. 😍 Wow, I only just realised I completely forgot to include the 'Content Warning' section! I do one for every series. How did I forget this? :D For what it's worth, I know the tv series tries to look like game of thrones and be super hardcore. But the books were not very violent at all, in my opinion.

[@maybelore]

Thank you, I love being your top fan! most top fans of creators are like their mods or something. Not that I want to be your mod, I've never been a mod before and it sounds super scary!

[@WhiningMoon]

Love this video and appreciate your rants. On a side note I heard Sapkowski said on a stream there will be an other Witcher book but it might take some time 😻. The games are very much worth your time if you’re up to it 😊 like many I got into the books because of the wild hunt it’s different but great (DLC is worth it too). Looking forward to the next and Sci-fi September 🌻

[@MrRys]

nilfgaardians are human, they aren't retaking their old land

[@ThirtyLeaves]

Some people might get a bit bored from the blood of elves, it doesn't have as many, if any fight scenes or shocking moments but the later novels offer some more cool moments and they explain more things about the lore and the characters.

[@O.Hölder]

26:30 Triss mentions that she "experimented with the same sex" for a while and that this according to her recollection is something many sorecesses or sorcer do - also due to their long lifes and shit getting boring. This is from blood of elves in the chapter triss arrives at kaer mohren.

[@Oskura]

Good Review! The "Netflix" stickers on the books hurt my eye though 😆Except for Henry's performance you can flush it down the drain

[@joshuatilghman7871]

Liked and subscribed. The information was great, but the song put you over the edge. Great video

[@Laurensbookcorner]

I thoroughly enjoyed this video! I'm also a fan of informative nerdy rants.

[@cronkthebookguy]

@@Laurensbookcorner oh boy, have you come to the right place then. 🤣

[@Oszczywilski]

The intertextuality of the Witcher is a way more present when it is read in Polish by a Pole, a lot of little Polish things linguistic features are noticeable. Also an error when explaing the plot and settling. Nilfgaard was a human nation, so their conquest was just for more power, not to punish humans and taking their lands back.

[@zuffin1864]

I read a couple of the books half a decade ago now, and all I remember was a crazy witch explosion related to ciri described in artistic detail

[@ericfrehlich8800]

Great video, just finished reading the series and I really enjoyed it. Huge fan of the game too but not so much of the show for obvious reasons... I would watch a video you make of H.P. Lovecraft's work or Brett's work

[@BLP04]

0:26 one of the worst crimes humanity has committed 27:11 still one of the worst crimes humanity has committed

[@rpdecorators]

I red the Witcher books in Polish. Much later, when English translation came out, I red a few short stories translated by Danusia Stok. Unfortunately the translation seemed lackluster at best. Sapkowski is truly a master of words, his writing is compelling and never boring, dialogues are sparkling, vivid and very funny. He uses archaisms, neologisms, swearwords and rhymes often for great comedic effect. And all that seemed lost in Stok's translation. I heard most eastern-european (except Russian) translations were decent or good and Spanish one was really good. So if you can read Spanish, maybe it is the best way to introduce yourself to Witcher books.

[@mnamaddy]

what's about Russian translation?

[@RatSitnov]

@@mnamaddypretty solid from what I could tell, also balances archaisms with neologisms and high registry with very rural-type speech

[@BigBearBloo]

Wow! Instant sub! Love your format. The Witcher sounds great for me. I never watched any adaptations but I do like Both literary and commercial genre novels. Going to order the 2 short story collections as a boxed set. Your song? Needs more ukulele. Joking! I liked it. I play too.

[@nicvane8751]

One time during the video when you mentioned ciri, Siri actually popped up on my phone😂

[@thomassmith6232]

Someone breaking into a house, stealing only the child's things, and fleeing when they get caught. I'd never thought about how creepy Goldilocks and the Three Bears was.

[@JakubObyrne]

I am half Polish and have played the games so I'ma read it no matter what this vid says but I'm still watching.

[@brandonb478]

What is this clip? I love it! 21:24

[@MAY-ANNGARCIA]

Where to buy the books?

[@O.Hölder]

Where Sapkowski shines for me especially is dialogues/debates of the character of the world they live in. Example from Blood of Elves: "You're at war with elves?" "Not just elves. What, Witcher, haven’t you heard of the Squirrels?" "No. I haven’t." "Then where have you been for the past two years? Across the sea? Because here, in Kaedwen, the Scoia’tael have made a name for themselves, and thoroughly so. The first bands appeared just as the war with Nilfgaard broke out. Those damned non-humans took advantage of our troubles. While we fought in the south, they started a guerrilla war behind our backs. They counted on Nilfgaard defeating us and began shouting about the end of human rule, about a return to the old ways. 'To the sea with the humans!' That’s their slogan, under which they kill, burn, and plunder!" "That's your fault and now your problem," the reeve replied sourly, striking his thigh with the notched staff, the sign of his office. "The fault of you great and noble lords. You all oppressed the non-humans, didn’t let them live, and now you’re reaping what you sowed. But here, we’ve always escorted caravans, and no one ever bothered us. We didn’t need the army." "True enough," said one of the merchants sitting silently on the bench. "The Squirrels are no worse than the robbers who used to make the roads unsafe. And who were the elves' first targets? Those very robbers." "But what does it matter to me who shoots an arrow through my throat, a robber or an elf?" the customs officer with the bandaged head suddenly said. "The roof they set on fire above my head at night burns the same either way, and it doesn’t care who held the tinder. You say, sir merchant, that the Scoia’tael are no worse than robbers? That’s a lie. Robbers are after loot, the elves want human blood. Not everyone has gold coins, but everyone has blood in their veins. You say it’s a problem for the great lords? That’s an even bigger lie. And the woodcutters they shot at their work, the charcoal-burners they slaughtered in Buchdorf, the peasants in the burned villages - what sins had they committed against the non-humans? They lived alongside them, worked like neighbors, and then suddenly - an arrow in the back... And me? I’ve never harmed a non-human in my life, and look, they split my forehead with a dwarven saber. And if it weren’t for the warriors you badmouth, I’d already be under six feet of earth..." "Exactly!" The knight in the yellow surcoat struck the table again with his fist. "We protect your miserable hides, my good reeve, from those 'oppressed' elves, whom we, as you claim, wouldn’t let live. But I’ll tell you something else: we’ve been too lenient with them. We tolerated them, treated them like humans, as equals, and now they stab us in the back. Nilfgaard is paying them, I’d bet my head on it, and the wild elves from the mountains are supplying them with weapons. But their real support comes from those who live among us - elves, half-elves, dwarves, gnomes, and halflings. They give them shelter, feed them, provide volunteers..." "Not all of them," the second merchant interjected, a gaunt man with a finely chiseled face and noble features that didn’t fit a trader. "The majority of non-humans condemn the Squirrels, sir knight, and want nothing to do with them. Most are loyal and often pay dearly for that loyalty. Remember the castellan of Ban Ard? He was a half-elf who called for peace and cooperation. He died from an assassin’s arrow." "Shot by a neighbor, no doubt, a halfling or dwarf pretending to be loyal," the knight scoffed. "I don’t consider any of them loyal! Every one of them... Hey! And who are you?" Geralt turned around. Right behind him stood Ciri, her large emerald eyes scanning everyone. She was truly making great strides in her ability to move silently. "She’s with me," he said. "Hmm..." The knight scrutinized Ciri before turning back to the merchant with the noble face, whom he clearly considered the most serious debater. "Don’t talk to me about loyal non-humans, sir. They’re all our enemies; some are just better than others at pretending not to be. Halflings, dwarves, and gnomes have lived among us for centuries, and you’d think some kind of agreement had been reached. But it only took the elves raising their heads for the others to grab weapons and head into the woods. I tell you, it was a mistake to tolerate free elves and dryads, their ancient forests and mountain enclaves. That wasn’t enough for them, and now they proclaim, ‘This is our world; begone, you intruders.’ By the gods, we’ll show them who’ll be gone, who’ll leave no trace behind. We skinned the Nilfgaardians, and now we’ll deal with the bands." "An elf in the woods isn’t easy to track," the Witcher remarked. "Nor would I chase a gnome or dwarf in the mountains. How large are these units?" "Units," the knight corrected. "Bands, Witcher. Bands. They number up to twenty heads, sometimes more. They call such a gathering a ‘commando.’ That’s a word from the dwarven tongue. But that they’re not easy to track, you’re right; it shows you know your stuff. There’s no point chasing them in woods and marshes. The only way is to cut them off from their support, isolate them, starve them out. Get a tight grip on the throats of the non-humans who help them. Those from the settlements, the villages, the farms..." "The problem," said the merchant with the noble features, "is that you don’t know which non-humans are helping them and which aren’t." "Then you grip all of their throats!" "Ah." The merchant smiled. "I see. I’ve heard that somewhere before. Grip all their throats and send them to the mines, to fenced camps, to the quarries. All of them. The innocent too. Women, children. Is that what you mean?" The knight jerked his head up and struck his sword hilt with his hand. "Exactly that and nothing less!" he said sharply. "You feel sorry for the children, yet you yourself are like a child in this world, sir. The truce with Nilfgaard is fragile as an eggshell; the war could start again any day, if not today, then tomorrow, and anything can happen in war. If we were defeated, what do you think would happen then? I’ll tell you: the elven commandos would pour out of the forests in droves, and the ‘loyal’ ones would immediately join them. Do you think your loyal dwarves, your friendly halflings, would talk about peace and unity then? No, sir. They’d slit our bellies; with their hands, Nilfgaard would exact its revenge on us. And they’d drive us into the sea, as they promise. No, sir, we can’t hesitate with them. It’s them or us. There’s no third way!"

[@Heliz14]

Thanks!! Like always, your videos are amazing!! Thanks for this!

[@klavierallegro7538]

Where have you been hiding all this time. I love your channel and in depth explanations. Keep up the good work!

[@GodmyX]

Thank you! The music rocked indeed! :) Greetings from the Czech Republic! (btw. in Czech Jaskier is "Marigold" :p not a plant name at all btw.; and yet the Czech translation and fandom had a huge influence on Andrzej's writing himself!)

[@Nijenor]

Ive been wanting to read the Witcher for a while now and had it on my shelf since May but didn’t get around to it yet. This video actually bumped it up the list quite a lot (yes I’m one of pretentious literature people attracted by all the difficulties and history stuff)

[@cronkthebookguy]

That's awesome! I love hearing I've actually motivated someone to read something. And good for you for just owning that you're a literature person. Be proud of your interests! Awesome youtube handle, btw. 😉

[@Alkemisti]

I have been writing a book series (vaguely) based on Finnish folklore and mythology, but no literary agency in the anglophone world has yet become interested. PS. I also watch anime with English dubs. Let us face the judgement together.

[@skullcandy9641]

I love it's magic system and derivations from siavic mythology Most are from norse, abrahamic, greek, chinese lorea This hits different

[@jsmxwll]

"for all eight books!" killed me

[@charoi9659]

Thank you for this video, I was wondering weather I should give the Witcher a try or not. Now I'm going to :D

[@cronkthebookguy]

YEEES! 😁 I love hearing that I convinced someone to read. Hope you enjoy it!

[@SaintBeatrix]

Yooooo lemme mix ur songs !!! This cover of toss a coin deserved a big juicy mix

[@jttavares]

Your channel could be called The Book Bard. Another superb video and song 😊

[@Eragon6027]

Hi Book Guy, just wanted to say that you do a great job with the videos!

[@excessivedetailbooktube]

Loving the channel, watched a few videos today and it's a really high quality channel. I'm actually genuinely annoyed I didn't find you earlier. I've gone out of my way to sub to as many booktube channels as possible. I'm subbed to more than 450 channels, some with less than 50 subscribers, and yet KZbin has never recommended your videos or had you appear in searches for me until today. That's messed up. Keep it up, great channel.

[@cronkthebookguy]

Thanks my friend! Really appreciate that! Haha that's really cool! 450 channels? You must love books I guess. 🤣 you bow to no one.

[@excessivedetailbooktube]

@@cronkthebookguy I like to be able to get a snapshot for what booktube at large is thinking. There are mini subcultures at play, and its fascinating to watch. There's around 20-30 new videos posted per day, in my subs list and I watch maybe 3-4 per day while scanning through others to get a quick community snapshot. Hope that explains it all.

[@yerocc]

I made the like button go to 1k! That was satisfying… Thanks for the great explanation! I’m going to read the first book!

[@cronkthebookguy]

That's awesome! I imagine that was quite the feeling. 😁 Oh that's wonderful. Hope you enjoy it!

[@javierferia3444]

Great explanation about the books (now I know I need to read them ;-) ) and a nice rendition of the song!!! And by the way, if you need someone to practice your Spanish, let me know. Me encantaría echarte un a mano!

[@spyroskampanos7965]

Nice cover, Cronk !

[@Jepicosity]

So the stories focus on Geralt and Ciri as characters rather than a war but because it's "literary fiction" it isn't character focused? And Yennefer is just like Princess Leia? I think you need to work on your research skills before speaking as some kind of authority on what literature is.

[@ChristinaMeierhöfer]

Thank you for that great video! I also never played the game, and didn't watch the series so far. I'm currently in the last 100 pages of the lady of the lake and liked the books quite much! I very much enjoyed your deep dive as I also had the impression that it's a great series but I would have preferred more monster slaughter and less politics. Now I know why the author chose to do so ^^

[@cronkthebookguy]

Great! Yeah I too would have loved more monster slaying in general. It's hard to separate our reader expectations from author intent sometimes. Glad you've enjoyed it enough to get so far into the series!

[@Ciervoaseado]

On the translation topic (Im a translator myself), the Spanish version is A DELIGHT.

[@thefantasythinker]

Wow! That was awesome! Love the song and the Dream Theater shirt! Also, this was an excellent overview of the series as I ponder whether to read the books after only watching the show. Thanks for a very entertaining video! ...Jarrod

[@cronkthebookguy]

Thank you! I'm glad someone recognised the shirt. Got that one in 2014 in Melbourne.

[@thefantasythinker]

@@cronkthebookguy nice! I've seen them 12 times. My favorite band

[@KeytarArgonian]

High brow ‘professional’ book readers of BookTube like to shit on these books, but don’t take into context the fact that they’re polish, and that’s where much of the charm or flavour comes from.

[@Avid_Reader]

I see a collaboration with Hildegard Von Blingin' in your future! 🤘

[@cronkthebookguy]

Confession, I had to google that name. But it was an excellent reference! Thank you. 😀

[@susanrobertson984]

Nerds of a feather …

[@leeallen3633]

Dude fuck yeah you sound hella good at the end!

[@les2169]

I need to say that unfortunately the books don’t have top notch translation, and indeed since Sapkowski writes using beautiful and poetic the English translation is just flatter and not as inspired as the original so I would say you use that play of words that takes it from good to great.

[@mythic_snake]

I am currently about 3/4 of the way through Lady of the Lake. I have really enjoyed this series so far, with some caveats. The characters, plot, and world of The Witcher are extremely engrossing. However, Sapkowski seems to write in cycles, where he has a huge wave of creativity that flows onto the page, but as soon as he wraps up a major plot point he seems to flounder. At that point, it's like he performs some creative writing exercises to jump-start his next wave of creativity. These exercises involve COMPLETELY unrelated vignettes featuring obscure or completely unknown characters that have zero impact on the story. These exercises go on for way too long, and honestly should have been cut by his editor. I understand the need to revive one's creativity by practicing some side-plot exercises, but this should have been done in a journal and left under the bed. Despite these excruciatingly boring chapters that seem to never end, I actually LOVED this series. I wish there was a "theatrical version" that cuts out all the filler, but instead we have the Snyder cut.

[@basementmadetapes]

This is a series I want to love but I find the prose so off-putting. If it’s a matter of translation, I wonder if there is only the one English translation because the short stories did not do it for me

[@steakismeat177]

The tv show was a disappointment for me. If I didn't read the books it would be more of a mild dissapointment, but still a dissapointment. I'd recommend the games. They are a sequel series spoilers below for the books. Basically Geralt and Yennefer are able to leave the afterlife realm Ciri took them to at the end of the series. That part is touched on in the comics and partially explained in the second game through flashbacks. The first game is the set up for the trilogy, the second is the meat of much of the political intrigue, and the third wraps up the plot from the books and the games in a number of possible endings.

[@Christopherjamesmurphy21]

My comprehension isn't the greatest. Im trying to get better I've tried the Percy Jackson/magnus chace books etc. But they dont keep my attention because of how juvenile they are. I know it's hard to say but, Im just wondering if the Witcher books would be an easy ish read? I love the concept. Also, is there other series or books, you recommend, I should start with, or continue on with in the future?

[@cronkthebookguy]

Hey friend! The witcher books are short, but they can be challenging to read because of fancy writing. If comprehension is hard, and young books don't work... You could dry the Dresden Files, or Discworld. Both have short books, easy to read, and a bit more adult themes. Hope that helps.

[@Christopherjamesmurphy21]

@cronkthebookguy thanks, bud. I have a few disk world books here. I did watch your video on them. I have Mort here. I may give that a go instead of The Witcher, The Last Wish.

[@Wouter_K]

Thank you for another great video. I love all the work you put into these. Looking forward to get into this one. After finishing a bunch of others though :) I have a lot of personal problems with the artificial defnition of literary fiction, especially as its counterpart would be commercial fiction....(great explanation though, so appreciated that part especially!). First, I think making your stories accesible and enjoyable to an audience is not necessarily less artful. Also with these criteria it is quite the grey area, when I apply it to my fantasy collection. Second if, for arguments sake we acknowledge literary fiction (it does have its uses admittedly), I'd like to believe the opposite is not commercial fiction but popular fiction. I like to think that the majority of authors are still very motivated to craft stories that move people and provides them with an enjoyable time, more than just making a bunch of money.

[@cronkthebookguy]

Thank you! Yes, you've really hit the nail on the head. I really don't like how publishers and literary agents put a big emphasis on literary OR popular. Why not both? Why not a blend of the two? In reality, most authors do a bit of both. The terms are just there to help sell books, but I think it lessens the artform when they do it.

[@Dutch_man20]

The games actually end up telling better stories than any of the books. But they are still fun

[@plugshirt1762]

Eh the games are amazing but the books still definitely tell the better stories

[@TomFynn]

In the Witcher books, black and white live together in harmony. And gang up on green.

[@tatianar9429]

Funny, this dichotomy of commercial v. literary fiction is entirely made up by marketing departments and only exists in the English-speaking publishing. Also, in these other markets, fantasy is a setting not a genre. Such a weird perspective on the Witcher. Not bad, just strange.

[@yuvalepelbaum6952]

I appreciate you so much more for the Dream Theater Shirt

[@Smclaugh08]

when he says non humans vs humans it’s like he’s implying the monsters & vampires etc vs humans . such a strange way to phrase it a he did . am i missing something

[@jankowalski6338]

Wrong pronunciations of 'Andrzej' I would let it slide but you said 'this is how it's pronounced.'

[@Αρθορο]

in my case: Witcher 3 - awesome, tv series - bad, books - i didn't read them