WITCHER SERIES REVIEW

[@ebnovels]

Hey guys! Recently I tried to update something on KZbin and it deleted EVERY COMMENT I've ever left. I'm so sorry that now it looks as though I've never responded to any of you. Please know that I love chatting with you guys and I'm very frustrated that this happened. Elle

[@heidiblack-twist1541]

Elliot Brooks Check out the manga Claymore, sounds similar to this series! It is very dark and gruesome, just a warning.

[@777somebody]

“People," Geralt turned his head, "like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live.” ― Andrzej Sapkowski, The Last Wish Still one of my favorite quotes, EVER.

[@777somebody]

That's another amazing quote! i forgot what book that was from :( i think i have to re-read the books. The final two i read were fan translated D: i had no patience XD

[@namansharma090909]

The edge of the world❤️

[@krwawyrzeznik]

You're wrong about Geralt and Jaskier(Dandelion) not having anything in common. They both find it hard to keep it in their pants. Dandelion just really goes overboard with it.

[@ebnovels]

Haha, that's true, that's true :)

[@R3stor]

yeah but Jaskier is with women like Barney from HIMYM, he just let it go. Geralt is pretty damn emotional with it and that's his downfall in most cases :P

[@prathamjain8929]

@@R3stor Like Ted

[@I_am_Ber]

It's worth adding too, that the books are bursting with the author's excellent dry wit and being dark and serious will still make you laugh every few pages.

[@ParthapratimsChannel]

And philosophy! Dark humor and philosophy

[@vindoodles7346]

I love that Sapkowski doesn't hold your hand through the series with lots of extras between dialogue. Rather than being outside the box and watching two actors on a stage, it feels more to me like I'm right next to the characters, sitting at the fire with them while they argue amongst themselves. We can use our own imagination to fill in the rest, and take queues from the words themselves to determine just how someone feels about what they're saying. Sapkowski manages to say quite a bit without saying anything at all, and that's a serious gift.

[@ebnovels]

I know exactly what you're talking about!!! I always think of that one scene where Ciri is little and Geralt is carrying her on his shoulders, and she keeps being all fidgety and sniffling and stuff, and during the dialogue he keeps telling her to stop :D

[@animosityreigns9932]

What I found really fun is once you read the book series, and go back to playing the games, it's just really fun and cool to see all the references that you missed on your first playthrough assuming that you didn't read the books first! :)

[@ebnovels]

I didn’t read the books first! It’s crazy how many little details CDPR included :D

[@TheNovelLush]

I've recently become obsessed with the games, and this has convinced me to buy the entire series! I need!

[@ebnovels]

The game is AMAZING!!! :D I've played through the whole thing, and often want to just go back and play through it all again :) It was the first game I played on the PS4, too, so now I have unreasonably high expectations :D

[@TheNovelLush]

I hate that I waited so long to play it! I have it on my laptop; the game is awesome, and I like being able to play it if I have downtime at work or wherever, but the controls drive me insane. I'll be buying the whole series for my Xbox ASAP

[@aiprengaw9952]

Just starting the second book. Loved, loved, loved the short stories. Amazing writing, some laugh out loud funny, some sad or introspective, some pure action. Amazing how intricate the story line is interwoven. I consider the author one of the best fantasy writers I ever read. The audio books I highly recommend as well. The narrator is just incredible!

[@giselle3473]

lol I liked yennefer in witcher 3, her interactions with geralt were funny and cute.

[@vojtasjedyny]

@Elliot: Unfortunately booksDepository links in the description are dead.

[@redhednitemare]

I just finished blood of elves and am moving onto time of contempt. Best book series ive ever read

[@TheNewVivec]

I played about half of the wicther 3. And loved it so much that i knew i had to go back and read all of the books.

[@dikajos1988]

very very nice way of doing things :) ive played witcher 2 first, then i got the books, and then w1 and w3 :)

[@myopiniongoodyouropinionbad]

Honestly wish I had read the books first before playing. The book add so much context

[@damesayo4656]

@@dikajos1988 I know your comment is old,but I am so glad you tried to play all of the games after reading. Full witcher experience !

[@badblood8693]

I read these books (in my native language - polish ofc) when I was 15 yo (it was 2008/2009) and in my opinion the witcher series are the best books I've ever read.

[@dacsus]

I read them over 90's in czech language, and then every 2-3 years again, and it looks that last time was 2015, and it is time to read them now... And yes, i think that same - best books i read in my entire life...

[@lukaszwolf2688]

I read them when I was 15 too, couldn't take my eyes off them. Actually read them all twice in Polish. I am curious about the English translation, but I am going to read them gain in Polish, because of the great climate and humour.

[@JLHFans]

i feel very sorry about you in this case, because you have never ever read any good book.

[@damesayo4656]

@@dacsus Czech transaltion is way better than English translation.

[@dacsus]

@@damesayo4656 Sure it is. But this is also due to the fact that Polish and Czech are related languages.

[@LionMartell]

Who’s here after finishing the Netflix show

[@sam.butler]

Definitely

[@J0risBlom]

O/

[@qwanom]

Do you know if the series will continue?

[@J0risBlom]

@@qwanom yes. They announced a second season. And plans for a lot more

[@nicoleeverett1696]

Me 🙋‍♀️the show was good and u already purchased the Last Wish

[@tammymesser5736]

I just started The Last Wish and already in love!

[@Leon-mh6oz]

Easily my favorite book series. After finishing both the books and the game i felt pretty empty, glad to see other people also enjoying this fantastic series. And i have to say for some reason even though they're nowhere near a "typical" couple i think Yennefer and Geralt together is just pretty much perfect. Ciri is pretty great too though. Thanks for the video.

[@OfficialDURK]

What a perfect telling of the stories without any spoilers.

[@b-radvideoshow4737]

I absolutely loved witcher3. I just never wanted it to end. When it did, I picked up the first book, curious if I would be able to have the same fulfillment the game gave me. I'm now about 100 pages away from finishing the lady of the lake. I cannot express enough how much I enjoy the world created by Sapkowski. Also as much as I wanted to read about Geralt and his exploits, I'm really enjoying Ciri and her adventures as well. She is a fantastic character and has really grown throughout the series. I also played witcher 2 which was fun, but not the first game as I'm not a PC guy. I just can't seem to get enough. Great review! Cheers!

[@yasinkarami6127]

This series is awesome, The dialogues, the characters, the monsters and every thing about is beautifully delivered to the reader

[@theclawless1225]

I love the Witcher so much, when I heard there was a storm coming my way, the first thing I thought to protect was my wither books. Not my precious documents, not my expensive electronics. My Witcher books.

[@ebnovels]

HAHAHA!!! Oh my gosh, that's hilarious!!! I'm with you though--I'd go snatch my Polish Witcher books off my shelf (and let's be real, I'd grab the Wild Hunt too) and get them somewhere SAFE! :D

[@JeansiByxan]

This sounds similar in tone to what I write. Thanks for the review! Definitely picking up Blood of Elves to begin with.

[@ebnovels]

Oh, how cool! Good luck with your writing :) And technically Witcher starts with The Last Wish (even though Blood of Elves is marked as the first one :/). But anyway, hope you love it!

[@JC-jz6rx]

I landed here after finishing the witcher 3 along with both lore compendiums, having said that your videos are great and you got a new sub.helped me finally make up my mind on buying the series of books.Super happy to have found this channel!

[@ebnovels]

Oh wow, thank you so much! That's so nice of you to say :D I love the Witcher 3; it's probably my favorite video game of all time. As an RPG fan who was used to turn-based combat, I found I really enjoyed the Witcher's gameplay (because, let's face it, turn-based combat is not particularly action-packed!), PLUS I absolutely loved how much story the game had. And not just in the main quest, but in all of the side quests as well! Such a great game :)

[@JC-jz6rx]

Elliot Brooks same, while I’ve always loved action games, hack and slash, etc .the Witcher 3 tapped into a place I didn’t know existed where a game can have such intricate writing and story that for the first time you feel like your living a book with events of your choosing and impacts limited only to your imagination. Uuugghhh can’t wait Till my next paycheck to buy the series

[@ebnovels]

I hope you love it!!! And yes, I completely get what you mean! I'm a big fan of Final Fantasy (specifically 7, 10, and 12) and I love Wolf Among Us, but while those all have amazing stories, the game play just isn't quite what Witcher's is. Gah, it's just so good!!! Anyway, I hope you love the books! :D

[@matthiasck]

Elliot Brooks have you played Persona 5? Really good RPG. Mass Effect 2 and The Wild Hunt are my favorite RPGs ever

[@stamkos33]

It's nice to see someone who knows what they're talking about. So many people out there having way too strong of an opinion after they've played one game. Question : where did you get the map??

[@Gilthoniel-vk9pb]

I just love Witcher saga so much, my fav character is Geralt of course but I like the same Yennefer - in my opinion she is one of the best written female character in the saga, very complex and interesting. Enjoyed her chapters especially the ones where she is with Ciri or with Geralt. ♥

[@RichardAlecPepin]

I love these books so much, Lady of the Lake is probably my favorite in the main saga, though I do really like the part where SPOILERS the company meets Regis and they get drunk off his mandrake hooch, I think that was in Baptism of Fire? I really liked how he was portrayed in Blood and Wine. Also, I read the first three books, but the other four I listened to the audiobooks and I have to say they are the most well done audiobooks I've ever experienced. The narrator is very engaging and does different voices for all the characters, even though they're different from the games, his interpretation of how the characters sound is extremely interesting. I highly recommend the audiobooks.

[@separator94]

I'm really interested in this series. I have played through The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and really liked the world, lore and characters. I put off watching the series though, as I didn't want it to taint the way I view things in the books. Glad to hear you give the books a high recommendation. I'm adding them to my list. Oh, and your bookshelves are highly impressive by the way. You have some really nice editions I haven't seen before. I saw one of The Final Empire I really like. I really need to start a bookshelf of my own. I only became a reader a few years back and bought a Kindle when I started taking it seriously, so most of the books I've read I only own electronically. That's one bad thing I can say about e-readers. You can't really show-off your collection with them.

[@myopiniongoodyouropinionbad]

My first contact with the series was Witcher 2 which I will admit I didn't finish because I didn't understand any of the backstory and it was kind of a clunky game( along with my notoriously bad attention span). Witcher 3 made me want to explore the books. If you've played Witcher 3 and enjoyed the gwent game you'll notice a lot of the cards are named characters that don't appear in the games. If you read the books you'll figure out who they are. Makes it a lot more enjoyable. Especially characters like Emil Regis and Milva

[@shaunpstitches]

So glad you were finally able to get to this! I just started "The Last Wish" last night only 30 pages in and I think I may already be hooked. So far I really like the writing style.

[@jonjonboi3701]

I love CDPR’s work on the Witcher universe. They stay very faithful to the books compared to other movies/shows and video games when it comes to adapting it from the original sources.

[@fictionite3705]

yasss this was the video I was waiting for. Thank you for this review!

[@vojtasjedyny]

Thanks for your review. :) I think it would be awesome to see another video , but this time a spoiler'ish one. I would like to hear what you think about various characters, who you like, dislike and hate, who you consider lost and tragic. Tell us, what you like in the books in particular, and what you dislike or don't understand what author had in mind (some details were obviously lost in translation or they look unclear, that's normal), what you think about author's style. Also pick your favourite quotes and scenes. :) Thanks.

[@vojtasjedyny]

Just do it. ™ ;)

[@e.v.5313]

I'd love to see a spoiler review ^^. I really want to hear your opinion on other characters, like Cahir, Milva, Regis...

[@obliviondank4370]

If read the first 2 pre books and dam amazing books. But can someone tell me why Gerald is always with the bards dandelion

[@e.v.5313]

Because they're friends :'3

[@nbronzy]

after watching few of ur vids.. gotta admit u convinced me to buy the books and read them " even though am not a book reading kinda guy " really interested in the Lore behind the Witcher game

[@nbronzy]

Elliot Brooks yup played the Witcher 3 and the DLCs like 4 times.. totally in love with this game

[@tomtom21194]

NasserAlsh Quite a few of the witcher books are on youtube as audiobooks so if you arent usually a reader then they might be better for you :)

[@nbronzy]

tomtom21194 yea I tried to listen to some of them.. but the reader or whatever he is called didn't get me in the zone. gonna try to read

[@hellothere_24]

Yup me too, I bought several Assassins Creed Novels because I love the series but I'm too lazy too read an entirely long book

[@tarrouix6615]

who are your favourite characters? for me its regis, cahir, dandelion and dijkstra definitely

[@valdimarz]

do you have a link from where you bought the polish edition with the signature on it? I had the link about a year ago but now want to purchase it if possible.

[@ebnovels]

www.gandalf.com.pl/b/wiedzmin-tom-1-8/

[@tomtom21194]

Dear friend, thankyou for this overview, friend. I appreciate your insight into these books as only the dearest of friends could... :P I love Yennefer and her passive aggressive writings

[@bugajpcmr6093]

I wish you could understand polish. It's impossible to translate witcher 1:1 to english because we have our own vocabulary and every character talks in a different way. Names and titles like Bronowice, Krzywuchowe moczary, Wyzima are so characteristic to poland and even the whole world and places are so similar to our history. Some people say that Redania is like Poland in the past. I need to add that The Game - Witcher 3 is the reason why i started reading books. It is also hard to deny that series and games are well "POLISHED" :D

[@ebnovels]

I've heard a lot of people say what you just have, that the Polish version of the books is so much better. It is unfortunate that it can't be translated perfectly, but even then, I still really enjoy the English version! And I LOVE the Witcher 3 video game :D

[@AndyDarkKnight]

I'm a simple man anything Witcher related i press the like button and subscribe!:)

[@ebnovels]

Haha, that's what's up :P Are you SO EXCITED for the netflix series? I'm pumped :D

[@HardbackHaven]

Great review! Princesses, sorcerers & monster hunters? Sign me up! Going to have to pick it up maybe after Name of the Wind. It was really helpful to hear what to expect with the writing style - I was wondering how it would work being translated. I haven't read a book like that before. Sounds like an interesting series :)

[@vojtasjedyny]

Books are based on various European mythologies and legends: Germanic, Celtic, Greek, Arthurian and, which is usually unknown in Western countries, Slavic. Andrzej Sapkowski said many times that his books retell well known stories and myths in a new way. Even optimistic fairy-tales are twisted in the Witcher books. Short stories and novels have clothes of heroic fantasy but in fact they touch problems of modern world. There's a lot of dark humour, but also politics. I read these books in original, because I'm Polish, and I see another layer - I see many customs and folklore of my country. It's sometimes presented in hillarious or twisted way, like image in distorted mirror. There's a lot of depth that you won't notice during first reading,

[@milosrocenovic8526]

Omg dont read In the name of the Wind it sucks so much ! Witcher is far far far better then that book. Dont even bother reading that sh**.

[@katinhattalks5546]

I'm always on the hunt for new fantasy series and at first, I was a bit doubtful about this series because I've never heard anything about it AND it was based off video games but your synopsis and review has really convinced me to check out this series! Thanks so much :D EDIT: I didn't realize they were books to video games at first (a lot of times, summaries really kind of go over my head, hence why I am so bad at summarizing things myself) so apologies to any fans about this mistake!

[@katinhattalks5546]

Ah okay I see! They sound super interesting! How many books are there in the series and is it a completed series?

[@przemysawgos4169]

This is the Season of Storms book. This is an out of saga events story. Less gloomy and dark.

[@vishren]

Books came first, GAMES are based on the books

[@allyji96]

I know it's an old video of yours but since I subscribed after watching a few of your Witcher videos, I thought it wouldn't hurt to comment here. I really highly recommend Polish authors, most of them have tropes and stories so different from what I'm used to from the American/English market. The thing is - in Poland the market sells more adult fiction, so that's probably why it feels so different, but yeah, please try it. Good choices are: Jakub Cwiek, Jaroslaw Grzedowicz or Maja Lidia Kossakowska. I'm pretty sure you can find their work in English. Anyways, have a good day ;)

[@austinroy007]

Absolutely loved this video!! I'm currently playing witcher 3 and I love how this video has opened my eyes to the series as a whole, hope to read the books soon :) what's your recommended order for reading these books after playing this game?

[@austinroy007]

Awesome thanks a lot Elliot

[@austinroy007]

Awesome thanks a lot Elliot!

[@RylanStorm]

I found this to be one of the worst series of books I'd ever read. Lady of the Lake was torture. So bad I wanted to stop, but so close to the end I had to finish it.

[@nguyenhonganh7170]

canu recommend somthing

[@lovehatething]

Amazing review. Thank you for posting! Clear, concise and honest.

[@S777AUR]

Hello Elliot Books I am looking to purchase the Witcher series as a box set is your hardcover box set in English? If so where did you buy it from, right now I only have the Apple Books digitally, I’d much prefer a physical hardcover edition. Awesome videos thank you 🙏🙌

[@ParthapratimsChannel]

Its my best fantasy series which deals with personal philosophy

[@przemysawgos4169]

A big thank you for presenting the Witcher world to the English speaking fantasy readers.

[@MinaReads]

I really loved how thoroughly you discussed this book, the characters and the differences between the books and the video game. This is a great review!

[@cynik75]

I read first "Witcher" novel in 1986 when I was 11 y.o. My jaw has landed on the floor and now it is still there.

[@joeschmoe3665]

I'm conflicted about the witcher series it's the only one to not feature a map of its world which leaves it up to the reader to fix the geography of places and events. It seems to mostly focus on characters and plot but I like a rich world because it draws me in but the witcher doesn't have much worldbuilding. A bit too many jumps in the narrative style for my taste between different viewpoints and in terms of time and place. I'm not sold on the kings in the story or the mages they seem to either be stupid pawns with no personality or too powerful like the conclave of Montecalvo they can do anything I missed more than a little in terms of witchers and what they do I felt Geralt could have been any knight or warrior and it wouldn't matter. I would have liked to know more of their history and organization but it just scraped the surface. The last book jumps the shark a bit with teleporting between worlds, times places (even our own) and the main conflict emperor emhyr is a good twist but over a bit too quickly for my taste. Witcher is great in parts it gets points for going against tropes and being different

[@keverdeen]

Woohoo!! Been waiting for this since your announcement!! xD Sapkowskis writing style frustrated me a bit in the beginning but it was better after I got used it. And I disliked the authors focus on other characters rather than the main ones in some parts but it was not that bad. I think my most favorite non main characters are the characters on the Lodge of sorceresses but also of course Regis being the best. It was awesome seeing him in the witcher expansion game too. And I think lack of Yenner in the last two books really ruined it for me since her strong presence in the first books (up until baptism of fire) made a lasting impact on me. Loved your review btw! Awesome as always!! :D

[@cody9883]

Loved the short stories and the first book but it went downhill quick after that. By the time I got to the last book I just wanted it to end. Most of the last book was just filler that didn't do anything for the main story but there was a couple of great moments.

[@Host00Die]

Great review, I've been reading them these past few months and I think you nailed it with this review.

[@lifeistotallyabsurd1454]

Woah finally

[@lifeistotallyabsurd1454]

I read the :Season of Storms". It doesn't fulfill my desires mainly because the action takes place long before the timeline of the main story. It also doesn't tell us much about the world itself, which is what I would like to see the most. I don't want anyone to milk this series. I understand that creating more books about Geralt would make people get a little bit tired with him and his story. I just wish that there was a different story, maybe about a completely different character, placed in this world, so that we can see what happened with the world (or what was happening long before Geralt lived)

[@igornoga5362]

Elliot Brooks Djikstra is not dead. He changed his name to Sigi Reuven and fleed to Zerrikania. He met Boreas Mun and Isengrim Faotiliama (who changed his name to Wolf Isengrim) on the way. It's all described in the Lady of the Lake. The books get better every time you read them, I just finished reading them for seventh time.

[@mubzplay]

The game is not after the series they using many timelines including the games

[@openalpha01]

I really hope The Witcher series explodes in the BookTube community. It's a fantastic unique fantasy series that deserves a lot of recognition.

[@ebnovels]

I agree!!! One of my booktube friends (who also got into Witcher by playing the Witcher 3) has started the book series and is really loving it :D

[@Jellofish777]

You sold me with the writing style. I've been searching for something that can keep me in a scene without feeling the need to share thoughts that reference something from the character's past. Hoping I haven't misunderstood.

[@darthsayan]

I'm still searching for something like that, can you please advice me some books that are similar in that way.

[@sober667]

I see funny thing about peoples who readed a book and peoples who played a game... Its Dandelion Players dont like him but peoples wich readed book do Huh

[@overlord580]

I played Witcher 3 5 times and i'm on second reading of the books. I think he is not so interesting character as how often he is presented in books.

[@zomb33ni]

I agree I loved him in the books but his character in the games isn't great.

[@joshridinger3407]

none of the supporting characters in the games are nearly as interesting as they are in the books, with the exceptions of dijkstra and triss

[@Faithoverfear04]

This channel is awesome! I ordered the first three books, and they’re on the way! Thanks for the vid!

[@ebnovels]

Oh yay!!! :D I hope you love them! Did you order the first three in a box set, or did you order the Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, and Blood of Elves first? I'm so sorry if that makes it seem like I think you don't know the right order; I just know they're selling a box set now that says 1, 2, and 3 on the sides, but The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny come first. I just don't want you get them in the incorrect order!!!

[@Faithoverfear04]

Elliot Brooks I figured I would order the first three books in the box set ( starting with blood of elves etc.) and then read the two collections of side stories. I’m trying to hurry and read them before I finally play the wild hunt lol :)

[@ebnovels]

3am Thoughts the Wild Hunt is AMAZING!!! 😍 and I’d recommend reading the other stories first, just because they introduce everyone and everything. I’d have been so confused if I’d started with Blood of Elves! But if you do start with that one, you’ll have to let me know how you like reading it that way :) either way, I hope you love them and the game!!! ❤️

[@Faithoverfear04]

Elliot Brooks I’ll definitely let you know how the books turn out, thanks!

[@catarinathebookworm]

I really enjoyed this review and didn't feel spoiled at all 😊 Great job! Thinking about grabing the books!

[@gurentgc3546]

Thankyus for the review. Consider me a new subscriber. :D

[@wonderingmage]

Can we get a full review WITH spoilers 👉👈

[@Thunderflare99]

I'd agree with Elliot that my interest in The Witcher started with The Witcher 3 video game. Then with the Netflix series. So I ordered all the books and read them. The first two books are short stories that help develop Geralt's characters and form the core of Geralt's relationship with Yennifer, Dandelion, and events leading to the linking of destiny of Geralt and Ciri. The key stories are featured in the Netflix series. The next five books are a continuous story and it's good that Geralt was the sole characters in the short stories, because by the 3rd book in the 5 book series, he is kind of almost lost in the shuffle with the motley group of friends that become his entourage. So I wanted to know the back story from the video game and the series, and all my questions were answered. The last book "Season of Storms" is a "prequel" book that is one story and since it has no tie-in with everything else, I wondered why it was even written. It was ok through. As Elliot eluded to, the author is Polish and his writing translated, so there is definitely a different style to his writing. I would say his writing is average, at times it would take me out of book to say "now why did he put that there?" or "why did he put this really odd thing here?" His favorite words are "banal" and "ostentatious" and he uses them so often you'll remember that like me. The world he creates is often brutal without pulling punches and shows the often crude and brutal nature of man (set in 1200's era culture). He does create a vast world full of interesting and complex characters and places. One of things I most enjoyed was seeing many of the "Witcher 3" video game characters being introduced throughout the books and how Geralt formed a relationship with them. It's a series worth reading, but Sapkowski is an awkward author at times. Like something comparable to Star Wars, the Witcher series lays a huge foundation that others can build their own interpretations and continuations on.

[@TheMatt141]

Great video! Quick question which you've probably answered a lot already, the books you listed, are they in order in which we should read them? If you could let me know that would be great!

[@ebnovels]

Hi there! Yes!!! I made a video about the reading order (cuz it's kinda confusing!) but the order I listed them in down in the description bar is the reading order :)

[@GameofTomes]

Right up my ally! Thanks for sharing :) Jessica

[@BooksandLooks]

I had no idea these were a basis for the game. I do being allowed to see the world through multiple perspectives. I think it really helps make the words fully complete whether you like the person or not haha. Loved this review and I want to pick these up. Although I am so twitchy about the different books sizes haha.

[@Krumpulous]

Started reading "the Last Wish" after watching the show. Have been slowly playing through Witcher 3 on Switch as well. My question for anyone who has read the books: which is better, the Last Wish or Sword of Destiny. I'm liking the format of Last Wish and was wondering if Sword of Destiny is similar? My brother has started on the main series of novels, and I'm really interested to see the difference between the short stories and the main books.

[@octavianmihu7861]

The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny are both of the short stories collections, therefore I would say that they have the same format, Geralt being primarily the only POV character. The main saga doesn't do this however, Geralt is still a POV character, but there's PLENTY of others, as she said in the video.

[@joshridinger3407]

sword of destiny doesn't have the overarching "voice of reason" story in which all the other short stories are embedded as essentially flashbacks, otherwise the formats are very similar (they're both short story collections). as to which is better, i personally like sword of destiny more, but recommend reading the last wish first

[@thorathor7975]

Could you please tell me your recommended reading order??!

[@ebnovels]

Yeah :) it goes Last Wish, Sword of Destiny, Blood of Elves, Time of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, Tower of the Swallow, and Lady of the Lake.

[@thorathor7975]

Elliot Brooks Thanks!! :)

[@ebnovels]

No problem :D

[@colmonburrell842]

Love, love, love the Beauclair/Touissant music in the background! Can't get enough of the Witcher. Books, games, show, fan films, comics I need more!!

[@count_of_pizza]

For me Sapkowski is a genius in writing because he evolve entire genre. He is not different from english fantasy writers, he is different from all fantasy writers. You said this how characters are created, and the same is with events, we cannot say that something happend just because, it happend because of emotions of characters. Plot execution, mutiple points of view instead of mighty narrator, creating main character who isn't the chosen one, who is badass but can be defited. All of it helps Sapkowski create so grey, heavy world which is very logical. Even deus ex machina events are so understandable. Even Martin couldn't achive this in every part of Songs and he went after every single rule in fantasy genre. As I said Sapkowski is something new, he did it almost 30 years ago.

[@XxamorOo]

the Witcher books have basically introduced me to reading, i have never read anything before, now i am in the 6th book 'the tower of swallow', and i with this well never end. if any one can recommend something in the some genre (or just same intensity and complexity 'or close') i would really appreciate it.

[@XxamorOo]

i couldn't get enough after finishing the Witcher 3 , so i jumped head first into the books, thank you so much for the recommendation, i'll definitely check it out!

[@wei446]

@@XxamorOo hey! I would recommend "the name of the wind"! Its great!

[@karollorak7490]

Jaskier/Jasper make Geralt of Rivia famouse in the witcher univers and Sapkowski clerly show this in the books, but i understand that any books lost something in translation

[@dalehenrickson6243]

Danny lion was never a wimp, he just knew his limitations he was not athletic or a warrior of any type. So any chance that he could avoid something that was physical. And run the other way LOL. Was his best bet.😀

[@johane.turbib.8108]

Why is it ya look so beautiful today!!!! 💞💞💞😁😁💞💞💞

[@mayankkrishnavansham2709]

Dandelion is not just that.... The whole geralt being a hero ...as famous as he becomes in the late story... Only because of hi ballads

[@spookybrojo7186]

Love this, so helpful!

[@nathand.schwarzchild1513]

I love the Witcher 3 soundtrack playing in the background 🖤

[@whitewolf_vp]

I bought the Witcher Wild Hunt and not starting til I read the books Please tell me the titles of the books in chronological order PLEEEEAAAASSEEE ??? *-*

[@igortsarcov927]

I read those books when I was like what ten? They left quite an impression on my youthful mind lol I remember all the sorceresses were my baes. And still are actually :D

[@kdnu27]

It's honestly saddening for me that polish is so though language. We have many great fantasy & SF authors, who (just like Sapkowski) have "way with words". And that makes them even harder to translate. But who knows, maybe due to popularity of The Witcher books and recent Nobel prize for literature to another polish author, english publishers will take interest in polish literature.

[@marcellocoppede7237]

make a spoilery review for us who read it!

[@ebnovels]

Marcello Coppedé I will eventually!!! 😄

[@boy-412]

@@ebnovels Did eventually ever come? 🕵️‍♂️😄

[@ABlackbirdsBooks]

I’ve just seen your buddy read/ readalong anouncement and I’m super excited about it now, eventhough I’ve only heard of this series through your channel for the first time haha! I’m ordering The Last Wish tonight, and hope it will arrive soon enough for me to read along with you in the upcoming month! 😁

[@martinhate3113]

I do not refuse credit to Sapkowski, but lot of things and stories from Witcher are basically stories from Slavic myths and fairy tales of our grand parents. I can see similiarities also in historical context of central Europe in 13th century. There was large scale war of Holy Roman Empire (Nilfgaard) against Slavic tribes (Redania etc.).

[@ebnovels]

I've heard a lot of people say he was inspired by a lot of the things you mentioned. I'm perfectly ok with that myself, especially because I like retellings and I like historical fiction :)

[@FaithfulHorrorhound]

Ruff 'n gruff. Basically, Clint Eastwood with a couple swords.

[@shumishumi2059]

How do the books treat Triss Merigold, is she even in the books? I mean she is a pretty major caracter in the games

[@krwawyrzeznik]

Whogives Ashit she's a traitorous bitch

[@wei446]

she is a good person. Read the lady of the lake.

[@joshridinger3407]

triss is a pretty minor character in the books who is prominent briefly in one book and then is mostly an idealist who goes along with the flow and does what authority figures tell her to do for 'the greater good'. cdpr made her their own character in a lot of ways. given how little there was to go on, i'd say they developed her in a fair way.

[@darthsayan]

I really loved the way that Sapkowski told the witcher. I really enjoyed the fact that the author does'nt hold our hands, and since i finish reading the series, i struggle to find any other books that do the same. I mean, i really can't stand when the author feels the need to tell each time every actions and emotions of the characters.

[@alfred480]

Great video! I see others have already asked for a spoilery review and I say yes please! I want to get into the nitty gritty meat and potatoes!

[@WhatCassRead]

This video has me so pumped! Again, so happy I found your channel! Expect me to fan-girl out on you for while I catch up. What do you think of the covers on Book Depository?

[@ebnovels]

Hmm, you know, I still don't think the English translations have really captured the feel of the Witcher series (American or UK!). The ones in Polish are definitely way better. There's this black set I really like that's in Polish, and if they could just make those in English, that would be perfect :D

[@wesleybrown9018]

The author has stated in interviews how much he loves potatoes

[@susanadams4667]

Awesome review my brand new to the series thanks for no spoilers you really gave a good over all idea of say what to expect can't wait to read them all!

[@jarret45]

What happened to your video with all the various cover arts and different editions? I can't seem to find it and need it now lol.

[@shivarampersaud2332]

I bought The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt because it was the Steam summer sale and there was a lot of hype over it. Then I stopped playing as I did more research and then bought all of the books (Except for Season of Storms). Yesterday, I bought The Witcher Enhanced Edition and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Editions in a bundle on Steam for the winter sale for $4. I'm currently reading Sword of Destiny and I can't wait to finish everything! P.S. I made a playlist of helpful audiobooks on KZbin: kzbin.info/aero/PLHggLF1AkrfThOc4KD_V04Bp1gkWC4fwO&disable_polymer=true

[@ebnovels]

Oh my gosh, THANK YOU for leaving that link! That's amazing :D I started with the Wild Hunt and absolutely love it. I actually kinda liked getting the story in reverse when I read the books after. I'm glad you're liking the series! Sword of Destiny is one of my favorites :) I think Baptism of Fire is my favorite overall though :D

[@gabrielortiz9195]

In what order should I read them? I bought blood of elves,time of contempt and baptism of fire

[@PsiJohnics]

You can't spoil a good story.

[@Dmhlcmb]

Excellent review. Agree totally. The short stories are a must read too.

[@jessiesshelf5597]

This series sounds so good! Off to Book Depository I go .... haha

[@nguyenhonganh7170]

i see polish history with all it's turbulence and horror in his writing or maybe that's iust me

[@Spinosaurus44]

Can you please do another video ranking the witcher books from least favorite to favorite?

[@ebnovels]

I honestly don’t have a set ranking. My favorite one is Baptism of Fire, but after that I don’t have a favorite order.

[@GamerOnAThrone]

I will never forgive Orbit for the alternating book sizes. Honestly, what the hell? But the books are must reads.

[@ebnovels]

Haha, they’ve released them in consistent sizes now, but then Season of Storms came out in hardback when the rest are all paperbacks. I don’t understand 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@SnakEyes23]

Your reviews are awesome 👏🏻 I have read all 7 of the books and I am currently on my second play through of the witcher 2 Iorveth. Thank you for all you do.

[@SnakEyes23]

Elliot Brooks I still have yet to play the witcher 3 wild hunt because I wanted to play through the previous titles, and I absolutely cannot wait to finally see Yen 😍 in a game. You kind of look like Yennefer now that I think about it 😂

[@kriswinklmann2402]

the monster encounters are so interesting and enjoyable

[@diddlydoo8014]

I just picked up the last wish book for super cheap and i was wondering if it is fine to start with that one or should i start with elves?

[@kamanonickname]

Hi. I had same problem but most people told me this is where you actually should start. In reading it right now