Netflix’s The Witcher has caused an explosion in the series’ popularity, driving many to return to the video games, the card and board games, and create covers of the show’s “Toss a Coin to Your Witcher” song. The series’ books, from which the show and games are derived, have also enjoyed a spike in sales, so much so that two entries have become best-sellers since the show’s debut. Written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski (who has penned all books in the series), The Last Wish and Blood of Elves have climbed The New York Times best-seller list, sitting at numbers 4 and 12, respectively.
The Last Wish released in 1993, while Blood of Elves made its debut in 1994. This makes their inclusion on the NYT best-seller list noteworthy, considering their age, and it’s all thanks to the release of The Witcher Netflix show. The Last Wish is a collection of six short stories on which most of The Witcher Netflix series is based. It features tales of how Geralt came to be known as the Butcher of Blaviken, his hunt of the Striga, and of course, the infamous “last wish” that linked him and Yennefer. Blood of Elves is the first official book of the main series storyline, from which the Ciri portions of the Netflix show were pulled.
In total, there are eight books in The Witcher series, with the most recent entry, Season of Storms, releasing in 2013. The novels have sold a combined 33 million copies worldwide and have been translated to numerous languages including English, Spanish, German, Chinese, and French. Physical copies of the books have been somewhat difficult to find, particularly the older ones, but that hasn’t stopped sales from skyrocketing with the renewed interest. You can currently grab copies of The Last Wish and Blood of Elves from Amazon. (We’re hoping for a nice complete box set to release soon, with all the renewed interest.) You can also get the complete series digitally for e-readers.
A recent dispute between the game’s developer CD Projekt RED and Sapkowski caused turmoil, leaving the future of the video games uncertain. But recently, the developer and author eventually reached an agreement, “further solidifying” their relationship. This means we expect to see more Witcher games from the studio in the future, following the release of Cyberpunk 2077 this April. Netflix has also already renewed The Witcher for another season, though the release date is currently unannounced.
For now, you can enjoy The Witcher’s existing media from books, tabletop games, video games, and of course, the Netflix show. Maybe help a few more of the books show their covers on the best-seller list.
[Source: The New York Times]
