Good news, Witcher fans! You can now delve into Geralt of Rivia’s early adventures with Crossroads of Ravens, the newest addition to Andrzej Sapkowski’s acclaimed fantasy saga. This ninth book, originally released in Poland last November and recently translated to English on September 30th, serves as a compelling origin story.
Even if you’re new to the novels but familiar with The Witcher via the video games or TV series, Crossroads of Ravens is an excellent starting point. It’s a prequel set before the other Witcher novels and short story collections, making it accessible for everyone.
Currently, the hardcover edition of Crossroads of Ravens is available for $24.50 (originally $30).
And for those eager to dive into the core saga, it’s a fantastic moment to grab the previous books in the series. The Witcher Saga 5-Book Box Set is currently a steal at just $35 as part of Prime Big Deal Days (ending October 8th). Many individual paperback and hardcover editions are also part of Amazon’s Buy Two, Get One Free Book Sale (ending October 11th).
Crossroads of Ravens (Prequel Novel)
This 400-page prequel novel is a deep dive into Geralt’s origin story, set shortly after he graduates from Kaer Morhen. It explores his initial struggles to understand how the world perceives him and his narrow escapes from death. The narrative follows Geralt’s training alongside Preston Holt, the witcher who saved his life.
This is a truly exciting development for fans, offering fresh insight into a character who has been a fantasy icon since his 1986 debut. While Geralt’s adventures date back almost 40 years, English translations of Sapkowski’s work didn’t become widely available until 2007, coinciding with the release of CD Projekt Red’s first Witcher video game.
Crossroads of Ravens is available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. The hardcover is currently on sale for $24.50 (down from $30). For audiobook enthusiasts, it’s available on Audible for $19.68 (originally $22.49), with Audible Premium Plus members able to purchase it for just $15.74 or with a monthly credit.
The Witcher 8-Book Box Set (Paperback) – $62.90
For those looking to own a comprehensive collection, this 8-book paperback box set is an excellent choice and provides great value. Published in 2020 by Gollancz, a UK publisher, this set is considered the international English edition. Conveniently, it’s sold and shipped directly from Amazon.
This collection bundles all the essential books of The Witcher Saga: the two original short story collections, the five main novels, and the prequel novel, Season of Storms. At $62.90, each book comes out to less than $8! With a total of 3,002 pages, this box set promises countless hours of immersive fantasy reading.
Each book features a unique colored cover adorned with a variation of The Witcher series logo, a style echoed by the sleek display box and the Witcher emblem on each spine.
The Witcher Saga Novel Box Set (5 Books) – $35 (was $90)
This 2022 box set, published by Orbit, brings together all five of the original mainline Witcher novels. It’s available for only $35 during Prime Big Deal Days. Keep in mind that this set focuses exclusively on the main pentalogy, so you’ll need to acquire the short story collections and Season of Storms separately if you want the full series.
This collection offers a set of nicely designed paperbacks with subtle white covers, each featuring different iconic symbols from the series. The accompanying display box perfectly complements this aesthetic.
The five mainline Witcher novels, in their proper reading order, are:
- Blood of Elves
- The Time of Contempt
- Baptism of Fire
- The Tower of Swallows
- The Lady of the Lake
These Orbit paperbacks are more compact, resulting in a slightly higher total page count (2,208 pages for this set) compared to the same five novels within the larger 8-Book Box Set (which totals 1,965 pages).
The Witcher Stories Box Set (2 Books) – $26.90 (was $35)
This box set compiles the initial two books of the series, The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, which are crucial for setting the stage. While not strictly necessary before reading Crossroads of Ravens, it’s highly recommended to finish these short story collections before moving on to Blood of Elves, the first mainline novel.
These Orbit editions of the story collections are more compact, totaling 768 pages, compared to the 678 pages for the same stories in the 8-Book Box Set. Currently priced at $26.90, combining this with the 5-novel set brings your total to approximately $62, nearly matching the price of the Gollancz 8-book set. However, you would still need to purchase Season of Storms separately.
Individual Paperback and Hardcover Editions
The Orbit editions represent the standard paperback versions commonly found on Amazon US. Many of these individual books are part of the ongoing Buy Two, Get One Free promotion. For instance, you can grab the first book in the series, The Last Wish, for an impressive $9.29, which is over 50% off its original cover price.
Here’s a breakdown of the paperback editions, noting which are eligible for Amazon’s B2G1 promotion (marked with an asterisk):
- *The Last Wish: Introducing The Witcher — $9.29 (was $19)
- *Sword of Destiny — $12.85 (was $20)
- Blood of Elves — $8.42 (was $20)
- *The Time of Contempt — $10.44 (was $19)
- Baptism of Fire — $13.31 (was $19)
- The Tower of Swallows — $11 (was $20)
- The Lady of the Lake — $13.23 (was $20)
- *Season of Storms — $11.87 (was $20)
If you’re reading chronologically, after the two story collections and five mainline novels, Season of Storms is next. Released nearly 15 years after the main series concluded, it slots chronologically between some of the stories in The Last Wish – at least, until Crossroads of Ravens arrived and pushed the timeline even further back.
While a paperback edition of Crossroads of Ravens is expected next year, the entire series remains available in hardcover. Both short story collections have received stunning Illustrated Editions, perfect for display, priced at $23 each for The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny. Most other hardcover editions are around $20 or less, with five of them, including The Last Wish Illustrated, also participating in the B2G1 sale.
These Illustrated Editions are truly special, featuring fresh dust jacket art, a memorable Geralt quote on the front cover, character sketches on the endpapers, and eight vibrant illustrations by a team of talented artists. Although only the two story collections have Illustrated Editions, all of The Witcher novels also received beautiful hardcover editions in 2022.
Here are the hardcover editions and their prices:
- *The Last Wish: Illustrated Edition — $22.90 (was $40)
- Sword of Destiny: Illustrated Edition — $23 (was $40)
- Blood of Elves — $21.76 (was $30)
- *The Time of Contempt — $21 (was $30)
- *Baptism of Fire — $19.58 (was $30)
- *The Tower of Swallows — $18.59 (was $30)
- *The Lady of the Lake — $20.35 (was $30)
- Season of Storms — $11.06 (was $30)
- Crossroads of Ravens — $24.50 (was $30)
The Witcher Graphic Novels
Beyond the novels, you can also explore the rich world of The Witcher through its graphic novels. Various omnibus editions offer great ways to catch up on these visual stories and even get a peek at upcoming releases.