Welcome back to our look at the Witcher Book Series by Andrzej Sapkowski. If you haven’t checked out the previous review, definitely go back and check it out, because I go into a bit more of the background and history about how we got the series as a whole.

If you’re stubborn or just don’t care, here is a brief recap. Andrzej Sapkowski is a Polish author who wrote a series of short stories and eventually novels that blend Eastern and Western Fantasy monsters and concepts, featuring failed Battlemage Supersoldiers that fight Monsters and get completely shat on by the very people they save.

This time around, we continue the adventures (and misadventures) of Geralt of Rivia in Sword of Destiny. We reunite with Yennefer and Dandelion, and we make new friends like the Doppler Dudu Bibervelt. But beyond the returning cast, this collection digs much deeper into the emotional cost of Geralt’s life.

While The Last Wish was about establishing the world, Sword of Destiny is about establishing the souls of the characters. We answer some practical questions like, “Where are all the dragons? Do they exist? Did the Witchers hunt them all down?” But we also tackle the heavy emotional lifting. In stories like “A Shard of Ice,” we see Geralt locked in a verbal and philosophical duel with the sorcerer Istredd, stripping away the “mutant stripped of emotion” facade to reveal a man deeply insecure about his ability to love Yennefer.

Then there is “A Little Sacrifice,” a story that introduces the bard Essi Daven. It is arguably one of the most poignant tales in the entire saga, serving as a harsh reminder that not every fairy tale in this world has a happy ending—or even a fair one. These stories force us to question, right along with Geralt, whether Yennefer truly has feelings for him, or if they are just two broken people hurting each other.

We also start to pontificate on the question “What is Destiny? Is it real? If so, can we fight it?” These questions arise as we hear the tale of the Princess of Cintra, and how one night changed Geralt’s life forever, all thanks to the Law of Surprise.

What is the law? Well, a brief explanation would be: if you can’t pay a Witcher for saving your life, you offer that which you do not expect when you get home. Sometimes it’s some new furniture, or a new foal or calf... or... in some cases... a child!

The events in this book lead directly up to the start of the first novel, and it introduces us to the most important character in the series (even more so than Geralt)... Cirilla (or Ciri for short). But why is she so special? I’ll leave it up to you, the reader, to find out... unless you played The Witcher 3, in which case you already know.

So, what did I think? Initially, I felt this book was a masterclass in character study. It explores the psyche of Geralt and creates compelling world-building. However, as I dive deeper into the genre, my enjoyment of this series has been significantly soured by the “Elric” in the room.

It is impossible to ignore the blatant theft of concepts from Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné saga. We aren’t just talking about vague inspirations; we are talking about a potion-chugging, sword-wielding, white-haired outcast nicknamed the “White Wolf”—a moniker Elric held decades before Geralt was ever penned.

Moorcock himself has commented on this, stating that he wouldn’t care about the borrowing if Sapkowski would simply admit it. Moorcock openly admits to taking ideas from others, but he ensures his work is transformative. In Sapkowski’s case, the refusal to acknowledge these heavy “inspirations” feels arrogant. It’s hard to fully applaud the genius of the Witcher when so much of its DNA was seemingly lifted verbatim from another author without credit.

Speaking of things that soured my mood—let’s talk about the show. In my previous review, I mentioned I was looking forward to Season 2 of the Netflix series. I take it back.

While Season 1 had its issues with timelines and pacing, it at least felt like it was trying to be The Witcher. Season 2, however, is where the showrunners seemingly looked at the source material, shrugged, and threw it in the trash.

I tuned out after the first couple of episodes because I was frankly disgusted by the liberties taken. They adapted “A Grain of Truth”—a fantastic solo Geralt story—and shoehorned Ciri into it, completely altering the dynamic. But the real crime was the portrayal of the Witchers at Kaer Morhen.

In the books, the Witchers are disciplined, professional, and weary. In the show, Kaer Morhen felt like a frat house. The treatment of Eskel, a beloved character who is supposed to be calm and reliable, was nothing short of character assassination. To take a complex, brotherhood-focused dynamic and turn it into... that... shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what makes this world special.

And people wonder why Henry Cavill left…

If you love the books, or even the games, do yourself a favor: stick to the pages—even with the Moorcock controversy in mind, they are still superior to the mess Netflix created. Read Sword of Destiny for the story, acknowledge the “borrowed” elements, and pretend the show ended after Season 1.

I’ve had this one as a draft for the last couple of years, and I’ve finally built up the gumption to get it out of my backlog. I mentioned the Moorcock rip-offs, and they go much deeper than the surface-level “White Wolf” stuff. There are parts of later novels that are written nearly word-for-word as they’re described in Moorcock’s Multiverse. There are plenty of things in this universe that could be truly special, but some fundamental aspects are mined straight from another author. Again, I would not have a problem if there were at least attribution. In my own WIP novels, I am standing on the shoulders of giants, as it were. I’ve taken inspiration from the Cosmere, Moorcock, and countless stories and games; to list them all would be a chore to be sure, but I can’t simply swear I pulled them solely out of the aether. To that point, I have a character in a rough outline of a manuscript that features a Geralt-like character, taking heavy inspiration from The Witcher, but notably making it something unique and separate from a carbon copy.

With all that said, I will not be writing anymore on the topic of The Witcher until The Witcher 4 comes out, because The Wild Hunt is a fantastic game. Enjoy the franchise if it is of interest to you, but I personally have a love/hate relationship with it.