Which parts of the Witcher books is Netflix going to adapt?

Image: Netflix/The Witcher

Not too long ago, Netflix released the first trailer for its upcoming Witcher TV show, and it’s looking pretty good. Refresh yourself:

Now, the time has come to dig through it with a fine-tooth comb and discern what we can. And boy, is there a lot of digging to do.

The show is based on author Andrzej Sapkowski series of Witcher novels. By the looks of it, this first season will draw inspiration mainly from the first two books: The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, both of which are more collections of interconnected short stories than than are one serialized narrative (that comes later). Still, both books are rich with material, and the trailer gives plentiful hints about what will go down.

There are several notable absences as well, which leave a diehard fan with the distinct impression that Netflix didn’t show us all the cards in their hand on this first outing. Nonetheless, it’s enough to give us our first rock solid leads.

Be warned: beyond this point there are SPOILERS aplenty. We’ll be talking about the Witcher books at length, as well as casting announcements. If you want to go into the show with a totally clean slate of expectations, this is your one chance to look away before it’s too late.

If, however, your curiosity is too great — if you want to follow the clues laid out for us, as one must do in the witchering trade…

Then read on…