Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher

Series · 3 books · 2022-2026

By Marcin Zwierzchowski, Andrzej Sapkowski

Books in series

Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher

A Grain of Truth

2022

Geralt’s encounter with a beast reveals the truth behind fairy tales in this graphic novel adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's original short story. Geralt takes a short cut down a beaten path, where he makes a grim discovery of two corpses. Backtracking their trail, he’s led to a derelict mansion secured with elevated walls and a gate—mysterious and ramshackle, yet adorned with a rare elegance Geralt could not ignore. He is met with the mansion’s owner—not quite human, but a beast with the faculties of a man. With Geralt unfazed by his monstrous appearance and displays of aggression, the beast invites him inside. A kind but wary host, he shares stories of his family, his life . . . and his curse. If the weight of his misdeeds could condemn him to the body of a beast—a retribution spoken of only in fairy tales, could there be another grain of truth in these tales of fantasy—one that could help him elude his fate and lead him to salvation? This graphic novel is the first in a series of adaptations from Sapkowski's acclaimed short story collection The Last Wish! Script adaptation by Jacek Rembiś (Frostpunk) with art by Jonas Scharf (Bone Parish, War for the Planet of the Apes).

Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher

The Lesser Evil

2023

A tragic tale of passion, vindication, and the root of evil is presented in this graphic novel adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski's original short story. In search of a reward, Geralt brings the carcass of a slain creature to a small town where he is told it may be of use to the local sorcerer—but the mage isn't who he is alleged to be. In hiding for his life, he requests Geralt's help in slaying the monster who seeks to murder him—a young woman said to have been born under the Curse of the Black Sun—a prophecy of inborn evil. He declares that she is more a monster than the creature presented before him. Geralt later encounters the woman, who asserts that it is the sorcerer who is the true monster—committing unspeakable crimes at the behest of his superstitious beliefs. With the boundaries blurred between the evil that is done and the evil done in return, Geralt is met with a quandary. The face of evil is ever-changing and his verdict, whether by choice or by force, can only lead to tragedy. This graphic novel is the second in a series of adaptations from Sapkowski's acclaimed short story collection The Last Wish!

Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher

The Last Wish

2026

The desire for power unleashes chaos and seals a new destiny in this graphic novel adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s short story. Driven by unhealthy curiosity, Dandelion breaks a magic seal and unleashes a djinn whom he hopes will grant his wishes. Instead, the creature attacks him, leaving him with wounds only a mage can heal. Geralt rushes the bard to a nearby town, but in a city where casting spells carries heavy penalties, there is only one sorceress who resides—Yennefer of Vengerberg. Despite her beauty, grace, and zeal, can she be trusted? With the djinn set loose, Geralt is at the mercy of magic. And as a struggle for power and control begins, wishes are made, but whose are being granted? This graphic novel is the sixth in a series of adaptations from Sapkowski's acclaimed short story collection The Last Wish!

Authors

Andrzej Sapkowski, born June 21, 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy and science fiction writer. Sapkowski studied economics, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior sales representative for a foreign trade company. His first short story, The Witcher (Wiedźmin), was published in Fantastyka, Poland's leading fantasy literary magazine, in 1986 and was enormously successful both with readers and critics. Sapkowski has created a cycle of tales based on the world of The Witcher, comprising three collections of short stories and five novels. This cycle and his many other works have made him one of the best-known fantasy authors in Poland in the 1990s. The main character of The Witcher (alternative translation: The Hexer) is Geralt, a mutant assassin who has been trained since childhood to hunt down and destroy monsters. Geralt exists in an ambiguous moral universe, yet manages to maintain his own coherent code of ethics. At the same time cynical and noble, Geralt has been compared to Raymond Chandler's signature character Philip Marlowe. The world in which these adventures take place is heavily influenced by Slavic mythology. Sapkowski has won five Zajdel Awards, including three for short stories "Mniejsze zło" (Lesser Evil) (1990), "Miecz przeznaczenia" (Sword of Destiny) (1992) and "W leju po bombie" (In a Bomb Crater) (1993), and two for the novels "Krew elfów" (Blood of Elves) (1994) and "Narrenturm" (2002). He also won the Spanish Ignotus Award, best anthology, for The Last Wish in 2003, and for "Muzykanci" (The Musicians), best foreign short story, same year. In 1997, Sapkowski won the prestigious Polityka's Passport award, which is awarded annually to artists who have strong prospects for international success. In 2001, a Television Series based on the Witcher cycle was released in Poland and internationally, entitled Wiedźmin (The Hexer). A film by the same title was compiled from excerpts of the television series but both have been critical and box office failures. Sapkowski's books have been translated into Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, and Portuguese. An English translation of The Last Wish short story collection was published by Gollancz in 2007. The Polish game publisher, CD Projekt, created a role-playing PC game based on this universe, called The Witcher, which was released in October 2007. There is also a mobile version of the game which has been created by Breakpoint Games and is being published by Hands-On Mobile in Western Europe,Latin America and Asia Pacific. The English translation of Sapkowski's novel Blood of Elves won the David Gemmell Legends Award in 2009.