The Witcher on your ears: Witcher Geralt is also available in audio book format. Since the Netflix series was released, the Witcher universe around Geralt von Rivia has received new material every year. Fans of the games and Netflix film adaptation will have to wait until The Witcher 4 and Season 3 are released. If you want to delve deeper by then but don't feel like reading, you should take a look at the The Witcher audio book series.
Anyone who knows at least one of the adaptations of The Witcher knows what he has in the Witcher universe. The story penned by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski offers a mixture of everything: action, intuition, mythological creatures, friendship, romance and a portion of family feelings between Geralt and Ciri.
That's what makes The Witcher so special
One thing in particular characterizes The Witcher: The Slavic mythology runs through the series. It is true that the witcher saga also contains creatures that appear in other fantasy epics and in each well-sorted one Encyclopedia of mythical creatures can be found, but there are always Eastern European bonds in particular. Otherwise, the show is based on medieval Poland. This unusual setting makes The Witcher stand out between more Central European works.
Thirty Years of The Witcher
Sapkowski published the first stories about Geralt in the early 90s. Initially only a hit in its country of origin, Poland, the witcher saga achieved international success over the next three decades. The adaptations of the material are partly responsible, starting with the implementation as a video game in 2007. The games, their expansions and spin-offs are divided over fifty million copies sold. There are also tabletop games, card games, comics and films.
Among the latter, the Netflix series caused quite a stir. The third season has been filmed since April 2022. A release date has not yet been set, but it is expected to be somewhere between early and mid-2023. Before that, the Blood Origin series, a The Witcher prequel, will be released at the end of 2022. Following the animated film Nightmare of the Wolf, which is dedicated to Vesemir's background, Netflix is expanding its take on the Witcher saga.
If you want to get to know the universe with all its facets, you can't avoid the novels by Andrzej Sapkowski.
The Witcher audiobook
The audio book series was released in 2014 Audible and is voiced by Oliver Siebeck, who fans know as Game-Geralt's voice actor. In contrast to the novel, you can follow the story with the audio books anywhere, whether in the shower, on the way to work, during the lunch break or while doing housework. With a length of about twelve hours per novel and five per short story volume, this is practical.
If you choose the audio book, you should pay attention to the order. The audio books are unabridged versions of the novels and short stories and follow their chronology: Before the main series, the volumes The Last Wish, Storm and The Sword of Providence should be listened to. The main series in turn consists of the volumes The Legacy of the Elves, The Age of Contempt, Baptism of Fire, The Swallow Tower and The Lady of the Lake.
Fans should be prepared for these differences
If you're a series fan who picks up the audio book, you should be prepared for differences, because the Netflix series combines content from the novels and short story volumes, but also takes liberties.
Even when it comes to perspective, series creator Hissrich takes a different path than author Andrzej Sapkowski: the prequels of the novel series begin with Geralt and only split into several perspectives in the main series. The Netflix adaptation, on the other hand, goes all out with three storylines.
The series also takes the right to expand on events that are only hinted at in the book. These include the Battle of Sodden Hill and Yennefer's backstory, including the ritual that turns her into a sorceress. Some events in the series, such as the transformation of the schoolgirls, are freely added, while others, such as Ciris and Geralt's first encounter, are left out. There are also differences in the timing: Ciri and Geralt meet late in the series, but Triss Merigold appears earlier in the series and Ciri's powers also develop faster.
Another big difference is in the characters. The Netflix adaptation relies on more diversity than the original novel. Character traits and backgrounds also change. Fringilla, for example, comes from Nilfgaard in the novel, but is only sent there as a consultant in the series. Minor characters like Eyck von Denesle appear in the series as the opposite of their novel characters. Even Geralt as the main character does not escape the changes: Whoever starts the audio book will find that he gets a chance to speak more often in it.
Geralt as an audio book: is it worth it?
The Witcher has earned its cult status among fans. The Netflix adaptation takes a lot of liberties and deviates from the template. If you want to delve deeper into the world of Geralt von Rivia, you should go for the original. The audio book reproduces this in its entirety and is therefore perfect for anyone who, despite the hectic everyday life, does not stop even more from The Witcher want to do without.
