Translated by David French.
SWORD OF DESTINY is a collection of linked short stories which fills in some of the gaps in the Witcher's legend.
Geralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. He roams the country seeking assignments, but gradually comes to realise that while some of his quarry are unremittingly vile, vicious grotesques, others are the victims of sin, evil or simple naivety.
In this collection of short stories, following the adventures of the hit collection THE LAST WISH, join Geralt as he battles monsters, demons and prejudices alike...
The series
In a land soaked with blood, riddled with ancient grudges and riddles sharper than swords, one man walks the line between myth and nightmare. Geralt of Rivia isn’t your typical hero—he’s a witcher, a monster hunter trained from childhood and mutated by alchemy to fight the creatures that haunt the dark. But in a world where humans are often crueler than beasts, what counts as a monster is rarely clear.
Read full series description
The Witcher series is not a tale of simple quests or shining champions. It’s a slow-burn descent into a morally tangled landscape, where war, prejudice, and destiny twist through every kingdom and forest path. From the war-torn edges of the Continent to the eerie calm of cursed castles, these books build a rich, brooding world steeped in Slavic folklore, political intrigue, and philosophical bite.
At its heart is Geralt—stoic, weary, and deeply human beneath the scars. But he’s not alone. A runaway princess with chaos in her blood, a sharp-tongued bard with too much heart, mages, elves, rebels—all collide in a storm of alliances and betrayals. Loyalties shift like smoke, and destiny doesn’t care if you believe in it.
With razor-edged dialogue, dark humor, and moments of haunting beauty, the series balances brutal action with quiet introspection. It's no wonder it sparked a global phenomenon, inspiring award-winning video games and a hit TV adaptation—yet nothing captures the grit and soul of the world like the original novels.
For readers drawn to fantasy that dares to question heroism, that revels in shadow as much as light, these stories leave a mark. Not with flashy spells or predictable endings—but with the weight of choice, and the lingering question: what do we become when we fight monsters too long?
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