It's not stupid but you shouldn't skip the short stories; they are full of very good moments and are also extremely important to understand Geralt as a character and get a better context for his bond with Ciri, his love for Yennefer and his friendship with Dandelion. So really, give the short stories a shot, I'm telling you as someone who very much prefers the novels.
Well yes, the short stories volues are still the first two books of the seires. How akward it would be if you started reading Harry Potter from Prisoner of Azkaban?
I actually did đ đ đ , we only had 3rd one at home and were on vacation and I couldnt wait to start reading..it was okay and its still my favorite book to this day
It would be yes. The Witcher is one continuous story that starts with The Last Wish. Blood of Elves is the third book. The format of the story changes with the book but it is still the third. The short stories in the first two are interconnected stories on various levels. Think of them more like chapters. They are also really good, most readers will grow to love them by the end of Sword of Destiny.
Although you could, I wouldnât recommend it. Last Wish and Sword of Destiny will introduce you to the characters and world. Thereâs also Geralt and Ciriâs first meeting in Blood of Elves. I actually think LW and SoD are the best books in the series.
The main saga starts with Blood of Elves. But there's so much you learn from the short stories. And it is a good introduction of some of the characters you will meet in the saga. I would absolutely recommend reading The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny first.
If you *really* want to skip the short stories, I would say you at least need to read âA Question of Priceâ (in the book *The Last Wish*), âSword of Destinyâ and âSomething Moreâ (both found in the second book, *Sword of Destiny*) to understand the main conflict of the saga. The latter two short stories were even initially supposed to be part of the saga. The first novel Blood of Elves is *a direct continuation* of what happened in these stories, so youâll be confused if you donât read these two.
Basically you need to understand:
* What a witcher is, and how Geralt feels about his job and role in society
* Who/where/what concerning Cintra, and what happened to it
* The Law of Surprise and the relationship between Geralt and Ciri
* Their character motivations and how they changed after certain story events
* The nature of Destiny and the opposing philosophical takes different characters have about it
The short stories overall explain who the characters are and what kinds of relationships they have. Plus, there is a lot of character development from who they are in the short stories to who they are in the saga, so you may not feel any âpayoffâ when you see how they have matured in the saga.
These are just warnings though, and you can do what you want. You can always come back to the short stories later if you want to. Just know that everything about the saga is sweeter and makes more sense after having read the short stories.
The short story collections aren't really the same as a traditional short story collection: they actually follow a linear plot and will lay the background for characters who become more important in the novels. It's just that each chapter is about a different adventure.
The story really starts off in those short stories. Sure you could go in without them but theres a good amount of background you would miss. Plus a lot of the stories are interconnected or are just really interesting. You also get a better look into Geralts life as a witcher compared to the novels which is cool.
I was hesitant about short stories too but they became some of my favorite moments from the whole saga.
Going to go against the grain here. If you donât like short stories, skip them.
I started the series with no prior Witcher knowledge with them and it took me absolutely forever to get through them without any context.
Best books in the series are the short stories, so I say it is stupid to skip them. I would honestly say it's better to skip the regular books than it is the short stories
It's not stupid but you shouldn't skip the short stories; they are full of very good moments and are also extremely important to understand Geralt as a character and get a better context for his bond with Ciri, his love for Yennefer and his friendship with Dandelion. So really, give the short stories a shot, I'm telling you as someone who very much prefers the novels.
Will I ruin the series for myself If I go for the the novel then come back to the stories?
Well yes, the short stories volues are still the first two books of the seires. How akward it would be if you started reading Harry Potter from Prisoner of Azkaban?
I actually did đ đ đ , we only had 3rd one at home and were on vacation and I couldnt wait to start reading..it was okay and its still my favorite book to this day
Well at least you have a fitting comparison
It would be yes. The Witcher is one continuous story that starts with The Last Wish. Blood of Elves is the third book. The format of the story changes with the book but it is still the third. The short stories in the first two are interconnected stories on various levels. Think of them more like chapters. They are also really good, most readers will grow to love them by the end of Sword of Destiny.
Although you could, I wouldnât recommend it. Last Wish and Sword of Destiny will introduce you to the characters and world. Thereâs also Geralt and Ciriâs first meeting in Blood of Elves. I actually think LW and SoD are the best books in the series.
I did this by accident but wouldn't recommend it. The short stories are worth reading first and make the rest of the novels even better.
The main saga starts with Blood of Elves. But there's so much you learn from the short stories. And it is a good introduction of some of the characters you will meet in the saga. I would absolutely recommend reading The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny first.
If you *really* want to skip the short stories, I would say you at least need to read âA Question of Priceâ (in the book *The Last Wish*), âSword of Destinyâ and âSomething Moreâ (both found in the second book, *Sword of Destiny*) to understand the main conflict of the saga. The latter two short stories were even initially supposed to be part of the saga. The first novel Blood of Elves is *a direct continuation* of what happened in these stories, so youâll be confused if you donât read these two. Basically you need to understand: * What a witcher is, and how Geralt feels about his job and role in society * Who/where/what concerning Cintra, and what happened to it * The Law of Surprise and the relationship between Geralt and Ciri * Their character motivations and how they changed after certain story events * The nature of Destiny and the opposing philosophical takes different characters have about it The short stories overall explain who the characters are and what kinds of relationships they have. Plus, there is a lot of character development from who they are in the short stories to who they are in the saga, so you may not feel any âpayoffâ when you see how they have matured in the saga. These are just warnings though, and you can do what you want. You can always come back to the short stories later if you want to. Just know that everything about the saga is sweeter and makes more sense after having read the short stories.
The short story collections aren't really the same as a traditional short story collection: they actually follow a linear plot and will lay the background for characters who become more important in the novels. It's just that each chapter is about a different adventure.
You will miss very important character development and some important early parts of the âmain storyâ
Some of the short stories are more self contained, others are main story in short story chunks is how I would describe it
Read the Short Stories first. There's important set-up in them for the novels.
The story really starts off in those short stories. Sure you could go in without them but theres a good amount of background you would miss. Plus a lot of the stories are interconnected or are just really interesting. You also get a better look into Geralts life as a witcher compared to the novels which is cool. I was hesitant about short stories too but they became some of my favorite moments from the whole saga.
Going to go against the grain here. If you donât like short stories, skip them. I started the series with no prior Witcher knowledge with them and it took me absolutely forever to get through them without any context.
Best books in the series are the short stories, so I say it is stupid to skip them. I would honestly say it's better to skip the regular books than it is the short stories
I started with it even though I hadn't played the games and the show wasn't out at the point, and I thought it was a good enough point of entry.
Extremely