The Witcher on Netflix is on its third season. It has been renewed for two more seasons. A Witcher is a warrior who fights creatures like dragons, vampires, werewolves, etc. The Witcher is based on a series of novels by Andrzej Sapkowski (check out the list below) beginning with The Last Wish.
A friend of mine recommended I watch The Witcher but I decided to read the first book in the series first. The Last Wish introduces a wanderer who dispatches monsters for a fee. The Witcher has some magic powers, but he doesn’t use them enough.
While The Last Wish was an acceptable fantasy story, the four TV episodes I watched were more entertaining with their mild Game of Thrones vibe.
“The Witcher is a fantasy drama television series created by Lauren Schmidt Hissrich for Netflix. It is based on the book series by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as the Continent, The Witcher explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri. It stars Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan.”
The Witcher will fill up your Summer viewing time with some action and magic. GRADE: B (for both the book and the TV series)
THE WITCHER SERIES:
1. The Last Wish (Short Story Collection)
2. Sword of Destiny (Short Story Collection)
3. Blood of Elves (The Witcher Saga #1)
4. The Time of Contempt (The Witcher Saga #2)
5. Baptism of Fire (The Witcher Saga #3)
6. The Tower of Swallows (The Witcher Saga #4)
7. The Lady of the Lake (The Witcher Saga #5)
8. Season of Storms (Prequel)
Haven’t seen the series. Haven’t read the books, though I probably would have read them in the late ’60s when I sampled every sword-and-sorcery paperback on the spinner racks at College Drug Store and the Arcade Newsstand. The character’s white hair and pale complexion seem awfully close to Michael Moorcock’s description of Elric.
Fred, The Witcher has some Elric aspects. He doesn’t have a soul-eating sword, but he has a couple of swords that kill a lot of monsters. The Witcher is more of a hand-to-hand fighter than Elric ever was. But Elric has a lot more magical powers than The Witcher.
No books, but Jackie is a fan of The Witcher and Henry Cavill. She’s not happy that they replaced him in the new series.
Jeff, I’m just early into the first Season of The Witcher and like Henry Cavill. He’s good with a sword and he’s a good fighter with monsters hanging on him.
Have not weatched the series. Don’t know why.
Have several of the books buried somwwhere on Mt. TBR but have not read them. Don’t know why.
Fred is right. The character reminds me of Elric, and perhaps I do not want to risk spoiling my fond memories of Elric. Your guess is as good as mine.
Jerry, The Witcher doesn’t have Elric’s royal lineage. The Witcher’s past is a bit more mysterious. I wish The Witcher would use his magic powers more. The TV series dips in and out of the book series.
Too much routine fantasy on a/v has tended to put me off…if I eventually get Netflix, I might dive in, though the likes of Tubi seems to be gathering up the series from streaming services and broadcast and cable in a second run sort of way, and I might just wait. Similarly to how people tout ANDOR as the Best STAR WARS item since the first film–when I didn’t like the first film all that much, though STRIKES BACK was an improvement on it, and I gave up at that point till Alice and I, at her urging, saw the first two films of the second trilogy, as she was a solid fan up till then, and those dissuaded her.
Patton Oswalt, like Alice swept up by at least the first three SW films: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDCjIjsZp_Y
Todd, I was lukewarm on ANDOR. And, I’m lukewarm on THE WITCHER. Both are mildly entertaining, but NOT Must-See-TV.
Unruly Heather Marulli
@FixedAirHeather
20h
Replying to
@SJFree2
It was okay. I was just astonished by the amount of CGI and thought some of it looked bad. I liked Krypto the dog!!
Todd, I had no problem with Krypto the Superdog. But some of our audience booed him.