The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski has given fans a release window for the highly anticipated next book in the series, alongside a possible tease of its story.
As reported by IGN Poland, Sapkowski said during Comic Con Vienna that the next book, which currently lacks a title, will arrive worldwide in early 2025 following a debut in its native Poland in late 2024.
Known for his dry and sarcastic humour, Sapkowski also shared a brief tease as to what the story might involve. "[Netflix] made a series based on one short story. They forced me to continue," he said. "I'm not complaining. Thanks to this, I now have enough money for the rent."
Sapkowski saying Netflix is making a series based on one short story isn't quite accurate, but the streaming service did just announce the animated film Sirens of the Deep earlier in November 2023, which is based on a single short story. Season 1 of the Netflix show is also based on a collection of The Witcher short stories written by Sapkowski, while Season 2's opening episode is based on the A Grain of Truth short story.
While it's far from confirmed, the likeliest candidate is Sirens of the Deep, which already looks to include content not from the short story it's based on, A Little Sacrifice. It's therefore possible Sapkowski is writing a follow-up or extension of that story, which features Geralt of Rivia, his best friend Dandelion, and a rival bard called Essi Daven.
Heartbroken from his first break-up with Yennefer, Geralt travels The Continent with Dandelion before the pair come across Essi. The three then mediate a lover's quarrel between a prince and a mermaid that looks to grow a lot more intense in the Netflix adaptation.
Essi has long been a fan favourite character, so an extension of her story would likely be welcome to fans of The Witcher. It also matches expectations the next book will tell a side story that doesn't directly affect the main Witcher saga, that's told throughout five books and is adapted as of Season 2 of the Netflix show. This was the case with the previous Witcher book, Season of Storms, which released in 2013 and told a self-contained story of Geralt years before the main saga.
Not only does Geralt's story come to a fairly definitive end in the main saga, but a (technically unofficial) progression has already taken place through the CD Projekt game series, which takes place in the few years following the books.
While these are the only truly canonical entries in The Witcher franchise, the universe has now evolved far beyond the original book series. The game trilogy (and several incoming sequels and spin-offs) are joined by the Netflix show, a comic book series, a tabletop RPG, manga, and even a cookbook.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.
