Netflix’sThe Witcherkeeps expanding now with the animated movieSirens of the Deep, and it’s a great reminder to read one of Andrzej Sapkowski’s bestWitchershort stories. Sapkowski’sThe Witchernovels have a solid fanbase, which expanded even more after the stories of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer, and Ciri were adapted to video games. The world ofThe Witcherfurther expanded with its first English language adaptation over at Netflix in 2019, quickly becoming one of the platform’s most popular titles.
Despite controversy during its second season due to the many changes it made to the source material,The Witcheris currently preparing for its fourth season, and it will end with season 5. While season 4 cooks, the world of Netflix’sThe Witcherwill continue to expand. First, it did so with the animated prequel movieNightmare of the Wolf, and it was followed by the prequel miniseriesBlood Origin.The newest extension ofThe Witcheris the animated movieSirens of the Deep, and it’s the perfect reminder to read one of theWitcher’s best short stories.
Sirens Of The Deep Isn’t An Original Witcher Story
The wait forThe Witcherseason 4will be less tedious thanks to the arrival ofSirens of the Deep. Directed by Kang Hei Chul,Sirens of the Deepfollows Geralt (voiced by Doug Cockle), whosets out to unravel an old conflict between humans and sea people. Said conflict threatens war between kingdoms, so Geralt, along with his allies (including Jaskier), will have to solve the mystery and avoid major conflict in the Continent. Within the timeline of the main show,Sirens of the Deepis set between season 1’s episodes 5 and 6.
Doug Cockle has voiced Geralt of Rivia in the English version ofThe Witchervideo games.
Sirens of the Deepisn’t an originalWitcherstory, and it’s actuallybased on the short story “A Little Sacrifice.”Although Netflix’sThe Witcherhas used other short stories as inspiration, this is the first time this universe dedicates more than an episode to a short story. WithSirens of the Deeparriving on Netflix on February 11, it’s the perfect moment to check out or reread “A Little Sacrifice” and get acquainted with the characters.
Why “A Little Sacrifice” Is One Of Andrzej Sapkowski’s Best Witcher Short Stories
“A Little Sacrifice” Has All The Exciting Elements Of A Witcher Story
“A Little Sacrifice” follows Geralt as he meets Duke Agloval, who is about to propose to his lover, who happens to be a mermaid named Sh’eenaz. When the proposal doesn’t go as planned,Agloval gives Geralt a new job when a pearl-diving boat is found floating alone in the ocean, with the crew gone and blood on the deck. Agloval believes it to be the work of a sea monster, but Geralt, with Jaskier’s help, along with Jaskier’s friend Essi Daven, a female minstrel also known as “Little Eye”, makes an important discovery.
Jaskier’s name in the English version ofThe Witchernovels is Dandelion.
“A Little Sacrifice” has all the elements of a good and entertainingWitcherstory: a conflict between humans and fantasy creatures, withGeralt serving as the voice of wisdom and empathy despite being a monster hunter, and a love story, though not without its dose of drama as Geralt is very much in love with Yennefer. It’s to be seen ifSirens of the Deepwill properly bring all these elements to life, as well as the emotional charge and layers of the story, which can be key to its success.
The Witcher Has A Couple Of Short Story Collections
The Witcherbook series is formed by five novels (that, in turn, form theWitcher Saga), three short story collections, and two prequel novels. It all began in 1990 with the publication of the short story collectionThe Witcher(which, at the time of writing, hasn’t been published in English yet), followed by two more collections:Sword of Destinyin 1992 andThe Last Wishin 1993. “A Little Sacrifice” is included inSword of Destiny, along with “The Bounds of Reason”, “A Shard of Ice”, “Eternal Flame”, “Sword of Destiny”, and “Something More.”
How To Read The Witcher Books In Order (Chronological & Release Dates)
The Witcher books can be enjoyed in either chronological or release date order, with each option offering a different reading experience.
In 1994, the first novel in theWitcher Saga,Blood of Elves, was published, and it’s the book that was used as a main inspiration for the first season of Netflix’sThe Witcher.Blood of Elveswas followed byTime of Contempt,Baptism of Fire,The Tower of the Swallow, andThe Lady of the Lake.The latest entry in theWitcherbook series isRozdroże kruków, published in 2024, and a prequel to the main saga. WithThe Witcherending with its fifth season and with two more books to cover, it’s possible these could be covered in other works.
