Which book is The Witcher season 3 based on?

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of The Witcher has weathered many ups and downs since its season 1 premiere in 2019, but here we are years later, and The Witcher season 3 is out and now being praised as one of the most book-accurate seasons to date.

While many fans enjoyed season 1 overall, season 2 received mixed reviews from book fans due to some significant departures from the novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.

Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and the writers seem to have taken that criticism to heart, as The Witcher season 3 adheres to the text quite closely with minimal changes. Even some of the minor scenes in the books have been adapted, and direct quotes have been pulled from Sapkowski’s works.

Whether you’re a new Witcher fan or a longtime fan of the dark fantasy universe, you might be curious about the books The Witcher season 3 is pulling from.

Which book is The Witcher season 3 based on?

The bulk of The Witcher season 3 is based on Time of Contempt, the second book in The Witcher series, following Blood of Elves. There are also some elements from  Blood of Elves mixed into this season that didn’t get adapted in season 2.

Events from Time of Contempt were put into motion in The Witcher season 2, but season 3 is really a faithful adaptation of the novel.

Mild spoilers ahead for The Witcher season 3

So far, only part 1 of the third season has been released, focused on setting up the Thanedd coup, which we should see happen in the second part of the season. The first part also revealed a major antagonist from the books, and early photos from part 2 indicate that we will see Geralt and Jaskier in Brokilon Forest and probably Ciri in the Korath desert.

The third season has also introduced important characters like the “fake” Ciri and several more sorceresses who eventually become part of the Lodge of Sorceresses after the coup.

We don’t yet know if the Lodge is going to be formed in season 3, but the show seems to be hinting heavily at it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where it is headed even though the Lodge doesn’t officially form until the next book, Baptism of Fire.

Speaking of Baptism of Fire, some elements of that book will also appear in season 3, such as the introduction of the character Milva, who we will see in The Witcher season 3 part 2.

The Witcher season 3 part 1 is streaming now on Netflix. Part 2 will be released on July 27.