Top 16 Books Like The Witcher Updated 04 /2024

The Witcher series may be a good fit for you.

You've come to the right place if you're in need of a mutant/monster hunter known as "a witcher." Sorcerers, kings, elves, and dwarves all despise and adore Geralt, a skilled fighter trained to take down the various monsters that occasionally terrorize human lands.

Not all monsters, on the other hand, are evil. Geralt must deal with bigotry, racism, and other forms of hate from the human race as a whole.

The award-winning video games and Netflix TV adaptations of this dark and often humorous fantasy series are perhaps best known to Western audiences. While A Game of Thrones (1996) and The Name of the Wind (1997) were released in 1996 and 1997, respectively, The Last Wish was published in 1993. (2007).

It's possible that some of the following books will interest you if you've already been on Geralt's journey.

Books like The Witcher Series

The Monster of Elendhaven, by Jennifer Giesbrecht

The Witcher series, for example, takes great pleasure in turning readers' expectations on their head. We fear the unknown, which is why monsters are called'monsters.' An unnamed creature is stalking the coastal city of Elendhaven in The Monster of Elendhaven.

The monster, sent on errands by his sickly master, goes by the name of Johann and stalks his victims while he is evil and vicious. One of Johann's intended victims, however, turns out to be an equally terrifying monster.

You won't be able to put it down until the final page has been read, which is why this book is so addictive. The story really comes to life when Johann and Florian are interacting, but the world and the various characters that inhabit it are also fantastic.

This is a must-read for fans of the Witcher series.

Smiler’s Fair (Hollow Gods 1), by Rebecca Levine

Some books, such as the Witcher series, give the impression that a bard is singing you the story. In addition, there is Smiler's Fair.

Five characters each have their own personal demons to battle. When you follow so many people, it's easy to get drained, but you'll be thinking about them long after you've finished the book.

To help ground the characters in this rich fantasy world and provide access to their intertwined stories, the "Smiler's Fair" travels in medieval style. In my opinion, this is one of the best books out there, and I'm sad that it doesn't get the attention it deserves.

Regardless, this well-told grimdark fantasy is one I'd heartily recommend.

The Unbroken (Magic of the Lost 1), by C.L. Clark

Unlike the eponymous mutant monster hunter, some books like The Witcher series bear little resemblance to them. However, many of the themes Clark discusses in The Unbroken can be found in The Witcher series.

Similarly to Geralt's childhood, Touraine was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Like Geralt, she was brought up to be a killer. So too does Touraine begin to doubt herself when tasked with suppressing an uprising in her own country, as she did with Geralt.

Readers of The Witcher will be able to identify with Touraine and Luca's world, despite the blood-drenched history of white colonialism in Africa. Both stories are full of racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of prejudice.

They dance around each other, unable to separate themselves from each other, both desperate to avoid being distracted from their goals but unable to do so.

Many of the characters in The Unbroken are members of the queer, gay, or bisexual community. The story is infused with Clark's personal experiences and knowledge of history, making it both horrifying and beautiful at the same time.

Readers of The Unbroken would do well to reexamine their beliefs about fantasy by studying real-world history and the atrocities it has inflicted on people even today. It's also a fantastic book!

Fledgling, by Octavia E. Butler

The Witcher isn't the only game to play around with monster tropes. Octavia Butler is a great example of this.

'Fledgling' is about a 53-year-old amnesiac named Shori, who discovers that she is in fact a vampire because of her strange abilities and needs.

In contrast to Twilight, this story focuses on the themes of abuse and horror as Shori discovers the truth about her past and her mental age. When it comes to their relationships with humans, vampires here are vastly different from their counterparts elsewhere.

The 'Ina' do not hunt their prey viciously; instead, they have a symbiotic relationship with humans, sharing their blood in exchange for the benefits of Ina saliva, including a longer lifespan. It's possible that reading Shori's story will make you uncomfortable, but I urge you to stick with it.

The Court of Broken Knives (Empires of Dust 1), by Anna Smith Spark

In recent years, Anna Smith Spark has been dubbed the "Queen of Grimdark," and you can see why after reading The Court of Broken Knives.

Some of the details in books like The Witcher series can leave your mind filling in some very nasty blanks that haunt your dreams. Bad things happen to innocent people in this place and Spark brings it to the forefront of your mind through his unique style of writing.

We follow a group of decent, ordinary soldiers who have been sent on a mission to cross the desert, reach the city of Sorlost, and kill the emperor. As he marches with the soldiers, Marith is a strange boy, haunted by memories of a distant past that he can't shake.

But, as we all know, you can't escape the hand of history. The Court of Broken Knives has a lot to recommend it if you like Sapkowski's plodding but unhurried style of writing.

The Gunslinger (Dark Tower 1), by Stephen King

Known for his horror and imagination, The Gunslinger is the first book in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, The Gunslinger. Roland of Gilead is the ultimate loner in books like The Witcher series, which often feature a lone protagonist.

It all begins here, but Roland's journey takes him to parallel worlds (including some that are nearly identical in appearance to our own) as he pursues The Man in Black and the Dark Tower that haunts his dreams.

When it comes to his personality, Roland is very much like Geralt: rough, aloof and prone to speaking in one-word sentences. Jake, Odetta/Susannah, and Eddie help to bring color to Roland's gruff exterior and make this series worth reading along the way.

Despite the fact that The Gunslinger isn't the best entry, it does provide an intriguing beginning to the story. Because of its sometimes dreamlike and gentle pace, The Last Wish may be right up your alley.

David Mogo, Godhunter, by Suyi Davies Okungbowa

Like the Witcher series, there are some books that make you smile from ear to ear as you read them: A good example of this is David Mogo, aka Godhunter. David's story is reminiscent of American Gods, The Witcher, Rivers of London, and so many other dark urban fantasy novels.

David Mogo, a demigod who works as a freelance Godhunter in a modern-day Lagos filled with thousands of gods, trudges around the city's underbelly in search of clients.

When David captures a high god for an Eko wizard, the wizard summons a legion of Taboos (feral godling hybrids) to take control of the city, and things quickly spiral out of control from there.

After realizing he needs help, David enlists the aid of his foster wizard as well as the speech-impaired twin sister of the high god she kidnapped. The usual western (white) urban fantasy fare is a welcome change of pace with David Mogo, Godhunter.

This is a well-researched look at the brutality of the Nigerian police, as well as an entertaining cast of characters and a realistic depiction of a well-known city. Now is the time to read it.

Trail of Lightning (The Sixth World 1), by Rebecca Roanhorse

Monsters? Check. Are you a monster hunter? Check. Is this a post-apocalyptic society? What's going on? The Witcher series isn't the only example of a series that follows the same rules.

Rising sea levels have engulfed much of the world, but the Dinétah Navajo reservation has been reborn. The gods and heroes of legend have returned to the land, but so have the demons and ghouls of yore.

Like Geralt of Rivia, Maggie Hoskie has a wicked sense of humor. If possible, she prefers to be left alone, as she is a supernaturally talented killer. Maggie is their only hope in the search for a missing girl in a small town that desperately needs her help.

For those who enjoy urban fantasy and post-apocalyptic novels, Trail of Lightning, the first adventure in The Sixth World series, is a must-read.

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