The writer of the Witcher books answered fan questions on the hit adaptations
The Witcher season 4 official Netflix trailer
The author behind the books which are the basis of Netflix series The Witcher has shared what he really thinks of the adaptation.
The fourth season is set to be released on the streaming platform, with eight new episodes available to binge from October 30. According to the synopsis, after the Continent-altering events of season three, Geralt, Yennefer, and Ciri find themselves separated by a raging war and countless enemies.
As their paths diverge, and their goals sharpen, they stumble on unexpected allies eager to join their journeys. And if they can accept these found families, they just might have a chance at reuniting for good. The series is based on the works of Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
Sapkowski’s Witcher books include two collections of short stories, five novels making up the main Witcher saga and two standalone novels. Season four is believed to be largely based on the publications Baptism of Fire and The Tower of Swallows.
The writer took part in a special AMA session on Reddit where fans were invited to ask him any question they liked. It took place in celebration of the latest English translation release of Crossroads of Ravens. The new book is a standalone novel that serves as a prequel for Geralt’s story.
Many fans have been welcomed to the world of the Witcher thanks to its adaptations. These include the live-action series on Netflix as well as the video game series developed by CD Projekt Red.
The third game, subtitled Wild Hunt, in particular was a runaway critical and commercial success. Its story served as a follow-up to the saga told in the original books.
It wasn’t long before one fan asked about Sapkowski’s current views on the adaptations. The writer previously admitted he allowed his work to be translated into a game because of the money offered to him.
Netflix have also released an original prequel series as well as an animated feature film Sirens of the Deep, which was based on one of Sapkowski’s short stories.
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Now, he has expressed his blunt view on all these adaptations. He explained: “I’ll put it this way: there’s the original and then there are adaptations. Regardless of the quality of these adaptations, there are no dependencies or points of convergence between the literary original and its adaptation.
“The original stands alone, and every adaptation stands alone; you can’t translate words into images without losing something, and there can’t be any connections here.”
He continued: “Moreover, adaptations are mostly visualisations, which means transforming written words into images, and there is no need to prove the superiority of the written word over images, it is obvious. The written word always and decidedly triumphs over images, and no picture – animated or otherwise – can match the power of the written word.”
The Witcher is streaming on Netflix.