The Witcher 3: 7 Book Stories All Wild Hunt Fans Should Read

What It’s About: Geralt is on his way to deliver a message to Eithne, queen of the drayds, only to find a group of men murdered by the dryads.

They're not the best at hosting. They appear to guide Geralt to their queen. They find a young girl and learn it is the ten year old Princess Cirilla of Cintra, otherwise known as Ciri. The two grow closer as they reach the queen.

Eithne is initially unwilling to let a witcher take the girl, but permits it when Ciri herself says she chooses Geralt as her fate. They are found by Mousesack, and Geralt leaves Ciri in his care again, much to the princess's chagrin.

Why You Should Read It: This is where Ciri comes in, and this is when the novels pick up all the steam and begin to play their hand.

Ciri is at this point an orphan with her known only hope of a parental figure is in the form of stories from her nurse of Geralt coming for her. This is their first meeting and a grand demonstration of how the two gravitate together and form an everlasting bond.

Geralt may not be the emotionless monster folk tales make him and his kind out to be, but his moments of true emotionality are sporadic enough that when they come out in earnest here that you know, even without the power of future-sight, that this girl is important to him.