As many fans know, The Witcher isn't just a series of hit video games. Those games are actually sequels to a series of short stories and novels that were written decades ago by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. And it's those original books on which the Netflix show The Witcher is based.

Specifically, the show is mainly based on the books that are considered number one and two in the series: The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, respectively. However, these books are actually collections of loosely related short stories that, together, serve to introduce readers to the world and characters of the Witcher, while gradually bringing the main players together and setting up the story that would be told in the later novels.

That's largely the same purpose served by the first season of Netflix's version, which, despite its complex multiple timelines structure, many fans seem to be enjoying. With Season 2 already announced, now is the perfect time to experience the original stories. If you simply want to know what order to read the books in--something that can be slightly confusing, thanks to the fact that the second short stories collection hadn't actually been translated into English until recently--here's the ideal reading order:

The Last Wish (short stories 1)

Sword of Destiny (short stories 2)

Blood of Elves (novel 1)

Time of Contempt (novel 2)

Baptism of Fire (novel 3)

The Tower of the Swallow (novel 4)

The Lady of the Lake (novel 5)

Season of Storms (novel 6)

However, we wanted to dig a little bit deeper. For those who watched the Netflix show and enjoyed it, we thought it might be fun to break down exactly which original stories and books each episode draws from. Keep scrolling down for the breakdown, and let us know what you thought of Netflix's Witcher in the comments below.