The Witcher

With many fans ready to write Netflix’sThe Witcheroff before the next season even airs because ofWitcher ’s battle with pacing and plot , and many other phantasy shows struggle to find their footing for standardised reasons , it ’s clock time to wonder what series the major streaming platform will snap up in hopes of find oneself the next smash version . One particularly ideal candidate is a serial publication of Australian fantasy novel that will reverse 30 years old in 2025 : Sabriel .

Fantasy is having a bit of a import right now , in ways both positive and disconfirming , largely thanks to Netflix . Netflix was the first pennant all - in on accommodate phantasy Word of God series , such asShadow & Bone , Cursed , Sandman , and others . However , Netflix has also been quick to give the ax to these same series , canceling shows even as beloved and successful asShadow & Bone . Still , it seems Netflix is still high up on fantasy , with the newly - acquiredQuicksilveradaptation a promising alternate forThe Witcher . Even so , there ’s an even better fantasy adaptation for Netflix to turn to ifThe Witcherfizzles out .

Garth Nix’s Old Kingdom Series Has Everything The Witcher Does, And More

Magic, Swords, Monsters, World-Ending Stakes, And A Wise-Cracking Sidekick

Garth Nix’sThe Old Kingdomseries , eff asAbhorsenin North America , is a standout deterrent example of the genre , packed to the brim with all the ingredient for a smash streaming series . The Old Kingdomseries starts with a trilogy of Scripture – Sabriel , Lirael , andAbhorsen – that observe the eponymous Sabriel and her kinsperson as she aim up the weighty blanket of her forebears and becomes the Abhorsen , the Kingdom ’s sole protector against the predations of the horrifying , ungratified Dead and other twisted Free Magic constructs . Using the black artistic production of black magic , Sabriel must place upright against the Dead as they seek to destroy the Kingdom once and for all .

These books have quite a few similarities toThe Witcher , but clearly are n’t derivative . Sabriel fills the role of a protagonist that uses magic and swords to combat horrible eldritch foes ; she develops romantic tension with Touchstone , an even terser fencer than Geralt with a mysterious past . And round out the initial protagonists is the wise - cracking third wheel , except instead ofThe Witcher ’s real - life troubadour Joey Batey , he ’s a talking cat constitute Mogget with his own share of mystical secrets .

The Titular Old Kingdom Is Only Half Of The World Of The Books

Beyond The Wall, There’s An Even Stranger Place With No Magic At All

The Old Kingdom , where thaumaturgy and monsters burst , is only a part of this creation ; the Kingdom ends at the Wall , a giant stone roadblock reminiscent of Hadrian ’s Wall in England , past which magic fails . On the other side of the Wall is Ancelstierre , a country reminiscent of early-1900s England , mightily down to give private schools and a cultural fixation with tea . Sabriel herself is originally from the Old Kingdom , but was parent in Ancelstierre , and when she ’s forced to take up her legacy as Abhorsen , she detect her didactics completely failed to prepare her for what is to follow .

The Witcher ’s upcoming film version looks promising , and it could unwrap a harsh truth about Netflix ’s phantasy enfranchisement after the show .

The serial plays well with the juxtaposition between Ancelstierran technology and Old Kingdom conjuring trick ; with Sabriel only give birth a perfunctory noesis of her homeland , she makes an excellent viewpoint character as she struggles to keep up with everything she learns on the fly . And , of row , her retainer , the wizardly Mogget , is only ever as helpful as one would expect a cat to be .

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Netflix Would Be Wise To Bring The Magic Of The Old Kingdom To The Screen

Audiences Clearly Want More Girls With Swords In Their Coming-Of-Age Stories

With magic that literally dwell in pass symbols , enchanted campana that charm or even destroy the undead , and a whole parallel world of Death for the champion to explore , The Old Kingdomhas a alone and bright overture to fancy that would be take to fans ofThe WitcherorGame of Thrones . More importantly , the placing of Sabriel as a protagonist would come across similarly to other female - led fantasy motion-picture show likeNetflix ’s hitDamselor Hulu’sThe Princess .

The placing of Sabriel as a friend would come across likewise to other female person - contribute fantasy cinema likeNetflix ’s hitDamselor Hulu’sThe Princess .

Sabrieland its sequels are ripe for adaptation from any web looking to try gambling on a Modern serial publication in today ’s streaming ecosystem ; author Garth Nix seemingly romance several film deals in the mid-2000s , but no word has surfaced of any other attempt in some time . In the meantime , the series expanded past the original trilogy with the prequelsClarielandTerciel & Elinor , the sequelGoldenhands , and several pieces of short fiction , all of which are ripe for adapting , if only someone would take the chance . If Netflix is smart , they ’d photograph it up as a replacement forThe Witcher , but honour the source stuff best this metre .

Henry Cavill as Geralt staring into the distance in The Witcher season 2

Based on the novel by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and the video games ,   The Witcher follows the story of   Geralt of Rivia , a monster hunting watch who struggles to find his piazza in a world where people often turn up more wicked than beasts . " Ciri " Cirilla is the Princess of Cintra , who has magical abilities and whose fate has been associate to Geralt ’s . Yennefer of Vengerberg , a sorceress who trains to become a mage before desolate her responsibility and give out solo , is also a main character in the Netflix series . The show ’s storylines are intertwined but told throughout different timeline , all of which eventually get up to Ciri ’s , whose timeline of events is the most late .   Set on the Continent where human beings , ogre , and elves survive together , the characters all have separate journeys , though their circumstances fetch them into each others ' orbits .

A collage of three different covers of Garth Nix’s Sabriel

Based on the novels by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and the video games, The Witcher follows the story of Geralt of Rivia, a monster hunter who struggles to find his place in a world where people often prove more wicked than beasts. “Ciri” Cirilla is the Princess of Cintra, who has magical abilities and whose fate has been linked to Geralt’s. Yennefer of Vengerberg, a sorceress who trains to become a mage before deserting her duties and going solo, is also a main character in the Netflix series. The show’s storylines are intertwined but told throughout different timelines, all of which eventually catch up to Ciri’s, whose timeline of events is the most recent. Set on the Continent where men, monsters, and elves exist together, the characters all have separate journeys, though their destinies bring them into each others' orbits.

A collage of covers of Garth Nix’s books Lirael and Abhorsen

Geralt and Ciri from The Witcher show

The Witcher