The Witcher has had a lasting impression on fantasy across many media forms, first in Andrzej Sapkowski’s novels and, more recently, its many adaptations. Such adaptations have resulted in “extensive, self-contained fictional spaces” (Jański, 2018, p.119) which allows for a variety of characters, environments, and societies to be depicted from the perspective of the outsider. It is through this unique interpretation, and how the audience interacts with it, that The Witcher distinguishes itself. This companion thereby seeks to analyse the many facets of The Witcher as a transmedial property and how it has distinguished itself.

The Witcher series has previously utilised “an intertextual link to the literary texts of H. P. Lovecraft”, as well as “the ‘vodyanoy’ of Slavic folklore” (Cowen, 2023, p.124), with strong thematic and literary references to Arthurian canon, and has itself been deemed “one of the few examples of global messages of mass culture being based on Polish creativity” (Gawroński & Bajorek, 2020, p.102). As such, lines of inquiry may include, but are not limited to:

  • The Witcher and its adaptation from page to screen
  • The Adaptation of The Witcher into any of its media forms
  • Transmedia and The Witcher’s storyworld
  • Characterisation across multiple mediums
  • The Witcher in other Intellectual Properties
  • Monsters Within The Witcher
  • Magic and rituals in The Witcher
  • Alchemy, Potions, and Elixirs within The Witcher
  • Myth, Folklore, and Legends utilised within The Witcher
  • Eco-horror of The Continent in The Witcher
  • The Witcher and Music
  • Fanfiction and the Canon of The Witcher
  • Beyond Digital Interpretations of The Witcher (including TTRPGs and Board Games)
  • Cultural influence on The Witcher
  • The Witcher as a cultural product
  • Celebrities and The Witcher
  • Race and Gender in The Witcher
  • Religion and Society in The Witcher
  • Wealth, Royalty, and Hierarchy in The Witcher
  • Climate Change and The Witcher
  • Heritage and History in The Witcher

The book will be submitted to Peter Lang’s Genre Fiction and Film Companions series (https://www.peterlang.com/series/gffc).

Chapters can be between 2,750 and 4,500 words (inclusive of notes, but not bibliography).

Those interested in contributing should submit a 300 word abstract and 100 word biography to Andre Cowen (Andre.Cowen@hotmail.com) by 28th June 2024. Authors will be informed by 29th July 2024 of the selection. Any inquiries should be directed to the above email address.