Full disclaimer: I have read all eight books and have played The Witcher 3 and its DLCs.

Season 1 of Netflix's The Witcher is a strong start for a series that is hoping to span seven seasons. The main plot revolves around the three main protagonists: Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill), Yennefer of Vengerberg (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allan).

Each episode contains multiple plotlines and timelines that are often discontinuous of each other and previous and subsequent episodes. Typically, one short story from either The Last Wish or Sword of Destiny collections is adapted into the episode, while an overarching plot from the previous episode concerning one of the central characters is interspersed between moments in this story. This works somewhat well... if you've had experience with the Witcher universe before. I watched the show with two friends, one of which who had read the short story collections and played the third game, the other of which who had no experience at all. The friend with no experience was having a lot of trouble keeping up with what was happening, and at times even I was a bit lost. In particular, the first episode kind of throws you in without a lot of explanation, which does create a necessary chaotic feeling, but can also disinterest new viewers. In general, I feel that these multiple timelines would be more successful if it was made more clear that this was occurring.

As a book reader, I was keen to notice differences between the source material and the show, and there are quite a few, although thankfully these changes seem to be purposeful. From what I noted, there were significant changes in episodes 1, 4, 5, and 6. However, it still stayed fairly accurate to the books and I have no complaints with the changes that they did make: again, many of them seemed to serve the plot and following seasons.

The acting was superb. Henry Cavill and Anya Chalotra as Geralt and Yennefer were incredible, with Joey Batey as Jaskier and Emma Appleton as Renfri stunning in their roles as well. Henry perfectly captured the voice and mannerisms of Geralt, Anya brought out the emotional side of Yennefer incredibly well, Joey played Jaskier better than I could ever have imagined, and it's a shame what happens to Renfri, because of how good Emma's acting is. There wasn't a single character where I found their acting to be subpar and to ruin my immersion. This was a definite highlight.

The story and writing was... good. It wasn't incredible by any stretch, but what is incredible is that they were able to cram that many short stories into this season and not completely destroy them. Each episode got its message across, even if there were moments of incongruity and banality. The overarching plot lines were neat as well, and tied up nicely as the season neared its finish.

SFX and VFX seem to be points of contention amongst the audience. I think, in general, the special effects were done very well for the first season of a new show. All of the monsters (besides one specific one in episode 2) looked quite realistic, and certain ones (episodes 3 and 6) were incredibly well done. I don't really have any complaints here, it could've been a lot worse.

The soundtrack is something that I find very important: I can't watch a show if it has a poor soundtrack that doesn't match the feeling it's trying to convey. Thankfully, The Witcher does a great job at this. There aren't a ton of songs, but each one of them ranges from good to great, with Jaskier's songs being the standouts (Toss a Coin to Your Witcher and Her Sweet Kiss). In my opinion, the soundtrack isn't near as perfect as that of The Witcher 3, but not many things can get close to that. Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli did an admirable job here.

In general, I'm happy with the first season of Netflix's The Witcher. It's a deserved successor to the books and the games, and one that I think most people will watch and enjoy. It's not perfect by any stretch, but hopefully it will continue to improve with time and more seasons: there is a lot of potential here. This season in particular is great for introducing the chaotic nature of the plot and makes you involved in the three main characters, but might also cause those unfamiliar with the Witcher universe to become discouraged to continue viewing within the first episode alone. The acting, soundtrack, and certain convergent plotlines were definitive highlights. Overall though, the season was very promising, and I'm looking forward to the next one.