I am not familiar with the books, i barley played one of the games so I cannot speak on behalf of hardcore Witcher fans, but I absolutely loved it! Very good actors and a surprisingly good first season budget that makes the show as good as it is. I've always liked Henry Cavill and had faith in him and he delivered. In my personal opinion, which I probably know others will strongly disagree, The Witcher is my favorite show Netflix produced and I like it a lot more than Stranger Things.