REVIEW: The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Publishing information: Paperback; 384pgs
Publisher: Orbit; 1 May 2008
ISBN: 978-0316029186
Series: The Witcher #1
Copy: Out of pocket
Reviewer: Tyson
Amazon
Synopsis: "The New York Times bestselling series that inspired the international hit video game: The Witcher
Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin.
And a cold-blooded killer.
His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.
But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good. . . and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.
For fans of the video game and the uninitiated alike, The Last Wish is the opening chapter of The Witcher series."
The Last Wish is a collection of short stories that are loosely connected to one another all telling the story of Geralt of Rivia, also known as the Grey Wolf, a witcher who sells his services to anyone who has coin.
Geralt is an interesting character as he is much more than a monster hunter. While he does seem to be cold-hearted that simply isn't the case. He does his best to understand those around him, even though they tend to see him as not much better than the creatures he is hired to remove. His legendary exploits have followed him around and he uses it to his advantage when haggling for his services. Geralt is not alone in his adventure either. There is a the bard, Dandelion, who is the narrator of most of the tales and a bevy of beautiful women vying for Geralt's attention. Most notably Yennifer and Tris Marigold. Both magic users. While the Witcher series definitely has their man's man and many of the women are depicted as helpless, Yennifer and Triss are very powerful in their own rights and their strong personalities shine through.
The best thing about The Witcher series is the creatures. Many of them are right out of Polish mythology and are very different from other mythological creatures found in most fantasy books. The things that go bump in the night might just steal your soul but they may just sit down and tell their story and ask Geralt for help. There is no black and white in this series and it makes for some interesting situations.
One thing that The Last Wish fails to do is provide a lot of background to the world. We know that Witchers are not well-liked in the world and that they are a dying breed. We gain some insight as to why this is happening and why they are treated the way they are but the world building could be improved. I know that that is asking a lot from a collection of short stories but the way in which the stories are presented could have been improved and added in some additional information.
In the end, I would say that The Last Wish isn't vitally important to understanding The Witcher series but it does give you a basic feel of what to expect when you read the actual novels in The Witcher Series. The majority of stories contained within the collection don't have much bearing on anything but do give you a basic feel of the world and the author's writing (although it is a translation). There are about three stories that have some bearing on the novels but they are not necessary to enjoy the first book in The Witcher series, Blood of Elves.
Overall 7/10
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