The Last Wish book review

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
Series: The Witcher #0.5
Published by Gollancz on August 19, 2010
Pages: 292
Goodreads

Geralt is a witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. He roams the country seeking assignments, but gradually comes to realise that while some of his quarry are unremittingly vile, vicious grotesques, others are the victims of sin, evil or simple naivety.
One reviewer said: 'This book is a sheer delight. It is beautifully written, full of vitality and endlessly inventive: its format, with half a dozen episodes and intervening rest periods for both the hero and the reader, allows for a huge range of characters, scenarios and action. It's thought-provoking without being in the least dogmatic, witty without descending to farce and packed with sword fights without being derivative. The dialogue sparkles; characters morph almost imperceptibly from semi-cliche to completely original; nothing is as it first seems. Sapkowski succeeds in seamlessly welding familiar ideas, unique settings and delicious twists of originality: his Beauty wants to rip the throat out of a sensitive Beast; his Snow White seeks vengeance on all and sundry, his elves are embittered and vindictive. It's easily one of the best things I've read in ages.'

I really wanted to read The Last Wish before I started watching the Netflix show but I’m not sure I’m completely sold on the series. I thought that some of the stories were brilliant and others seemed to drag and I wasn’t sure what the actual point of the others. I’m hoping that if I read/listen to the other books in the series all will become clear. I did enjoy the magic system and learning about the Witcher and the other creatures. I wonder whether there will be more detail within the later books and this was light on that because it’s a prequel, I love the idea of seeing more of the different species and characters.

We follow the main character Geralt as he navigates through the world and rids places of various different monsters. I really loved learning about his life and the world through his eyes and adventures. He was an interesting character and I really want to learn more about him and why he is the way he is and what he’s struggling with. I also really enjoyed Dandilion and his part to play in the story, the dynamic between him and Geralt was actually quite funny which isn’t necessarily what you would expect going into a fantasy novel about killing monsters. I’m actually really interested in seeing where these characters end up and how the relationships and friendships develop.

The best bits of The Last Wish for me was definitely the “retellings” that are interspersed throughout the book. I loved working out how the different endings were going to work and trying to figure out which was the orginal story. They were my favourite stories and I thought that they showed Geralt in the best light especially as he seems to have a better code that what is usually expected from Witchers. I also liked the fact that although all the stories linked together that they were standalone plots and could be enjoyed as separate entities.

For me my biggest issue with The Last Wish was that it felt a little disjointed and I think the things that I wasn’t sure off will become clear once I carry on with the rest of the series and figure out how everything else falls into place. I also think that there was a lot of rushed storytelling within all and sometimes it felt as though the ending of a story wasn’t quite thought out and it made the book feel a little disjointed and jarring to read.

I would recommend The Last Wish. I did have my issues with some of the stories and the lack of explanation on some of the aspects, but I think they will make way more sense as the series develops and I read more books. This definitely hasn’t put me off, and I definitely can’t wait to hear more about the different species and the world.

Have you read The Witcher series? Which one was your favourites? Is the Netflix show worth it?