Customer Reviews

The Last Wish

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off, the Product Description does this book a great disservice when it says:
"Geralt de Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin.
And a cold-blooded killer."

Well...he's not a sorcerer...at least not in the sense they mean in the book. He's not an assassin - they actually go through great lengths in the book describing how witchers are not hired killers. And he is by no means a cold-blooded killer. I don't think it's too much a spoiler if I say I can count the number of things Geralt kills in the book on one hand. A witcher, as described in the book, is supposed to save lives rather than take them.

I don't know why the publishers chose this description, but I guess the description "A philosophically-minded warrior confronted with moral ambiguities" would not sell many copies.

Now the review:
This book chronicles the adventures of Geralt of Rivia in a series of loosely tied adventures. A convoluted way to describe his job would be to say he slay monsters, but a better way would be to say he helps people with monster troubles, resorting to violence as a last resort.

The book is written in short story form with a overarching mini-story which acts as a segway between each story.

The book itself, honestly, falls flat for about the first half of the book. I felt quite a bit was either lost in translation or the author was trying too hard to define his character.

The book becomes much, much better once Geralt's foil, named Dandilion, is introduced. I would also say that the very last of the six short stories, named "The Last Wish," is superb and more than enough to warrant a purchase of this book.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to fans of the computer game, The Witcher,

As for those look for a grittier take on fantasy, I would say this is a good read, but there are better books out there.

I came by The Last Wish via The Witcher video game, and I am quite satisfied with both. As a European, Sapkowski seems not to have been tainted by the triteness and commercialism that has afflicted so much speculative fiction in the U.S. His writing is gritty and dark, like the original fairy tales on which it seems to be based. The protagonist, Geralt of Rivia, is a classic anti-hero--a warrior who has made himself into a monster in order to combat still greater monsters. His task is necessary yet thankless, and he approaches it with the attitude of a hardened mercenary--as just another job. I cannot express how refreshing that is in an era of Tolkien-clones and shallow D&D novelizations, in which every character has some Grand Destiny(TM) and good and evil regularly clash in Titanic Battles for the Fate of the World(TM).

Wow. I got this book for my hubby for Father's Day, since he enjoys the PC game based on this book. I was literally in the middle of quite a large fictional novel when I picked up his book, this book, and read a few pages. I was hooked on the main character, Geralt, immediately. I took a wonderful liason from my current book, and the streets of NYC, and went directly into a medieval, magickal world full of monsters and sorcerers. The author is great with his adjectives and after a few sentences you really can imagine for yourself what the author is describing. Also, Sapkowski gives us humor and that humor doesn't encroach into the seriousness of the tone in the entire story. I absolutely LOVE that the author mixed in some of the older faerie tales, old wives tales and even some general well-known stories into the story. This is a quick and amusing read with some ancient 'history' intertwined. I loved this book! I want more! You will too!

You probably know by now that Geralt is a Witcher, a monster slayer, and is a typical fantasy fiction hero. If you like fantasy fiction or the PC game The Witcher, the odds are good that you will enjoy this book.

What surprised me upon reading "The Last Wish" were the references to classic fairy tales and their somewhat twisted incorporation into Geralt's world. Stories about Snow White, Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Rumplestiltiskin, and others are woven into the tales in a dark and untraditional way. I found this added to the fun and elevated this book above your typical hack and slash fanatasy novel.

This book has more emotional depth, and maturity than most in this genre. It ties in a lot of children's stories, Snow White, etc, and provides an adult perspective on them. Stimulating and engrossing. Like Lord of the Rings, it has a dark edge, set in a time where the old world is fast disappearing. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

I read this book with no knowledge whatsoever of the game called the Witcher, so for better or worse I approached this work with literary expectations.

It's great to type that I wasn't disappointed! The translation is well done (in terms of just good writing), and I greatly appreciated the obvious effort that the translator and editor(s) put in to make this such a great read.

The structure of the plot - framing vignettes within an over-arching "Voice of Reason" story line - was initially disorienting, but that was only because I didn't know the protagonist's situation and characteristics yet. As with the beginning of most books, it's best to have patience for a while to see how things develop. By the time I reached "Voice of Reason" the second time, I was totally hooked. In the end, I can strongly assure you that the way this story is framed is a fantastic way to present this character and his adventures.

There is a lot of romance presented in this book, incidentally, and of the variety that actually pulls at the heart and makes one care for the characters - whether they are mostly fairy tale re-visionings or not. I personally like to see new twists on fairy tales, so much of Geralt's adventures suited me just fine.

There is some sexual content, but that is mainly off-page (as it were) and described in tame language for the most part. But, make no mistake, this a book for adults - or older teens, at least.

All in all, I was very pleased with this book. I could hardly set it aside, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the horror-fantasy genre; but expect a little more romance and a little less gore to go with the steady and excellent action and the often deep philosophizing... and understand that sometimes it's fun not to know the answers to all the questions a story can raise!

In short, a great read and a welcome break from cookie-cutter fantasy.

I feared that the stories may fall flat in translation, but this is not the case. These short stories compiled into novel form leave no doubt about why this world was adapted into one of the most popular role playing games in recent memory. The world portrayed in the book is deep and layered with blood and shades of gray. There are rarely any real heroes or villains. Everyone has secondary motives. Even the "monsters" have sympathetic qualities, and a recurring theme is that people are far more dangerous than anything mystical.

WOW is about all that's needed to cover this.

This is a collection of short stories that center around the main character. All the short stories however are tied together in a linear fashion by essentially using them as flashbacks in an all-encompasing story. Each one moves the main story forward in terms of background and plot until a complete whole is formed. I cannot fully express how impressed I am with the integration, excellent work.

Moreover, the characters are really great in framing the story sufficently while also allowing for the main character Geralt to be less concrete ans therefore more mysterious. I don't know, it you know too much about something you seem to lose interest or awe of it and geralt never seems to have that problem.

The basic premise is that he is a being called a Witcher. This is someone who is like a cross between Dog the Bounty Hunter and Blade. He has special powers that allow him to be far more of a badass than the average human, but he's not so powerful that he is invulnerable to everything but the fantasy analog of Kryptonite. He shows up and says, "Hey need any monsters killed? I'll do it for a buck." This allows him to have great action scenes and still need to depend on others. Furthermore, the seeming emotional turmoil roiling under his surface is so brilliantly understated in this writing that it makes me wonder why the author's other writngs haven't been translated yet? I was afterall, under the impression that businessess enjoyed making money(I know shareholders do).

Through this collection of sometimes fast-paced fighting and well expressed germanic/scandanavian-styled fantasy, the stories carry an irreverent spin on many childhood fairy-tales (although I am certain Tolkien would take issue with the source material for these stories being called that). One such example is where Geralt is having a problem getting work. The only potential work around is a town with a troll living under its bridge, but the townspeople want him left alone because he does a really good job of maintaining it -- like some fantasy handy-man -- great stuff.

In short, if you're looking for something that has the feel of Tolkien/Norse Mythos then this is really a great modern twist on the genre. It's sword and sorcery meets Dog the Bounty Hunter meets give me more. BTW, if you read it and become a fan, the videogame industry HAS managed to capitalize on this series and there are some associated games that are none too shabby.

The Last Wish is a great fantasy book and Sapkowski really deserves more praise and exposure in the English-speaking (-reading) world.

This is a book of short stories linked together by another "flashback" short story. I dislike short story books, usually, but this one feels more like a novel because all the stories are about the same character, Geralt, The Witcher. Geralt is a warrior/sorceror in the same vein as Elric and Drizzt. He fights monsters and helps people, but is widely mistrusted by the "common people" he encounters. He is just one of many very interesting characters invented by Sapkowski, who seems to excel at characterisation and dialogue more than anything else.

The stories are action-packed and take place in a world which is part medieval Europe and part Grimm's Fairytale. If you like the idea of Evil Alice in Wonderland and other dark twists on children's stories then that is the sort of thing you will encounter here, since Sapkowski's world often portrays the "true" meaning behind fairytales, where princesses are locked in towers for good reasons and heroic rescuing princes often get their throats clawed out.

I can offer some minor criticism, but most of it can be aimed at many fantasy authors and not just Sapkowski. I dislike the "comedy rogue" characters that fantasy authors often feel the need to pair with the serious warrior types. Dandilion the Bard manages to walk the fine line between amusing and annoying - just - and I am glad he is only featured in a couple of stories. I also dislike the standard fantasy female-interest like Yennefer the Sorceress, who is basically a smug spoiled b-word but everyone makes allowances for her because she looks good. The fact that Geralt falls for most of her tricks is almost out of character for him and his fascination with her is hard to believe. Most of the great (male) fantasy authors have similar characters in their classic novels. I am mostly disappointed because I was expecting Sapkowski to break the mold.

I would stongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Drizzt, Elric, Conan, Fafhrd and Grey Mouser - any of those fantasy tales where the fantasy world is what it is, good and evil are not absolutes, rulers are not all that noble, and there are no Dark Lords with ideas of world domination. Sapkowski is up there with the best authors of that set and his stories are original and engaging. The translation is good and I would never have known it was a translation had I not read so. I have to say that I feel that Sapkowksi in his original language must be very good indeed.

I bought this book on the strength of the first Witcher PC game but could not find time to read it before completing the second one. It matters not in what sequence one experiences them but if unfamiliar with the Witcher universe, I would suggest starting with this book.

It is more of a collection of stories about Gearalt of Rivia, a witcher also known as the White Wolf, and his world than a fantasy novel. It is part of a series that, unfortunately, is not translated and published in English in the author's intended sequence.

This is a world full of Eastern European lore, greedy kings, scheming princes, starving elves, bickering dwarfs, seducing witches, wizards on the run, mythical creatures and hideous monsters - and the rare witcher to keep them all in balance.
The stories, however, are more independent of one another than usual and even if some of them converge, in the end this reads as part of a series than a standalone novel.

Recommended to fantasy fans and RPG gamers alike.