The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski REVIEW

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Started: 30/07/19

Finished: 05/08/19

Spoilers: No.

Word of advice for anyone going into this series who has no idea what they're doing (like me) Technically this isn't the first book in the series. It's a prequel of sorts, with Blood of Elves being book 1. I got almost half way through The Last Wish, wondering where the storyline was, before I realised this isn't book 1. This is in fact a collection of short stories about Geralt's Witchering (Witchering? Witching?), the monsters he's killed the people he's helped, and sometimes even the monsters he's saved.

Should you read this book first? You probably don't have to, but I think you should. The stories are short and easy to read and it gives you a good idea of Geralt's character and some background to his work, rather than treading water in the deep end from the get go of book 1.

The Last Wish is basically book 0, a "Witcher 101" walkthrough of all the fantasy goodness to come.

Now on to the review.

Chracters Being a book of short stories, we're introduced to many characters. I don't know how many of these characters will ressume roles in the main saga, but there's a few names mentioned that I think (hope) might be.

Geralt, obviously being the main man, will be seen again. I enjoyed his no bullsbit attitude whilst still being morale and respectful. Man's got rules, and he ain't breaking them for anyone. I also really liked how he's depicted as strong, but not invincible. This is explored several times when he's overcome by enemies, whether he's injured, outnumbered, outsmarted or just plain overpowered, Geralt isnt an invulnerable man, which only makes him feel more realistic, as well as adding tension and stakes to the story and making his victories all the sweeter.

Dandelion: poet, bard and general good-time-charlie. He was a lot of fun, and from what I could gather, Geralt's bestie. The banter between the two was just what the story needed. Geralt isn't really a character for comedy so having Dandelion around really changed the tone of some stories, in a good way. Just generally really liked and appreciated his sarcasm and wit.

Yennefer, I believe, is also a more permanent fixture within the series. She's a strong, empowered sorceress and love interest to Geralt. I haven't played much of the game, but I know enough about the story to know that. Though she was very powerful and forthright - which I liked - I can't say there was too much else I liked about her. Hopefully in the proper story she'll grow on me cause she has a lot of potential.

Plot For this particular book, there's no real plot line, just a bunch of short stories. The aim of the stories is mostly to establish the story to come. Introduce the characters, the world and the basics of Witching

It suceeds in its goal as, not only do I now have a better understanding of the world, but also the vast collection of creatures and species that live within it.

One of these short stories also establishes a prominent romance in Geralt's life that will no doubt be the subject of conversation in future books. Learning the orgin of their meeting only fleshes out the characters' backstories and establishes a life lived and memories made long before the saga begins. It provides us with a history and understanding of situations ready for the main event.

A lot of the quests he found himself on reminded me of fairytales or folklore. This is probably deliberately done in an attempt to show us something familiar in a world unfamiliar to us. In a strange way, it made this fantasy world feel a little bit more like home.

And also, all these short stories felt like side-quests in the game. I can absolutely imagine it, and that makes my gamer heart smile a little.

Setting It was actually really handy I read this one first. Now I have a better understanding of the world before even starting the main series.

A map would have been really handy. So many places are explored in this book, which is fantastic, but I don't know where anything is. I may have a map with my edition of the game so I'll refer to that in future.

It's obvious from reading that a lot of effort and creativity has gone into creating this world. There's depth and substance here. A history and lore, beliefs, languages and culture and it's noticeable. World building is so important and this book doesn't disappoint.

Writing Style I kinda of struggle to rate the writing style when it comes to translated works. It'll never be exact to the author's original writings, but that being said, I enjoyed the writing.

I felt that some of the creatures maybe needed explaining better. Got a little confused with some of the descriptions and I either struggled to picture the creatures, or my imagination went a little too wild and the things I pictured were a little too out-there. But it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book.

Other than that, I had no problem with the writing in any way.

Final Impression I'll definitely continue. Think I'll go for Sword of Destiny next as it's another short story collection set before the main saga. I'd rather just dive straight into Blood of Elves, but as I already own both books, now is the perfect time to read Sword of Destiny before sinking my teeth into the main story arc.