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stationerynomad's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to the audiobook version and it was really enjoyable. I already like the show, so that helped.
theobstacleistheway's review against another edition
3.0
I'd give it around 3.5/5, I think. Certainly an enjoyable bit of fantasy. Story told through flashbacks and a series of short stories that are based on certain fairy tales (some just tenuously). I'll definitely be checking out the other books in the series.
catreads04's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kristin_davis's review against another edition
5.0
Read this and other reviews on my website, Kristin Escapes.
I read this after watching the Netflix show, so that may affect my opinion a bit… But, I really enjoyed both the book and the show. Something I didn’t pick up on in the show, was that many of these short stories are based on fairytales. For example, “The Less Evil” is a spin on Snow White (don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler). It’s done in an interesting way.
The only character that really gets a good background is Geralt, everyone else is fairly slim in this book. But, you can tell that some will be sticking around and I assume we’ll get to know them a little better in the future.
Sapkowski does a great job world building though. The settings are descriptive and gave me a feeling of being in the locations.
Since it is a series of short stories, don’t expect a heavy plot. There is a guiding storyline throughout, but it’s not like there’s a big bad that we’re working up to defeating in this one. It’s truly just stories from Geralt’s past that lead him to the place we are when the book starts.
Even though I’m more of a Sci-Fi fan than Fantasy (I hate that they always get grouped together) I definitely plan on continuing this series. It’s more of a character story set in a fantasy world. I ready somewhere that it’s a low fantasy story set in a high fantasy world and I think that sounds accurate.
I read this after watching the Netflix show, so that may affect my opinion a bit… But, I really enjoyed both the book and the show. Something I didn’t pick up on in the show, was that many of these short stories are based on fairytales. For example, “The Less Evil” is a spin on Snow White (don’t worry, that’s not a spoiler). It’s done in an interesting way.
The only character that really gets a good background is Geralt, everyone else is fairly slim in this book. But, you can tell that some will be sticking around and I assume we’ll get to know them a little better in the future.
Sapkowski does a great job world building though. The settings are descriptive and gave me a feeling of being in the locations.
Since it is a series of short stories, don’t expect a heavy plot. There is a guiding storyline throughout, but it’s not like there’s a big bad that we’re working up to defeating in this one. It’s truly just stories from Geralt’s past that lead him to the place we are when the book starts.
Even though I’m more of a Sci-Fi fan than Fantasy (I hate that they always get grouped together) I definitely plan on continuing this series. It’s more of a character story set in a fantasy world. I ready somewhere that it’s a low fantasy story set in a high fantasy world and I think that sounds accurate.
mitchfahnestock's review against another edition
4.0
With the release of The Witcher on Netflix, The Witcher series of books has received a lot of hype. As a lover of fantasy, I wanted to dive in and watch, but my book snobbery took over and I had to pause that pursuit to read the book first. I’m VERY glad I did. The Last Wish, by Andrzej Sapkowski, is the introduction to The Witcher series and well worth reading if you are interested in fantasy, The Witcher Netflix series, or The Witcher video game series.
The Last Witch is a series of short stories introducing the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia. Geralt has been brought up as a witcher, a secretive trade which involves swords and magic in a combination not typically seen in the fantasy genre. These short stories are flashbacks set around a healing visit to the priestesses of Melitele. Sapkowski used this device to loosely thread all the individual stories together, and it works very well. Each flashback story fills in a bit of Geralt’s history and hints at how he becomes who he is currently, while the current thread of stories hints at where he might go and what might be headed his way in the future. You won’t learn much about Geralt; he is good at what he does, he has a rigid code of ethics he follows, the witcher profession is often misunderstood, and he is not a complete loner. Sapkowski strikes a perfect balance of details to get you invested in the characters while leaving enough hanging to make you eagerly want to start the next book in the series.
Of particular interest to me with The Witcher series, is that Andrzej Sapkowski is Polish and infuses a heavy influence of Eastern European mythology into the stories. I’m not new to the fantasy genre, as I have been reading Dungeons and Dragons books for thirty years. I know there is this influence out there, but I really enjoyed a heavy immersion into it. For some of the “monsters” I actually had to google them and read up on what they were. This brought back memories of flipping through the D&D Monster Manual for hours and hours when I was in junior high - and I LOVED that! Along with the monsters, the places and names all felt fresh and unknown to me, which is always a very good indicator that the author is a world builder of high quality.
I was surprised to find many of the short stories to be spins on Disney stories, only to be reminded that all the Disney stories are rip-offs of long time folklore and myths. It bothered me that my first thought was of Beauty and the Beast and Snow White, when those tales do not belong exclusively to Disney. I very much enjoyed Sapkowski’s interpretation of these characters and tales. You might recognize some of the characters and stories, but again they feel fresh and different.
The Last Wish is a great introduction to The Witcher. I highly recommend it, in fact as they say “A d’yaebl aep arse” if you choose to skip this!
The Last Witch is a series of short stories introducing the protagonist, Geralt of Rivia. Geralt has been brought up as a witcher, a secretive trade which involves swords and magic in a combination not typically seen in the fantasy genre. These short stories are flashbacks set around a healing visit to the priestesses of Melitele. Sapkowski used this device to loosely thread all the individual stories together, and it works very well. Each flashback story fills in a bit of Geralt’s history and hints at how he becomes who he is currently, while the current thread of stories hints at where he might go and what might be headed his way in the future. You won’t learn much about Geralt; he is good at what he does, he has a rigid code of ethics he follows, the witcher profession is often misunderstood, and he is not a complete loner. Sapkowski strikes a perfect balance of details to get you invested in the characters while leaving enough hanging to make you eagerly want to start the next book in the series.
Of particular interest to me with The Witcher series, is that Andrzej Sapkowski is Polish and infuses a heavy influence of Eastern European mythology into the stories. I’m not new to the fantasy genre, as I have been reading Dungeons and Dragons books for thirty years. I know there is this influence out there, but I really enjoyed a heavy immersion into it. For some of the “monsters” I actually had to google them and read up on what they were. This brought back memories of flipping through the D&D Monster Manual for hours and hours when I was in junior high - and I LOVED that! Along with the monsters, the places and names all felt fresh and unknown to me, which is always a very good indicator that the author is a world builder of high quality.
I was surprised to find many of the short stories to be spins on Disney stories, only to be reminded that all the Disney stories are rip-offs of long time folklore and myths. It bothered me that my first thought was of Beauty and the Beast and Snow White, when those tales do not belong exclusively to Disney. I very much enjoyed Sapkowski’s interpretation of these characters and tales. You might recognize some of the characters and stories, but again they feel fresh and different.
The Last Wish is a great introduction to The Witcher. I highly recommend it, in fact as they say “A d’yaebl aep arse” if you choose to skip this!
ers_drs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
chrisfranklyn's review against another edition
3.0
I abandoned this first time as another fantasy tale treading the same old steps as all the others. Many ways it is, but after the TV series just threw names and situations at you expecting you to have a single clue what's going on I felt I deserved some background. The source material is sufficient at this.
lksinn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bushwithowl's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ashifdhanani's review against another edition
5.0
Intriguing
I read this because I enjoyed the television show and was not disappointed. It is an interesting piece of fiction.I look forward to the next one.
I read this because I enjoyed the television show and was not disappointed. It is an interesting piece of fiction.I look forward to the next one.