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leeseloadenny's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Minor: Rape
timmytunter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Sexual content
zmeiat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The blatant male-gazey treatment of the female characters aside, the fantasy was decent. Not very unique, but good nonetheless, with interesting worldbuilding and very endearing bromance between Geralt and Jaskier/Dandelion.
The writting was easy on the eyes and full of action and honestly, what else do you need?
But Andrzej Sapkowski should probably frequent some courses on womens writting and take notes, because everytime a character of "the weaker sex" was introduced i broke into a cold sweat.
The writting was easy on the eyes and full of action and honestly, what else do you need?
But Andrzej Sapkowski should probably frequent some courses on womens writting and take notes, because everytime a character of "the weaker sex" was introduced i broke into a cold sweat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism and Infertility
singalana's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Jotkin arvioijat ovat nostaneet esille sen, että Sapkowskin tekstistä paistaa läpi seksistisiä asenteita. No, koska kirja alkaa seksikohtauksella, jossa toinen osapuoli on ilmeisesti melko nuori, en yhtään ihmettele mistä nämä mielipiteet kumpuavat. Mielestäni naishahmojen nuoruus on jopa silmiinpistävää, ja heihin viitataan usein sanalla “tyttö”, eikä nainen. Kirjan hirviöt ovat lähes poikkeuksetta naispuolisia. Ja jos kirjan naishahmot pelastetaan hirviön kynsistä, heidän odotetaan osoittavan asiaankuuluvaa kiitollisuutta.
Kirjan rakenne on melkoisen sekava. Viimeinen toivomus koostuu useasta Noituri-tarinasta. Sen sijaan että ne olisi esitetty kokonaisena ja peräkkäin, ne on pilkottu toistensa lomaan kummallisena sillisalaattina. Tämä ehkä toimii sarjassa, mutta kirjassa lukijan täytyy olla todella hereillä.
Sapkowski lainailee elementtejä kansantaruista ja saduista. Tämä tuntuu hieman jopa laiskalta, sillä odotin, että kirjassa olisi enemmän keskitytty hirviöihin ja ylipäätänsäkin toimintaan. Sen sijaan Viimeinen toivomus on erittäin dialogipainotteinen. Voitaisiin jopa sanoa, että kirja on monologipainotteinen. Äänikirjaformaatissa se jollain tasolla toimii, koska mitä muutakaan äänikirja on, kun jonkun tyypin kertoman tarinan kuuntelemista. Yleisesti ottaen pidän silti enemmän siitä, että dialogi, toiminta ja kuvailu on enemmän tasapainossa.
Sapkowski lainailee elementtejä kansantaruista ja saduista. Tämä tuntuu hieman jopa laiskalta, sillä odotin, että kirjassa olisi enemmän keskitytty hirviöihin ja ylipäätänsäkin toimintaan. Sen sijaan Viimeinen toivomus on erittäin dialogipainotteinen. Voitaisiin jopa sanoa, että kirja on monologipainotteinen. Äänikirjaformaatissa se jollain tasolla toimii, koska mitä muutakaan äänikirja on, kun jonkun tyypin kertoman tarinan kuuntelemista. Yleisesti ottaen pidän silti enemmän siitä, että dialogi, toiminta ja kuvailu on enemmän tasapainossa.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny and Sexism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ashleymg99's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
My Boyfriend is a huge Witcher fan, and so we read this together aloud as a sort of bed-time story. so, i had a general idea about the characters and lore going into this.
I really enjoyed the dynamic of Geralt and Dandelion, I did not expect to like the humor as much as I did. The story is told in a series of time-jumping short stories, with a small narrative throughout that connect everything. I think without any prior knowledge of the series, it could be a little confusing to jump in, but Sapkowski is pretty good at creating an immersive world that is easy to get lost in.
my one critique is a bit silly, but we felt like he mentions female characters breasts like A LOT. to the point where every time a female character is introduced, you can expect to hear about them. it honestly became a bit of a meme throughout our reading, but overall i don’t think the female characters are poorly written or one-note. I do hope that he continues to improve as the series goes on though!
I really enjoyed the dynamic of Geralt and Dandelion, I did not expect to like the humor as much as I did. The story is told in a series of time-jumping short stories, with a small narrative throughout that connect everything. I think without any prior knowledge of the series, it could be a little confusing to jump in, but Sapkowski is pretty good at creating an immersive world that is easy to get lost in.
my one critique is a bit silly, but we felt like he mentions female characters breasts like A LOT. to the point where every time a female character is introduced, you can expect to hear about them. it honestly became a bit of a meme throughout our reading, but overall i don’t think the female characters are poorly written or one-note. I do hope that he continues to improve as the series goes on though!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Incest, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
wishbea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Incest and Infertility
blandrew's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Violence, Blood, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing and Death
sunn_bleach's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
"The Last Wish" is a compilation of short stories with a small framing device of Geralt recovering from the trauma of a hunt that almost went wrong. I read this because I needed something light after "Book of the New Sun", and I've wanted to see where it all began regarding the video games.
It's easy to see how this adapted perfectly to games, as each short story acts as a standalone quest much like what's in a standard epic fantasy game. But otherwise, I find this very difficult to go back to, and I would only recommend it for someone like me who's interested in the background of The Witcher series rather than these actually being good. The games sanded off much of the roughness of the 90s, fixed the writing issues, adapted the best ideas, and forewent much of the poorly-aged aspect, like how every woman is either stupid or must be assaulted, like the insipid "realism" people point to in defense of Game of Thrones. It's not "real", it's just crass, and you should read an actual history book.
Overall a meh experience. The translator problems are real; Geralt pirouettes more than a Bolshoi Ballet prima, and everyone is always locking eyes with each other while sneering. The fractured fairytales approach is so ingrained in modern pop culture (and wasn't new back then) that I find it difficult to care or find subversive.
There's a small part of me that would read "Sword of Destiny" as the next short story compilation, but I could also be fine with leaving my book experience of The Witcher here and sticking to the games, which are simply better in every respect.
It's easy to see how this adapted perfectly to games, as each short story acts as a standalone quest much like what's in a standard epic fantasy game. But otherwise, I find this very difficult to go back to, and I would only recommend it for someone like me who's interested in the background of The Witcher series rather than these actually being good. The games sanded off much of the roughness of the 90s, fixed the writing issues, adapted the best ideas, and forewent much of the poorly-aged aspect, like how every woman is either stupid or must be assaulted, like the insipid "realism" people point to in defense of Game of Thrones. It's not "real", it's just crass, and you should read an actual history book.
Overall a meh experience. The translator problems are real; Geralt pirouettes more than a Bolshoi Ballet prima, and everyone is always locking eyes with each other while sneering. The fractured fairytales approach is so ingrained in modern pop culture (and wasn't new back then) that I find it difficult to care or find subversive.
There's a small part of me that would read "Sword of Destiny" as the next short story compilation, but I could also be fine with leaving my book experience of The Witcher here and sticking to the games, which are simply better in every respect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
Minor: Vomit and War
bfreeman0's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
The first book of the Witcher. Introduces you to multiple mini adventures that Geralt is involved in. Providing an overview of the world and how it functions. It's a great prologue to the main series and introduces you not only to Geralt but a few other main characters that will become important throughout the series.
It is a real page turner once you get going and couldn't put it down. (Having the OST of the Netflix series helps). And builds up my excitement to read the next in the series as well as the games and TV series.
It is a real page turner once you get going and couldn't put it down. (Having the OST of the Netflix series helps). And builds up my excitement to read the next in the series as well as the games and TV series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and War
caffeinatednymph's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual harassment