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A review by jasmindeanda
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
5.0
A must read for lovers of mythology and fantasy…
The Last Wish is a fascinating adventure filled with monsters and magic. For lovers of mythology and classic fairy tales, The Last Wish will be both new and familiar.
Meet the “White Wolf”…
Join Geralt of Rivia, known to others as “The White Wolf”. As a fan of the Netflix series, I was eager to pick up the series and get to know Geralt the way we only can in books and was not disappointed. Just like he is portrayed in the series, Geralt is a man with only one goal; to rid the world of monsters in exchange for payment. Calm and composed at most times, as he is faced with monsters both of myth and of human form, Geralt’s morality and values are made clear in both his reactions as well as his words. As the story progressed, I fell in love with Geralt both for his bravery as well as his heart.
As we follow Geralt throughout his journey, Sapkowski slowly begins to unravel the mystery of what kind of person the witcher is both through his interactions with his friends and the stories of his past.
Mythology and Fairy Tales come together…
What set the Witcher apart from the fantasy novels I’ve read in the past was the familiar yet unique stories in the book. While the book contains new stories; lovers of mythology and fairy tales will notice the similarities to the familiar tales such as Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. Be warned, these stories are darker in nature. As a lover of mythology myself, I when the monsters and cursed people were from mythology as well. While the book contains species which may be familiar such as elves, a djinn, and a striga (strzyga Polish).
A Carefully Written Story…
Perhaps it was because of an advantage from watching the Netflix show prior to beginning the series, but I felt that the story was told in a way that was easy to follow. Focusing entirely on Geralt’s journey; as the story introduced the supporting characters, each was brought in one at at time, allowing the reader to make a clear picture of who he was speaking too. Many stories I have read have introduced multiple characters, forcing me to reread the same paragraphs over and over in order to distinguish the characters in my head.
In The Last Wish, Sapkowski introduces his side characters as they become relevant to the story, while the more important characters are hinted at as they enter Geralt’s mind.
Even the timeline which is not always linear provides a clear timeline without the need for subheadings, transitioning beautifully from present to past.
What I loved most…
While most stories I have read have taken inspiration from mythological creatures, most retold their stories. What I enjoyed from The Last Wish was that Sapkowski took these existing stories such as Snow White and told them in a way that made me feel as if they were what the stories stemmed from without making Geralt’s presence seem out of place. I look forward to reading the rest of Geralt’s journey, and I already know this will be a series I revisit often!
The Last Wish is a fascinating adventure filled with monsters and magic. For lovers of mythology and classic fairy tales, The Last Wish will be both new and familiar.
Meet the “White Wolf”…
Join Geralt of Rivia, known to others as “The White Wolf”. As a fan of the Netflix series, I was eager to pick up the series and get to know Geralt the way we only can in books and was not disappointed. Just like he is portrayed in the series, Geralt is a man with only one goal; to rid the world of monsters in exchange for payment. Calm and composed at most times, as he is faced with monsters both of myth and of human form, Geralt’s morality and values are made clear in both his reactions as well as his words. As the story progressed, I fell in love with Geralt both for his bravery as well as his heart.
As we follow Geralt throughout his journey, Sapkowski slowly begins to unravel the mystery of what kind of person the witcher is both through his interactions with his friends and the stories of his past.
Mythology and Fairy Tales come together…
What set the Witcher apart from the fantasy novels I’ve read in the past was the familiar yet unique stories in the book. While the book contains new stories; lovers of mythology and fairy tales will notice the similarities to the familiar tales such as Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. Be warned, these stories are darker in nature. As a lover of mythology myself, I when the monsters and cursed people were from mythology as well. While the book contains species which may be familiar such as elves, a djinn, and a striga (strzyga Polish).
A Carefully Written Story…
Perhaps it was because of an advantage from watching the Netflix show prior to beginning the series, but I felt that the story was told in a way that was easy to follow. Focusing entirely on Geralt’s journey; as the story introduced the supporting characters, each was brought in one at at time, allowing the reader to make a clear picture of who he was speaking too. Many stories I have read have introduced multiple characters, forcing me to reread the same paragraphs over and over in order to distinguish the characters in my head.
In The Last Wish, Sapkowski introduces his side characters as they become relevant to the story, while the more important characters are hinted at as they enter Geralt’s mind.
Even the timeline which is not always linear provides a clear timeline without the need for subheadings, transitioning beautifully from present to past.
What I loved most…
While most stories I have read have taken inspiration from mythological creatures, most retold their stories. What I enjoyed from The Last Wish was that Sapkowski took these existing stories such as Snow White and told them in a way that made me feel as if they were what the stories stemmed from without making Geralt’s presence seem out of place. I look forward to reading the rest of Geralt’s journey, and I already know this will be a series I revisit often!