Quick Take
- Best for: Fans of dark fantasy
- Vibe: Grungy, rough, yet graceful
- One-liner: Beautifully written with incredibly visual description
Overview
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski is a collection of Short Stories introducing the famous Witcher Geralt of Rivia. Not only is Geralt famous in Sapkowski's universe, but The Witcher, who was originally introduced in 1986 in a Polish Magazine called 'Fantastyka', has become nearly a household name. The Witcher video game series (originally released in 2007) has combined sales of over 100 million copies.
What Worked
Sapkowski does a fabulous job of using vivid visual descriptions to bring the action to life. There was a particular scene in one of the short stories called 'A Question of Price' where Sapkowski gives just about the most accurate description of what I've always imagined Wild Magic would be like.
It's clear Sapkowski has put a lot of work into building these characters and making them magnetic to the reader. Geralt is an intriguing character himself, but add Dandelion and Yennefer to the mix and you truly have characters that are hard not to love.
What Didn't Work
In The Last Wish, I felt a little lost at first - before I realized it was a collection of short stories. That's probably on me for not doing my research, but by the end of the book it was very clear what was happening.
Who Should Read This
Whether or not you've played the video games and/or watched the Netflix series, I think any fans of fantasy would easily fall in love with this book. There are all the classic bits of sword and sorcery with unique monsters introduced by the Polish mythology.
Final Verdict
I absolutely loved my time in this book and never wanted to put it down. I am heavily debating whether I want to start the next book right away or go back and play the video game since I never finished it! Lilac and gooseberries in my future.