Name: The Last Wish
Rating: 4.050290135396518 (1551 reviews)
ISBN: 9780316452465

The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski | SansFiction

§Synopsis

Geralt is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary killer. His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

§Our take

This is a story collection that reads closer to a novel, and that's the best reason to start here. The frame narrative gives the stories a shape rare in fantasy short fiction. Its layered structure even recalls Hyperion, which is more architecture than the usual grab bag of fantasy tales.

The real pleasure is spotting a fairy tale and watching Sapkowski turn it harsh and ambiguous. Monsters aren't always the villains. Heroes get handed two bad options and have to live with the pick. The world is cruel, and the prejudice elves face flips the usual noble-fantasy treatment.

It's also talky. Several stories pause for long philosophical conversations where you might want a fight, so adjust your expectations before you start.

§Themes

Fairy tales with teeth: Familiar tales come back harsher and more ambiguous, and the fun is spotting the source and the twist.
The lesser evil: Geralt often has to choose between bad options, and one reviewer calls moral relativism the book's core.
Monsters and appearances: Not everything monstrous-looking is evil, and not everything fair is good.
Prejudice and class: Racism toward elves and class conflict run through the world, turning the usual fantasy elves on their head.
Slavic roots: Familiar magical creatures are recast through Polish and Slavic folklore.

§How it was received

Readers love the moral ambiguity, the distinctive voice and standouts like A Grain of Truth, The Lesser Evil and A Question of Price. The weaker stretch is easy to spot: some stories let philosophical talk stall the momentum, the translation can feel stiff, and The Edge of the World doesn't land like the best of them.

§Read it if

You like fantasy that picks apart fairy tales and refuses easy heroes and villains
You came from the Netflix show or the games and want the source, knowing the details differ
You like a short-story collection with a thread running through it

§Skip it if

You expect a straight action novel. Philosophical conversation slows several of the stories.
A stiff English translation will grate on you, as it does on some readers.

§Before you start

Reading experience: Seven episodic stories you can read in pieces, dialogue-heavy, with a short adjustment period for the frame interludes.
Reading order: Book 1 of the Witcher saga in the official order, followed by Sword of Destiny and then the novels beginning with Blood of Elves. Sword of Destiny was actually published first in Poland, so some readers jump straight to the novels.
Content notes: Monster-hunting violence in a world described as cruel, dark and bloody; Racism and violence against elves as themes; Morally dark choices.

§Common questions

Is The Last Wish a novel?: No. It's a collection of seven stories joined by a frame narrative, so it reads more continuously than most story collections.
Do I read The Last Wish or Sword of Destiny first?: The Last Wish. The official order puts it first, even though Sword of Destiny came out earlier in Poland. Both collections are meant to come before the novels.
Is it the same as the Netflix show?: Not quite. The stories often differ in detail, and readers who know the show find them familiar but less surprising.

§If you liked this

Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski — The companion collection, meant to be read before the novels. Reviewers disagree on which of the two is stronger.
Hyperion by Dan Simmons — One reviewer compared the way this book layers a frame narrative and its tales to Simmons's structure.

Sources

§Genres

fantasy2adventure1classics1electronic books1fantasy fiction1fiction1historical1

§Content Warnings

§Moods

adventurous1challenging1dark1emotional1funny1lighthearted1mysterious

§Tags

#abortion1#diverse characters1#infertility1#loveable characters1

§About the Author

Andrzej Sapkowski

5 books in catalog

Andrzej Sapkowski (born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer. He is best known for his series of books, The Witcher, which revolves around the eponymous monster-hunter, Geralt of Rivia. The saga has been popularised through video games, television, stage, comic books and translated into 37 languages, making him the second most-translated Polish science fiction and fantasy writer after Stanisław Lem.

Described as the "Polish Tolkien", he has written multiple novels and short story collections, selling over 30 million copies worldwide. The influence of Slavic mythology is seen as a characteristic feature of many of his works. He is a five-time recipient of the Zajdel Award, Poland's most popular science fiction and fantasy prize, as well as many other awards and honours, including the David Gemmell Award, the World Fantasy Life Achievement Award and the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture.