Nessa Luna
Written on Feb 29, 2020
CAWPILE: 7 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 (Avg: 6.50)
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 murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. He roams the country seeking assignments, but gradually comes to realise that while some of his quarry are unremittingly vile, vicious grotesques, others are the victims of sin, evil or simple naivety.
One reviewer said: 'This book is a sheer delight. It is beautifully written, full of vitality and endlessly inventive: its format, with half a dozen episodes and intervening rest periods for both the hero and the reader, allows for a huge range of characters, scenarios and action. It's thought-provoking without being in the least dogmatic, witty without descending to farce and packed with sword fights without being derivative. The dialogue sparkles; characters morph almost imperceptibly from semi-cliche to completely original; nothing is as it first seems. Sapkowski succeeds in seamlessly welding familiar ideas, unique settings and delicious twists of originality: his Beauty wants to rip the throat out of a sensitive Beast; his Snow White seeks vengeance on all and sundry, his elves are embittered and vindictive. It's easily one of the best things I've read in ages.'
- ISBN10 0575082445
- ISBN13 9780575082441
- Publish Date 14 February 2008 (first published 7 June 2007)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 26 January 2021
- Publish Country GB
- Imprint Gollancz
- Format Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
- Pages 288
- Language English
Reviews
CAWPILE: 7 | 6 | 6.5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 (Avg: 6.50)
jamiereadthis
Written on Feb 18, 2020
remo
Written on Feb 13, 2020
El retrato que se hace de Geralt no es monorrasgo. A veces es un hombre (llamémosle así) resignado con la fatalidad de su destino, otras es un tío insensible y pasota, y otras vemos que es alguien que observa el mundo a su alrededor y decide tomar partido. Son pinceladas de la personalidad del protagonista que supongo que en futuras entregas se irán ampliando.
El libro es muy entretenido y deja con ganas de más. Hay una buena saga a la espera, que promete. Veremos.
kimbacaffeinate
Written on Feb 11, 2020
The author shares retellings of some famous fairytales and enlightens us with stories involving a strigoi, rusalka, and jinn. Even though I had just watched the first season, I found the story, characters, and narration refreshing.
Readers and listeners will find a pleasant mix. Some tales offered humor and others will make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. These are the tales one tells around a campfire intended to scare.
Andrzej Sapkowski is a brilliant storyteller and I can easily see why this series became a video game and now a series.
Peter Kenny did a fantastic job with the narration capturing the characters and creatures we met along the way.
Now you ask me why should I listen or read it, I watched it? Ah, my friend listen for the details and the untold stories. While Henry does a brilliant job capturing Geralt of Rivia, I truly appreciated getting his inner thoughts, understanding his conflicts and there is a theme here. Geralt very much wants to feel and I think you will be surprised at what you discover. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
bumblingbookworm
Written on Feb 9, 2020
Yes, I joined The Witcher craze in January! I decided to read these short stories before watching the series, and now I can't wait to jump into the Netflix series. I loved these short stories, they were so much fun to read - which is a bit odd I suppose when they're all about a cold-blooded killer! I particularly enjoyed the overarching short story told throughout the whole book, spliced with other short stories over Geralt's life.
As someone who hasn't played the game or watched the series, I didn't really know what to expect and I'm so glad I went in blind. Geralt's sarcastic tone spoke to me, I could feel his exasperation! I commend Sapkowski for maintaining a lighthearted feel across the collection, particularly given the violence throughout. My only criticism, and it's a slight one, is that the short stories just never felt like enough - I always wanted more. Loved this, and can't wait to experience more of this world!
adastra
Written on Feb 3, 2020
thepunktheory
Written on Jan 17, 2020
The Last Wish is less of a novel with one ongoing story but more of a collection of short stories. Therefore, it really is the perfect entry-point to check out whether the books are for you or not.
Well, I feel a little ambivalent about the whole thing but who am I kidding? I will most definitely read all the other books as well.
If you are into fantasy, this is the book for you. It ticks off all the boxes: monsters, magic, medieval times. The concept of the Witcher is rather interesting otherwise the world-building so far doesn't feel too different from your other epic fantasy stuff.
You will, however, soon see that many aspects of the story (and monsters) were inspired by fairy-tales and myths. It's cool to see what Sapkowski did with that!
Furthermore, I was surprised how funny this book was! I laughed out loud several times and found it to be far more humorous than your other regular fantasy book. Honestly, it's worth reading for that alone, Geralt actually is hilarious.
However, the one thing that irritated me is the treatment of women in this book. Many somewhat misogynistic things are said and I know many people like to chalk that off to authentically representing the dark ages but it did annoy me a bit. But whenever I got too bothered by that, a super badass and a kick-ass woman would come along and I was happy again. The depiction is, therefore, kind of ambivalent and I am not yet sure how to feel about that.
HekArtemis
Written on Jan 5, 2020
Now to read all the rest of the Witcher books so I can watch the Netflix series.
Katie King
Written on Jan 5, 2020
one thing i really liked was the showing not telling. there were lots of events that were only just implied, not explicitly told, and to me that was masterful. i wish i read more books like this and not “she picked up the brush. she combed her hair. she styled her hair up and looked in the mirror.”
the show is pretty faithful!
will definitely read the next book.
moraa
Written on Dec 28, 2019
3.5 stars
It's been a while since I've read a book with such a rich and well-crafted world. I may have indulged a little and let myself watch the Netflix adaptation before reading the book(s) but it has (mercifully) not ruined the series for me.
The witty humour in this book had me laughing in very solemn situations in real life.
I look forward to the next.