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Andrzej Sapkowski

The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher: 1 Mass Market Paperback – 28 April 2020

by Andrzej Sapkowski (Author), Danusia Stok (Translator)

27,242 ratings

Part of: The Witcher Saga (8 books)

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Geralt the Witcher--revered and hated--holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in this collection of adventures, the first chapter in Andrzej Sapkowski's groundbreaking epic fantasy series that inspired the hit Netflix show and the blockbuster video games.

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 hunter. 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.

Witcher collections
The Last Wish
Sword of Destiny

Witcher novels
Blood of Elves
The Time of Contempt
Baptism of Fire
The Tower of Swallows
Lady of the Lake
Season of Storms

Hussite Trilogy
The Tower of Fools
Warriors of God

Translated from original Polish by Danusia Stok

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Orbit
Publication date

28 April 2020
Dimensions

10.92 x 3.56 x 22.48 cm
ISBN-10

0316495964
ISBN-13

978-0316495967
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Review

"Delightful, intense, irreverent, and compelling....you have to read The Witcher books because they are rife with all of the elements that make you love fiction, and especially fantasy, in the first place....In a word, The Witcher delivers."--Hypable

"One of the best and most interesting fantasy series I've ever read."--Nerds of a Feather

"Sapkowski has a confident and rich voice which permeates the prose and remains post-translation. I'd recommend this to any fan of heroic or dark fiction."--SF Book Reviews

Like Mieville and Gaiman, [Sapkowski] takes the old and makes it new ... fresh take on genre fantasy.--Foundation

This is a series you can sink your teeth into.--BuzzFeed News

About the Author

Andrzej Sapkowski is the author of the Witcher series and the Hussite Trilogy. He was born in 1948 in Poland and studied economics and business, but the success of his fantasy cycle about Geralt of Rivia turned him into an international bestselling writer. Geralt's story has inspired the hit Netflix show and multiple video games, has been translated into thirty-seven languages, and has sold millions of copies worldwide.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Orbit; Media tie-in edition (28 April 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0316495964
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316495967
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.92 x 3.56 x 22.48 cm

Customer Reviews:
27,242 ratings

About the author

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Andrzej Sapkowski

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Andrzej Sapkowski (Polish pronunciation: [ˈandʐɛj sapˈkɔfskʲi]; born 21 June 1948) is a Polish fantasy writer and former economist. He is best known for his best-selling book series The Witcher. In 2012 Sapkowski was awarded the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Czech Wikipedia user Packa (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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5 star		66%
4 star		21%
3 star		9%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Van

An OK read

Reviewed in Australia on 27 December 2019

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Alright book of short stories as an introduction to the Witcher series. As an avid reader of this genre I was disappointed with the Amazon cost when purchasing this on Kindle. There are a lot of books out there, better quality than this and three times longer for a similar price. Would have given it another star if I didn't feel that Amazon were trying to make money off the game and Netflix series

11 people found this helpful

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WandersNowhere

Perfect for Witcher completionists or as a taster.

Reviewed in Australia on 5 April 2017

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As an intro to Andrzej Sapkowski's Witcher saga, this collection might be a bit befuddling: it's not as polished - or possibly as well -translated - as the larger novels in the series and may put off new readers or people expecting the scope of the games here. Gamers should think of this as a collection of Witcher contracts and secondary quests in story form. It meanders a bit, some things are just jarring weird and the framing story doesn't quite seem to match the others, and it all ends quite abruptly. However there is a delightfully dark and twisted fairytale element to each of the stories and Geralt remains as engaging a hero as ever. Plus some of the iconic Witcher moments - the striga contract and the titular first meeting with Yennefer among them - are well worth the read. Just remember not to judge the series as a whole on this collection, the core books (beginning with the Blood of Elves) are a rock solid fantasy saga and don't have most of the weird quirks of the writing in this one.

19 people found this helpful

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a

My Honest Book Review

Reviewed in Australia on 20 January 2020

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The Last Wish is a collection of short stories about the Witcher – Geralt of Rivia. It is the first book of the Witcher series and is simultaneously based on during Geralt’s recuperation from injury and recounting the stories that provide foundations for integral story threads throughout the whole series. The stories themselves are well-written and translated and as such, the story flows effortlessly. My only draw-down on this collection is that having watched the series and played the video games, I did feel this was a re-read rather than a first read but that is a me-issue not a book-issue.

For more reviews like this one, check out @myhonestbookreview on Instagram

2 people found this helpful

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Rosemary Nissen-Wade

Good enough to try the sequels

Reviewed in Australia on 24 August 2020

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Hard to decide about the writing: sometimes quite good, others merely adequate. I don’t know how it would grab me if I hadn’t seen the new series first. As I did, the book served as a reminder and that made it easier reading; and it helped make sense of all the flashbacks, which were a bit confusing onscreen. Not in my first rank of favourites, yet both book and series interesting enough that I’ll persevere.

One person found this helpful

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Matthew Poehler

Lovely Introduction!

Reviewed in Australia on 7 February 2020

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This follows most of the Netflix series with a bit more back story. Told in episodic form that also follows the pattern of the show.

Great characters and narration with good conversational style.

Good stuff. Looking forward to the original series.

One person found this helpful

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kimberly

The beginning of the beginning

Reviewed in Australia on 1 February 2020

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The Last Wish takes us to the very beginning, we meet most of the characters that will become integral in Geralts future. While the plot line jumps around somewhat, if you can handle the higldy pigldy disarray of the tv series this will be someonewhat easier to understand. It allows us an insight in to Geralts life, the choices he makes and his own brand of honor, that may seem somewhat skewiff. I wouldnt say its an integral part of the series of books however i do think that it establishes relationships Geralt has with others, the backdrop of the continent and Geralts personality. Like all good books that have been made in tv series b&b or movies quite a bit has been altered however enough has been left in the shows for the corresponding in the book to be understood.
I always love to read a series after watching or vice versa, just to see the changes made. Anyway, onward to the next book, sword b&bbof destiny

Reviewed in Australia on 16 February 2022

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Decided to try this book due to the series and games based on it. This seemed to jump around a lot to different events. I will try the next one hoping for a solid adventure that does not end in a few pages.

Reviewed in Australia on 11 January 2018

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I played the game Witcher 3: wild hunt before knowing anything about this book. Thus, my opinion to this book is inevitably influenced by the fascinating gaming experience I had.

To me, this book is very interesting and gave me a lot of background information to let me understand more about the game, while showing me the world the Witcher lives in, where monsters are not always monsters whereas humans can be worse than monsters.

I’m not sure if this book would be attractive to someone who’s never heard of Witcher, but I would recommend it to anyone who likes the game of Witcher and still wants to know more about the story, and the famous white wolf.

2 people found this helpful

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Rev

read a chapter before you buy the book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 June 2019

Verified Purchase

There are so many good reviews of this book, so I strongly recommend potential readers to download a chapter and try it out before purchasing. If I had done that, I would not have bought this book. I have read 40% of it with effort and will add it to the very short list of books I have dropped half way.
I agree with others that call the writing 'disjointed'. It stutters, short sentences that are good for fights but just don't fit with a relaxed dialog. I can't find a rythm in the writing, like those books that just take your breath out and force you to turn pages one after the other. The fights are quite good, but then there other things like rough and heartless sex scenes that make little sense (they would if the rest of the book was different, but as they are they add little). The reason for me to drop it is that the characters are all soulless. The witcher cannot talk straight, and if you take the character names out of the dialogs you don't really know who is talking. It feels like there are just a few characters that just change name and face and appear in different stories... I don't know, I cannot feel anything for them, just not my type of book. On top of it the stories don't seem to have much depth and add little to the witcher character. Perhaps the other 60% of the book is awesome, but after what I have read, I rather invest my time in something else.
In summary, hope you really like it (most reviewers loved it), but just in case take a peek at a chapter before buying it.

234 people found this helpful

R. Clarke

Bite sized legends

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 June 2018

Verified Purchase

Although I read fantasy, I first encountered Geralt of Rivia in the video game, The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt and as I explored this gaming world, I was inspired to discover Andrzej Sapkowski's books – starting with this first collection.

The last story in the book deservedly took third place in a magazine competition and sowed the first seed that created a universe. I enjoyed these original stories, discovering Geralt’s origins in pre-game events. (And these stories are echoed in-game.}

The collection is assembled to reflect the chronology of Geralt’s life, although we have yet to learn many things – and I look forward to reading more books. Sapkowski creates a brilliant and exemplary framing structure for these stories that gives them more impact – and adds to the unfolding plotlines that I know develop. (This is a writing technique that I need to learn.)

Some amazing and complex characters are introduced, including the sorceress, Yennefer, whose life is woven into a complicated relationship with Geralt that opens great possibilities. And then there is Dandelion, the bard whose tales and exploits are something else amusingly different. These are origin stories perhaps before the Witcher-universe had fully-formed, but the characters are relatable.

The tales are rooted in heroic deeds – even if Dandelion has a habit of re-telling them differently. The author demonstrates that he has been inspired by folklore. However, while the echoed fairy stories have a germ of truth, this is a grimmer tradition than Grimm, in a cutthroat environment. There are the Slavic monsters that a reader might expect but other mythologies play their part, adding to a rich tapestry.

The world rings with the realism of bloody steel and fangs, the smells of soiled streets and tempting food. The era doesn’t feel not static, even across so few stories. The times are changing and so are the people. Evolving? Maybe not - but sowing many seeds. This is a medieval world of superstition and persecution – and riven by discrimination that resonates today. Witch-burnings are inevitable, and nothing is black-and-white. Not all monsters are obvious or what they seem.

Is my interpretation coloured by exploring the game-world? Perhaps, but these are the roots of the legend that is Geralt of Rivia. I look forward to discovering how the writing evolved, and how the world of The Witcher builds in later stories and novels. This was definitely the place to start on my quest to enjoy how Sapkowski grew from a very good writer into a master craftsman.

Story – five stars
Setting/World-building – five stars
Authenticity – five stars
Characters – five stars
Structure – five stars
Readability – five stars
Editing – five stars

80 people found this helpful

Justyna Tenel

Quite a decent translation of an excellent book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 January 2017

Verified Purchase

I still prefer the book in Polish, and I saw one particular sentence (the anti-djinn exorcism) translated with more panache, but this is quite close to how reading the original felt like, so I can definitely recommend it.

'The Last Wish' is a good introduction into the world of the Witcher, whether you come at it as the fan of the games or general sci-fi aficionado.

And even if you are neither there is something uniquely true about the human nature, the ever changing world and life in general that can be gleaned from it.

I read it originally as a teenager and in Polish, but years have passed, translations have occurred and the book is still very good.

57 people found this helpful

Chris Moore

A collection of short stories featuring Geralt, aka The Witcher

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 August 2016

Verified Purchase

This book is essentially a collection of short stories about Geralt of Rivia, who is better known as The Witcher. The stories relate the exploits of Geralt in which he has to demonstrate all the skills (including magic, fighting, sowrdsmanship, diplomacy, cunning, flattery, etc.) that he has developed during his training to become a Witcher. All the stories are real page-turners and different enough in their plots to easily maintain the readers interest.

The narrative flows easily, the plots are exciting and the translation from the author's native Polish is excellent. There were however a few instances in which I had to read the odd paragraph again where the sentences were rather awkward, but this in no way distracted from the story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to The Witcher, and will definitely be reading more of the books in the series by this very talented, imaginative author.

68 people found this helpful

Stitch Witch

Is it sexist?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 January 2020

Verified Purchase

I have just finished the second book in this series and feel able to comment properly about the one thing that initially bugged me.

People are quite defensive and annoyed when you bring up sexism in fantasy books, but for those of us who look at things at more than face value, then here are some thoughts on how the author deals with female characters.

In the beginning, I felt that yes, there was quite a lot of sexism - I don't mean BY the characters (which was obviously acceptable in Medieval times), but in how the characters are portrayed. It's very much a case of reading the book from a male heterosexual perspective - constant descriptions about women's 'assets', shirts being ripped open, and most of them there for some kind of sexual purpose. Plus there weren't any admirable female characters. Yennefer who some suggest is a 'strong female' was in my opinion just a self-interested lunatic. That may not be the case later in the stories (if she survives) but in books 1 and 2 she's not likeable at all. Even Queen Calanthe is questionable early on. It's not simply that they are flawed, but they don't have anything particularly nuanced about them.

So why did I keep reading if I found that annoying? Well because I love the genre and these stories were good fun and the stereotypes weren't really limited to women, in fact many of the males are no deeper than characters in fairytales. I thought the translation was brilliant - lot's of wit and fluent dialogue. In fact I wouldn't have known they weren't originally written in the English language. Plus there was intelligent messages in drawing the readers attention to the treatment of different 'races' and how we treat nature.

In terms of the sexism, more interesting female characters are introduced into book 2, and there are more references to them bucking the trend or - even better - their sexuality not being referred to at all. Geralt himself is a pretty decent, open-minded character and reverent towards the women in powerful positions, often more so than the men.

And that's the main reason why the books are so good, because Geralt is a great character, but he's not a cliched 'hero' who turns up to save the day in every story. People in the stories are always trying to figure him out, but very little is revealed of inner thoughts, you build a picture from his actions and words. His infatuation with Yennefer is irritating (but that's because she's irritating in my opinion) though it's part of what makes him multi-dimensional.

So I would recommend these stories if you are a fan of the genre and make allowance for the simplistic nature of the characters early on, as they become more complicated later

13 people found this helpful

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