Fantasy

The Last Wish

The Last Wish

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-12-16 00:51:35
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Andrzej Sapkowski
  • ISBN：147323509X
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Summary

Experience the world of the Witcher like never before with this stunning deluxe hardcover edition of The Last Wish！

Featuring seven gorgeous new illustrations from seven award-winning artists—one for each story in the collection of adventures—this special edition celebrates the first chapter of Andrzej Sapkowski's bestselling， groundbreaking 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 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。


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

The Malady and Other Stories: An Andrzej Sapkowski Sampler （e-only）

Translated from original Polish by Danusia Stok

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Reviews

Jasmine ，

3，5！Den sista önskningen består av 7 noveller där man får följa huvudkaraktären Geralt i både nutid och dåtid。Jag har velat läsa den här boken länge då jag har spelat ett av spelen och sett en del av tv-serien och gillade både mycket， men av någon anledning har den fått vänta， men nu är den äntligen läst och jag gillade den！ Jag tyckte mer om vissa noveller än andra men allihopa fångade mitt intresse och boken var otroligt snabbläst。 Världen var mäktig och mycket intressant。 Det var också så int 3，5！Den sista önskningen består av 7 noveller där man får följa huvudkaraktären Geralt i både nutid och dåtid。Jag har velat läsa den här boken länge då jag har spelat ett av spelen och sett en del av tv-serien och gillade både mycket， men av någon anledning har den fått vänta， men nu är den äntligen läst och jag gillade den！ Jag tyckte mer om vissa noveller än andra men allihopa fångade mitt intresse och boken var otroligt snabbläst。 Världen var mäktig och mycket intressant。 Det var också så intressant att få följa Geralt och lära känna honom och jag ser fram emot att läsa mera om honom。 Det var även intressant att få läsa om alla olika monster som han stötte på。 En annan karaktär som var väldigt intressant var Yennefer， och jag ser fram emot att läsa mera om henne。 Språket var målande och fullt av detaljerade miljöbeskrivningar vilket gjorde att det var lätt att föreställa sig hur allt såg ut。Den sista önskningen bjöd på en underhållande och fängslande läsning！ 。。。more

Adina Pascaru ，

Compelling story telling。 I struggled a bit in a chapter where they talk a specific kind of dialect to read but I got through it and in the end it was quite funny as Geralt and Dandelion took on that accent accidentally as well。 Overall I couldn't put it down。 5 starts。 Compelling story telling。 I struggled a bit in a chapter where they talk a specific kind of dialect to read but I got through it and in the end it was quite funny as Geralt and Dandelion took on that accent accidentally as well。 Overall I couldn't put it down。 5 starts。 。。。more

Katrin Li ，

4，5⭐️Lugesin raamatut pärast sarja vaatamist ning nüüd panin sarja uuesti käima。 Muidugi väga palju rohkem on raamatus ja väga palju tausta teadmist tuleb sealt samuti。 4 （4，5） tärni tuleb pigem sellest， et tegemist on lühijuttudega， mis on küll väga hästi kokku põimitud， kuid siiski läbivat teemat raamatus seetõttu ei ole。

Emily ，

I had mixed feelings about this book。 I originally decided to read the series after watching the show because I thought it was awesome。 After reading The Last Wish， I'm not sure if I should continue。 I'll admit， the stories are interesting， however， the blatant misogyny and sexism in this book is astounding。 It pops up in the middle of an otherwise interesting scene and pulls me straight out of the book。 It's so obvious and prevalent that I wasn't even sure about finishing， however， I did。 And h I had mixed feelings about this book。 I originally decided to read the series after watching the show because I thought it was awesome。 After reading The Last Wish， I'm not sure if I should continue。 I'll admit， the stories are interesting， however， the blatant misogyny and sexism in this book is astounding。 It pops up in the middle of an otherwise interesting scene and pulls me straight out of the book。 It's so obvious and prevalent that I wasn't even sure about finishing， however， I did。 And honestly， I'd like to keep going because I'm excited to get the the main saga， but if they're all like this， not sure if I can do it。 。。。more

Diana Laura ，

Se trata de los comienzos del ya popular Geralt de Rivia a modo de cuentos cortos。 Aún así hay una historia de fondo desarrollándose。 Ésto me gustó bastante。 Los cuentos están llenos de criaturas fantásticas a las cuales Geralt debe asesinar。。。 O ayudar， dependiendo de la situación。 Aunque es de los brujos más fuertes sus capacidades tienen un límite y a menudo se coloca en situaciones que bien podrían costarle la vida。 No puedo hacer más que recomendar el libro， pese a ya haber visto su adaptac Se trata de los comienzos del ya popular Geralt de Rivia a modo de cuentos cortos。 Aún así hay una historia de fondo desarrollándose。 Ésto me gustó bastante。 Los cuentos están llenos de criaturas fantásticas a las cuales Geralt debe asesinar。。。 O ayudar， dependiendo de la situación。 Aunque es de los brujos más fuertes sus capacidades tienen un límite y a menudo se coloca en situaciones que bien podrían costarle la vida。 No puedo hacer más que recomendar el libro， pese a ya haber visto su adaptación a la pantalla， logró mantenerme interesada。 。。。more

Benjamin ，

For my podcast recently， we read the first pages of the Witcher book Blood of Elves and I sincerely disliked it， but my cohost and guest told me that I should probably give this book a try， and you know what？ I liked it。 Yeah， there are issues and questions and tropes to be interrogated here -- I certainly raised an eyebrow at how book starts off with witcher Geralt being visited at night by a young woman。 Yeah， the stories that make up this book are very long and the interleaved story that surr For my podcast recently， we read the first pages of the Witcher book Blood of Elves and I sincerely disliked it， but my cohost and guest told me that I should probably give this book a try， and you know what？ I liked it。 Yeah， there are issues and questions and tropes to be interrogated here -- I certainly raised an eyebrow at how book starts off with witcher Geralt being visited at night by a young woman。 Yeah， the stories that make up this book are very long and the interleaved story that surrounds them -- not quite a frame tale -- doesn't really amount to much or make sense to me as a device。 And yes， for many of these stories， Sapkowski is clearly taking some fairytale and just giving it a little twist to place it in his world where freelance monster-hunters travel the country-side with their drug-induced superpowers。 （Shades of Elric's drug habit there。）But still， I enjoyed it: the troubles of freelance monster-hunting; the dilemmas of trying to figure out who the monsters are and whether they're capable of being saved; the costs of being different。 For all that the book starts out with what might be for many readers an aspirational sexual encounter， and for all that Geralt is in many ways a trite badass loner， there's not just aesthetic coolness to his unrootedness -- there's a real sense of alienation here。I also want to single out one thing Sapkowski （and his translators） do well， which is to have characters monologues be interesting， not just in telling us whatever the story is （"I was a bandit， I did some horrible things， I was turned into a beast"） but in letting their voice tell us who they are。A quick note on shelving: this is clearly not historical in the literal sense， but there's a real sense of European historical social construction that gives this a lived in sense that is sometimes lacking from the "I built this fantasy world after only reading fantasy books" style of fantasy。 （Is that ahistorical fantasy a particularly American failure/expression of the genre？） 。。。more

Morgan Whitesell ，

Really exciting book！ I became interested in this book series after the show on Netflix。 I started reading this book around 2 years after seeing the show。 I really enjoyed the book and comparing the two。 The book is similar to the show， but there are definitely large differences。 I enjoyed reading each story in the book and found the timeline easier to follow in the book than the show！ So far， this book and the one after this are my favorite books of the series。

Davenport Public Library ，

Skillfully introduces a unique fantasy world through a short story format that makes homages to well-known fairy and folk tales; humor mixes with action for a deeply readable adventure。 Geralt remains apart from the other characters but is still relatable; each character is deeply human （apart from the elves who are deeply elvish） with a wry humorous edge - the troubadour Dandelion most of all。 The story's gradual reveal of Geralt's past is very effective and sets up sequels neatly， while remain Skillfully introduces a unique fantasy world through a short story format that makes homages to well-known fairy and folk tales; humor mixes with action for a deeply readable adventure。 Geralt remains apart from the other characters but is still relatable; each character is deeply human （apart from the elves who are deeply elvish） with a wry humorous edge - the troubadour Dandelion most of all。 The story's gradual reveal of Geralt's past is very effective and sets up sequels neatly， while remaining a solid standalone。 Recommended for lovers of fantasy with a teaspoon of humor， and especially for those wanting background on the very popular Netflix show。 。。。more

Victoria Blandino ，

The Last Wish is an interesting blend of high fantasy and dark fairy tales， while also serving as a deconstruction of those genres。 Although this book is a collection of short stories that are only loosely connected， they do an adequate job of introducing the main characters and settings of The Witcher Saga。 Some of the short stories were definitely more entertaining and humorous than others， but all of the stories worked together to build a picture of who the Witcher is as a character。 I think The Last Wish is an interesting blend of high fantasy and dark fairy tales， while also serving as a deconstruction of those genres。 Although this book is a collection of short stories that are only loosely connected， they do an adequate job of introducing the main characters and settings of The Witcher Saga。 Some of the short stories were definitely more entertaining and humorous than others， but all of the stories worked together to build a picture of who the Witcher is as a character。 I think Gerald is interesting primarily because he is already a fully fledged Witcher， in control of his powers， and is renown in his profession。 This is unusual in a fantasy protagonist and makes for fascinating reading。 I did find Geralt’s sudden infatuation near the end of the book to be less than compelling， primarily because it felt incredibly sudden and really out of character。 However， my biggest concern with this book was the author’s choice to imbue his fantasy world with such nagging misogyny。 The majority of the female characters were treated quite badly and the author did a poor job of discussing topics like rape with any sort of tact。 I hope to see growth in this regard over the course of the series — particularly regarding Calanthe and Yennifer’s characters as they have potential to be quite compelling。 Overall， I enjoyed the blend of genres and character introductions in this book， but feel that the author fell short in some areas with regards to development and tact。 I think I would like to read a complete narrative in this series， rather than a fragmented selection of stories in order to really understand the world building and hopefully see more nuance and development。 。。。more

Ashley ，

I love this book。 I like how the characters have humor。 Can't wait to read the rest of the series。 I love this book。 I like how the characters have humor。 Can't wait to read the rest of the series。 。。。more

Jamie Harris ，

3。5 stars

Adela ，

3，5/5

Marcelle Blaser ，

I just love these books and the series。。。

Anthony Broadley ，

Decided to reread this in order to start the second book and really enjoyed it。 Short stories interwoven between a main storyline， a good introduction to Geralt。 Recommended。

Jonathan Taylor ，

I’ll start with the things that stand out to me about this book， and perhaps the most meaningful of these is Geralt himself。 His reputation does him something of a disservice， I expected him to be a more typical action hero protagonist， his job description requires him to fight monsters， after all， but I was surprised to see he is a bit more careful and calculating than this label applies to him， he reads a lot more like a craftsman than a warrior。 And even as a warrior he is very deliberate， he I’ll start with the things that stand out to me about this book， and perhaps the most meaningful of these is Geralt himself。 His reputation does him something of a disservice， I expected him to be a more typical action hero protagonist， his job description requires him to fight monsters， after all， but I was surprised to see he is a bit more careful and calculating than this label applies to him， he reads a lot more like a craftsman than a warrior。 And even as a warrior he is very deliberate， he doesn’t just jump into fights， not as a rule at least， he assesses what he’s up against， he then selects his tools， and gets to it。 He’s also surprisingly adept at discerning the intentions of others。 He understands motivations and what they can drive people to do。 Also， a lot of the combat focuses on his agility， he pirouettes， he steps aside， he goes back and forth… there’s lots of mobility here， lots of utilisation of the available space。In keeping with that， the stories themselves are more dialogue-driven then plot-driven， there are lots of meetings and lots of discussions， and all of these discussions serve to fill out the world。 We get to learn a lot about the characters and the settings where these stories take place， what defines the world in general， how certain elements have changed and what influence that change brings， as well as tons of revelations that， surprisingly， build on each other in fresh and cohesive ways。I fully credit the Witcher series for making fairy tale retellings the mainstay of modern fantasy， and Sapkowski leans into that fully， he embraces the naturalistic chaos that emerges from stacking a wide variety of influences and actors on top of each other and describing the result。 That is true even in darker aspects of the world that result from these interactions， he does not shy away from potentially being troubling。 This doesn’t always work， though， there are various instances where certain aspects and details are deliberately kept vague， thereby killing the pay-off， or there are just moments where you， the reader， have to peace it together despite not having the knowledge to do so effectively。 Those moments， however， are few and far between， the stories are generally enthralling as well as well-paced and well-presented。Sapkowski also has great command of characters and characterisation。 Dandilion， aka Jaskier， as well as Yennefer make their debuts in this book， and they also give off differing impressions than their reputations suggest。 I expected Dandilion to be an Oscar-Wilde-like hypocrisy-smashing dandy entertainer， only to instead be greeted by a Till Eulenspiegel figure， a jokester with moments of depth and insight， but who generally has vulgar or obscene thoughts on his mind。 Surprisingly he’s still very funny， and the comedic duo chemistry he and Geralt have going is quite charming。 Also， to the shippers out there， I see your point。 Yennefer is also a lot more devious and humorous than I expected her to be， and the aura she gives off in the short story that gives the book its title is mesmerizing。Every other character who shows up in this book is as developed as they need to be。 Some are fast-talking tricksters， some are solemn and dignified， some are just brutish guards， and most of them work within their stories， even if few generally stand out。 I also enjoy how connected to nature and each other the various characters and communities actually are。 These connections really showcase to the audience how different everything is， and what life in the setting generally implies。 It makes the world itself seem more naturalistic， and helps bring the stakes of the stories to life， by giving you a direct sense of what they mean or require in order to be completed or accomplished。 。。。more

Natasha Andrew ，

Absolutely Amazing

Julia ，

why do old， male fantasy authors hate women so much？？？？？

Yehuda ，

I read this in preparation for the upcoming 2nd season of the Witcher on Netflix。 First few stories I was absolutely obsessed with。 It hooks you and I couldn't put it down。 Last few stories I got bored。 Was much much worse。 There's also a lot of sexism throughout the book。 Women are very much all sex objects for the narrator and Geralt。 I enjoyed the show a lot more but this was a good read。 I read this in preparation for the upcoming 2nd season of the Witcher on Netflix。 First few stories I was absolutely obsessed with。 It hooks you and I couldn't put it down。 Last few stories I got bored。 Was much much worse。 There's also a lot of sexism throughout the book。 Women are very much all sex objects for the narrator and Geralt。 I enjoyed the show a lot more but this was a good read。 。。。more

Talia ，

4。5

Nina ，

listening to this audiobook >> every single tv/movie adaptation ever made

Solim ，

I am biased because I love everything Witcher aside the TV show。 These stories introduce characters that will surface in the core series so anyone looking to read these， needs at least this book first。 All of the stories were fun and had their own fairytale spin。 Great pace and a solid translation。

dani ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5 A great collection of short stories。 Geralt is such a mood， I love him。 Not going to lie， definitely reading this because of the release of season 2 on Netflix。 Overall I really enjoyed this book although it wasn’t spectacular。 This was an interesting way to introduce many important characters。 I wish that the writing was more descriptive。 I am excited to continue this series and fall further in love with Geralt。

Julia ，

I listened to this audiobook and I am now rewatch go the series。 I really enjoyed hearing the stories of Gerald from season 1。 The stories are really good and I enjoy their format as compilation。 May give it some time before reading any more books of the series。

OliwiaKurosz ，

3，5

Erik Anderson ，

The Last Wish is a fun set of stories that draw heavily from classic fairy tales， with a monster hunting spin。 I thought the interludes were distracting and might have been more effective as a final story that kind of ties it all together。

Shannon Radcliffe ，

This was so fun。 All of the stories were great。 No skips。 This was a great refresher of the events of season 1 of the show as season 2 is coming soon， but I will definitely be continuing the books as well。

Laura Bartlett ，

Absolutely loved this！

Amy Scalera ，

Two qualms with this book are making me give it a 3 star rating。 First， it’s not clear that this is a collection of short stories based on the description and maybe it’s unfair to dock it a star for that， but it wasn’t what I was expecting。 The stories are pretty engaging and the works created was cool BUT （secondly） I was pretty unhappy with the author’s treatment of women。 It wasn’t so pervasive that it completely ruined the stories for me but it was enough to limit my enjoyment。 There are lot Two qualms with this book are making me give it a 3 star rating。 First， it’s not clear that this is a collection of short stories based on the description and maybe it’s unfair to dock it a star for that， but it wasn’t what I was expecting。 The stories are pretty engaging and the works created was cool BUT （secondly） I was pretty unhappy with the author’s treatment of women。 It wasn’t so pervasive that it completely ruined the stories for me but it was enough to limit my enjoyment。 There are lots of little jokes and commentaries made throughout and careless treatment of women and I also can’t help but notice that every “monster” in every story is a woman or under control of one and it really gives the message that women are conniving and evil。 I’m hoping the TV show handles these aspects of the stories better。 。。。more

O。 U。 ，

TLDR， because this one's going to have some baggage。 5/5， easy。 This book has heart and soul and is filled to the brim with emotion。 The characters and stories are memorable， the settings are mostly forgettable。 Get ready for some philosophizing and also for the main character to fuck his way through a few of the interactions。 In a good way， it feels like a journey with no destination in mind。 Now on to the bulk of the review。 This is my second read through of this book， the first was from the a TLDR， because this one's going to have some baggage。 5/5， easy。 This book has heart and soul and is filled to the brim with emotion。 The characters and stories are memorable， the settings are mostly forgettable。 Get ready for some philosophizing and also for the main character to fuck his way through a few of the interactions。 In a good way， it feels like a journey with no destination in mind。 Now on to the bulk of the review。 This is my second read through of this book， the first was from the ass end of 2015 and in bits an pieces throughout the first half of 2016。 I'm going to let myself be biased for a couple of reasons。One， I discovered this series as most people did， through the video games， specifically the third。 I played it at a point in my life where a lot of things about my future were uncertain， and it gave me the escapism I so desperately ached for at that time。 I consider it one of my favorite pieces of media to date。 There is no way I could read this book in an unbiased manner with that in mind， in fact， that bias， along with my motivation for reading being at an all time low， stalled my first read through constantly throughout my first year of college。 That brings me into my second reason for bias， I've read this book once before， granted I didn't retain too much of it。 I kept that in mind as I started it a second time。 Could I consider a book I didn't remember to be good？ Third， and possibly the biggest cause for bias。 I'm Slavic。 I immigrated to the US from the Balkans at a young age。 This series is completely rooted in Slavic myth， the music from the game has a band singing in Polish， and Bulgarian in some cases。 I could even understand some of the words being sung。 I can't express to you how much this representation means to me。 So， with all that in mind。 This book is not afraid of being emotional， or philosophical。 This book has plenty of fight sequences， but not all of them are physical， some are just characters discussing their ideals， their thoughts， trying to goad the other into breaking， etc。。。 It's been about an hour since I started writing this review and I'm having trouble formulating my thoughts because this book is a feast of sentiments。 It takes the time to humanize inhuman characters， it shows us that humans themselves can be the real monsters， that time and society will move on without us if we don't adapt， that some choices aren't really choices at all， greater evils， lesser evils， political intrigues of all sorts。 This book stops to take a deep whiff of every single philosophical rose in it's path。 It's written in a very familiar way， it takes the times to describe how the characters feel in length， sometimes to the point of being redundant。 I think there are more pros to this than cons。 Settings are described as being more set pieces rather than settings。 I can praise this and say "Well， within the context of the main character always being on the road and constantly having to look for dangerous work， isn't it appropriate that all of the settings are as unfamiliar to us as they are to him？ Do we need an attachment to the setting if we're going to be leaving once the job is done？" On the other hand， I can also say that the same uncaring attitude that haphazardly crafted the various locales also seemed to be at the helm of most of the interludes， the ending， and some of the women in this book。 The short stories as they are， not counting the interludes at the Temple， are really well done。 I found them to be either exciting and full of depth， or fun and charming。 I definitely wasn't expecting this book to be full of humor either， though that one where the country bumkins spoke ridiculously was difficult to get through and that joke went on for too long。 Nivellen's story happened to be my favorite as I think it captures the ideals at the heart of this book。 Also， Dandelion steals every scene he is in and acts as a perfect counterweight to Geralt。 The interludes that I keep complaining about are fine， they get the job of bridging the stories done， I just wish some of them had more substance rather than being， "Oh yeah， that one time we did that one thing was crazy， how did it go again？" This also applies to the final few segments of the book after "The Last Wish" story。 I almost feel like it should've ended there with Yennefer。 This would be a good time to touch on the women of this book。 It's a toss up。 Yennefer seems to be a strong character， but we're seeing her through Geralt's obsessive eyes。 He gives us more of his own impression of her than the one she shows us。 Renfri seems to be the typical "character getting revenge" and acts as more of an ideal/choice for Geralt to adhere to or reject。 Pavetta is literally just an overpowered plot point。 Nenneke and Queen Calanthe I think are some of the better written women in this book。 For one， neither of them want anything to do with Geralt emotionally or sexually。 They're also shown interacting with other characters alongside Geralt or without Geralt being involved。 They aren't reduced to a simple ideal and they don't really fall into an archetype。 Also， their dialogue is written really well。 All in all， this book holds up really well against the behemoths that are the games and the show。 Sure， the games might give you literally everything you want from this series （they're set after the books）， and the show handles some of these stories in a better way， but that same heart and spirit are in this book。 The ideas that the show constantly references （i。e。 greater/lesser evils， fate/destiny， etc。） are in full blast。 Same as any other book/show or movie comparison， the book just gives you more on the characters， well mostly Geralt， the show did an exceptional job with Yen and her backstory。5/5。 If I'm forced to choose between a good book and a great book， I'd rather not choose at all。。。 Wait no， the great book。。？ Or maybe both。。？ Uh。。？ 。。。more

Natalia ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Gdy zaczęłam ją czytać jakiś czasu temu byłam do niej ogromnie uprzedzona。 Wrocilam jednak do niej i bardzi sie wkrecilam w wiedzminski swiat。 Ksiazka naprawde ciekawa， ciagle trzyma poziom i caly czas dzieje sie w niej akcja co dla mnie jest niezwykle wazne。 Poczucie humoru Geralta to cos cudownego Zdecydowanie zacheca do siegniecia po drugi tom。 ！！！SPOJLER！！！Naprawde podobało mi się opowiadanie z Renfri i polubiłam ją。 Tak samo z królową i Yennefer。 Moją ulubioną postacią natomiast jest Jaskie Gdy zaczęłam ją czytać jakiś czasu temu byłam do niej ogromnie uprzedzona。 Wrocilam jednak do niej i bardzi sie wkrecilam w wiedzminski swiat。 Ksiazka naprawde ciekawa， ciagle trzyma poziom i caly czas dzieje sie w niej akcja co dla mnie jest niezwykle wazne。 Poczucie humoru Geralta to cos cudownego Zdecydowanie zacheca do siegniecia po drugi tom。 ！！！SPOJLER！！！Naprawde podobało mi się opowiadanie z Renfri i polubiłam ją。 Tak samo z królową i Yennefer。 Moją ulubioną postacią natomiast jest Jaskier。 Mimo swojej czestej glupoty naprawde przypadł mi do gustu 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Last Wish

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Last Wish&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Last Wish&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0