💬 Review The Last Wish

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Emmanuel1337

Novice Lv1️⃣
Member for 4 years


"The Last Wish" is a collection of short stories in a fantasy setting published by polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, being the first book of "The Witcher" series.

Everybody knows fantasy and I imagine that the things that come to mind when you think about it are something along the lines of knights in plate armor fighting dragons, and this is indeed a cliché scene of this genre that's very present in the collective consciousness, but "The Witcher" series takes the classical themes of fantasy that were popularized by J. R. R. Tolkien (elves, dragons, dwarves, knights, prophecies and whatnot) and also reframes popular fairy tales, inserting it's own twist, philosophy and critique with a charm that only Andrzej Sapkowski has, birthing a very dark, cruel and interesting universe to read about. But enough of talking about the series as a whole, let's dwell on the review.

The book, being one of the two collections of short stories present is this series, serves to introduce the reader to characters and important events that drive and shape the main plot that develops in the rest of the saga. The book is composed of 7 short stories, being 6 of them presented by having the protagonist, the witcher Geralt of Rivia, have flashbacks of recent events of his life, while the other one is the very present, as he's resting in a temple due to a "field accident". They are the following (I'll give brief descriptions for each, trying to keep it focused on what I think to be the central points and also not to directly spoil anything important for new readers):
- The Voice of Reason: being the "frame story" that represents the present, it is divided in 7 parts and goes back and forth between the other short stories that are set in the past. Here we can see the main character interact with people that he knows for quite some time and he cares about, so we get to see him being more at ease, showing some vulnerabilities and sides of him that he normally hides;
- The Witcher: this one describe the most recent past events that led Geralt to his present at the temple. It shows the reader many of the dynamics of being a witcher -- how they're usually treated, how they work and how they can often get caught up in the big plots that are schemed amidst the higher ranks of society;
- A Grain of Truth: this one is a wild reimagination of the popular fairy tale "The Beauty and the Beast". Something that in my opinion should be highlighted in this story is that it shows that Geralt, although being the protagonist and a very skilled monster hunter, isn't by any means infallible and can find himself in very difficult situations, specially if caught by surprise, unprepared. After realizing this fact, I ended up fearing more for his life when he found himself facing seemingly powerful opponents, as there was always the possibility of a little mistake that could cost everything;
- The Lesser Evil: much like the last one, this is a wild reimagination of the "Snow White" fairy tale with some references to other princess-related ones being incorporated too, like "Rapunzel". It's plot defies the moral views of the protagonist, showing that the real world doesn't play by the rules of his code and that although he wants to remain neutral, he'll always end up being forced to pick a side and probably never know for sure if it was the right one. Does he chooses the lesser or the greater evil? Are those the only choices or it's a false dichotomy? How does he know which is which? Also, can an individual really be born cursed, truly evil, or the events that shaped his life are the ones that have the sole power to make him that way? Those are just some of the many questions that are raised by this story and the reader should finish it with the idea that morality isn't black and white at all in this series -- it manifests itself in many shades of grey that are often indistinguishable. It's one of my personal favorites (fun fact: the writer's too);
- A Question of Price: Geralt just wants to kill monsters, but finds himself entangled again in the interests of the higher classes and gets his line of work confused by being hired to fulfill the plans of the royalty. This description only scrapes the very surface of this story, being the most important of this book in regards to the main plot of the entire series, as it shows the events that directly sparkles it, stablishing the power of concepts such as prophecies and destiny in this world;
- The Edge of the World: it's a very interesting story, as it bears many comical elements but also some heavy social critique about the terrible impact that humans made in the world, essentially destroying the life of other species without caring on the slightest. It also touches on the idea that it's better to learn to adapt to the harsh world around you instead of letting yourself be destroyed by it;
- The Last Wish: the one that gives the name to the book itself. It starts in a very casual tone, but escalates quickly, leading Geralt to a character that changes his life entirely. We see an epic magical battle, destiny tying lives again, and the start of one of the most complex relationships ever -- one that you'll hate and love throughout its development in the series.

Would I recommend it to other people? Definitely. It's the first book of my favorite series of all time, and if you're a fan of fantasy like I am, you'll probably love it. If you don't like the genre too much, I recommend that you give it a chance nonetheless, as this series has way more to give than just the fantastic theme.

Warning: The book does contain violence, strong language and sexual themes, so I guess it isn't advised for you to read it if under 16 years, but do what you will (I can't stop you, nor do I want to lol).

Rating(1-5): ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
 
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Azura Shadow

þª®†—‡¹M³—Ãñg³¦
Member for 5 years
Totally awesome review 😊 I adore fairytales and retellings , Its one of the first things that attracted me to The witcher , also the Lore was fascinating to follow , and the weaponry 😍 it was just fab to see those come to life in the game
 

Emmanuel1337

Novice Lv1️⃣
Member for 4 years
Totally awesome review 😊 I adore fairytales and retellings , Its one of the first things that attracted me to The witcher , also the Lore was fascinating to follow , and the weaponry 😍 it was just fab to see those come to life in the game
Thanks, Azura! All The Witcher games seem to be amazing, but I only played the first one. My computer can't handle the others at all and I'm not much of a console gamer, so I'll just have to wait until I can buy a better one haha.
 

Azura Shadow

þª®†—‡¹M³—Ãñg³¦
Member for 5 years
Thanks, Azura! All The Witcher games seem to be amazing, but I only played the first one. My computer can't handle the others at all and I'm not much of a console gamer, so I'll just have to wait until I can buy a better one haha.
Awh well I hope you can upgrade soon and play the rest , they were awesome 😋
 

ch90ch91

In Love Lv4️⃣
Member for 3 years
Beautiful book to read. The review is also well articulated and give comprehensive overview.
 
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