The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
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Book Reviews of The Last Wish
Book Review: Elric, Drizzt and Geralt
Summary: 5 Stars
The Last Wish is a great fantasy book and Sapkowski really deserves more praise and exposure in the English-speaking (-reading) world.
This is a book of short stories linked together by another "flashback" short story. I dislike short story books, usually, but this one feels more like a novel because all the stories are about the same character, Geralt, The Witcher. Geralt is a warrior/sorceror in the same vein as Elric and Drizzt. He fights monsters and helps people, but is widely mistrusted by the "common people" he encounters. He is just one of many very interesting characters invented by Sapkowski, who seems to excel at characterisation and dialogue more than anything else.
The stories are action-packed and take place in a world which is part medieval Europe and part Grimm's Fairytale. If you like the idea of Evil Alice in Wonderland and other dark twists on children's stories then that is the sort of thing you will encounter here, since Sapkowski's world often portrays the "true" meaning behind fairytales, where princesses are locked in towers for good reasons and heroic rescuing princes often get their throats clawed out.
I can offer some minor criticism, but most of it can be aimed at many fantasy authors and not just Sapkowski. I dislike the "comedy rogue" characters that fantasy authors often feel the need to pair with the serious warrior types. Dandilion the Bard manages to walk the fine line between amusing and annoying - just - and I am glad he is only featured in a couple of stories. I also dislike the standard fantasy female-interest like Yennefer the Sorceress, who is basically a smug spoiled b-word but everyone makes allowances for her because she looks good. The fact that Geralt falls for most of her tricks is almost out of character for him and his fascination with her is hard to believe. Most of the great (male) fantasy authors have similar characters in their classic novels. I am mostly disappointed because I was expecting Sapkowski to break the mold.
I would stongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Drizzt, Elric, Conan, Fafhrd and Grey Mouser - any of those fantasy tales where the fantasy world is what it is, good and evil are not absolutes, rulers are not all that noble, and there are no Dark Lords with ideas of world domination. Sapkowski is up there with the best authors of that set and his stories are original and engaging. The translation is good and I would never have known it was a translation had I not read so. I have to say that I feel that Sapkowksi in his original language must be very good indeed.
Book Review: Holy Polish!!
Summary: 5 Stars
WOW is about all that's needed to cover this.
This is a collection of short stories that center around the main character. All the short stories however are tied together in a linear fashion by essentially using them as flashbacks in an all-encompasing story. Each one moves the main story forward in terms of background and plot until a complete whole is formed. I cannot fully express how impressed I am with the integration, excellent work.
Moreover, the characters are really great in framing the story sufficently while also allowing for the main character Geralt to be less concrete ans therefore more mysterious. I don't know, it you know too much about something you seem to lose interest or awe of it and geralt never seems to have that problem.
The basic premise is that he is a being called a Witcher. This is someone who is like a cross between Dog the Bounty Hunter and Blade. He has special powers that allow him to be far more of a badass than the average human, but he's not so powerful that he is invulnerable to everything but the fantasy analog of Kryptonite. He shows up and says, "Hey need any monsters killed? I'll do it for a buck." This allows him to have great action scenes and still need to depend on others. Furthermore, the seeming emotional turmoil roiling under his surface is so brilliantly understated in this writing that it makes me wonder why the author's other writngs haven't been translated yet? I was afterall, under the impression that businessess enjoyed making money(I know shareholders do).
Through this collection of sometimes fast-paced fighting and well expressed germanic/scandanavian-styled fantasy, the stories carry an irreverent spin on many childhood fairy-tales (although I am certain Tolkien would take issue with the source material for these stories being called that). One such example is where Geralt is having a problem getting work. The only potential work around is a town with a troll living under its bridge, but the townspeople want him left alone because he does a really good job of maintaining it -- like some fantasy handy-man -- great stuff.
In short, if you're looking for something that has the feel of Tolkien/Norse Mythos then this is really a great modern twist on the genre. It's sword and sorcery meets Dog the Bounty Hunter meets give me more. BTW, if you read it and become a fan, the videogame industry HAS managed to capitalize on this series and there are some associated games that are none too shabby.
Book Review: I already pre-ordered the sequel...
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book, I pre-ordered the sequel:
Blood of Elves (The Witcher)
I want to clarify one thing. The book inspired the videogame, not the other way around. So if you aren't a "gamer", don't be diswayed. This is a great book.
The Last Wish is never going to be mistaken for high literature. It's never going to be compared to a work by Shakespeare, Dickens, or Faulkner. There are no sentences that are a paragraph in length. There are no metaphors that require Cliff Notes to understand.
Ok, now that I've explained what the Last Wish isn't, let me explain what it is. It is a great casual read. A series of short stories following an individual, Geralt of Rivia, who hunts evil creatures of the world. The problem is, what is evil? Who is he to decide who is evil and who isn't? Geralt repeatedly finds himself in situations where he is asked to play judge, jury and executioner. Therein lies the moral conundrum. Everybody has a reason for doing things. In each's own eyes, they are innocent and doing the right thing. Who is Geralt, or anybody for that matter, to decide who is more just?
If I was to sell it to a publisher, I'd sell it as a Fantasy book with a twist of Aesop, and a sprinkle of Robert E. Howard(the creator of the original Conan short stories).
None of the stories are heavy handed. The diction and syntax are 9th grade-level. The individual stories are short enough that they can be read in little 15-30 minutes chunks, ideal for a subway commuter. But the plots are complex. The moral decisions facing Geralt are complex.
In our society, ideologues are becoming more and more pervasive. People who are so interested in being right, that they stop caring what is right. The world created by Andrzej Sapkowski, although taking place in a fantastical world, is not so disimilar from the world in which we live. People who declare themselves to be our white knights are often times our biggest scoundrels.
I give this book 5 stars for entertainment, readability, and thought-provoking plots. Definitely go out and get this book. Everybody should be able to find something they enjoy in this highly entertaining and fast-paced book.
Book Review: Eagerly awaiting the rest of the stories...
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this English edition from a UK seller, and had it in my hand less than a week after ordering, so if you don't want to wait until May, try that. I really enjoyed this book, which is a collection of short stories strung together in the form of flashbacks as Geralt is healing up at the temple of Melitele after battling the strzyga. It roughly follows the episodes in the Wiedzmin TV series (coughTorrentcough) but are of course much better. I don't imagine they retain the apparent charm of the original Polish versions, but they still stand up as very engaging middle-brow fantasy. It's not meant to be Tolkien, but neither is it Robert E. Howard pulp (which isn't to say I don't very much enjoy the Conan stories!). Geralt is a somewhat conflicted character, fighting against the standards of his upbringing and his own moral impulses, and the choices he makes result in poignant and realistic stories. He's not the typical nihilistic douchebag character that many modern medieval/fantasy writers like to use to pretend to be 'deep' or morally ambiguous (Cornwell!). Rather, Geralt is dealing with a world where the ideals he's set for himself are becoming less and less applicable, and telling the difference between human and nonhuman monsters is difficult. But it's not heavy-handed philosophy- the situations he encounters invariably involve some sweet action where he uses his brains as well as his swords to slice up baddies. And when he wins without fighting I didn't feel cheated or that it was some Kumbaya preaching. There were some points, like in the bar in Wyzim, where I felt he was unnecessarily violent, and it seemed a bit gratuitous or a cheap device to move the plot. But these are I believe the first of the Witcher's stories, so they can be forgiven for being a little inconsistent. The sensibilities of the stories could only have emerged, I think, from a place like Poland, which has until only recently suffered some of the worst manifestations of 'human' ugliness and has more than theoretical or philosophical acquaintance with it. Geralt is an extremely rich and fascinating character, and I look forward to the English translations of the rest of Sapkowski's stories.
Book Review: A Brilliant Set Of Short Stories!,
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked this book up after reading all of the reviews on Amazon and after doing a bit of research into Sapkowski and his other works. And I must say that I truly enjoyed this piece of fantasy fiction, I believe that these short stories bring a bit of history behind the mane character Geralt and those of his friends and allies. We look into the main character as a person and both of his personalities not just as the dreaded Witcher who travels the continent saving people and killing other worldly monsters, we see a person who is loyal to his friends and can despite his profession be charitable to others.We also see Geralt taking extra chances with his own personal safety to insure those touched or changed by magic or other dark beings are returned to their former selves, this does show that Geralt the infamous witcher does have have good side to him, although it is often overlooked.
But on the flip side we often see a cold blooded and violent killer who has little use for those he considers inferior. He often uses normal people as mere props to get his point of view across, the very first story we see Geralt in a small town looking for an inn to stay in, while there he is the cause of an argument in which he kills three men purely so his reputation will be noticed. So the reader will see a rather complex character, a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde persona if you will. This makes Geralt one of the most fascinating characters i've read in the Fantasy genre to date. When all is said and done this book is a great addition to any fantasy lovers collection, there is action, magic and some great one liners that had me in fits of laughter, i'm truly looking forward to reading any other work by Sapkowski in the future.