The Last Wish by Andrzej Shapkowski

Title: The Last Wish: Introducing the Witcher
Author: Andrzej Shapkowski
Genre: High fantasy
Year of Publication: 1993
Official Translation: 2007 by Danusia Stok
Series: The Witcher Links: Amazon, Goodreads

Summary

The Last Wish is a collection of short stories set before Shapkowski’s Witcher series. The stories follow Geralt, who is part of a race of mutant monster hunters called witchers. Ironically, people believe that witchers are monsters too, and Geralt has spent his life scorned by the world. He travels his world hunting monsters for money and has learned not to expect gratitude. Despite Geralt’s brutal career, he stands as a moral pillar in a world full of corruption. He abides by strict morals of his own creation that guide him as he travels in search of monsters.

Review

I started reading The Last Wish with very low expectations. From what I read about the story, I figured the series would be depressing, and I would be disappointed by the characters. I was very wrong. The complex characters and their social dynamics are what make this story worth reading. Many of the topics addressed throughout the stories were sad, but the interesting, and often comical, characters definitely lightened the tone. Shapkowski has a very direct way of writing that I found refreshing. Even the titles of each short story describe the theme presented in that particular story.

I loved that Shapkowski wasn’t afraid to address topics like misogyny, violence, and manipulation as they truly are. Some topics are addressed directly using Geralt as the “voice of reason” while other topics are left for the reader to find. I found this especially intriguing, and could probably go on for hours about the moral implications present in The Last Wish. Each of the characters is flawed, even Geralt, which made them so much more interesting. I loved and hated all of them.

The story mainly follows Geralt, but we are also introduced to other characters that play important roles in his life. I liked most of the characters but honestly did not like Yennefer. She was only present in one of the short stories, and her actions were selfish and reckless. This, however, seemed to be exactly what the author indented. Yennefer was hated by almost all of the other characters, and I definitely agreed. There was some suggestion that there was more to her character, so I’m excited to see how she develops.

Time Jumps

Because this book is really a collection of short stories, there are time jumps. I found the jumps confusing at first, but it made more sense as a went along. I recommend just reading the stories and not worrying about the timeline at first. The purpose of these short stories is to introduce the characters in a mysterious and alluring way. There are many pieces to the story, and it is super fun to experience them as they fall together.

Trigger Warnings

Part of the reason I was hesitant to start The Last Wish is the “adult content”. I usually read parental guides and a few reviews before reading a new book just to see what I’m getting into. What I read implied that the story would be biased towards men and contain lots of graphic sex and violence. While this is an adult novel, and you should expect sex and violence, I did not think these topics were presented unfairly. Shapkowski was not afraid to address issues like genocide, politics, and how both men and women try and control each other. One of my favorite parts of how Shapkowski presented these topics was how characters tried to justify their actions. I thought this accurately reflected the real world and made me love The Last Wish even more.

Reading Order

I had trouble figuring out which order to read the Witcher series in, so I thought I’d share my experience. The Last Wish and Sword of Destiney are not actually part of the series, but they do have a lot of important background. I chose to read the short stories before the series, and am super happy did. I loved seeing characters I knew show up in the series and being able to recognize them and their behavior.

Rating and Recommendation

Overall I rate this story 4 out of 5. It was a great introduction to the characters filled with action and intrigue. My only criticism of The Last Wish is that it is just an introduction. The stories made me want to read more but did not complete the full arc of a story on their own. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes fantasy and/or great character development.

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