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shelbyslifer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Cursing and Colonisation
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Racism, Murder, and Gore
lacrimaeignis's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
To begin with, for those that may not know, this book is considered by many to be the first to read in the Witcher series because it introduces the reader to the world and the concepts of the Witcher. Rather than being a full novel, it is a collection of short stories that set up the plot for the series. If you like epic fantasy with lots of action and magic and high stakes you should give this series a try (and remember the books are different than the videogames and tv series).
I bought this book back in 2010 and forgot I owned it until the Netflix show first aired. I had played the videogames and so naturally I was curious as to how the show would be. Then I found my copy of The Last Wish once more and immediately began reading. Life threw me in for a loop and unfortunately, this book got put on the back burner for a while. But I restarted it a few months ago and have finally finished it! I only wish I had finished it sooner!
Although I genuinely enjoy all versions, out of the three, I like the book the best and I cannot wait to continue reading this series. It's so interesting seeing the different versions of Geralt but book Geralt is definitely the most intriguing and sympathetic iteration to me. He is just as formidable and gruff and sarcastic but he comes across as kinder and more soft-hearted and he truly treasures those he deems friends. He's one of the best morally gray characters that I have had the pleasure to see written.
I love getting more into his mind and I love that in the book, he is actually quite the scholar in many ways. He's just as intelligent (although does make some dumb decisions on occasion) as he is talented with his swords. Book Geralt is also more open-minded and willing to challenge his own beliefs by learning and taking into consideration others' viewpoints than his counterparts tend to.
But what I love most about the book is the prose. At times, the descriptions are so poetic and beautiful that I wouldn't be surprised if Dandilion/Jaskier had written them for a ballad. The lines that made me absolutely fall in love with this writing style was, ' It had taken a long time, he thought, before this dance on the edge of an abyss, this mad, macabre ballet of a fight, had achieved the desired effect, allowed him to psychically become one with his opponent, to reach the underlayers of concentrated will which permeated the striga.'
I truly enjoyed joining Geralt on his many adventures and I will definitely be continuing the journey.
I bought this book back in 2010 and forgot I owned it until the Netflix show first aired. I had played the videogames and so naturally I was curious as to how the show would be. Then I found my copy of The Last Wish once more and immediately began reading. Life threw me in for a loop and unfortunately, this book got put on the back burner for a while. But I restarted it a few months ago and have finally finished it! I only wish I had finished it sooner!
Although I genuinely enjoy all versions, out of the three, I like the book the best and I cannot wait to continue reading this series. It's so interesting seeing the different versions of Geralt but book Geralt is definitely the most intriguing and sympathetic iteration to me. He is just as formidable and gruff and sarcastic but he comes across as kinder and more soft-hearted and he truly treasures those he deems friends. He's one of the best morally gray characters that I have had the pleasure to see written.
I love getting more into his mind and I love that in the book, he is actually quite the scholar in many ways. He's just as intelligent (although does make some dumb decisions on occasion) as he is talented with his swords. Book Geralt is also more open-minded and willing to challenge his own beliefs by learning and taking into consideration others' viewpoints than his counterparts tend to.
But what I love most about the book is the prose. At times, the descriptions are so poetic and beautiful that I wouldn't be surprised if Dandilion/Jaskier had written them for a ballad. The lines that made me absolutely fall in love with this writing style was, ' It had taken a long time, he thought, before this dance on the edge of an abyss, this mad, macabre ballet of a fight, had achieved the desired effect, allowed him to psychically become one with his opponent, to reach the underlayers of concentrated will which permeated the striga.'
I truly enjoyed joining Geralt on his many adventures and I will definitely be continuing the journey.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, Violence, and Death
khymihr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Misogyny
Moderate: Classism, Death, Rape, and Gore
amelianotthepilot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
very 'women are evil or whores' :/
i don’t get the hype
but I tried to read it with a grain of salt since it was written in the 90s, is Polish, and at least the fantasy world is fun.
collection of short stories of Geralt of Rivia the Witcher. First a story about a 'striga' who could only be cured/defeated by spending the night with her in the castle, then thee was a beauty and the beast-esque story, then a snow-white-esque demon slayer, and then a quick story about a beast who terrorized a town to trade with elves, and finally the story of Yennifer a witch who he falls in love with who asks to heal his bard friend.
i don’t get the hype
but I tried to read it with a grain of salt since it was written in the 90s, is Polish, and at least the fantasy world is fun.
collection of short stories of Geralt of Rivia the Witcher. First a story about a 'striga' who could only be cured/defeated by spending the night with her in the castle, then thee was a beauty and the beast-esque story, then a snow-white-esque demon slayer, and then a quick story about a beast who terrorized a town to trade with elves, and finally the story of Yennifer a witch who he falls in love with who asks to heal his bard friend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Death, Blood, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexism, and Violence
Geralt is violent and fights a lot of people/monsters. The book is innately misogynistic and sexist. All women are either evil or whores and even the badass ones bend to his every beck and call.brittni_in_ink's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
I enjoyed this more than I expected! The episodic format and time jumps were interesting, and I liked getting to know Geralt and his main circle through the short stories that make up the book. The "monsters" had nuance to them, and the action sequences were very well written. Having fairy tale references throughout was also interesting! Also props to the translation team - the quality of the writing really shone through.
I'd played a little of the Witcher 3 before reading this, so I was familiar with the characters and the kinds of stories I'd encounter. But I didn't expect the book to be so funny. There were some legit laugh out loud moments. Geralt does say "hmmm" a lot.
Overall, the lore and the characters were compelling, and I'll definitely continue reading through the series.
I'd played a little of the Witcher 3 before reading this, so I was familiar with the characters and the kinds of stories I'd encounter. But I didn't expect the book to be so funny. There were some legit laugh out loud moments. Geralt does say "hmmm" a lot.
Overall, the lore and the characters were compelling, and I'll definitely continue reading through the series.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Blood, Infertility, Sexism, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Body horror, Gore, and Murder
warlockdorian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Drug use, Kidnapping, Slavery, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Infertility, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, Death, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Sexism
jmeyers888's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Blood, Death, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence, Trafficking, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, and Rape
lovefromhannah's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, and Death
Minor: Gore
jewelkr's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
My adult kid gave me this book as a birthday present because we enjoyed watching the Netflix series together. This is one of the cases when the moving image production is better than the book. I'd like to say it's because the stories were written in the previous century by a boomer male and obviously men's opinions of women/people have changed so much since then but regrettably I can't - women's lives are still a full of inequity and fear. I will say that the people who produced the series addressed a lot of the absolutely disgusting misogyny in the book, as well as restringing the story in a cohesive manner and giving Geralt a personality. Reading one account after another of what a woman (always referred to as a "girl" by the author) looks like, whether she passes the male-imposed standard for attractiveness, the incredible, cliche'ed detail of their breast-enhancing, thigh-revealing, hip thrusting outifts (compared to the male characters of whom very little is said about what they wear), the sexualization of the fight scenes between the Witcher and his female foes (always thighs and breasts exposed during a viscous fight to the death), the opening scene of an actual girl sexually attacking the Witcher in his sleep as part of her priestess training - it was all so gross that I had a hard time processing the stories behind these disturbing revelations of what men think when they see women. The stories were interesting, although I was hoping for more of Geralt's back story, and you have to keep in mind that these stories preceded the Game of Thrones celebrity not to find them kind of hackneyed. Sadly, no matter what male writers imagine, women are always relegated to one of three roles - virgin or girl I'd like to have sex with, whore or in this case demon, and female bringing beverages to men. If we are imagining a different world, couldn't we fantasize something different for the women for change?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, War, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Body shaming, Death of parent, Body horror, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
emilywasbored's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Incest