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A review by thepurplebookwyrm
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
onestly, this was quite enjoyable.
● I quite liked Geralt as a main character, and really liked the very down-to-earth, workaday and pragmatic aspect of Geralt's character motivations. Dude just wants to make sure he'll still have a job in 5 years, and I can respect that lmao. I know it's pretty random, but I don't know... something about that felt refreshingly unexpected (for this kind of fantasy).
● The 'flashback adventures, quests, etc... interspersed with a present, 'in recovery' narrative' structure of the book actually worked really well for me, for whatever reason. I guess it just managed to keep me engaged with the more or less consistent promise of further information about Geralt and his world.
● Speaking of world-building: there were interesting tidbits of it here and there, such as the Law of Surprise, sorcerer politics (and cosmetic improvements), and crumbs of what felt like greater 'modernity' (if only in attitude and philosophy) than you'd expect from your average late Middle Ages/Early Modern Period-adjacent fantasy setting. I also hadn't realised how directly Geralt's adventures would pull from and rework existing fairy tales, such as The Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. But there again: it really worked for me, and I had fun trying to tie each adventure to its folkloric source.
● Yes, there is a recurring motif that "humans do be the real actual monsters here", but it wasn't actually developed all that much either. I think I expected more, there, in terms of thematic depth, that I didn't actually get – but it's fine.
● There was a decent bit of subtle character humour, clever comebacks, and the like, that I was able to appreciate.
So yes, enjoyable like I said. I'm glad I took the time to read this one at least once, though I don't think I'll bother with the rest of the series. Perhaps I'll fuck around with one of the video games someday, who knows.
● I quite liked Geralt as a main character, and really liked the very down-to-earth, workaday and pragmatic aspect of Geralt's character motivations. Dude just wants to make sure he'll still have a job in 5 years, and I can respect that lmao. I know it's pretty random, but I don't know... something about that felt refreshingly unexpected (for this kind of fantasy).
● The 'flashback adventures, quests, etc... interspersed with a present, 'in recovery' narrative' structure of the book actually worked really well for me, for whatever reason. I guess it just managed to keep me engaged with the more or less consistent promise of further information about Geralt and his world.
● Speaking of world-building: there were interesting tidbits of it here and there, such as the Law of Surprise, sorcerer politics (and cosmetic improvements), and crumbs of what felt like greater 'modernity' (if only in attitude and philosophy) than you'd expect from your average late Middle Ages/Early Modern Period-adjacent fantasy setting. I also hadn't realised how directly Geralt's adventures would pull from and rework existing fairy tales, such as The Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty or Snow White. But there again: it really worked for me, and I had fun trying to tie each adventure to its folkloric source.
● Yes, there is a recurring motif that "humans do be the real actual monsters here", but it wasn't actually developed all that much either. I think I expected more, there, in terms of thematic depth, that I didn't actually get – but it's fine.
● There was a decent bit of subtle character humour, clever comebacks, and the like, that I was able to appreciate.
So yes, enjoyable like I said. I'm glad I took the time to read this one at least once, though I don't think I'll bother with the rest of the series. Perhaps I'll fuck around with one of the video games someday, who knows.