The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5)

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Andrzej Sapkowski: The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5) (2008)

353 pages

Published Nov. 10, 2008

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5 stars (5 reviews)

The Last Wish (Polish: Ostatnie życzenie) is the second published (in Polish) of the two collections of short stories (the other being Sword of Destiny) preceding the main Witcher Saga, written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski. The first Polish edition was published in 1993 and the first English edition was first published on 7 June 2007. The book has also been translated into several other languages. The collection contains seven short stories interspersed with a continuing frame story: Geralt of Rivia, after having been injured in battle, rests in a temple. During that time he has flashbacks to recent events in his life, with each flashback forming a short story.

13 editions

reviewed Le dernier voeu by Andrzej Sapkowski (Le Sorceleur, #1)

Bonne introduction à la série

4 stars

J'ai apprécié ce recueil de nouvelles malgré tout de même quelques imperfections, notamment le style d'écriture qui pouvait être un peu lourd par moment dans les tournures ou les mots employés. Et l'autre défaut c'est le final des nouvelles qui semblent parfois tomber comme un cheveux sur la soupe (en gros ça se dénoue un peu trop facilement et rapidement). Mais ne vous détrompez pas, j'ai apprécié ma lecture. En particulier le fait que l'auteur se soit inspiré de différents folklores et contes anciens pour les détourner et écrire ces nouvelles. Pour ma part, je connaissais déjà l'adaptation en série télé donc je n'étais pas perdue dans cet univers, mais je me mets à la place de quelqu'un qui découvre "Le Sorceleur" et je me dis que ce format de nouvelles organisées sans chronologie doit en dérouter plus d'un. Néanmoins, les deux œuvres sont différentes. Il y a des choses …

Review of 'The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5)' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This collection of short stories introduces us to Geralt of Rivia, the Witcher. As inspiration for the video games by CD Projekt Red, they are a nice proof of how well they managed to adapt the tone and style of the books.

The short stories are set in the Witcher's dark world, where normal people are sometimes far far scarier than the monsters the Witcher gets paid for to kill them. In the collection of short stories, Grimm's fairy tales are picked up and re-told, and thus Snow White is hardly the damsel in distress, but a cast out princess who got terribly abused and has come for vengeance. Thus, we learn why the Witcher is the Butcher of Blaviken in the story The Lesser Evil.

We also get to see the first ever meeting between Yennefer of Vergerberg and Geralt, in The Last Wish, which is picked up again …

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