The
Last Wish (The Witcher series)
Author: Andrzej Sapkowski
Publisher: Orbit
American
release date: July 18, 2017
Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Fantasy/LGBTQ/352 pages
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★★
Geralt of Rivia is a witcher.
Which means he slays monsters for a living. He wasn’t born that way. Rather,
witchers are made, through the use of herbs and spells and potions and such.
They are considered to be mutants, despised by many except when their talents
are of use. In becoming a witcher, Geralt’s hair turned completely white,
devoid of any pigmentation, thus earning him the nickname of the White Wolf.
The Witcher – Geralt receives a cold welcome on his arrival at The
Fox inn in Wyzim, but demands to be taken to the castellan, Velerad, whom he
shows the proclamation which has brought him there. After viewing Geralt’s
witcher emblem, Velerad tells the tale of the king who lay with his sister and
created a child, born a monster known as a striga. The people of Wyzim want the
striga to be killed, as it has been running rampant and killing townspeople.
King Foltest wishes his daughter to be uncursed, but there are others who wish
her dead, and are willing to pay for that to happen.
Geralt begins to prepare for his
job, speaking with the king as well as those few who survived the striga. It is
said that the way to undo the curse is to survive the night in the old palace
where she holds sway, and that after the third crow heralding dawn, if she
remains outside her sarcophagus, all will be well. Easier said than done,
apparently. Geralt prepares himself with his usual potions and his silver
witcher sword. He also has an ace in the hole. He wishes to undo the curse, if
he can, but he has sworn he won’t hesitate to defend himself if necessary.
A Grain of Truth – After finding the bodies of a dead couple who
were viciously mauled, although not by a werewolf, Geralt discovers a tower
hidden in the forest. As he approaches, he spies a young girl who instantly
flees from him. Dismounting from his
steed Roach, he approaches the mansion on foot, and strange things begin to
happen, such as the doors and shutters flying open and closed at one time. Then
a monster rushes straight toward him. Although he threatens Gerald in no
uncertain terms, Geralt doesn’t run, as has been suggested, and instead
converses with the creature, whose name is Nivellen. Once he calms down, Nivellen
agrees to tell Geralt his story, and how he came to be there.
The Lesser Evil – Entering another town, Geralt runs into someone
he knows, an alderman named Caldemeyn, so of course they have to get a drink
together. Geralt has brought a strange
spider-like creature with him, slung across his saddle. It’s known as a
kikimora and he hopes to receive a bounty for its death. Caldemeyn has no use
for such a creature and suggests Geralt consult the local wizard, irion. They
had to the wizard’s tower, but a fish-head on the door informs them that Irion
is not receiving and to go away. On learning that Geralt is there, the wizard
agrees to let him and turns out to be someone Geralt knows, using a different
name. Irion tells Geralt his tale, and why he is holed up in this tower under
an assumed name. But every story has two sides, and Geralt has a choice to
make. Will he be forced to choose the lesser evil?
A Question of Price – Geralt is invited by a queen to a banquet.
The odd thing is that he is to go disguised as someone else, posing as the
Honorable Ravix of Fourhorn and wearing a coat of arms of a bear passant.
Geralt questions the castellan who admits that something bad is happening,
something that has people frightened. They say there is a monster that is small
and hunchbacked, that creeps around the castle at night and rattles chains.
Geralt is still not sure why he needs to go in disguise. Geralt finds some
interesting people at the banquet. Once he figures out what he needs to do,
then it’s just a question of price.
The Edge of the World – One of Geralt’s oldest and closest friends
is a poet/troubadour by the name of Dandelion, who loves wine, women, and song,
is very bawdy, and prone to act first and think later. Sometimes he travels
with Geralt to find material he can write about. Between the two of them,
adventures just seem to happen.
Geralt and Dandelion are invited
to the home of Nettly, in Lower Posada, that he may discuss witcher business
with Geralt. His home is in the Valley of Flowers, a lovely place where everything seeds mightly… and grows as to
make the heart sing. Elves live in the nearby mountains, but the two groups
do not mix with each other. Geralt and
Dandelion meet with Nettly and Dhun, the elder of Lower Posada, who tells them
that the problem is they have a deovel, or devil. Oddly, Dhun doesn’t wish the
devil to be killed as he has shown himself helpful in the past. But when he is
up to mischief, he is hard to bear. Dandelion doesn’t believe in devils, but
Geralt has a more open mind. Geralt finds he will have to work to uncover the
truth of what is afoot in the Valley of Flowers.
The Last Wish – When Geralt and Dandelion go fishing for breakfast,
Geralt gets more than he bargained for when he meets Yennefer, a sorceress.
Instead of a fish, Dandeliion catches a large jar, which he believes to contain
a djinn. The delighted troubadour is determined to get his three wishes, but
trouble ensues and he is injured, necessitating Geralt to take him to a healer.
Unfortunately, at the nearest village, they cannot gain egress at night. Geralt
finds himself in the same company as other travelers who cannot get in, and one
of them tells him of Yennefer and where she is staying. As first light, Geralt
goes to gain her assistance, but isn’t prepared for what he is about to
receive.
The Last Wish is a collection of short stories chronicling some of
the exploits of Geralt the Witcher. Always traveling in search of the next job,
Geralt has never put down roots, or entered into a stable relationship. Which doesn’t
mean he doesn’t have ladies he has loved, or friends with whom he has shared
adventures.
Each chapter begins with The Voice of Reason, which takes place
in the present, and leads in to each tale.
I first discovered Geralt through
the first Witcher game, which I am still playing and greatly enjoying. When I
learned there were books, I had to read them, of course.
Geralt is a great character, and
he’s fun to read about as well as to play. The stories are well told and
fascinating, drawing on recognizable tales as well as original tales. If you’re
a Witcher layer, this is a must-read book. But you don’t have to play the game
to appreciate these stories. Mythical creatures abound, but it’s important to
remember that you can’t always judge a book by its cover. Not all beautiful
creatures are good, and not all ugly ones are bad.
There will soon be a Witcher
series on Netflix, starring Henry Cavill. The previews look good, so I’m
looking forward to watching, and I am waiting for the next volume of Witcher tales
to come to my library. I highly recommend this series, especially if you are
into fantasy and video games.
No comments:
Post a Comment