The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski

Dylan | Freehold High School, Grade 12

Rating: *****

“The Last Wish” by Andrzej Sapkowski is a collection of short stories featuring a man named Geralt of Rivia. Geralt of Rivia is a “witcher”, a monster hunter for hire with superhuman abilities. After being injured in battle, Geralt rests in a temple and has flashbacks to recent events in his life, with each one being told as a short story. There are seven short stories in this book, and they’re all fantastic.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Sapkowski is a fantastic author and is excellent at world building. He creates a world by mixing Slavic mythology, high fantasy, and an eastern-European-like setting. I don’t typically read fantasy, so reading this was a good change of pace for me. Characters are the most important part of any story, and Sapkowski nails it perfectly. The protagonist, Geralt of Rivia, is interesting and engaging at all times. The minor characters are all captivating as well. I also found Sapkowski’s humor to be very enjoyable.