Witcher: The Last Wish - Reviewing The Last Wish After Watching The Witcher on Netflix
3Witcher: The Last Wish - Reviewing The Last Wish After Watching The Witcher on Netflix
In this video I'll let you know who should read The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapowski! It's my Witcher book review! Who should read The Last Wish? Watch to find out!
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TRANSCRIPT:
The Last Wish - Witcher Book 1 - Book Review
On today's video, I'm reviewing The Last Wish, which is the first Witcher book written by Andrezej Sapowski… and by the end of this video, you should be able to figure out whether or not YOU should pick up a copy.
Technically, The Last Wish is the second Witcher book published by Sapowski, but many recommend reading The Last Wish first.
First off, My first exposure to the Witcher was actually the Netflix TV show. I watched the first two seasons of The Witcher on Netflix prior to purchasing a copy of the Kindle version for my brand new Kindle paperwhite–which I really like, by the way. And while there are also video games that take place in the Witcher universe, I have not played those. Although, they do look awesome.
The Last Wish follows the main character, Geralt of Rivia. Geralt's exploits are captured in seven short stories that, combined, make up the entire book. This isn't a traditional novel, but the short stories do flow well and feel like they belong in the same collection. For those who don't know, Geralt is a witcher, a man trained to hunt and kill monsters. And the book fits nicely into the fantasy genre, although I do think it innovates within that genre in some meaningful and engaging ways.
The Last Wish was originally written in Polish.
If you've seen the TV show, then you'll recognize that many of the stories in The Last Wish appear in season 1 and 2, so the stories will be somewhat familiar to you.
Because this is a collection of short stories, some are better than others, BUT, overall, I loved this book. Here's why:
It's not ridiculously long. Most fantasy books, in my opinion, are WAY too long. Many fantasy writers love world-building, and in my opinion, spend too much time on world-building in a way that bogs down the story. That's not true with The Last Wish. Sapowski manages to weave in awesome world-building without slowing the action down, which I thought was fantastic.
Because many of the stories are focused around Geralt facing off against some kind of monster, each story feels fresh, but also familiar. Sapowski doesn't spend a ton of time on Geralt's backstory, and it works. We get to know Geralt via his exploits.
The book and the TV series are pretty similar. But, the book does give extra context that provides more depth, although I will admit I was surprised at some of the extra context and the implications.
Is every story amazing? No. Some are far better than others. But, none of them are terrible. And even when Sapowski made what I would consider odd storytelling choices, he still manages to bring elements into the story that kept me reading.
Who will like The Last Wish and who should pick up a copy?
People who like the fantasy genre, but get overwhelmed by the length of the books. This book is VERY approachable and easy to digest.
Also, anyone who enjoys magic and swordplay, but who doesn't want to read an entire manual about how the magic works will be very pleased with the world of the witcher.
And, fans of action with gothic horror thrown in should also enjoy this book.
However, if you're looking for a traditional high fantasy novel with clear good and evil… or a long story with a clear beginning, middle, and end…
The Last Wish might not be the right choice for you.
As a writer who loves fantasy, but doesn't enjoy sprawling epics with simplistic takes on good and evil, I thought The Last Wish was fantastic.
Is it better to read the book or watch the TV series first?
Now… should you watch the TV show or read the book first? Ultimately, I don't think it matters, BUT I actually enjoyed watching the TV show first. The book gave me more context, and I enjoyed that. If I had read the book first, I might have been annoyed at the TV show for not going deeper into the subject matter.
If you want to pick up a copy of The Last Wish or Death of a Bounty Hunter, links are in the description down below.
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