We all know and love Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher – whether you’ve played the video games or watched the Netflix series – and his novel series is the root of that glorious fantasy world. The Last Wish is the first published novel in the series, set before the action of Blood of Elves, and it contains so many iconic moments from season one. Most importantly, it showcases the brilliance and masterful crafting of this story world he has created, and I knew once I watched season one of The Witcher that I needed to read the books before carrying on with the show. I still to this day have not seen anything following season one, but that is about to change as I plough through this tremendous series.

Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good, and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

The detail is absurdly good, painting the setting and landscape is such vivid hues and recording the action and violence is rich gory detail. It is high fantasy for sure, and a stellar showcase of the wonders of such clear and mature aspects of fantasy. It doesn’t go as far as to be grimdark, probably treading the line of dark fantasy with supernatural elements that make it appear bloodier. The level of detail and layers to the short stories within The Last Wish are mesmerising, immersive, and incredible feats of fantasy. I will note that given its short story format, The Last Wish can be difficult to follow at times as characters have not been established heading into new stories and the threads that link the stories can come across as cursory, like throw-away comments or a singular train of thought. I don’t mind it as it leaves me guessing a little which I like, and also given this is episodic in a way there should be no assumption that we now or need to know all the characters in a story in order ot enjoy it.

More than the detail, the complex layers within the stories are compelling, intriguing, and illustrate a great understanding of how these worlds function. There is no doubt that Sapkowski is an awespiring fantasy author, and yet he is also one who understand human beings so perfectly that the characters in The Last Wish easily reflect the actions and reaction of what we would expect from them. They feel so real and authentic, yet so perfectly fit for this fantasy world. The politics are different across stories, yet there are key threads that link them together and the overarching behaviours and feelings toward Geralt makes it so that politics don’t always matter, just as law and order doesn’t always matter when it comes to doing what Geralt deems is the right thing to do.

The way the stories are linked and spread out through the use of a split present (or what can best be described as the present) aids in the connections between the stories, for otherwise they are truly more episodic and lacking of overarching structure, but they also help to stir up the emotion and understanding of Geralt as a character. His friendship with Dandelion, his loning for Yennefer, and his inclination to seek shelter with someone he trusts when he is wounded. It tells more of his character than the action scenes do, but I won’t be so naive as to say its the only time we see Geralt for who he is. Geralt may have been born into Darkness and made into the monster he is, but his morality shines through. He is more than what he was made into , and I am so eager to learn more about him as I continue the series.

If you haven’t read the Witcher series and have been meaning to do so, perhaps this can be your sign to read them. Join me in reading them throughout April and May! It has been a long time coming for me, and I am finally getting them off my tbr list. The Last Wish, and the Witcher series as a whole, are perfect for fantasy readers young and old, espeically those who like their dark fantasy and folklore-inspired tales.