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The Last Wish (Gollancz S.F.)

The Last Wish (Gollancz S.F.)

by Andrzej Sapkowski (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2007

    $4.34

  • Used

    Paperback 2008

    $3.51
Synopsis

Geralt is a witcher, 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. He roams the country seeking assignments, but gradually comes to realise that while some of his quarry are unremittingly vile, vicious grotesques, others are the victims of sin, evil or simple naivety. One reviewer said: 'This book is a sheer delight. It is beautifully written, full of vitality and endlessly inventive: its format, with half a dozen episodes and intervening rest periods for both the hero and the reader, allows for a huge range of characters, scenarios and action. It's thought-provoking without being in the least dogmatic, witty without descending to farce and packed with swordfights without being derivative. The dialogue sparkles; characters morph almost imperceptibly from semi-cliche to completely original; nothing is as it first seems.Sapkowski succeeds in seamlessly welding familiar ideas, unique settings and delicious twists of originality: his Beauty wants to rip the throat out of a sensitive Beast; his Snow White seeks vengeance on all and sundry, his elves are embittered and vindictive. It's easily one of the best things I've read in ages.'

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 280
 Edition: paperback / softback
 Publisher: Gollancz
Published: 07 Jun 2007
ISBN 10: 0575077824
ISBN 13: 9780575077829
Book Overview: Andrzej Sapkowski is a major European bestseller, as big in Poland as Pratchett, King and Crichton October 2007 sees the launch of THE WITCHER, a game based on the Sapkowski books, which will be as big as HALO or THE PRINCE OF PERSIA Sapkowski was an economist working in foreign trade when he entered an won a writing competition in Fantastyka Magazine in 1985; now his fantasy novels top the bestseller lists for months at a time Published in nine languages already, including French (Bragelonne), Spanish and Russian - and a bestseller in all of them. Sapkowski's Geralt, the witcher from Rivia, will stand alongside Elric, Conan and Covenant as one of the great fantasy heroes Sapkowski has repeatedly been awarded all the major Polish literary prizes

Media Reviews
It's refreshing to see another take on familiar elements. There's a fairy-tale quality to much of THE LAST WISH. -- Jonathan Wright SFX It is [his] world-weariness, combined with his battle-boned powers that make Geralt such an interesting character. Here's hoping THE LAST WISH is merely the opening chapter in his English language adventures. EDGE magazine Sapkowski's 'The Last Wish' is a great collection of short stories centred around a witcher, Geralt - a rare sorcerous breed who hunts down the monstrous but is feared by the innocent. With a wonderous mix of Eastern European folklore and myth, beautiful princesses, mischievious demons and where all is not as it seems, 'The Last Wish' is a great read - perfect for dipping into or just reading cover to cover, as I did. WATERSTONES.COM I really, really enjoyed this book. Despite the original language being Polish, the translation is quite good and captures much of Sapkowski's prose. None of the characters in Sapkowski's world are black or white; they are all shades of grey, including Geralt and the monsters. In fact, other humans tend to be greater monsters than the ones Geralt is sworn to track down and destroy. THE DECKLED EDGE The Last Wish is an accomplished retelling of some well-known fairy tales, each transformed almost beyond recognition and given the darkest tinges of horror. This takes the book outside the norms of traditional fantasy writing, while still being anchored in (the more original edges of) sword and sorcery. DREAMWATCH Sapkowski is very good at creating interesting, imaginative characters with unusual levels of depth to them, not least Geralt, whom people are consistently underestimating. The Last Wish is an enjoyable book full of stories both melancholy and comic. THE WERTZONE This beautifully written character-based story from Polish author Adrezej Sapkowski is a refreshing champion in a genre that's starting to get a little homogenic. While there is the occasional nod to traditional European fairy tales (Snow White, among others), much of the application of supertext and tropes are from a new point of view. THE SPECUSPHERE Sapkowski's series has the potential to develop a new audience and appreciation of fantasy and like Mieville and Gaiman, take the old and make it new. This reviewer is certainly looking forward to the next installment of this fresh take on genre fantasy. FOUNDATION
Author Bio
Andrzej Sapkowski was born in 1948 in Poland. He studied economy and business, but the success of his fantasy cycle about the sorcerer Geralt of Rivia turned him into a bestselling writer and he is now one of Poland's most famous and successful authors, selling more in his own country than Stephen King or Michael Crichton.