I'd already watched the first season of the show, so I knew how a lot of these stories turn out. And the show has great acting and fight choreography and things to go with it, so it's hard to compare. Often the book is still interesting even after the show or movie because it has much more background and information that had to be cut, but for these stories, it really felt like most of the information had been included. And the stories that had been cut entirely generally did feel like the weakest of the bunch. So it wasn't quite as fabulous as I'd hoped. But, there was some additional information, and a few things that were changed in the series that I actually liked better here. So it was still definitely worth reading and I will continue with the series. ( )

The book has quite nice collection of short stories. Some of them more interesting than the others but all stories stand out in some way.

Most of the stories are derived from classic folkstories and I think the intention of this book is for a very long and interesting world building from the authors part.

I don't know if I ever re-read this book but I want to continue with the next book in the series as soon as possible. ( )

I'm not one for "as seen in the movie..." or tie-in type books, so I was initially dubious about reading The Last Wish until I learned it was the inspiration for the video game. The Last Wish reads like an adult fairy-tale; not because of graphic sex or violence, but because of the melancholy and cynicism that permeate the characters. It follows the story of Geralt, a man who has become 'something more' than a man through training as a witcher. Witchers are a specialized guild, "itinerant killers of basilisks; traveling slayers of dragons and vodniks" who generally work for money killing those outlandish beasts that prey on humans. Geralt is very much the last of his kind, the drifter, riding into towns to collect a bounty, occasionally welcomed, occasionally chased.

Writing felt somewhat basic. It has that same streamlined style; basic composition, limited world-building, a focus on plot and external conflict. Though it could have been told as a straight sequence of stories in Geralt's career, Sapkowski has linked them together with Geralt telling one as background on how a particular conflict began, or how he met a certain person. Thus it slowly builds a picture of Geralt, mosaic-style. Fairy tale lore forms the basis of some of the conflicts, but the fairy-tales are interpreted in unusual ways. There's bits about towers and girls, beasts and beauties, a woman and some dwarves, and so on, that make their way into the stories.

I could absolutely visualize how this book was turned into a video game, though I haven't played it. While it may have been written first, I'd be surprised if it took much work to translate it into a game. I imagine the game might be even more interesting, allowing for fleshing out of the monsters and world. If there was a clear weakness for me, it would have been the world-building. In the first story, for instance, one of the local headman complains about all the foul things there are preying on humanity. In a later story, there are hints that these foul things are fewer and fewer, and are receding from the current age. There isn't really enough background to understand the claims or build a world-view; one has to just take these statements as context for this particular tale.

I also would have enjoyed greater detail on the 'monsters.' In general, detail was limited to the particular one in conflict with Geralt at that time, but Sapkowski is in the habit of dropping far more creature names without explanation: "All sorts of filth has sprung up. Mahakam, in the mountains, is teeming with bogeymen... it's kobolds and spriggans wherever you spit, werewolves or some other vermin. Fairies and rusalkas snatch children from villages..." These are all incidental, but do serve to confuse a bit more, as I recognize names from a large assortment of ethnic traditions. If Seanan McGuire had written this, there would be loads of detail about the 'monsters.'

At any rate, it's fun. It doesn't all center on killing monsters. Woven in are conflicts with sorcerers, a fair amount of problem-solving to everyone's satisfaction, and sometimes problem-solving to everyone's dissatisfaction. It's diverting, but easily finished without being filling, kind of like Chex-mix. A notch up from potato chips, a tad spicy, and a little bit of difference from story to story.

A solid three and a half stars. ( )

Good, but not great. I thought I would like this one more. Love the idea and characters, but the writing is not amazing. Surely some of the "wow" is lost in translation. ( )

Overall, a good read. Jumps around a bit, sometimes unexpectedly, but otherwise a good read. I look forward to finding out how the rest of the series goes. ( )