Spectacular Introduction to "The Witcher"

I absolutely love this book. It is full of rich detail and vivid imagery. I can imagine myself right alongside Geralt as he goes from one amazing adventure to the next. I don't want to give away spoilers, so I will just say that I couldn't put it down. The world is so believable, despite the high-fantasy setting. It's a world similar to our own, but with magic and an array of majestic or horrifying creatures. The world is dirty and rife with evil and corruption, but with enough glimpses of goodness and light to give you hope for the future (much like our own world).

I read this via "immersion reading". I read the Kindle version (and sometimes the paperback version) as I listened to Peter Kenny's incredible voice-over. He is a master storyteller. I loved his changing voices and the life he gave to each character on the page.

The only critique I have would be the chapter for which the book is named after. "The Last Wish" is a thrilling and action-packed chapter, especially towards the end. However, Peter Kenny spoke the dialogue of Yennefer and Geralt a little too plainly during the action sequences. There is so much happening I would have expected him to at least change his pitch a little. I read the chapter on my own without the voice-over and let my imagination do it justice.

Aside from that, I will still say that Peter Kenny did an excellent job. I will not hesitate to get an audiobook he voices in the future. I will also move on the other novels in the series, once the "Sword of Destiny" is released as an audiobook. I hope Peter Kenny is brought onboard once again.

Also, as I wrote in the Kindle review, I wholeheartedly recommend "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" game. It's the greatest game I have ever played.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

A rich world explored through vignettes

What did you love best about The Last Wish?

I enjoyed the richness of the world, the sense of history, the previous world events and social changes.

What about Peter Kenny’s performance did you like?

I felt the narration did not distract from the story.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found the audio a little disconcerting as the story jumps in time and location without preamble. In the book, there would be a new chapter to help you with the jump. At times I felt lost, particularly if I had taken a pause, it took me a while to figure out what was happening.

Any additional comments?

This is a great world, well described. That said, it is a little different in style from more common fantasy stories. I found the concept epic in nature, yet the scenes were more like stand alone short stories. Not a bad thing, just different.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing

Second time I'm listening to this. I Love this series and Peter is doing an excellent job at reading it!

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

engaging

each story was quite engaging. i cant wait to see where this goes next. will be picking up the other books

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Amazing narration, a must if you liked the games

At first I had trouble understanding the narration, but downloading it in high quality helped a lot!

I really like the voices the narrator makes, as always at first they are kinda weird but you get used to it so fast.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Good story made great by Peter Kenny

Just like with any book, and especially a collection of short stories, there will be some dull parts. Some short stories were more slow than others, and some kept me up way past bedtime.

But even the slower stories came alive thanks to Peter Kenny's great storytelling and amazing voices. Thanks to him I bought the second collection of short stories as an audiobook rather than a paper copy because I can't imagine Geralt without the voice acting of Peter Kenny.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A Brilliant Introduction Into "The Witcher"

If you could sum up The Last Wish in three words, what would they be?

Thrilling, brilliant, engaging

Who was your favorite character and why?

Who's everyone's favorite character? It's Geralt, of course! Before reading the book, I was under the impression that he would just be a Batman-like stoic hero, but he's far from it. Sure, he's a badass, he knows everything about killing monsters and all that you'd expect from him, but he's also a good listener, he's considerate and not condescending, he even demonstrates a sense of humor at a few occasions!

What does Peter Kenny bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

While it is, once again, the boring answer that everyone would go to, it's definitely the voice acting. While some of the characters were a bit hard to understand (if you listen, you'll know exactly who I'm talking about), he overall did a very good job giving each one a personality, to the point where I was honestly a bit disappointed when I learned that Peter Kenny didn't voice Geralt in "The Witcher" games. He nails the character!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"Last Wish - The Beginning of The Witcher" Boring and obvious, but hey, that seems to be the theme of this review, so who cares.

Any additional comments?

Overall, I can't find much wrong with "The Last Wish" - it's just great from start to finish. Definitely a good read for anyone regardless of how familiar they are with the franchise.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great performance

I played all games. This book is very nice background, as the games refer to it's events often. Very entertaining and not as predictable as I'd thought.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great story and awesome variety of accents

I would like to have in Audible more books of this author. The medieval-fantasy stories take another level with him, making the characters behave contemporarily. Geralt of Rivia is a witcher but at the same time is a great person. His romance with the other character will have more to tell us in the future.
The narrator does an splendid job using not only different voices, but different accents too. I love how Geralt speaks. I had a really good time listening this audio book!
10 out of 10 for both, the author and there narrator.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

One of most underrecognized fantasy books

Would you listen to The Last Wish again? Why?

Yes I would, it is one of best books i've read, Sapkowski did a perfect job creating a world with a witcher as a hero. For the first time i felt like the main hero was complete.

What other book might you compare The Last Wish to and why?

I don't think there's any books to compare to it, none ever focuses on main character so much and lets you meet him from every aspect.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favourite scene was in the tavern when people tell geralt which monsters they want to be taken out, yet the geralt realizes none of what they're saying is true, and they're making it all up because they're the monsters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Lifting the curse from knight

Any additional comments?

Must-read book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful