Quick verdict
The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski is a collection of linked short stories that introduces Geralt of Rivia, a professional monster hunter known as a witcher. Reviewers tend to describe it as a darkly witty, old-school take on fairy tales, and as a good place to start the Witcher books. Some readers find it dialogue-heavy or dated in places, and it contains mature content, so it suits adult readers.
What The Last Wish is
The book was first published in Polish in the early 1990s and was later translated into English. Its stories show Geralt taking contracts, dealing with people who often prove more troublesome than the monsters, and wrestling with the idea of fate. Many of the tales play with familiar fairy-tale ideas and twist them, so the “monster” is not always the villain.
Structure: a frame story and short stories
The collection is not a single continuous novel. A framing narrative, in which Geralt is recovering from injuries, connects several standalone stories that look back on his past adventures. This structure is non-linear, which can feel jumbled at first. Readers who have seen the Netflix adaptation often note that the show borrows this approach, and that knowing it in advance makes the book easier to follow.
What works
- Tone. The humor is dry and the stories often subvert expectations.
- Characterization. Geralt is more talkative and ironic on the page than many viewers of the show expect.
- Accessible entry point. The stories can be read individually, which makes the collection easy to dip into.
- Fairy-tale reinterpretation. Readers who enjoy retellings usually find the storytelling clever.
What may not work
- Heavy dialogue. Some reviewers feel that action is delivered mostly through conversation rather than description.
- Dated attitudes. The book has an older, grittier high-fantasy feel, and some depictions of women and violence read as uncomfortable today.
- Translation. A few readers wonder whether the prose style is a result of translation. It is difficult to judge without reading the original.
Content notes
The book contains violence and sexual content, and several characters talk casually about sexual violence. It is written for adults. If those themes are a dealbreaker, read a few pages from a sample before committing.
Is The Last Wish the first book?
It is the best place to start. In English, it is usually treated as the first Witcher book. The series is organized as two short-story collections followed by a five-book saga (beginning with Blood of Elves), with a standalone novel, Season of Storms, set within the earlier period. Note that the Polish publication order of the two collections differs from the reading order that most guides recommend today, so the “first book” depends on whether you follow publication order or recommended order.
Is Yennefer in The Last Wish?
Yes, but briefly. The sorceress Yennefer appears in one of the stories, and the collection is mainly about Geralt, not a full introduction to her. Readers who come for her storyline in the show often find that her larger role develops in later books.
What happens with Iola at the end?
Iola is a character connected to the framing story at the temple. The end of the book involves a quiet moment that readers often discuss, and it is easy to spoil. We have left the details out so you can experience it fresh.
Is The Last Wish worth reading?
For fans of the show or the games, yes, it is a short, characterful introduction to the source material. For readers who like modern, fast, immersive fantasy, it may feel episodic or dated. If you want to compare it with a very different, much longer kind of fantasy, our review of Words of Radiance covers a sprawling modern epic.