The Last Wish

De: Andrzej Sapkowski

Narrado por: Peter Kenny

Introducing Geralt the Witcher - revered and hated - who holds the line against the monsters plaguing humanity in the best-selling series that inspired the Witcher video games and a major Netflix show.

Geralt of Rivia is a Witcher, a man whose magic powers and lifelong training have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin.

Yet he is no ordinary killer: he hunts the vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent.

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil; not everything fair is good...and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

Andrzej Sapkowski, winner of the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement award, started an international phenomenon with his Witcher series. The Last Wish is the perfect introduction to this one-of-a-kind fantasy world.

©1993 Andrzej Sapkowski (P)2014 Orion Publishing Group

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.

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.

So gritty and realistic with fantasy mixed in

loved it so much, not at all what I expected. I think it's on par with George R. R. Martin epic saga. I started this book because of the game and stayed cause of the depth of characters, their motivations are so realistically realized. Give fire and ice a break a get inside the world of Geralt and company.

A promising start

After playing the games, this is the first book in the series I've read. I see where the inspiration for the games comes from, much of the dialogue and stories could be taken from a quest in the games. The narrator is really good, and it is a promising start, I plan to keep reading. The only negative here is that it all feels a bit meandering without a real arch, much like an arbitrarily picked snippet from the life of Geralt. This not a problem if you are familiar with the world and the characters, but as a newcomer I would have had a hard time getting into it with all the jumping around and without a clearer thread to follow in the narrative.

Exciting, well told, and even provoking in places

Just a great book. Peter Kenny's only fault is that ghosts get a bit annoying with their slow and breathy voices when they have a lot to say. Other than that I can't imagine anyone doing a better job of this book.

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.

Dan-de-lion

Really enjoyed this story. Excellent narration. Loved the pronunciation of dandelion :) I'm onto the next book already and will be playing the games pretty soon.

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.

engaging

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

Walked the path together

The narration and story made me feel like I stood by as the story progressed!