The Last Wish (book)

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The Last Wish

Cover of the American edition of The Last Wish
Author Andrzej Sapkowski
Original title Ostatnie życzenie
Country Poland
Language Polish
Genre(s) Fantasy
Publisher superNOWA
Publication date 1993
Published in
English		 2007
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Followed by Miecz przeznaczenia (Sword of Destiny)

The Last Wish (Polish: Ostatnie życzenie) is one of the two anthologies of short stories (the other being Sword of Destiny - Miecz przeznaczenia), preceding the main Witcher Saga, written by Polish fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski. First Polish edition was published in 1993; first English in 2007. The book had also several other language editions.

Geralt, after having been injured in battle, rests in a temple. During that time he has flashbacks to recent events in his life - each of which forms a story of its own. The anthology employes the story within a story framework and contains 7 main short stories.

Contents

[edit] Chapters

[edit] The Voice of Reason

Głos rozsądku - frame story
The Voice of Reason begins with Geralt, slumbering, awakened by the entrance of Iola. She has sex with him. Afterwards, he falls to sleep. Here Geralt dreams of his encounter in Wyzim with a striga ("The Witcher"). In the morning, he is woken up by Nenneke, the priestess of Melitele. He is in the Temple of Melitele in Ellander. Iola leaves - with Geralt musing that in the early morning, she reminded him of Yennefer. She talks with him, worried that he was horrifically injured by a normal striga. Geralt and Nenneke argue about Geralt taking part in a trance. Geralt argues that his inability to be hypnotised and his lack of faith makes it pointless. Here, the second short story, "A Grain of Truth" is introduced.

Afterwards, he meets with Count Falwick and Ser Tailles, both knights of Order of the White Rose. They are here to chase Geralt from Ellander in the name of Prince Hereward. Geralt says he will leave after three days. Falwick tells him to leave immediately. Geralt and Tailles almost come to blows when the latter insults Nenneke. Tailles and Falwick leave, warning that they will be back (at this point, the third short story, "The Lesser Evil"). Later, he meets Iola, and carries a monologue explaining himself to her (she unable to talk due to a vow she has made). At the end, he muses on his destiny (introduces the short story, "A Matter of Price").

Some time later, Dandelion, a poet friend of Geralt arrives. Together, they reminisce on times gone past, of how Geralt's profession as a witcher is growing less and less profitable. Finally, they reminisce on their first adventure ("The Edge of the World"). Geralt talks to Nenneke about Yennefer, wishing to give some of his payment to her. Nenneke dismisses it, and asks him how he met Yennefer. He recounts to her the story ("The Last Wish").

When Geralt and Dandelion venture out of the temple, Geralt is waylaid by Falwick and Tailles, accompanied by a lot of lancers and the captain of Hereward's guards, a dwarf named Dennis Cranmer. They explain Geralt's options to him. If he does not accept Tailles's challenge, he will be hung. If he touches Tailles with his sword, he will be dragged to Hereward to be tortured. Geralt chooses to fight, and causes Tailles to hit himself with his own sword. Dennis Cranmer, stating that he obeys his orders to the letter, allows Geralt to go, as Geralt did not actually touch Tailles. Geralt chooses to leave, and just before he leaves, when he touches Iola's hand (Iola was bringing him his box of elixirs) she has a vision of him. Geralt dismisses it, saying he's seen it before, and leaves. Nenneke says goodbye, but does not look him in the face.

[edit] The Witcher

Wiedźmin
The story begins with Geralt entering Vizima. Shortly afterwards, he kills three men in a bar fight. He is escorted to Velerad, the elderly castellan of Vizima. Near the beginning of King Foltest's reign, he got his sister, Adda, pregnant. She and the baby died giving birth, both being buried in a double coffin. Seven years later, the daughter awoke and slaughtered the inhabitants of the palace. She had become a striga.

Geralt meets with Foltest, who warns him not to harm the striga, for a wizard had told him that if someone prevented the striga from returning to her coffin by the third crowing of the rooster, then she would be cured, turning into an ordinary little girl. Geralt asks to see a miller (a survivor of one of the striga's earlier attacks). The soldier that brings him to Geralt is Foltest, disguised. He gives Geralt leave to kill his daughter if he found that she was an incurable case.

Geralt spends the night at the old palace (Foltest having moved to a new palace, unplagued by the striga's attacks). During the early night, Lord Ostrit, a magnate, tries to bribe Geralt into running away, as he wishes the striga to survive. This would eventually horrify the inabitants of Vizima, who would more easily support Vizimir of Novigrad's rule. Geralt refuses, knocks Lord Ostrit out and ties him up. At midnight, he cuts Ostrit loose, using him as bait. He is soon found and killed by the striga.

Geralt fights with the striga, reluctant to use his silver sword. He ties the striga with a silver chain, which she breaks free off, despite silver being an antithesis to monsters of magic. She is eventually scared off when Geralt uses his sorcery to project the hate and malice in her own mind back at her. Geralt settles down in the double coffin to wait for morning. In the morning, he sees an ordinary little girl who is lying on the floor. Leaning over her, he sees too late that her eyes are open. Using the last remainents of her talons, the striga slashes Geralt's throat. As he subdues the girl/striga, Geralt hears the third crowing of the rooster. Finally, he binds his neck, knowing he will faint.

The witcher wakes up, his neck bandaged, with Velerad (who was part of the group that had planned to just have the striga killed) admitting he was in the wrong. He assures Geralt that his silver sword, his three thousand oren reward and his possessions are safe. Geralt, soothed, falls asleep.

[edit] A Grain of Truth

Ziarno prawdy

[edit] The Lesser Evil

Mniejsze zło

[edit] A Question of Price

Kwestia ceny
The story begins with Geralt being clean-shaven, washed and nicely clother by the servants and castellan of the royal family's castle in Cintra. Cintra's crown-princess, Pavetta, has turned fifteen years old and as is the custom, contenders for her hand have turned up in their dozens.

Geralt, who is officially invited to the party as the honourable Lord Ravix of Fourhorn, sits next to Queen Calanthe, yet has not been told what is the reason of his invitation. During dinner, he has a long discussion with the queen as to how she sees witchers, what she thinks is their profession, and if she invited him for the right reasons.

Suddenly an uninvited guest enters the room: a helmed spiked knight who introduces himself as the Urcheon of Erlenwald. Granted to speak by the queen, he tells that he has come to collect the promised reward for saving King Roegner's life; by the Law of Surprise, princess Pavetta has belonged to him from the day of her birth.

Although Queen Calanthe admits that what he says is true, she does not have the intention of giving her daughter away to a stranger and an uproar starts between the guests. When the queen asks princess Pavetta if she chooses to leave with the knight, she answers yes. The queen collapses in her chair and a fight breaks out, with the guards and knights attacking Urcheon.

A force, The Force that Geralt and the druid Mousesack have already felt for some time, explodes from princess Pavetta as she sees her lover being attacked. As the guests fought, the princess' power grew and became very dangerous to everyone. Distracted by Coodcoodak, Geralt broke through the magic and got Pavetta back to her senses.

When the rackous had calmed down, the Urcheon of Erlenwald, or Duny and Pavetta explained the situation. They had been seeing each other for over a year now, and had fallen in love. Having calmed down, queen Calanthe agreed with their love, and their forthcoming marriage. Eist Tuirseach, who came that night for the hand of princess Pavetta, ended up accepting the proposal to marry Queen Calanthe. Thanking Geralt for saving his life earlier, Duny offered him whatever he asked for. Geralt asked for "that which you already have but do not know", breaking the news to everyone, including Duny and Pavetta, that the princess was pregnant. He asked that their child was to be raised as a witcher.

[edit] The Edge of the World

Kraniec świata

[edit] The Last Wish

Ostatnie życzenie

[edit] Translations

The book has been translated into Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, French, Slovak, Portuguese and Bulgarian. English translation of The Last Wish was published in the United Kingdom by Gollancz in 2007 and was published in the United States by Orion in May 2008.

  • Bulgarian: Последното желание (ИнфоДАР, 2008)
  • Czech: Zaklínač I - Poslední přání (Leonardo, 1999)
  • English: The Last Wish, translated by Danusia Stok
  • French: Le Dernier Vœu (2003)
  • German: Der letzte Wunsch
  • Lithuanian: Paskutinis noras (Eridanas, 2005)
  • Polish: Ostatnie życzenie (SuperNOWA, 1993, ISBN 8370540619)
  • Portuguese: O Último Desejo (Livros do Brasil, 2005)
  • Russian: Последнее желание
  • Spanish: El último deseo, translated by Jose María Faraldo (Bibliópolis fantástica, 2002)

[edit] Quote

"People," Geralt turned his head, "like to invent monsters and monstrosities. Then they seem less monstrous themselves. When they get blind-drunk, cheat, steal, beat their wives, starve an old woman, when they kill a trapped fox with an axe or riddle the last existing unicorn with arrows, they like to think that the Bane entering cottages at daybreak is more monstrous than they are. They feel better then. They find it easier to live."

[edit] External links

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