The Last Wish discussion

I really liked the Netflix series ?Just wondering if I should invest the time in reading the books. Is there a comparison to be made to any other fantasy book series?

Realistically, if you've seen the series, the first half of The Last Wish might bore you a little bit. Ive just finished Sword of Destiny and honestly can't wait to start Blood of Elves, i'm hooked!

It's an easy read and the plot along with the literary tools used, keep you interested.

They are really good books. I love them.

Altamente recomendable. Son increíbles, y como guinda del pastel, si te gustan los videojuegos, al terminar los libros tienes unos muy buenos. Como en todo, cada cual tiene sus gustos, así que yo te doy mi opinión según los míos. Un saludo.

F wrote: "Realistically, if you've seen the series, the first half of The Last Wish might bore you a little bit. Ive just finished Sword of Destiny and honestly can't wait to start Blood of Elves, i'm hooked..."

100% agree. If you liked the TV series, Blood of Elves is great (and will be a new story for you, as opposed to reliving it with the prequel books)

The books by itself are not that good. The books actually became popular due the Witcher 3 video game. The books enhance the playing experience but all in all, the storytelling and character depth of the video game is much better. (Witcher videogames are set after the novels). For most people playing the game first made the reading experience more enjoyable due to attachment with the characters.

Rahuldos wrote: "The books by itself are not that good. The books actually became popular due the Witcher 3 video game. The books enhance the playing experience but all in all, the storytelling and character depth ..."

I completely agree. I find the books to be very dry in parts. I do like the audiobooks as the voice acting is good but sometimes I find myself getting easily distracted because nothing is going on in the story other than a ton of dialog that seems sort of repetitive. The games are much better at story telling than the books and its easier to follow along and stay engaged.

Here's what I would say, if all that interests you is the monster hunting and swordplay, I would stop after the first two books. They more closely resemble (to me) what it feels like to play the game. If you are into philosophical conundrums, political intrigue, and can be okay with very long stretches without action, I say carry on to the finish line!

I personally love the books, i loved the world sapkowski created. keep in mind that the saga is slow paced.

The books are fantastic! Maybe not the same level as George RR Martin's A song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones), but not dissimilar either. Huge cast of characters, complex and vast story lines set in a wondrous world and era.

A fantastic series; just make sure you know the order in which to read everything.

Sapkowski's Witcher saga is an incredibly complex and alluring series that embraces the thrill of an action-packed legacy of fantasy. Though the video games are more inviting and fast-paced, the books allow for some unseen development that is absent within the games and television series. The novels do differ from many elements of the Netflix series, as the series takes a different approach from some of Sapkowski's ideas, but they are overall fantastic reads with epic storylines.

I cannot recommend them the slightest. The majority of the plot feels like filler, the worldbuilding is boring and worst of all, the characters are insufferable. Especially Geralt. Avoid this one.

YES I LOVE IT SO MUCH. I love how it focuses on Ciri, Yennefer, and Geralt almost equally. While in some scenes it is painfully obvious the series was written by a man, the author manages to write likeable, unique, strong, and complex female characters. SPOILER: it was also really interesting to see how Ciri, one of the three main characters was bisexual, which wasn't considered a big deal, and the books were written in the 90's/ 2000's. I kind of wish Dandelion was still involved in the later books, but it's still good. Also, if the gang (Geralt, Yen, Ciri) were together more often I would have liked that more. Overall, good series, get the books.

I'd say they aren't good. I didn't like the writing style, but I am all for the concept. Just... idk I started reading and the first scene was before chapter one and this woman is from how it's described putting her breast on a dude who was pretending to be asleep. It wasn't romantic in the slightest to me it felt strange. Especially since I didn't see how it was related to chapter one.. The worldbuilding is meh and I didn't like the characters. Nothing about these books feel alluring or complex. They feel like bare bones basics for a skeleton of a first draft before editing.

They are very different from the Tolkien school of writing fantasy. That's why it's worth reading

Fatima wrote: "Realistically, if you've seen the series, the first half of The Last Wish might bore you a little bit. Ive just finished Sword of Destiny and honestly can't wait to start Blood of Elves, i'm hooked..."

I agree too. Witcher 3 video game is the best piece of Witcher literature in my opinion. I also like the comics, and the books are excellent because I already love the world, the characters, and have everything visualised. Reading the books without having played the game wouldn't have been as captivating for me.

It's worth a shot but it's 50/50 whether you'll like it or not imo. I was lucky in being the 50 that did.