Book review
Written by Andrzej Sapkowski
Gollancz hardback and paperback
Release date Out now (hardback); 14 February 2008 (paperback)

Geralt de Riv’s work as a Witcher leads him into encounters with ever more dangerous and bizarre monsters, demons and creatures…

The Last Wish is an accomplished retelling of some well-known fairy tales, each transformed almost beyond recognition and given the darkest tinges of horror. This takes the book outside the norms of traditional fantasy writing, while still being anchored in (the more original edges of) sword and sorcery.

Essentially a short story collection, there's a strong thread linking each tale to create a coherent whole centered on Sapkowski’s ‘eternal hero’ Geralt. There is, perhaps, a touch of Moorcock’s Elric in Geralt (not least in appearance, but also in the way he sometimes ambiguously sides with the monsters he is supposed to be slaying), but there is nothing derivative in the writing itself.

There are also some nice touches of humour along the way, such as Snow White persuading the seven dwarves that banditry is more profitable than mining and leading them on a crime spree.

Already translated into a number of European languages, Sapkowski is a prominent Polish fantasy author, so it's good to see translations into English being undertaken at last. Blood of the Elves (the first novel in the Witcher Saga) is also due for publication next year, so British readers to be able to experience yet more European flavours in the genre. Brigid Cherry

VERDICT: 8/10
Once Upon a Time for grown-ups.