Geralt of Rivia is laid up at the temple of Melitele in Ellander, healing from a wound, and between his conversations with the priestess Nenneke the stories show the jobs that brought him there. He lifts a curse on King Foltest's daughter, gets caught between a sorcerer and a vengeful woman in Blaviken, and turns up at a royal betrothal feast in Cintra where a stranger's claim upsets everything.
What this adds if you've played the games
If Witcher 3 was your way in, this is where the people you met there come from. You get the job that earned Geralt the name Butcher of Blaviken, his first meeting with Yennefer, and the Law of Surprise bargain that ties him to Ciri. It's a set of short stories rather than a novel, so it's easy to read a chapter between quests. Start here even if you don't plan to read the rest.
Where it fits
- Comes beforeSword of Destiny
More stories in the same vein, set after those in The Last Wish and building on them, above all Geralt's bond with Yennefer and the Law of Surprise. Read The Last Wish first.
- Ties intoSeason of Storms
Its main story happens between two of the tales collected in The Last Wish, with Geralt still taking contracts on the road. Neither gives the other away.
- Comes afterCrossroads of Ravens
Shows Geralt in his first year out of Kaer Morhen, well before any story in The Last Wish. It spoils nothing, but it's more fun once you know the older Geralt.
Editions
Gollancz paperback
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