The Last Wish: A Question of Price, Andrzej Sapkowski

The Story

    

    Andrzej Sapkowski honed his worldbuilding and character building skills by writing short fiction. Short stories, novelettes and novellas. The Last Wish, is a collection of those shorter works which rounds out The Witcher Universe. This story, A Question of Price, fills out Geralt's character and introduces us to Queen Calanthe, her daughter Pavetta and the cursed knight, Duny. 

    Geralt is summoned by Queen Calanthe to perform a very specific task. And rather than Calanthe just bringing in a Witcher openly, she brings Geralt of Rivia in, to perform his work. And while I might read and review the short story The Witcher. from which the entire universe derives it's name, it is relevant to know that Geralt has been established as something of a magical legend. He does his job as he sees fit. And it is interesting in that first story, Geralt is hired to break Adda's curse rather than kill her. So we know something of Geralt's moral code, when we get to what Calanthe wants from Geralt. 

    But Calanthe is not your usual monarch. She doesn't decree, she doesn't order, and she doesn't consult. She does maneuver, persuade, allude, charm, and distract. She certainly understands Geralt better than many of her peers. And she wants what she wants. 

    You see, she's in a bit of a predicament. Her late husband granted a magical, binding wish to his savoir, a knight named Duny. Duny has been hideously cursed, by day a beast, but for a brief respite from midnight to dawn, he is the human man he was born to be. Calanthe, has it within her sole power to lift his curse, if only she will abide by her husband's promise. A promise he made while he was at death's door. Ah, and for Calanthe, there's the rub. She doesn't consider the contract valid, and moreover, she has political problems to solve. In short, she needs to marry her 15 year old daughter, Pavetta, to someone, preferably from Skellige, in order to secure her kingdom. And she will not, will not, put a cursed being on the throne. 

    So Geralt has been brought in to kill the beast. But that's not Geralt's way. He takes the job, but makes Calanthe outline her desires, what an acceptable outcome would be. And Geralt promises to bring that about, but she must not question his ways. 

    What he does astounds everyone, but his price is very high indeed. It's Calanthe's green sash, to remember her eyes, and that which they do not know they have.

My Thoughts

    Well, for a novelette, this is pretty good. We get more wining and dining than perhaps is warranted. The cloak and dagger intrigue plays out just a little bit too long, but these are stories that Sapkowski wrote to learn how to write. And to expand his world. And like every great writer, he is concerned with character first, plot second, world building last. Anyone who has wrestled with learning how to write will see the way he works in this story. And here there is something evocative in his writing, a mystery to be solved. He keeps his reader hungry. And with all of his work, there are layers upon layers. He's clearly a man who has a highly nuanced view of the world, and the ability to segment it into many different parts.

    For anyone who is studying writing, this short story is well worth your time. Especially for someone like me, who writes in the mystery genre. He evokes a rather boring state dinner in such a way as to make it a character in and of itself. He chooses his scenes well, very well, even if the premise is a bit far fetched. It's our pleasure to suspend our disbelief, and give him a pass. And that's what we should do. 

How Much My Library Card Saved Me

(In this case, How Much Andromeda Saved Me)

    My oldest child, Andromeda, once again is lending me their books from The Witcher series. This book is a paperback, which Romi paid for with their own money from their first, and very challenging job as a fast food worker. The price on the cover of this gently read paperback is $16.99

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