Hey, everyone! It’s Story Sunday again and today I’m writing about a novel called The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski. I recently took part in a discussion about the differences between short stories and novels. During the discussion, someone asked about short story collections presented as a novel. Sapkowski’s novel follows this format, which led me to look at it again for this week’s Story Sunday.
The Last Wish follows a protagonist known as Geralt, a witcher. The witchers are an order of monster hunters. A witcher is trained from birth to be stronger than normal humans, they’re sterile, and they possess immunity to many different poisons. The idea the witcher order is interesting. Since they take children into the order from birth, the children never have a choice, which can lead to an interesting debate about ethics and necessity.
The book is woven together by chapters called “The Voice of Reason.” These chapters are placed between the short stories. This format establishes “The Voice of Reason” arc as the present, while the other chapters are flashbacks of Geralt’s past encounters with humans and monsters. Ultimately, you spend a lot of time looking back on Geralt’s life, which would normally be discouraged when writing a novel. However, the short story format allows the reader to feel very engaged during these flashbacks, making them an asset.
Does it work as a novel?
Yes, this book absolutely works as a novel. While it’s comprised of short stories, the stories work together to form a narrative. Each story gives the reader a glimpse into Geralt’s past. With each one the reader understands more about the protagonist, the world, the order of witchers.
Why does it work?
I think the main reason this story works has to do with Geralt as a protagonist. If a reader is interested in a protagonist, they don’t mind flashbacks into the character’s past. Furthermore, each short story plays off of an old fairy tale. This links the stories in yet another way. It gives the stories a theme that the reader can hold onto and enjoy while reading. The protagonist and the running theme are enough to tie this novel up.
Another reason I think this works so well has to do with Sapkowski’s world building. I think it’s difficult to write a great fantasy short story because so much of fantasy depends on world building. The audience actually expects world building. Bringing these short stories together unfolds the world little by little. With just one of them, I might not have a firm grasp of the world Sapkowski has created. Together, I understand the world, the character, and how these experiences have influenced one another. They take what was once episodic and bring it together as a whole.
Have you read The Last Wish? Have you read any other short story collections that are presented as a novel?