This is the first book in the Witcher saga. A fresh take on slavic mythology and other European folkore by the most recent master of fantasy literature, Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski.

"The Last Wish" is a collection of 7 short stories revolving around the exploits of Geralt, the Witcher, a man (well, a former boy) imbued with a small amount of magic, trained and physically altered since childhood for one sole purpose: to hunt monsters.

There is a main line of narrative that holds the stories together in a most convincing way. Multi-layered, very funny at times, even scary at others, this book and its main character question the nature of monsters, be they mythical or humans themselves, while taking on destiny.

Just a couple of notes. The translation is fine, but this is still the only book of the Witcher saga currently in English (as of Feb., 2008). This book is referenced constantly in the video game The Witcher, released for the PC in 2007.