For book readers: Your Favorite Short Story?

[draconis184]

For book readers: Your Favorite Short Story?

So what are your most favorite short stories from The Witcher and Sword of Destiny and why?

For me it would be the Witcher as it is the first time we get to know Geralt. It's only a short story, but the atmosphere immediately tells you what kind of world we're in. We know it's fantasy and it's not your typical Tolkien-esque. It's dripping with Slavic influences,

Second is the Edge of the World. The villain isn't terribly interesting here, but what interested me was the scenery. Simply the most beautiful location in the Witcher universe. Would love to visit it sometimes in 10 years if a sequel is made, or a third DLC if CDPR wants to surprise us with a christmas gift.

Third is the Limit of the Possibilities. Borch was awesome here. A real honorable dragon. Would love to see him in Blood and Wine

That's my list. What about yours?

 

[Guest 3847602]

1. Something More
2. The Sword of Destiny
3. A Little Sacrifice
4. A Shard of Ice
5. The Last Wish

 

[ReptilePZ]

I really like the short story A Grain of Truth, it's a really nice, dark take on a popular fairy tale. It also reads pretty much exactly like a script for a quest you could stumble upon in TW3 You can clearly see the devs took great inspiration from the books in terms of story structure for their quests.

And I totally agree with Witcher and Edge of the World.

 

[Tjerra]

A Grain of Truth for me as well, simply loved the whole story and the thoughts it came up with. Really showed that question of who being a monster for what reason for me.
But I also loved A Shard of Ice and Something More.

 

[ReptilePZ]

Oh, I also forgot to mention The Lesser Evil - I really like how it focuses on the concept of there being no clear-cut good and evil. And, again, a twist on a popular fairy tale. It's probably the short story with the best pacing in the books.

 

[draconis184]

Oh, I also forgot to mention The Lesser Evil - I really like how it focuses on the concept of there being no clear-cut good and evil. And, again, a twist on a popular fairy tale. It's probably the short story with the best pacing in the books.

The Lesser Evil is an interesting story for sure, but what didn't grip me was the atmosphere and the characters. The whole Blaviken and Renfri thing just seem so terribly dull.

Speaking of the Grain of Truth, I've wondered myself: Why didn't we see any sign of Murivel/Nivellen? It's stated that Nivellen lives west of Tretogor, north of the Pontar. So basically it's plausible to include his manor into Velen's landmass, somewhere east of Oxenfurt, perhaps to the edge of the map. It's a shame we don't get to see him in the game, and probably never will. Seems like a missed opportunity to me :/

---------- Updated at 06:15 PM ----------

Oh forget what I said. Murivel is actually EAST of tretogor, not west

 

[Alfred.Moragas]

My favorite short story is "A Little Sacrifice". The ending, when it describes the differences between the song that Jaskier composes about that story, and what it really happened, was to me like a punch in the guts.

I think that Sapkowski has a real talent to "affect" the reader by suddenly changing the mood of a tale. A fun and cheerful story suddently becomes dreadfully serious, or a dark and moody tale suddenly becomes hopeful or has a lighthearted scene. Until the ending, "A Little Sacrifice" seems only a retelling of "A Little Mermaid" which delves a bit in how Geralt is coping with his failed relationship with Yennefer. And at firts, it seems to have a genuine "happy ending" with the mermaid doing "a little sacrifice" to be able to be with her lover. It can be argued that it is more a "bittersweet" than a "happy" ending, because the mermaid is doing her sacrifice to avert war between the people of land and the people of sea, but she still can take comfort in that she will spend the rest of her life with her lover. And then you read how really ended the story for Essi Daven and... come on, even the werewolf got sad!

No clear second or third favorite stories. Maybe "Limit of the Possibilities" as the second, for his large cast of characters and because it covers a lot of themes, and "A Grain of Truth" as another case in which Sapkowski does a retelling of a classic fairy tale ("Beauty and the Beast") and it adds a twist in the ending which suddenly changes the mood of an, until then, pretty lighthearted tale.

 

[Riven-Twain]

I too am quite fond of A Grain of Truth (Ein Körnchen Wahrheit), as I've always enjoyed the concept of the cursed Beast. I find Nivellen's entertaining tale and his amusing exchanges with Geralt a delightful re-imagining of the traditional stories.

 

[Rawls]

Something More
The Lesser Evil
The Sword of Destiny
The Last Wish
The Witcher

 

[Charcharo]

Well Something More is probably the best written and most impressive of the bunch...

But for me it is A Little Sacrifice.

 

[Sunsibar]

All the stories were great, but The Witcher, A Grain Of Truth and A Matter Of Prize were the most memorable moments for me.

Now reading Time Of Contempt.

 

[ReptilePZ]

The Lesser Evil is an interesting story for sure, but what didn't grip me was the atmosphere and the characters. The whole Blaviken and Renfri thing just seem so terribly dull.

For me, like I said, the uncertainty surrounding Renfri and the curse, and the tough call Geralt has to make was really great.

Aside from that, the opening scene, where Geralt walks into town, and the final scene, where Geralt confronts Renfri and her thugs, were very nicely done, iconic almost.

 

[Alfred.Moragas]

For me, like I said, the uncertainty surrounding Renfri and the curse, and the tough call Geralt has to make was really great.

Aside from that, the opening scene, where Geralt walks into town, and the final scene, where Geralt confronts Renfri and her thugs, were very nicely done, iconic almost.

As a sidenote, I wonder if Sapkowski did a little foreshadowing with the "Prophecy of the Black Sun" that it is mentioned in "The Lesser Evil" story. Stregobor quotes that prophecy as saying that "The Black Sun was to announce the imminent return of Lilith, worshipped still in the East under the name of Niya, and the doom of the human race. "... well, if I remember correctly, I think that the banner of the Nilfgaard Empire can be described as a Black Sun (which can also be considered a veiled reference to the swastika).

 

[ReptilePZ]

As a sidenote, I wonder if Sapkowski did a little foreshadowing with the "Prophecy of the Black Sun" that it is mentioned in "The Lesser Evil" story. Stregobor quotes that prophecy as saying that "The Black Sun was to announce the imminent return of Lilith, worshipped still in the East under the name of Niya, and the doom of the human race. "... well, if I remember correctly, I think that the banner of the Nilfgaard Empire can be described as a Black Sun (which can also be considered a veiled reference to the swastika).

I doubt the two are related, Lilith and the Black Sun prophecy most likely reference ancient mythology, whereas Nilfgaard and its cult of the Great Sun probably has more to do with Nazism, I think.

 

[sis2310]

1.Something More - still get goosebumps when Geralt finds Ciri for the 2nd time even though I have read it many times before, Geralt and Yen on Belleteyn and when Visenna cares for Geralt
2. The Bounds of Reason - Borch three jackdaws!
3.The Lesser Evil - Probably the best fight scene in the entire saga and where Geralt becomes known as the butcher of blaviken

 

[draconis184]

1.Something More - still get goosebumps when Geralt finds Ciri for the 2nd time even though I have read it many times before, Geralt and Yen on Belleteyn and when Visenna cares for Geralt
2. The Bounds of Reason - Borch three jackdaws!
3.The Lesser Evil - Probably the best fight scene in the entire saga and where Geralt becomes known as the butcher of blaviken

I have to admit the fight scene in the Lesser Evil was awesome! But I think the best combat scenes come from the later novels.

 

[Jehane]

I too am quite fond of A Grain of Truth (Ein Körnchen Wahrheit), as I've always enjoyed the concept of the cursed Beast. I find Nivellen's entertaining tale and his amusing exchanges with Geralt a delightful re-imagining of the traditional stories.

Wait - is that the story in which the Beast complains that it's being used by the villagers to scare their children? That's one of my favourite stories and the one that I still remember when I think about the books. Also, I remember enjoying the one with Snow White being the head of a criminal gang. And, of course, The Witcher.

 

[Foxtrot1994]

A Little Sacrifice.

The only thing to have ever pussified a Predator. Yes, I shed tears.

 

[zappy3]

Each short story has something I really like so it's hard to choose. But I especially like
- The Lesser Evil : the one when I really started to like Sapkowski's writing
- The Last Wish, for shipping reasons ^^
- Shard of Ice because I had such a hard time understanding it at first which, as strange as it sounds, made it even better
- A Little Sacrifice which I found really touching
- Something More : the scenes between Geralt and Ciri, Yen and Visenna were perfect.

 

[YenneferB]

For me I think it is Something More - when Geralt finds Ciri I always have tears in my eyes when i read it, a Little Sacrifice- what happened to Essi is so sad and The Last Wish-when a journey for Geralt and Yennefer relationship began.