The final book in the Night Watch series, this story line brings a lot together. After the other 3 books (focusing on the Night Watch, the Day Watch, and the Inquisition), I was wondering where Lukyanenko was going to take this one. I was pleased when even more was introduced into the world of the Night Watch than previously talked about in the other books.

Without giving anything away, it is difficult to discuss, but I found the ending imaginative and a solid ending to another chapter in Anton's life. If you've read and enjoyed the other books in this series, be sure to catch this one too. ( )

This was NOT disappointing. I finished it way faster than expected. Like the previous books in the series, the translation was excellent, and never felt noticeable (to me). One thing that I have really enjoyed reading this series is how the universe keeps changing as our understanding of it grows. This book kept up the trend. Highly recommended. ( )

I preferred this to the last 'Watch' book, which tended to go off on tangents while Anton muses on the nature of the universe. This one has a more direct and developed story with a carefully-layered plot revealed gradually, and which still managed to surprise me a little at the end. ( )

This book starts with Anton struggling to adjust to his new role as a Higher Other, and Geser struggling to help him adjust because there aren't enough jobs that demand his power level that will stretch him and give him useful experience.

Then a Russian studying in Edinburgh is killed by a vampire, and Geser asks Anton to go and investigate. Zabulon does too - the plot most definitely thickens!

Anton finds out that there's a link to Merlin, and a link to his old former neighbour Kostya the vampire. There is also a lot more mess and intrigue going around.

In this book Anton is rarely in Moscow - Edinburgh for the first and last part, Samarkand for the middle - but the places are lovingly described and rather than seeing Moscow as a Muscovite, we see Russian culture abroad through Russian eyes which is also nicely done.

This book only gets 4.5 stars because the end is a little weak. Although it's not really a deus ex machina, it has a little of that feeling of having written itself into a corner and then needing that deus to pop out and readjust it. Still a couple of average pages in a few hundred excellent pages isn't too bad.

I have a feeling this will be the last book in this series, which is a shame, because I'd happily read more books set in this universe and with these characters. ( )