Night Watch (1998)

This is one of those books that is and completely feels like a translation. It starts out really good and then shifts to a whole set of different characters which all come together in the end. There are some things that feel cultural and are thus out of context for a Western reader. The idea behind the story is good but I cannot say I'd go out of my way to read it again. ( )

The Night Watch is an interesting and unique take to the urban fantasy genre. I especially enjoyed the details surrounding the Night and Day Watches and the agreement they have to maintaining a balance. This novel actually contains three "episodes" that are very much interconnected and building up to the final part of the story. I enjoyed following Anton around Moscow and his various adventures facing the Day Watch and fulfilling his duties to the watch. You could read my full review on my blog: http://www.rulethewaves.net/blog/?p=5892 ( )

I had my husband read this first, after he read the Russian version, so he could tell me how good the translation was (he was born in Russia). He tells me the translation from Russian is very good, as good as could be expected considering there are so many Russian words and phrases that simply cannot be translated into English with the same amount of impact. Apparently the Russian version of this book has a great deal of humor in it - what I primarily perceived was a fairly melancholic air.

This book - all three parts of it - focus on Anton, a 5-year veteran of the Nightwatch. The Nightwatch is a group of Light Others - magicians, shapeshifters, etc. - who work to ensure that the Dark Others (led by the Daywatch) keep the truce that was set up by both sides as a result of WWII (as far as I could tell judging from the time frame). Anton is having what could be most closely defined as a crisis of faith; he feels that maybe the ends do NOT justify the means and that the Nightwatch is NOT acting in the best interests of humankind after all. However, he does not want to switch allegiances - in fact, as far as he knows no one can - and he cannot act directly against the Nightwatch or he will be sent into the Twilight forever.

The first part of the book is the part that most closely resembles the movie that was created from these novels - they must again save Egor, a young boy, from a female vampire, after Anton has already saved him once and killed her paramour, who illegally turned her after falling in love with her when he was licensed to take her (I presume the "legal" result of this transaction would be the death of the girl, but it is never baldly stated this way). At the same time, a large dark vortex has opened over the city and they must find first the person over whom it has risen and secondly the Magician or Sorceress who has set it.

The second part of the book finds Anton in a great deal of danger when he is sent after a Maverick Other, who does not even realize that he IS an Other, who has been killing off Dark Others for around three years. He must find the Maverick and bring him in before the Daywatch catches up to him (or the Maverick - but the Daywatch is certain is it Anton himself who is committing the murders).

Finally in the 3rd section of the book, we find Moscow under an unusual heat wave and the Nightwatch has been cut down to a skeleton crew, with the rest being sent off on vacation. Anton fears that Svetlana - who, he is told, is destined to be a Great One - is being pushed too far, too fast and that, as a result, the fragile love that has grown between them will be snapped. As a result, he pushes her even farther away and finally ends up making a deal with the Dark Ones; however, he redeems himself in the finale, before announcing to Gesar and Svetlana that he has realized this whole situation has been a feint and distraction to keep the Dark Ones from knowing what is actually going on (of course, we ourselves have very little idea ourselves, as Anton doesn't deign to actually state out loud much about the actions going on.)

Maybe more perceptive readers than I will figure out what is going on in the background, but a lot of this feels like a book by L E Modesitt, Jr., where I never quite know what the heck is going on, but I love it anyway.

Don't miss this one - it's a terrific book. ( )

I finished reading Surgei Lukyanenko's The Night Watch last night, but I didn't write my review then to give me time to digest it, so to speak. It was originally written in Russian, so obviously I read it in translation -- it's quite odd to see a translated fantasy novel be relatively popular here. I think the only other translated fantasy novels I've read were by Cornelia Funke. In any case, the translation isn't bad. I'm sure it loses some of the original, but I didn't get a horrible sense of distance from the text as I do from most translated works, and I didn't feel as if I was missing anything huge.

The book is split into three parts, and is largely from the point of view of a single character, Anton. I didn't find him incredibly easy to sympathise with -- when he was in action and doing things, it wasn't bad, but when he's sat around waiting or contemplating, he's awfully whiny. I found that particularly in the third part. I felt like that could have been shorter, or more to the point, and I also felt it ended a little confusingly. The same twist is used in each of the three parts, too -- so while the first part was hard to predict and interesting, the second part you felt an inkling of what was going to happen, and you knew nothing was as it seemed in the third part.

I like the world-building, though. I like the fact that it's set in Moscow and that's it -- it doesn't spend a long time introducing people from London or New York to what Moscow is like. That part is quite matter-of-fact -- so much urban fantasy seems to be set somewhere that's sort of generally familiar in a way, like London, and then when it isn't, they make a big song and dance about the fact. It's nice to read something that's just simply set in Russia. It allowed that part to be familiar -- even though it isn't, to me -- so the world of the Others is what we're really being introduced to. The explanations about Dark and Light in this book are interesting, and the way the Dark isn't completely horrible -- that Dark Ones can love, have families and affection... in fact, they seemed warmer than the Light Ones. For all the main character, Anton, is a Light One, and he talks about loving Svetlana, there isn't really much warmth and humanity. There are only a few references to his parents, for example.

It was very interesting to read something like this that wasn't written by a Brit and set in London. And refreshing. It was also refreshing to read about vampires who weren't necessarily evil -- I would have liked to see more of Anton and Kostya's friendship -- and to read a book that just casually contained vampires and werewolves without romanticising them...

I can't quite give this book five stars. The first two parts kept me quite interested, but the third part felt self-indulgent and not as substantial. Four stars, it is! ( )

I like the basic premise of these books (this review covers both Night Watch and Day Watch), that the supernatural world has created rules and organizations (the two "watches" of the titles) to channel the conflict between the forces of light and darkness. As translated, both books envelop the magic, vampires, werewolves, etc., in a kind of gritty reality that enhances the believability of this environment. ( )