I think this was a great read from start to finish. Lukyanenko does a great job making you wonder about the lines drawn between the Dark sides and the Light. Is there really good and evil, and will we stand against it, or for it. Does being light mean that you'll never make the world a worse place than when you started, and does only more evil come from acts of perceived good?
Translated beautifully. I recommend this strongly. ( )

This is a very intriguing book, the first in a trilogy, about maintaining the status quo in Russia between the Dark Ones (witches, wizards, vampires and suchlike) and the Light Ones (magical in the cause of good rather than evil). It was very thrilling and exciting, and I enjoyed finding out about the different characters, particularly as there were quite a few twists and turns along the way.One quibble: Rather than being one long, cohesive novel, it is split into three stories within this book. Although the stories were interconnected, and followed on from each other, this left me feeling a bit disappointed. This was particularly the case at the end of the first story, as I was really getting in to it, and wanted more twists and turns and more excitement....and then it ended. And then we went into another story that I got sucked into....and then it ended. You get the idea. I think I would have preferred it to be a bit more of a substantial cohesive whole. But then, I'm not a huge fan of short stories anyway, so maybe that's just me! ( )

Surprisingly easy to read for a book which was originally in Russian - sign of an excellent translator - I am not sure if this is designed for adults or young adults: it is written in a very approachable manner and is quite at home in the company of Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl.
I like the idea of 'the Others' and the Twlight world they can inhabit at will but with potentially devastating consequences. The balance of power between Good and Bad, or the Light and the Dark, is an ancient concept, but there is little hint of Gnostic mysticism in the story, more of the Cold War, with its give and take and eternal compromise. Keeping the peace is more important than individual survival and the innocent are sacrificed for the greater good: much is made of this blurring of moral lines - does the end justify the means?
An enjoyable story, mildly exciting, moderately entertaining and somewhat thought provoking, I don't understand why it became so popular, caterpulting the author into best seller status, but soon became fond of the characters, especially Anton Gorodetsky, Olga and Svetlana. ( )

I didn't read this until after watching the Russian movie - which I found to be awesome it was so much fun - so while I somewhat surprised at just how different the storyline was from the movie I was at the same time thrilled to read the authors true intentions.

The Washington Post started their review saying the 'brace yourself for Harry Potter in Gorky Park'. Huh? Not even close.

This beginning to a four book fantasy series is set in modern day Moscow. The story involves a race called the "Others," who live and work alongside us, feeding off the negative or positive mental energy that ordinary human beings produce. They fade in and out of a gray fourth dimension known as the Twilight that overlays our natural world. These Others are born to regular human parents, but when each Other comes of age, he or she must choose to join the Light or the Dark side: "If you always put yourself and your own interests first, then your path leads through the Darkness. If you think about others, it leads toward the Light." Pretty simple really.

The forces of Light and Dark are locked in a thousand-year-old Cold War, bound by an ancient truce that keeps the world from being destroyed. Each side maintains a Watch to ensure that the opposite side is not violating the terms of the peace treaty by interfering illegally with the direction of human history.

Enter Anton - he is a somewhat low member of the Night Watch. Pretty ordinary. He falls in love with Svetlana - who is a powerful Other. Anton is told constantly that as Svet's powers increase she will outgrow Anton and move on. Just the way things are in their world.

I enjoyed Anton immensely - and shared his disbelief and frustration to find that in each of the three parts of the novel that all the crap he went thru in the end, his boss cleverly orchestrated everything and it was all pre-ordained to come out exactly as he wanted it to as he had some sort of behind the scenes action going on. Poor Anton I am sure felt pretty used by the end of the novel.

I will continue with the series. I more than enjoy Lukyanenko's style. ( )

http://lampbane.livejournal.com/531944.html

"I enjoyed this book very much, especially in how it was divided into three distinct stories which were loosely interconnected. What's great is that by formatting it into three smaller novels, the stories themselves remain tight with little filler. I'm not sure if it was this, or the writing style, but I was impressed at how well I could remember everything. If they mentioned something that happened earlier, I usually remembered it with perfect clarity and could find the appropriate page in seconds. That's the kind of impact the novel made on me." ( )

Highly enjoyable read. A bit slow to start but once I got into it I couldn't wait to pick it up again, highly imaginative and full of suspense and thrills. I can't wait to read the other books in the series. ( )

I really enjoyed this Russian fantasy novel and its original and thought-provoking take on the "battle between Good and Evil". It’s hard to review this without what some might consider spoilers, because it was the gradual revelations about the way in which this world worked that made the biggest impression on me as I read this. ( )

Mixed feelings on this one. It’s often referred to as being “J.K. Rowling… Russian Style…” (There’s even a blurb on the front cover to that effect). I think that this is a completely unfair comparison to Rowling’s world just as it is to Lukyanenko’s. Yes both are, darkly epic tales, set in richly detailed, imaginative, worlds with a war waging between good and evil (and the duality of the grey areas in between), but where Rowling’s tale inspires a page turning frenzy, Lukyanenko’s is more one to settle into and wrap around you.

Partly because of the JK Rowling comparsion, It took a little while for me for me to adjust my pre-conceptions and truely settle into the book, and partly because I don’t think this was helped by some clunky phrasings in the writing, I don’t know if this is down to the original Russian or the translation, but there were times when I had to skip back a paragarph or two, just to truely get a fix on what was being said or done.I suspect that if I could read fluent Russian then the original version would score a 4.5 at least. And I can easily see why the books are as big a success as they have are.

As it is, I was just not as caught up in the, fantastic setting, plot and characters as I could have been. Still, now that I am settled into the world, I have high hopes for the next in the series: The Day Watch (Watch, Book 2).

Read and comment on my full review at:
http://www.bartsbookshelf.co.uk/2009/... ( )

Ever feel like there’s a big, black cloud hanging over your head, following you around? You try hard. Things go wrong. You try even harder. And things get worse. Like life’s clamped down on your nipples with an iron grip, purple-nurpling you into submission, belly up, throat exposed.

Now magnify this. About a thousand times. And imagine an enormous vortex of impending death and evil hanging over your head, rising high into the sky, black as a crow’s belly, clearly visible for miles around. But this isn’t life’s doing. This is a curse cast upon you by a powerful wizard with murderous intent. And when this curse comes to fruition, things go boom. Like nuclear cloud boom, taking half of Moscow with you. So—the question becomes—who’s going to help you? Who’s going to save you?

Enter the Night Watch. The good guys. Though good’s a relative term here. The Night Watch is charged with keeping evil supernatural elements in check, a police force governing the things-that-go-bump-in-the-night. Got a rogue vampire sucking down folks like a five year old downs Slurpees? Call the Night Watch. Got a dark wizard trying to get his evil on—maniacal laugh and all? Call the Night Watch (and maybe a vocal coach depending on the quality of the laugh). Impending vortex of doom hanging over your head? Yep, the Night Watch. Call them.

But good needs a foe, and for the Night Watch, evil’s champion is the Day Watch. Like Dr. Evil is to Austin Powers, and good taste is to Paris Hilton movies, the Day Watch is to the Night Watch, eternal combatants. The Day Watch polices those supernatural folks looking to do good. A treaty between the groups brokers an uneasy peace. Evil and good are allowed to co-exist, but in balance. And with restrictions. An act of goodness must be met with a similar act of evil. For every response, there is an equal and opposite reaction. It’s good versus evil with Newton refereeing.

This duality between good and evil is central to Sergei Lukyanenko’s “Night Watch.” Lukyanenko continuously asks questions throughout the novel about the nature of good and evil, how they relate to each other, while deeply exploring the answers. Questions about how perspective can often change whether an act is viewed as good or evil. A man steals bread. The injured merchant believes the theft evil. The man’s starving family likely perceives the action differently. Which is true? Is either true?

This exploration of the relativism of good and evil reveals the novel’s Russian roots. Typical of Russian literature, “Night Watch” is deeply thoughtful, philosophical, and strident in its pursuit of answers. It’s “Crime and Punishment” meets urban fantasy, easily making it the most intelligent urban fantasy novel I’ve read.

The narrative structure of the novel is interesting. Lukyanenko partitions “Night Watch” into three distinct sections, each detailing an incident in the protagonist Anton’s life. Gaps in time—usually a season—separate each section. The interconnection between the stories is only teased out near the end. But it’s vastly effective and engaging, dragging the reader along by the scruff of their neck. Always reading one more page.

Translated from the original Russian by Andrew Bromfield, “Night Watch” reads rough in spots, but that’s to be expected considering the inherent difficulties in translating. Bromfield does an admirable job though, especially with material that’s so deeply philosophical.

Last Word:
“Night Watch” raises the stakes for all other books in the urban fantasy genre by not only entertaining the reader but making them ask the Big Questions. Questions about the relative nature of good and evil, and how one finds truth in these circumstances. Questions about love and fate. Lukyanenko imbues the novel with a fierce intelligence. But also with a tender heart. And this combination makes “Night Watch” feel real, vital, and rewarding. An urban fantasy fortune cookie with wisdom buried within. Precious wisdom not to be missed. ( )

The rating might even be approaching a full 4. The book has elements of traditional fantasy with witches, vampires, and werewolves, and the struggle between good and evil. The characters are fascinating, no-one is purely good or purely evil. ( )

A pretty good book. The thing I liked it about most was not the plot, nor the characters, nor the setting - what I liked about it most was the way Lukyanenko deals with morality in this book. Although there is a clear division of the Others into two camps, either the forces of Light or the forces of Dark, there is also really little that actually separates them. Light and Dark are two sides of the same coin. I hope to read the other books soon, too. ( )

Sort of a cross between a Kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmare and a supernatural battleground, Lukyanenko's Moscow is peopled with forces of the light and the dark in the form of vampires, werethings, magicians, witches, shapeshifters, and sorcerers who all have their pay grade, power levels and roles to play, and all of whom are mostly delegated toward keeping the opposing side in check via complex truce laws that dictate all magical behavior.

There is enough action, suspense and intrigue to balance the obvious social commentary on the corruption of political systems and institutionalized ideology, and the post-Soviet urban landscape and lifestyle is a fascinating setting from an authentic voice, but also the source of perhaps its greatest flaw: the translation is often awkward and weedy, frequently stiff, sometimes outright confusing, or even unintentionally amusing. In addition, there isn't a great deal of energy expended on characterization, so the motivations of the primary players often seem a bit murky... unconvincing but supposedly passionate romances are suggested with only the most glancing strokes, and friendships and loyalties tend to spring up and die off with no particular rhyme or reason.

But for all that it is nicely different, and a good read, with lots of twists and curves for fans of intrigue and supernatural fiction - enough to keep me hooked. I'll follow up with the second in the series, "Day Watch" at some point. ( )

I'm mulling over what to say about this book. Overall, I found it an interesting book to read, especially for another venture into the world of the "others"-- those vampires, sorcerers, shapeshifters, magicians, and folks who live in various supernatural worlds that one sometimes stumbles into in literature, art and film. This was an interesting exploration, a fresh take with vodka, on an age old question of good and evil. I was not as swept up in the stories (three in this book) as I was in the unfolding of the characters. Though Anton is the main fellow, the one that intrigues me the most is Olga. I want some back history on her.

Though I liked reading the book, I was not as caught up in it as previous readers. I have not decided if I shall read volume 2 or not. Javaczuk says that I need to let the story percolate and perhaps photoshop some pictures.... I promised guyczuk I'd hold this for him to check out to see if he wants to read it.

Interesting to note that the author is a psychologist. ( )

This is a surprising book in that the tradition of Russian literature leads you to expect a Russian author to be dealing either with the misery of the human condition or the direct fallout of the communist era. Once you remind yourself that it's perfectly legitimate for a Russian to write about vampires, you can enjoy the book for what it is, without imposing your own expectations on it.

And it's well worth it - intriguing plot, good characters and efforless prose. There are some similarities to the films but some differences too - suffice it to say that neither the book nor the films suffer from the comparison. ( )

I found this to be a very fun book, not only for it's interesting idea on good vs. evil, but because it was interesting to read that sort of concept from a russian point of view. It was my first brush with russian fantasy of any sort and I really enjoyed the little cultural differences throughout the story. What really made this novel amazing to me, were the characters. Anton is a very typical, normal guy stuck in some crappy situations. The way he deals with it, is very human and easy to identify with. Sometimes in stories, the main character is just so perfect and jump right into the whole superhero role too easy, that it's unbelievable. Antons worries, fears, and thoughts are far from perfect. He doesn't know what to do, or what to say or how to fix anything. It feels like how I would feel if I were stuck in his place. All the characters shine, it's a shame that some are only minor characters. My only problem is that sometimes I had a hard time following the flow of words. Sometimes what was said, just didn't make a lot of sense to me. I don't know if it was just how the author writes-cultural slang, sayings, references or if it was the translation. Sometimes that made getting through the book a little slow because I would have to re-read things just to make sure I understood what i just read. Aside from that, the book was a lot of fun and I found the plot every interesting. ( )

I loved the concepts behind this book. I found them fascinating and very captivating. My copy was an advanced reader's proof, so a bit was lost in translation but I still couldn't put it down. ( )

Night Watch falls into the "shadow world" sub-genre of fantasy. Unknown to normal humans, there are forces outside our perceptions that shape our history and destiny. The Harry Potter books can be placed in this sub-genre. Light vs Dark, good vs Evil. In Lukyanenko's novel, Light and Dark have a treaty and the Night Watch (light/good) and Day Watch (dark/evil) enforce that treaty. The "people" who serve in the watches call themselves Others and do not consider themselves entirely human. Because there is a treaty Light Others and Dark Others might find themselves neighbors. Anton, a member of the Night Watch has a family of vampires living in the same building and he goes to pains to make sure that they don't see any of his tools of the trade when they visit. The forces of light and dark would like for their respective sides to gain the upper hand but they have to do so within the terms of the treaty which makes for some convoluted plotting, attempts to recruit new members, etc. The book also contains an element of moral ambiguity - are the actions of the forces of Light really in the best interests of humanity. Anton is the conscience of the Night Watch and he relates the events in first person.

I can't speak to the accuracy of the translation however you don't encounter the awkward phrasing you see in less skillful translations.

This is the first in a tetralogy and is told from the perspective of the Light. The other books are Day Watch, Twilight Watch, and Last Watch. While I enjoyed Night Watch, I don't know that I will read the books that follow unless I find them in a used book store or the public library buys them. I've read some discussion that the rest of the series was written more th capitalize on the success in Russia of Night Watch the novel and the movie.

The premise: Anton is an Other (yes, snicker all you want, Lost fans), a member of the human race with supernatural powers who must declare himself on either the Light or Dark Side of magic (yes, snicker all you want, Star Wars fans). Anton is a member of the Night Watch, a group of Light magicians who keep the Dark magicians in line. He's nothing special, he's not even THAT powerful, but he's a pawn in an ever-constant war between Light and Dark, and it's about to take him to a woman whose destiny is inexplicably linked with his--a woman who has the potential to be the greatest sorceress ever known.

My Rating

Worth the Cash: I haven't seen the film adaptation, not sure I'm going to, but I'm glad to have read this. It's a little different from the usual urban/dark fantasy fare, and the setting provides a definite freshness to the world-building and magic. But I'm really not sure I'm invested enough in the characters or the world-building to continue reading the rest of four-book cycle. From what I gather, all the books are structured like this, three connecting novellas in one book, and going from story to story--even with the same characters and overall arc, sometimes feels too much like starting over. The Night Watch almost covers TOO much, glossing over some stuff between novellas that I would've personally liked to see fleshed out, but that's me. And while I know this is a movie, I think this book (series) would make fantastic material for a television series. There's definitely entertainment value with some meat on the bones, but again, I'm not sure there's enough for me to pick up the next volume. Maybe when I'm bored? No, that sounds too negative. The rest of the series might call to me one day, and I'll be happy enough to oblige at that time, but until then, I've got too much else to read.

The full review, which does include spoilers, may be found at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: Sergei Lukyanenko's THE NIGHT WATCH

Happy Reading! ( )

I enjoy books that present you with their setting once, and then get on with exploring what is happening to the characters within that setting. The Night Watch is one such book. Set in modern day Moscow, it concerns Anton, a lowly member of the Night Watch. Their duty is to keep tabs on vampires, werewolves and other agents of the Dark... http://icantstopreading.wordpress.com... ( )

This book was simply fantastic. The movie of the same name does not compare, as the plot is different, and various other things have been changed to make a fairly shallow film in comparison to the depth of the novel.

My only complaint is the translation takes some time to get used to. After you get used to the cadence it just sounds more Russian, which adds to the flavor of the novel.

It is comprised of three connected novellas, all three of which are well read, with great pacing, action, and a great world view. Very dark, but very interesting.

I would recommend this novel to anyone I know as a great read. ( )

It's a unique modern fantasy about the two societies formed by the Light and Dark and the supernatural beings that uphold a treaty meant to protect humanity. ( )

Bit suspicious about the translation, but generally a fun read ( )

The book is divided into three stories that intersect with such density that it’s hard not to feel that a little more work could have turned them into one richer, more rewarding novel.

In each story Anton pursues what appears to be his goal only to find that he has been manipulated, usually by the deviousness of his own side rather than his opponents. By the end of the book he has seen the willingness of the Light to sacrifice innocents when it suits them and is utterly disillusioned. The Dark are, at least, honest about their intentions.
Full review: http://www.26books.com/?p=238

A dark fantasy csúcsa. (Legalábbis nekem.) ( )

Torchwood meets Dostoyevsky, with Cold War overtones. The first volume of a trilogy, with The Day Watch and The Twilight Watch. ( )