Night Watch

Night Watch (2006) Sergei Lukyanenko translated by Andrew Bromfield

I picked up this book a month or two ago, even though I didn’t have time to read it, because I was afraid it would be one of those books that I never saw again if I didn’t get it then. Having read it, I am hoping that Night Watch will be around for awhile, because this is a really excellent book.

Anton is a member of the Night Watch in Moscow–a group of Others–magicians–dedicated to the cause of the Light. Their opposite is the Day Watch–another group of Others dedicated to the Dark. There is a treaty between these two groups that has maintained a balance between the Light and the Dark for centuries, to maintain peace and order, and to keep the human population safe from those Others that prey on humans.

Night Watch contains three separate stories, Destiny, Among His Own Kind, and All for My Own Kind. Each story is a complete arc, and tells a portion of Anton’s life, and his movement through the Night Watch and his progression as a magician. I liked the three separate story arcs, since they made good places to put the book down and get other things done. (Or, read Wolves before Michael did.)

I very much liked Anton. He’s a member of the Night Watch, and fights for the light, yet he has doubts about what he is doing, and is conflicted as to his place in the Watch, and what he should be doing. Although he works for the Light, and is opposed to the Dark, he still worries that their path may not be the correct one. He also wonders why he–an analyst–has been pulled into field work, when his skill is working with computers.

The story was also enjoyable. I never knew precisely what Anton was going to do, yet his actions made sense within what he says and believes. There are also bits about free will, which I always find interesting. The forces of Light are analogous to–but not the same as–the forces of good, while the forces of Dark are analogous–but again not the same as–the forces of the evil. And the treaty between the two forces reminds me a bit of the treaty between Aziraphale and Crowley in Good Omens–they have to get along with their counterparts to keep the peace.

Additionally, the pace was fast and things moved along quickly, which I always like. There is detail of Moscow, which was interesting, and there are bits that probably would have made more sense to someone how knows Moscow. Kinda like how American books are always describing landmarks in New York City. As I have never been to Moscow, I have no idea whether knowing those details adds anything to the story or not, but the explanations and details were enough that I didn’t really feel like I was missing anything.

If you like urban fantasy, then I highly recommend Night Watch. The characters are good, and the story is quite excellent, especially when it went in ways I wasn’t expecting at all.

Published by Miramax Books / Hyperion

Rating: 9/10

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