Night Watch

Watch, Book 1

By: Sergei Lukyanenko

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Set in modern day Moscow, Night Watch is a world as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov. Living among us are the "Others", an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light.

When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

©2006 Sergei Lukyanenko (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Brace yourself for Harry Potter in Gorky Park.... The novel contains some captivating scenes and all kinds of marvelous, inventive detail: The vampires’ seduction of a teenage boy is bone-chilling; every time Lukyanenko described the Other-worldly Twilight, I felt lured into it; and the fantastical powers exercised by Anton and his colleagues range from delightful to awesome." ( The Washington Post Book World)

"[As] potent as a shot of vodka.... [A] compelling urban fantasy." ( Publishers Weekly)

" Night Watch is an epic of extraordinary power." (Quentin Tarantino)

Great Science Fiction/Fantasy Story

I had the opportunity to read this book in Russian a few years ago, and I loved it. Then, I purchased the DVD version of the movie (which is from only the first story in the book). While the movie is somewhat different from the story in the book, I still thought it was fantastic. I enjoyed it so much that I showed clips of it to the students in my Russian Folk Culture class. Perhaps it is my obsession with all things Russian, but I am continually drawn back to this book, so I read it again in English. The translation was very well done, and I greatly enjoyed reading the book again. The story is about a group of "others" who represent the forces of good (or light) in this world. They work at night (as part of the Night Watch) to defend humans against the evil (or dark)"others." The book and its characters have a very supernatural feel, yet those supernatural "others" seem so human and easy to relate to. This book is the first in a series of four (Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch, and Last Watch), soon to be five (New Watch--or so I've read). Night Watch is divided into three short stories about the members of the Night Watch (and one agent in particular--Anton Gordetsky). Each story is self-contained; however, they all interconnect. I would highly recommend this book (and series!) to anyone who likes science fiction and fantasy--especially those who want a significantly more adult tale than those offered by many of the popular young adult series.

A moral tale with next to no morals

This book is an attempt at a moral tale while remaining dismissive of any moral sophistries the characters use to defend their side, even while acknowledging it is doing so. If that sounds a bit meta, it really is. It has an interesting fantasy veneer. but the story writing (there are three separate stories in this book) is shockingly weak and predictable and by the time you reach the third story you realize that this is pretty much the same formula of same story over and over again with only minor variations. Only get this if it is on sale.

Great audio book, poorly marked files

This is a well done production of the work, even the Russian names were handled alright. I wish audible renamed the audio chapters to correspond to the actual book that is divided in three parts each with their own prologue.

new russian master

Any additional comments?

this is the first of four novels which address the Others, locked in the balance between darkness and light, but set in post-communist Russia. the characters are compelling and the narration is good.

Great Performance

Very interesting story of magician of the light and the darkness. This story brings a new perspective of good and evil.

Pleasantly surprised

I got this book as part of a deal or sale. I had never heard of the author. I wasn't sure what to expect. But I do enjoy books read by Paul Michael.
Definitely not let down by the author nor the narrator. The story is kind of a "Constantine" style unseen war waged between good and evil that has reached a Cold War type of stalemate. The main character is part of that force that keeps an eye on the other side. I've seen that the stories have been made into movies in Russia, if done well, they could be worth the time.

Really enjoyed how the 3 parts were interwoven

While at first I didn't enjoy the "cold open" of each part feeling unrelated and episodic... the subtle development of characters and dynamics through the 3 parts really won me over with both character development arcs and interweaving the storylines. This was a nice surprise recommendation!

Good but...

The unique thing about this book is the approach to the nuances and blurry lines between good and evil. That kept the book above average when it could have fallen into the same category as dozens of other novels in this vein.

But the problem is the book goes on way too long on this theme. There are pages of dialogue about this topic, especially during Book 3, when that had already been establshed. That should be the time for climax to the action, but it spends more time on the same theme.

That said, the book does succeed in creating a believable dual-world that really works.

book 1 good. Book 2 was average. Book 3 was dull

once again book one was good. Book two was average. Book three was really dull

Moose and squirrel... and vampires!

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator's use of a Russian accent was a terrible decision. Just speak English! Yes, I know it takes place in Russia. I figured it out from the place and everyone's names. No need for everyone to sound like Boris and Natasha.