Night Watch

By: Sergei Lukyanenko

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's Summary

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)

Lyrical, haunting and engrossing!

I have been an inveterate reader for thirty years and "The Night Watch" is the best "first novel in a series" I have read other than, and since, J.R.R Martin's "A Game of Thrones" in the "Fire and Ice" series. I started listening to "The Night Watch" driving to the airport this past Wednesday. Then during a four hour flight the book continued to entertain. Before mid-night I was finished, but wanted more. I had already used my 5 credits for January but I gladly paid $24.95 for "The Day Watch".

We are told the story from the perspective of Anton, who is an agent of The Night Watch. Anton is a Light Magician, having a modest amount of power, but not a lot of experience. He is also an idealist(never forget this) and is not always careful in using his magic, which might lead him to an arrangement(or compromise) with a Dark Agent. The characters surrounding Anton are rich and colorful, and each with his own motivations as to why a certain area of magic was chosen as a strength to build upon.

The lines between good and evil begin to blur, slowly at first, as the story unfolds. The listener should pay close attention to the arguments from both sides, because each one has thought provoking assertions(and logic) as to why their way is the Right way.

35 of 36 people found this review helpful

...amazing...

Don't believe the bad reviews! I've read the book, watched the movie, and listened to the audiobook....they are all fantasic. We actually get to understand the motivations of the characters--not just have the actions described. It makes for much more "complete" and "real" characters. I love these books...you will too! Oh---the narrator helps a lot. His russian accents help keep the story firmly in Russia.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

You must know Russians to expect mindless killing

It is not a Vampire action story about blood, and guts, and gorgeous "undead". It is not even about the victory of good over evil. If you ever acquainted yourself with Russian literature, you will set your expectations just right.

It is a though-provoking book consisting of novellas, each with a separate storyline involving the same group of characters and revolving around the same theme. It is about searching in the "grey", which is, of course, a blend of black and white.

What is good? What is evil? Do we know for sure? Should we question rules and perceptions set thousands of years ago or is it always a matter of personal choice set here and now?

You will find more questions than answers in this book. That is what Russians are all about. Always searching and not settling for ordinary and comfortable.

I loved it and will continue with the series.

PS: The narrator, Paul Michael, crosses genders and characters so seamlessly that you forget it is the same person speaking.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Totally Hooked!

Any additional comments?

I really wasn't too impressed with this book for the first third. The story is told in three parts, with each beginning with a Prologue. This approach felt a little disjointed, but in that second third, I was getting comfortable with the characters and warming up to the story. By the last third, I was on the library's web site and on Audible.com looking for the next book in the series.

The comparison of Lukyanenko's world building to that of Tolkien, that I read in other reviews, was ludicrous. The world we see in the Watch series is modern day Moscow, with the hidden forces of good and evil unbeknownst to average citizens. There are magicians, vampires, demons and shape shifters all aligned with either good or evil (Night Watch and Day Watch). Our main character, Anton, works for the Night Watch, which represents the good forces. He is a magician, though only an average one who works at the Night Watch as their IT/clerical support person. In these stories, he has been pulled out of his comfortable clerical/analyst job to assist on this mission. It becomes evident that not all is as it seems and there are larger forces at work.

This book is much more intellectual than, say Harry Potter or Discovery of Witches, because the thorough exploration of good versus evil. There are more than a few parallels between East versus West and Socialism versus Democracy.

This is one that I really enjoyed the audio because of the fabulous job the narrator does with the accents and pronunciation of the Russian names.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

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.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

a good urban fantasy

Fascinating premise. It will probably age badly die to the vampire-heavy world the author creates. Havent been charged up the read the rest of the series yet. Be warned, the novel is more like three novellas witht he same characters. I was a little disappointed the novel wasn't more cohesive.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Yes, the book does live up to its hype.

What made the experience of listening to Night Watch the most enjoyable?

As an American who has lived in both New York City and Los Angeles, it was the novelty of the setting, Moscow, Russia, that was most immediately enjoyable. The setting is almost a character of its own in this series.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the Light incubus who specializes in "romance" cannot lift the spirits of the young woman who has cursed herself over her own guilt, Anton is sent in to try to help her although he has no idea what he's going to do. The scene that follows between Svetlana and Anton is one of the best in the book.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The Night Watch series doesn't go for emotional manipulation, instead it plants ideas and concepts in your head that will stay with you for a long time as you ponder them.

Any additional comments?

It is such pleasure to find a fantasy series of true quality. The only reason I rated the performance at three stars was that I felt it could have used more energy. The narrater is not monotonous by any means, but his voice is so smooth and gentle that he nearly put me to sleep while driving.

6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Pretty good.

I enjoyed, but wasn't blown away by this book. There were some interesting concepts bantered about by the main character, but nothing too profound or meaningful was every truly developed. Story line was run of the mill. But the writing was pretty good.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Excellence

Any additional comments?

Where do I start on such a great story? I really knew nothing about it other than the movie of the same name from several years ago, but I gave it a shot.

I was not disappointed. Sergei Lukyanenko builds such an excellent cast of characters and an incredible world of vampires, wizards, witches and supernatural beings. I was so engrossed with this story that I found myself sitting and listening in the garage when I got home, I didn't want it to end!

Paul Michael is an excellent reader with a top-notch performance! When it ended, I promptly downloaded the next three books and am still awaiting the next chapter that was just released in the UK... but not the US.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful