false 4 0 false false Sun Oct 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Feb 06 01:06:48 -0800 2008 Mon Oct 26 11:54:34 -0700 2009
The book is divided into three "novellas", each centered around the character of Anton Gorodetsky, a "Light Other" and member of Night Watch, the organization of Light Others who monitor the activities of Dark Others, and who are constantly standing toe-to-toe with the Dark Others organization, Day Watch. In the first story, Gorodetsky gets caught up first with the hunting of a rogue vampire, then with a curious case of a potentially catastrophic curse targeting a young woman. In the second story, he finds himself framed for a series of murders of Dark Others and must find the actual killer before he himself is turned over to the Inquisition, the board that sits in judgment over both Light and Dark Others. The last story deals with destiny, and what can be done to change it or thwart it outright.

The characters are compelling and well thought-out, and the way Lukyanenko describes the twists and turns of Moscow makes me feel like I could trace the same routes the protagonist followed in his investigations. His portrayal of good and evil, of "dark magic" and "light magic", are tempered by showing how balance must always be maintained, and even a small act of good means allowing an equal act of evil to keep that balance.

The only drawback is that there are occasional passages that don't quite click in the wording, as though the translator didn't quite get them right. Still, I am looking forward to getting the next book in the series.]]>