Night Watch (Watch, #1) in The Alternative Worlds

Jun 22, 2009 Brad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: russian-lit, urban-fantasy, cutting-vegetables, in-the-shower, speculative, doing-the-dishes

Destiny: Around page two hundred I wondered whether Lukyanenko was going to throw us a Perdido Street Station style curveball and make The Night Watch about something other than a triple header search for an unsanctioned vampire, her young Other hostage, and the uber-powerful Warlock/Witch responsible for the great black Vortex hovering over the head of a nice, pretty little general practitioner (can you tell I've been reading too many mysteries and watching too much film noir lately? Sorry).

But ...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Sandi rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, e-books

This is a case where I wish we had half stars. I've been a bit stingy with my 5-star ratings lately and have given 4 stars to some books that I really, really enjoyed. I liked Night Watch, but not as much as some of the books I've recently rated as 4 stars.

I really liked the atmosphere and the ideas in Night Watch. It was so different from American urban fantasy. It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys, even though they are clearly labeled. I really felt like I was in a magical Moscow. ...more

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Aug 27, 2009 Nicky rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, horror, vampires

I finished reading Surgei Lukyanenko's The Night Watch last night, but I didn't write my review then to give me time to digest it, so to speak. It was originally written in Russian, so obviously I read it in translation -- it's quite odd to see a translated fantasy novel be relatively popular here. I think the only other translated fantasy novels I've read were by Cornelia Funke. In any case, the translation isn't bad. I'm sure it loses some of the original, but I didn't get a horrible sense of I finished reading Surgei Lukyanenko's The Night Watch last night, but I didn't write my review then to give me time to digest it, so to speak. It was originally written in Russian, so obviously I read it in translation -- it's quite odd to see a translated fantasy novel be relatively popular here. I think the only other translated fantasy novels I've read were by Cornelia Funke. In any case, the translation isn't bad. I'm sure it loses some of the original, but I didn't get a horrible sense of distance from the text as I do from most translated works, and I didn't feel as if I was missing anything huge.

The book is split into three parts, and is largely from the point of view of a single character, Anton. I didn't find him incredibly easy to sympathise with -- when he was in action and doing things, it wasn't bad, but when he's sat around waiting or contemplating, he's awfully whiny. I found that particularly in the third part. I felt like that could have been shorter, or more to the point, and I also felt it ended a little confusingly. The same twist is used in each of the three parts, too -- so while the first part was hard to predict and interesting, the second part you felt an inkling of what was going to happen, and you knew nothing was as it seemed in the third part.

I like the world-building, though. I like the fact that it's set in Moscow and that's it -- it doesn't spend a long time introducing people from London or New York to what Moscow is like. That part is quite matter-of-fact -- so much urban fantasy seems to be set somewhere that's sort of generally familiar in a way, like London, and then when it isn't, they make a big song and dance about the fact. It's nice to read something that's just simply set in Russia. It allowed that part to be familiar -- even though it isn't, to me -- so the world of the Others is what we're really being introduced to. The explanations about Dark and Light in this book are interesting, and the way the Dark isn't completely horrible -- that Dark Ones can love, have families and affection... in fact, they seemed warmer than the Light Ones. For all the main character, Anton, is a Light One, and he talks about loving Svetlana, there isn't really much warmth and humanity. There are only a few references to his parents, for example.

It was very interesting to read something like this that wasn't written by a Brit and set in London. And refreshing. It was also refreshing to read about vampires who weren't necessarily evil -- I would have liked to see more of Anton and Kostya's friendship -- and to read a book that just casually contained vampires and werewolves without romanticising them...

I can't quite give this book five stars. The first two parts kept me quite interested, but the third part felt self-indulgent and not as substantial. Four stars, it is! ...more

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Jul 16, 2008 Lori rated it it was amazing

THis was so so good. The author carries on the tradition of the great Russian masters, assured writing with that Slavic perspective of light and dark. I'm already almost done with the next book in the series, Day Watch, and was so alarmed that the third, Twilight Watch, wouldn't arrive fast enough from the library that I ordered a copy on half.com. That's how good this is! Fully described characters, the main one is still hunting for answers to the basic philosophical questions of good and evil. ...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Simon rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I saw the film adaptation of this long before I even knew it was based on a book. And it turns out that the film was based only on the first third of the book. That was probably a good idea as it gave them a chance to do it properly witout skimming over too much. It was probably the best part of the book too.

The stories are well written/translated and the excitement and tension is generally well maintained throughout despite being slowed down a little whilst the protagonist Anton wrestles with a ...more

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Apr 23, 2009 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it it was ok

Shelves: magic, horror, adultfiction, blood-sucking-fiends, fantasy

I really wanted to like this book, but I could not get past the poor translation. Okay, I was able to follow the plot fine. There are people who can enter another level of the world, the Twilight, and that gives them power to do magic and change the world. Some use this power to try to do good, some use it for personal gain.
Of those two groups, there are watchdog agencies keeping track. The Nightwatch watches the selfish ones, and the Daywatch watches the do-gooders. They have an uneasy truce g ...more

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Apr 24, 2009 This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy, fiction, vampires, urban-fantasy, low-fantasy, dark-fantasy

A very interesting modern urban fantasy, it details the battle between light and dark on the streets of Moscow, but where the lines are unclear and everything is a greater shade of gray. The language is a bit dry, although that could be due to the translation as opposed to the original writing, but the story and plot are lively with a surprising depth, with another twist or turn always waiting.

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