- Paperback: 496 pages
- Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd; First Thus edition (6 July 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0434014125
- ISBN-13: 978-0434014125
- Product Dimensions: 23 x 15.4 x 3.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 509,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Night Watch
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Product Description
Product Description
Walking the streets of Moscow, indistinguishable from the rest of its population, are the Others. The Others are magicians, possessors of supernatural powers and capable of entering the Twilight, a shadowy world that exists in parallel to our own. Each Other owes allegiance either to the Dark or the Light. The two factions, having long before realised that open struggle can only create chaos and disaster, coexist in an uneasy truce, each keeping a close eye on, the other's activities around the city. Their aim is not mutual destruction, but rather the maintenance of the precarious balance between good and evil. Anton, a young Other who owes allegiance to the Light, is a Night Watch agent, newly seconded to patrol the streets and metro of the city, to protect ordinary people from the vampires and magicians of the Dark. On his rounds, Anton comes across a young woman, Svetlana, who he realises is under a powerful curse that threatens the entire city, and a boy, Egor, a young Other, as yet unaware of his own power, whom Anton narrowly saves from vampires. Anton is assigned a partner, Olga, a powerful female Other who is trapped in the form of an owl in punishment for a past error of judgement. Together with their colleagues in the Night Watch, they struggle to remove Svetlana's curse and to protect Egor from the vampires that pursue him...Set in a vividly-realised post-Soviet Russia, where vampires operate under license and Good and Evil exist in a Cold War-like balance of power, "The Night Watch" is a page-turning fantasy thriller, an international bestseller that represents the most original writing in its genre since Anne Rice's "An Interview With A Vampire".
From the Publisher
All that stands between darkness and light is The Night Watch...
The phenomenal Russian bestseller (over a million copies sold in hardcover), a gloriously readable grunge fantasy/vampire novel set in a richly realised post-Soviet Moscow. First of a trilogy, Night Watch has sold across Europe and to 20th Century Fox for huge advances.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written Cold War fantasy thriller,
By
This review is from: The Night Watch (Paperback)
This is a gothic romantic thriller set in present day Moscow. The author uses the vehicle of a "Cold War" standoff between two opposing forces of supernaturally endowed beings (The Daywatch and The Nightwatch) to explore themes of the nature of good and evil. As the novel develops he introduces the idea of personal destiny and the conflict between predestination and choice. This is all played out on a dramatic foreground of vampire hunts, shapeshifters, and magical battles. It has great power because the supernatural stuff is contrasted with gritty descriptions of urban decay in Russia. The characters are very well described using economic prose which suits the overall feel. It really comes alive in the imagination and is far far far better realised as a romantic concept than the film which is much darker and less humane by comparison. There are some very nice ideas in this book which is divided into three separate parts with related storylines and in my view a great ending.
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Genre-crossing gem,
By Madly Bobbington-Blythe "MadBob" (Cardiff) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Night Watch (Paperback)
On the streets of post-Soviet Moscow, an uneasy truce presides. The forces of Light and Dark, locked for centuries in eternal combat, watch over each other as they maintain the precarious status quo. During the day, the Light Ones are kept in check by the Day Watch, but at night, the Night Watch reigns. Part one of a trilogy, `The Night Watch' explores the complex dynamic of a Cold-War style standoff between Good and its ubiquitous opposite, Evil, through the actions and adventures of debutant field operative Anton. As he is directed, marionette-like, around the streets and undergrounds of Moscow, he debates the merits of goodness when preserving the peace means licensing the killing of innocent people, and the sacrificing of pawns to gain only a fleeting advantage in a power struggle that neither side can afford to lose.
Up front, this is a stylish fantasy / horror novel, written with wit and graceful economy. With a strong cast of "Others", Light or Dark beings with magical energies, it should appeal to fans of the Buffy series and the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter books. However, it has all the twists of a Robert Ludlum thriller, with typical Cold-War subterfuge and misdirection and battling intelligence agencies, and all the philosophy (and more) of the Matrix movies without the wilfully patronizing tone in which they indulge. With a million copies sold in its original Russian, and not one but two movie adaptations already produced, its appeal straddles genre divides with impunity.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping and clever,
By
This review is from: The Night Watch (Paperback)
Maybe I'm easier to please than the other people that have reviewed the book on this site; but I really couldn't put it down. Translation issues have been raised, but in all honesty I think it's a very minor issue, it doesn't spoil the enjoyment of the book at all.
The stories are clever and the setting is intriguing. It's a very original take on an old subject matter and it leaves you wanting more. I read all three books in a couple of weeks and I recommend the whole trilogy to anyone that likes fantasy.
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