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A review by aoc
The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
4.0
As much as "urban fantasy" seems to have earned negative connotations over the years, Night Watch is something different. Perhaps because it doesn't go hand-in-hand with equally dreaded Young Adult classification, but I'd pin it more on themes and moods present. Modern supernatural Moscow it is, then.
Alongside your normal people there also covertly exist Others, those who at some point awakened to their outlandish abilities. This has been the case practically since mankind itself has existed, as one character even brings up an example which may have led to the original case that divided Others into two camps: Light and Dark. If you use your powers for others, you're Light One, and opposite for Dark Ones. There's a LOT more nuance to this, but fundamentally these two camps were locked in a cold war until a relatively recent Treaty that led to formation of Day Watch and Night Watch - two organizations respectively keeping tabs on their opposites, each striving to seemingly maintain a power equilibrium, but more often than not looking to get a one-up. We step into modern day Moscow as Anton Gorodetsky, member of the Night Watch, has to take on the role of a field operator just as he stumbles across two Dark Ones, vampires like his perfectly normal neighbors just so happen to be, engaging in a crime of unlicensed feeding. One vampire gets dusted, female one escapes, and untold destiny still hangs around the would-be child victim as Anton gets new directions from his department boss. On top of it all, there's a gigantic vortex of negative energy surrounding a woman down on her luck threatening to cause an apocalyptic-level event.
Anton gets a talking owl to help him crack the case.
As I hinted above Night Watch the novel isn't really about a magical school, although there is an aspect of this as eponymous organization serves as both a safety department and education center for newly initiated Light Ones, but a larger percentage of it is instead dedicated to musings about the natures of two opposing organizations. There philosophies included. Protagonist Anton himself is rather new to all of this and comes across powers beyond his reckoning as fourth grade magician, but this is even further contrasted when additional characters get introduced with their own bias or ignorance. It's almost a cliche at this point, but good doesn't necessarily mean GOOD... or even worse, it just might which becomes a crippling flaw when opposition has no qualms about relying on your well-meaning nature. Think politics, morality and magic rolled into one. What I really like about how author handles this is his utterly honest approach even if at times characters turn into preachers, but more to each other than the reader. After a while Others don't really see themselves as human anymore, certainly not Dark Ones, yet they must exist in this society most wish they could re-integrate back into after their eyes have been exposed to machinations beyond time. If there's any inherent draw to reading Night Watch it would be how it tackles matters of destiny, and how people can fight it for that simple frailty of love.
Pleased to report I liked almost all of the characters. Needless to say, Anton steals the spotlight, but one who has had a life and development prior to becoming an Other. He was and is a programmer still essentially doing his old job, but now it involves magical disks, memory re-creations and walking around with talismans so you can't be influenced by more powerful magicians. Misstep here is his nature comes through more in mindset since we can't have him confined to Night Watch's office lest we lose our action protagonist. His power gets more recognition as story goes on to justify all the antics, though. I'd be spoiling who other main characters are, as there are three stories here with progressive time skips, but Gesar fulfills the role of a multifaceted leader of the Moscow branch and fits the mastermind role perfectly. Plans with plans doesn't even begin to describe this centuries old individual who seems to know everything and everyone, and most of the other Watch members get decent characterization for the brief exposition. Even Day Watch department get some, but largely only to portray what unsavory characters they are and far, far more held at bay Night Watch than the other way around.
Would I recommend Night Watch? Yes. For a modern reader I'd probably put a caveat or two in here. If you're looking for some extensive magical system which seems to be all rage the days, you'll be sorely disappointed since it never gets that technical. There's a wide breadth of abilities here, but rarely just throwing fireballs... except when they are. More utilitarian and, well, more MAGICAL system if I were to put it into very basic terms. Story is more wrapped in legalese and morality with a healthy dose of what appeals to be Russian culture. After all, you drink vodka to bring back some color into your grey world after a bender.
Alongside your normal people there also covertly exist Others, those who at some point awakened to their outlandish abilities. This has been the case practically since mankind itself has existed, as one character even brings up an example which may have led to the original case that divided Others into two camps: Light and Dark. If you use your powers for others, you're Light One, and opposite for Dark Ones. There's a LOT more nuance to this, but fundamentally these two camps were locked in a cold war until a relatively recent Treaty that led to formation of Day Watch and Night Watch - two organizations respectively keeping tabs on their opposites, each striving to seemingly maintain a power equilibrium, but more often than not looking to get a one-up. We step into modern day Moscow as Anton Gorodetsky, member of the Night Watch, has to take on the role of a field operator just as he stumbles across two Dark Ones, vampires like his perfectly normal neighbors just so happen to be, engaging in a crime of unlicensed feeding. One vampire gets dusted, female one escapes, and untold destiny still hangs around the would-be child victim as Anton gets new directions from his department boss. On top of it all, there's a gigantic vortex of negative energy surrounding a woman down on her luck threatening to cause an apocalyptic-level event.
Anton gets a talking owl to help him crack the case.
As I hinted above Night Watch the novel isn't really about a magical school, although there is an aspect of this as eponymous organization serves as both a safety department and education center for newly initiated Light Ones, but a larger percentage of it is instead dedicated to musings about the natures of two opposing organizations. There philosophies included. Protagonist Anton himself is rather new to all of this and comes across powers beyond his reckoning as fourth grade magician, but this is even further contrasted when additional characters get introduced with their own bias or ignorance. It's almost a cliche at this point, but good doesn't necessarily mean GOOD... or even worse, it just might which becomes a crippling flaw when opposition has no qualms about relying on your well-meaning nature. Think politics, morality and magic rolled into one. What I really like about how author handles this is his utterly honest approach even if at times characters turn into preachers, but more to each other than the reader. After a while Others don't really see themselves as human anymore, certainly not Dark Ones, yet they must exist in this society most wish they could re-integrate back into after their eyes have been exposed to machinations beyond time. If there's any inherent draw to reading Night Watch it would be how it tackles matters of destiny, and how people can fight it for that simple frailty of love.
Pleased to report I liked almost all of the characters. Needless to say, Anton steals the spotlight, but one who has had a life and development prior to becoming an Other. He was and is a programmer still essentially doing his old job, but now it involves magical disks, memory re-creations and walking around with talismans so you can't be influenced by more powerful magicians. Misstep here is his nature comes through more in mindset since we can't have him confined to Night Watch's office lest we lose our action protagonist. His power gets more recognition as story goes on to justify all the antics, though. I'd be spoiling who other main characters are, as there are three stories here with progressive time skips, but Gesar fulfills the role of a multifaceted leader of the Moscow branch and fits the mastermind role perfectly. Plans with plans doesn't even begin to describe this centuries old individual who seems to know everything and everyone, and most of the other Watch members get decent characterization for the brief exposition. Even Day Watch department get some, but largely only to portray what unsavory characters they are and far, far more held at bay Night Watch than the other way around.
Would I recommend Night Watch? Yes. For a modern reader I'd probably put a caveat or two in here. If you're looking for some extensive magical system which seems to be all rage the days, you'll be sorely disappointed since it never gets that technical. There's a wide breadth of abilities here, but rarely just throwing fireballs... except when they are. More utilitarian and, well, more MAGICAL system if I were to put it into very basic terms. Story is more wrapped in legalese and morality with a healthy dose of what appeals to be Russian culture. After all, you drink vodka to bring back some color into your grey world after a bender.