Up Late With The Night Watch

Night Watch
By: Sergei Lukyanenko
Translation By: Andrew Bromfield
Publisher: Miramax Books (Hyperion)(2006)
ISBN: 1401359795

For once I’m writing about a book immediately after finishing (immediately, in this case, being three hours). The woman I adore picked this fun read up recently and recommended it to me. I devoured the 455-page book in two days as new English-language literature is scarce in Bucharest.

Night Watch is, first and foremost, a Russian novel. It’s a little sci-fi, mostly fantasy with some horror and a lot of mystery mixed in, but from start to finish it is very Russian. Lukyanenko fills the book with endless twists and turns, conspiracies, betrayal, and a grim expectation that everything will turn out adequately, maybe, but if it doesn’t, enh, that’s fate. Set in present-day Moscow, the novel follows the adventures of a mid-level operative of the local branch of the “Night Watch”, the forces of Light. Apparently creatures with supernatural powers unconsciously choose either Light or Dark as their powers manifest. For centuries the two camps opposed each other actively and fought long and bloody wars around the world for the right to shape the future of humankind. The conflict being too destructive, eventually the two sides signed an uneasy truce that regulates the behavior of all involved. Thus were formed the Night Watch (Good forces who patrol the world under cover of darkness, seeking out those who break the treaty), and the Day Watch (Evil, though self-centered may be a better description, forces who patrol the world by day, doing the same).

As black and white as the premise seems, Lukyanenko spends the whole novel (and presumably the two to follow) exploring the grey areas that exist even within that stark delineation of action and morality. This approach is nothing new: see George R.R. Martin, The Once and Future King, and countless other classics for other examinations of might vs. right, ends vs. means, and codes of conduct vs. reality. What Lukyanenko does well, however, is hint at grey areas that don’t exist but perhaps should. Despite the dark psychological questions in play, this is a thriller of a book and there are plenty of action scenes and stirring plot twists to keep the reader on his or her toes.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is quite readable and quick to get through, despite its density. It is broken down into three connected but distinct sections and story lines, preventing plot-fatigue and avoiding bogging down. My only real issue with it is that the plot twists and conspiracies, the complications that are the hallmark of Russian literature, didn’t grab me. They seemed to appear out of nowhere, to be revealed, analyzed, agonized over and resolved in 10 pages. By the third section it was just a matter of when the mysteries would appear, not if. I’m used to seeing these things hinted at throughout a book, allowing the drama, unease and suspense to build, but that just didn’t happen in this case. It is a shame as the book is extraordinarily well-suited for such tension, but not a critical flaw by any means.

Overall the book was fun and thought-provoking. It’s not the kind of thing to read on a cruise, but in you’re traveling or snowed in this month give it a shot and you won’t be disappointed. I’m actually guessing that the next volume in this trilogy will be even more interesting, but they haven’t been translated and released quite yet (Day Watch is scheduled for release on 21 March 2007 and Dusk Watch on 6 June 2007). I will grab copies as soon as I can, that you can bet on.

For another look at this book, visit “Simon’s Book Blog”, but be aware that he delves much further into the plot than I choose to.

Coming up (No, really, they are!):
-Just Kick It by Mark St. Amant
-Dies The Fire by S.M. Stirling
-The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth by Benjamin Friedman

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