The Night Watch (Watch, Book 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Sergei Lukyanenko
Publisher: Miramax
Category: Book
List Price: $13.95
Buy Used: $1.35
You Save: $12.60 (90%)
New (45) Collectible (2) from $4.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  56 reviews
Sales Rank: 9216
Media: Paperback
Edition: Tra
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 464
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 1401359795
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781401359799
ASIN: 1401359795
Publication Date: July 26, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Our feedback rating says it all: Five star service and fast delivery! We've shipped four million items to happy customers, and have one MILLION unique items ready to ship today!
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Night Watch series has caused a sensation never before seen in Russia -- its popularity is frenzied and unprecedented, and driven by a truly great, epic story. In 2005 Fox Searchlight announced it had acquired the Russian film adaptation for an American release. Interest in the books here is now set to reach a fever pitch. Set in modern day Moscow, Night Watch is a world as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov. Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world? An extraordinary translation from the Russian by noted translator Andrew Bromfield, this first English language edition of Night Watch is a chilling, engrossing read certain to reward those waiting in anticipation of its arrival.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 51 more reviews...
 Fantastically Russian October 2, 2008
Night Watch is a good read, at a good pace, with a really excellent lead character. I read the book after seeing the movie, but before learning that the American version of the movie was heavily butchered due to movies execs worrying about how the movie would translate. After reading this novel, I'm anxious to find the "real" version of the movie and watch it properly, and I've got the next two books at the top of my reading stack.
The biggest part of the novel for me wasn't the action or the plot specifics or even the secondary characters, but Russia itself and the classic Russian lead of Anton. Other reviewers say the book is a bit plodding- I felt this was an excellent portrayal of the general malaise of a post- Cold War Russia. Some say that Anton is a weak hero- He drinks himself nearly to oblivion and rants about the terrible misfortune of his life, what could be more Russian? I wound up wanting to share some vodka with the guy because I could picture myself in the same shoes, under this bizarre set of circumstances.
It's that sense of mood, and of Russia as a wonderful backdrop, that this story becomes possible. The book is actually divided into 3 novellas, each comprising a separate story rather like a set of serials. Even then, this book as a whole leaves most questions unanswered, and this is a good thing. You only ever get to know just as much as Anton knows, and throughout the book you're only experiencing things from his perspective. The book is in three novellas because that's how Anton lives his life- one story after another, and he tries his best to wash his hands of the last event before he winds up in another one. You join almost in medias res because Anton rarely bothers explaining or planning, he just tries to make do with the situation he's handed.
All in all, I can't recommend this book enough. Sure, I've barely mentioned the fireballs and the werewolves and the amulets and the computer databases. Everything combines to make a wonderfully now, fantastically Russian, yet somehow completely mystic setting where there's this whole world we can't see right in the middle of our own, and in some ways it's not much different from our own. But all of that is really secondary to the setting, and the wonderful ride as we follow Anton around in his work.
Definitely pick this one up. Just understand that you're getting less of an epic adventure (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings), and more of a socio-political drama (War and Peace comes to mind for some reason). The book still has a lot of interesting combat and magic and suspense, but it doesn't meet the usual definition of a page-turner because of Anton's more melancholy take on things.
 Psychological fantasy September 30, 2008
THE NIGHT WATCH by Sergei Lukyanenko is the first book of the Night Watch Trilogy set in modern-day Moscow. The fantasy tale carries the voice of a young man named Anton Gorodetsky who belongs to a magical force called the "Night Watch" that protects humanity from the "Day Watch" consisting of vampires, werewolves, witches, and the list goes on. At the beginning, Anton is a low-level but apparently an important member of the Watch (he just doesn't know it yet) and is about to be sent to the field for a mission although he is not a field operative.
Anton is one of the extraordinary humans called the "Others" who live and work alongside humans. As an Other, Anton can enter in and out of another dimension known as the Twilight. When an Other comes of age, he or she must choose to join the Light or the Dark side. This is the case for Egor, a young boy who got himself into trouble when a vampire 'calls' him (he's about to become 'food'). Egor is a young unfledged Other (he doesn't know it) and his time hasn't come for him to choose sides. At the same time of the Egor incident, Anton is to find a woman who is under a Dark Magician's curse. She's a beautiful and innocent doctor named Svetlana, also an uninitiated Other who potentially possesses great magical powers.
Another thing to watch for in the story is that each side--the Light and the Dark--honours a treaty to ensure that the opposite side is not violating the terms by interfering illegally with the direction of human history. The story gets a little bit philosophical and in my humble opinion, makes a tedious read as it keeps emphasizing most of the time, on the importance of maintaining this balance of power.
The book has three parts. I was excited upon finishing part one of the story but as part two and three unfolds, I got a little tired. Still, it makes an interesting read because of the modus operandi of the Watches, the other-worldly Twilight that will happily make any of the Others a permanent resident should they ever commit something wrong, the emotional conflicts and struggles between good and evil, and a host of other supernatural stuff.
Loved it more than the movie September 4, 2008
The book is really a compalation of 3 different stories rapped into one. It does follow Anton's life mostly but the other characters are more prevalent too. You learn a lot more about the others and the reasons for the fuding than what the movie gives you; that is from the Night Watch (Light Others) perspective. i just liked the character development and the characters themselves so much more. actually the movie took the different stories and then just plopt Anton into the major character role. highly recommend, it starts off slow but that's most first books in a series.
*Semi Spoiler Alert* For instance it wasn't he that went to the witch to kill his ex's unborn child and said child doesn't end up being his either.
 Great imagery, if it moves a little slowly August 26, 2008
I picked up this book because I always wanted to get into a literary anthology (a'la Lord of the Rings), but I don't like wizards or dragons. I'm a horror guy, and the fact that it was "light vs. dark" sounded intriguing.
I got into the story pretty quickly. I won't go into a summary, you can read that somewhere else. What I loved, though, was the amazing imagery. This book--I assume the whole series--really lets you paint your own vivid picture of what's going on. It describes things in great detail, but still leaves the scene open to your imagination. The story could have sped up a bit; I felt that with the time he had, the author could have expanded the story a bit. But there's two more books to do that, so I'm not too upset about it.
Overall a great read. I just started the second book (Day Watch), and it's even better!
Adoration August 1, 2008
Okay, I admit that I probably overhype this book. But for me it was a delicious and refreshing dive into a morally ambiguous world that left me curious for more. Plus I've read some really wretched books lately, so to find this gem was bliss.
I say overhype because the book is divided into 3 novellas and the final novella is the weakest. The ending is indeed anti-climatic. BUT-- I love the writing overall. The second novella was such an awesome page turner.
And, too, I love the main character. He's not the nicest guy and his talents are limited compared to others, but he makes a great hero. I could really empathize with him.
I watched the movie and it was quite different from the book. Although there are some good scenes, the movie was much more violent. That's another reason why I love this book-- the use of violence is nuanced. And the forces of light are ruthless.
I do recommend this book to my friends.
|
|
|
