NOTE: Due to Ciao not taking reviews for the Night Watch (which is the first book in the series of the same name, with Day Watch being the second) this is a review of the first two novels. If you just want to read a review The Day Watch, please skip to the second half.

THE NIGHT WATCH

The Night Watch is a science fiction novel written by Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko, and is the first book in the Night Watch trilogy. The book was originally written in Russian (obviously I am reviewing the translated English version), and the series as a whole has enjoyed fantastic success in Russia. It has also been critically acclaimed in other countries, including the UK, with The Daily Telegraph calling it "JK Rowling, Russian style". A bold claim indeed.

THE WORLD

The Night Watch is set in modern day Russia (Moscow, specifically) and follows The Others, beings who look exactly like humans, but who possess supernatural powers. Every Other is either a 'Light One' or a 'Dark One', setting the 'Good vs Evil' stall out from the beginning. The supernatural powers vary from Other to Other, but perhaps the most significant for the purposes of the series is the ability to enter the Twilight, which is effectively a dark world that runs in parallel to the real world. Time moves much slower in the Twilight, and heightens senses of a sort, allowing those in it to see a person's mood through their coloured aura, amongst other things.

The other main aspect of the world created by the Night Watch is that the forces of Dark and Light have formed an uneasy treaty between the two of them, which effectively prevents all out war. The truce lays out the rules and regulations relating to how Others can behave, and contains compromises on both sides. For example, vampires (who are a type of Dark Other) cannot just kill whoever they like, but can attain a licence to hunt under certain conditions. In order to police this shaky agreement each side has established their own Watch made up to ensure that members of the other side don't break any rules. The Night Watch is made up of Light Ones who patrol the streets and ensure that Dark Ones don't get up to mischief, and the Day Watch is the Dark Ones equivalent.

THE PLOT

The book follows a young Light One called Anton who is a rank and file member of the Night Watch. The story is told from his (first person) view point almost the whole way through, and as such the reader sees events unfold mainly as he does. The book picks up with Anton attempting to hunt down a vampire that has been feeding without a licence. However, this seemingly straightforward assignment soon turns into something much more complicated, propelling the reader through a plot that twists and turns in a captivating manner. As such, it's really not something that I spoil by discussing it further.

Rather than being one large story split into chapters (as is traditional), The Night Watch is split into three separate stories, each with its own prologue and set of chapters. At first glance you may expect that these stories are all separate with something to tie them all together in the end. In fact they run consecutively in terms of timeline and all feature largely the same characters, with Anton as the main character throughout. It's almost like they are three episodes of a tv series with an underlying main plot running through all three of them despite the sub plots within each story, though clearly in more detail.

The main plot in these stories effectively follows Anton as he investigates the events that he becomes involved in. As he slowly becomes more aware of the role of the two Watches and the purposes behind their actions, the meaning behind certain events and action begin to fall into place. Saying more would run the risk of giving away parts of a plot that is extremely well thought out and imaginative. It twists and turns without ever making the reader think that it is absurd or unlikely.

THE CHARACTERS

In addition to Anton, the world that Lukyanenko creates is filled with a host of varied and interesting characters. By way of examples, on the light side there is Semyon, an old and experienced mage who is cynical and knowledgeable in equal measure, Ignat, a stunningly attractive mage who takes pride in his ability to bed any woman, and Tiger Cub, a young and impulsive female shapeshifter who is highly regarded as a capable fighter. The leader of the Night Watch is Boris Ignatievich, an incredibly experienced grand mage who commands great authority and is known for his brilliant tactical ability.

A number of characters, who should be thought of as the villains, are also introduced from the dark side. The main one of these is Zabulon, a powerful mage with almost demon like properties who leads the Night Watch, and is seen as the main villain in the book. However, relatively few characters from the dark side are introduced in this novel, as they are saved for the second book in the series (The Day Watch).

Though the main focus of the books is clearly Anton, the cast of characters in the book as a whole is clearly a major strength of the novel. The majority of the characters in the book are introduced within the first story, and give substance and style to proceedings as the plot unfolds. The characters are all rendered extremely effectively, and whilst the reader will react differently to different characters, at no point do characters feel wasted or weak. Quite the opposite in fact; each of them seems to be used effectively, and the character interaction and development stays fresh throughout.

MY OPINION

One of the main things that grabbed me about this book is that it isn't a traditional 'good vs evil' story, which you would certainly expect from a novel that separates the characters firmly into 'Light Ones' and 'Dark Ones'. In fact, the book is played out almost entirely in varying shades of grey. Even actions that seem definitely good or evil rarely turn out to be so. The approach of the book is highly philosophical, with the issue of just what separates the light and the dark being one that is visited and revisited many times throughout the book.

It may seem that such a philosophical approach, which smudges even seemingly set 'good-bad' boundaries, is a bit heavy and could detract from a flowing storyline. In fact the opposite is true. The reader is constantly aware of where the boundaries should be, but the doubt that Anton feels in relation to the aims of each side serves to instill a level of uncertainty in the reader as well, which keeps the whole plot on edge brilliantly. It means that figuring out the plot of this book is not simply a matter of figuring out 'who done it'.

The story is always much more than a one dimensional question waiting to be answered, and the reader will not just be asking themselves 'who?', but 'what?' and 'why?'. In the sphere of story construction this is a fantastic achievement. It results in the plot holding the reader in a vice like grip, which is a major strength of the book. Rather than finding myself wanting to know the conclusion to the plot, I found myself really thinking about things and feeling like I had to know, which was a level of involvement that simply doesn't come along very often in books, especially in those with a science fiction background.

In addition to the excellent plot, I also found that the setting and the characters, as well as the imagination shown with the background, were all handled expertly and combined to turn this novel into a compelling and rich experience. It is something that really is an absolute joy to read, and shows a level of writing ability that is rare even with bestselling novels. The world itself, quite apart from the enticing plot, is imaginative and exciting whilst at the same time being gritty and having the substance to separate it simply from a fanciful set of ideas. The world dazzles in the way that it is thought out, but hits hard in the way that it is used, and this results in a reading experience that leaves quite an impression on the reader. Personally after finishing the book I was scrambling to read the next installment, and couldn't wait to read more about the characters, the world, and the ever evolving plot.

However, whilst it should be obvious by now that I would highly recommend this book, it is not perfect. Personally I found the ending to be rather weak. The twists in the first two stories have that perfect mix of the unexpected, the exciting, and the plausible, leaving the reader surprised but satisfied. Unfortunately I thought that the twist to the third story fell some way short of those standards, which makes it more disappointing considering that it is right at the end of the book. It is not bad per se, just weak compared to what came before. However, what it does do is round off the story and set the stage for the second book, which as I stated above I couldn't wait to move on to. As such, thinking of the ending as something that undermines the quality of the whole book would be wrong. I was disappointed with it, but was still eager to move on in the series and read more about a world that had long since sucked me in.

Finally I feel like it's worth mentioning a bit about a minor issue that can nonetheless make the difference for some people; the first person perspective. Personally I am not a fan of books that tell the story from the first person perspective. I have tried a number in the past and just simply not managed to get into them. On the whole I prefer to observe the story rather than strictly be a part of it, something which I've found is generally only the case if the story is told from a third person perspective. However, the Night Watch managed to allay all of my previous fears about this in spectacular fashion. The reason for this is essentially down to two things. The first is the skill of the writing. As noted above, everything really is measured and designed to perfection. Lukyanenko knows how to write a good story, and certainly knows how to handle a first person perspective.

The second is that, because Anton is actually discovering things about the world as the reader is, and along the way is asking himself much the same questions as the reader will be asking themselves, the book never feels like it is written in a first person perspective in the true sense. The protagonist is often in the dark just as much as the reader, which results in the reader experiencing the plot in much the same way as a third person perspective, whilst at the same time getting to know the main character in far more depth than the average novel. So all in all, the first person perspective is not a problem, and those who normally do not like reading first person books should not be deterred.

CONCLUSION

The Night Watch, simply put, is a science fiction novel of the highest quality. The setting is imaginative and described vividly. The characters have substance and style to them. The plot is compelling with excellent twists and turns. And the pace is perfect, moving quickly but feeding the reader a fantastic amount of detail in the process.

Whilst inherently grittier and deeper than something like Harry Potter, the Night Watch is still accessible to a very wide audience, and it is easy to recommend this to anybody who has read and enjoyed the likes of Harry Potter, His Dark Materials, and other books of that ilk. It's probably not something that you'll want to read to your child at bed time, but at the same time anybody who has enjoyed other mainstream fantasy series should not hesitate in picking this up. It has been highly acclaimed throughout the world, and with good reason. Highly recommended.

THE DAY WATCH

The Day Watch is the second book in the highly acclaimed Night Watch trilogy by Russian author Sergei Lukyanenko. The success of this trilogy has resulted in a fourth book in the series being released, called The Last Watch, and as such the series is now effectively a tetralogy. As mentioned above, all of the books were originally written in Russian, and obviously I am reviewing the English translated version of The Day Watch.

Interestingly enough, whilst two movies have been released in this series (Night Watch and Day Watch), both focused on the first book. So if you have seen both the films, you still don't know anything about the plot of The Day Watch novel. Confusing, but useful information for those wanting to delve into the books having seen the films, which in themselves are well worth seeing.

PLOT

The story in The Day Watch picks up where The Night Watch left off in terms of timescale, but the start is somewhat fresh and does not follow on seamlessly from the end of the previous book (indeed it couldn't really do so, as the first book didn't end on a cliffhanger or similar). As with the previous book The Day Watch is split up into three stories, each with its own prologue and chapters, rather than being one large seamless story. Each of these stories are connected and come together to form a main plotline, but at the same time each is a complete story in its own right.

There are, however, subtle but significant differences in how the plot is handled in this book. In The Night Watch the story was primarily told through the first person perspective of Anton, a Light Other, and the plot unravelled for the reader through Anton's own views and experiences. The Day Watch changes the formula slightly. The first of the three stories is told from the perspective of Alisa, a Dark Other who was the former lover of Zabulon, the head of the Day Watch and essentially the main 'villain' in the book. The second is told from the perspective of Vitaliy Ragoza, an Other who wakes up whilst in a park one night with no memory of who he is or what he is doing. He travels to Moscow by train on instinct as he attempts to uncover who or what he is. The third story is the most unusual in the entire series, as it is the only one that is told from a classic third person perspective.

The plot in The Day Watch is a natural progression from that of The Night Watch. Lukyanenko is acutely aware that the reader, having already read The Night Watch, is largely familiar with the world that the book is set in. There are a few reminders along the way, and the book would still be enjoyable for someone who hadn't read The Night Watch, but for the most part I would highly recommend reading the first book to fully appreciate this one. The story once again revolves around the attempts of both Watches to gain superiority over the other, and as would be expected from the first novel, the plot here is detailed, compelling, and very, very clever. Very little is as it seems, with the characters pulling the strings in this book constantly staying one or two steps in front of the reader, leading to twists that are both surprising and satisfying.

CHARACTERS

Of course, no second book in a trilogy could be taken seriously without new characters and concepts, and it is therefore not surprising that the reader will be introduced to a variety of new characters. Alisa was briefly mentioned in the first book, but very little was revealed about her. The first story gives an extremely detailed look at her emotions and background, and at the same time increases the reader's understanding of The Day Watch ethics and perspective as a whole. Vitaliy Ragoza is an entirely new character who wakes with no memories, but who soon turns out to be a powerful Other. His motivations and abilities are as much

a mystery to him as the reader, and as such his character development is intriguing all the way up to the conclusion of his story.

In addition a variety of smaller role characters from the Day Watch are introduced in a similar way to the characters introduced as part of the Night Watch in the original novel. Each of these characters seems to be developed less in this book than their equivalents in the Night Watch, but each plays their role in the plot sufficiently and the book doesn't suffer for their comparative lack of development.

The main new addition to this book however, and one that follows through significantly to the third book, is the Inquisition. This is an institution that exists in tandem with the two Watches and effectively watches over both sides to ensure that the Treaty as a whole is adhered to. Its purpose is clear, yet despite this it is built up with an aura of mystery and power. It is an excellent addition to the two sides already established in this fantasy world, and adds an extra layer of tension when the plans of the respective Watches also have to avoid incurring the wrath of the Inquisition.

MY OPINION

I must admit that I am always somewhat apprehensive when reading the second book in a trilogy, as historically it is the second book in a trilogy that is the weakest. And indeed this isn't without good reason. The author no doubt has the final plot in mind, and has to strike a balance between feeding the reader enough information to make a second book worthwhile, while at the same time ensuring that enough of the plot remains for a grandstand finish the final book. It has to be said that too many authors don't get this balance right, and produce second novels that are sufficient without ever being extraordinary.

The reason why I mention that trend is simply because Lukyanenko has somehow managed to buck it in quite spectacular fashion. The first story of the three in this book is a change of pace which, to be honest, left me wondering about its significance, and also left me worrying that the stereoptype of the second book in the trilogy being the weakest was going to come true. However, I am happy to report that such original fears were entirely unfounded in the end. I wrote in my review of the Night Watch about how Lukyanenko clearly knows how to write a good story. By the end of The Day Watch it was clear to me just how skilled Lukyanenko as both a writer and a story teller. The plot itself in this book not just has the components for an outstanding story, but it is also written and woven in such a way that has maximum impact on the reader. It shows genuinely extraordinary writing ability that is rare in any genre, let alone imagination filled fantasy novels.

I wrote in my review of the first novel about how rather than being black and white, the story unfolds in many shades of grey, and how a philosophical approach is taken to a lot of the issues. In The Day Watch the balance shifts slightly. Those philosophical questions are certainly still there, as one would expect from a novel that primarily tells the story from the point of view of the 'villains' rather than that of the 'heroes'. And once again they do not overwhelm the reader at any point, but simply add to the intrigue of the plot as a whole.

However, the overall story in this book is now much more of a clear cut strategic battle between two sides vying for superiority than it is a deeper questions of morality. As the story is no longer told from one of the primary characters on the Light side, the reader sees everything from a more neutral perspective and is able to view the plot unfolding in a much more traditional manner. This is especially true in the second and third stories, which are told from the perspective of someone who, by default, knows nothing, and from a third person perspective respectively.

As a result, I found the Day Watch to be a more accessible read in many ways compared to the Night Watch. The style of the book is more traditional, and whilst in a way I found this to be something of a shame, the book did become more a page turner as a result. The plot also doesn't suffer as a result of this change of style. On the contrary, it appears that Lukyanenko has allowed the reader to experience this novel from a largely neutral perspective precisely because the plot is so intricate and complex. I would have thought that reading this book from the perspective of one character would not have been as compelling as looking at both sides more evenly, which once again shows Lukyanenko's skill as a writer, this time judging the best perspective for the writer to see the action from.

The story itself is a lot more powerful and intense this time around. To give an example of what I mean by this, the original story often left me guessing and had me itching to know what was going to happen next. By contrast, in this book I found myself unable at times to stop reading, drawn into turning the page not only by the exceptional writing style, but also by the way that the plot relentlessly gathers pace at times, with the stake obviously higher than they have been at any point previously.

I criticised the first book for its relatively weak ending, but can level no such accusations at The Day Watch. The final encounter in the book feels every bit as epic as the fantastic plot deserves, and whilst ultimately it may feel a little more subdued than the traditional ending to fantasy novels, it ties everything together perfectly and concludes the novel in a way that is incredibly satisfying.

In fact, I am struggling to criticise The Day Watch at all. If I was being really picky I could point out that the first story of the book is relatively slow compared to any other part of the first or second books, but ultimately this is justified in the end by the twists in the final story. I may not have enjoyed this first story as much as others at the time, but by the end I was left in no doubt to its significance to the book as a whole, which somewhat makes the criticism moot.

CONCLUSION

Overall the Day Watch is an outstanding novel that builds expertly upon the well constructed world and characters that the reader was introduced to in the first book. The sense of progression, both in the plot and the writing style, is obvious, and is a testament to the skills of Lukyanenko as an author. When I put this book down I couldn't wait to move on to the third book in the series, The Twilight Watch (which luckily I could do so immediately, as I had bought it in advance).

If you have already read The Night Watch, then you probably didn't need this review to prompt you to go out and buy The Day Watch. If you have read neither, I would strongly recommend that you read The Night Watch first, even if you have seen the movies. But if you are on the fence about whether or not this trilogy cuts it in the fantasy world, you have no need to be in any further doubt. The Night Watch trilogy is a fine example of the genre that fully deserves to be spoken about the same tone as other classics. The fact that it wasn't translated into English sooner is something of a travesty, but now that it is here it is something that all fantasy fans should be reaching for without hesitation, and even something that those who don't normally read fantasy should consider. The Day Watch is an outstanding second novel in what truly is a stand out series.