Night Watch - Sergei Lukyanenko

[stormbringer_951]

Anyone read these? It's a series of bestselling 4 Russian books (Night Watch, Day Watch, Twilight Watch, Final Watch) detailing the adventures of Anton Gorodetsky. He's an Other (a supernatural being, comprised of Light Magicians, Dark Magicians, Shapeshifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Witches ... you get the picture) serving in the Night Watch, which polices the Dark Ones (the designated bad guys) while the Dark Ones run a Day Watch which keeps an eye on the Light Ones. The books are complex, with several Xanatos Gambits on each side.

Anyone read these?

[clockworkmonk]

Yes, actually. Its one of my favorite series. I think what I enjoy is the subtle distinction between the two sides, and how the books slowly, over the series, removes the distinction, particularly in their perceptions of good and evil. I really just see the pretty awesome urban fantasy setting as a backdrop for the more ethical issues the book. That and I really enjoy the progression of Anton throughout the series.

[Jorpho]

Oh yes, fine stuff indeed. I still need to read the last one. (Wikipedia says there are assorted short stories, too.)

[mypsychoticself]

I WANT TO READ THESE! Here is my problem: I could easily get these books in English, but I'm currently learning Russian. On the one hand, I'm not sure that my comprehension of Russian (especially colloquialisms) is quite good enough to read the books in Russian; on the other hand, I don't know that I want to read the books in English before I'm able to read the books in Russian.

Has anyone read the books in both languages? What do you think? How good is the English translation?

[HuggableHamster]

Ooh I didn't realise there was a 4th book. I really enjoyed reading this, as clockwork said I love the blurring of the lines, particularly at the start of the second book.

[harpyblues]

Read these! They're great books, though they can get depressing pretty fast, especially if you're reading them one after another. It's probably the Moscow setting, or something. The movies were awful from what I heard though.

[Jesse]

The books are great in English, so you don't have to worry. And yeah, the Russian take on urban fantasy is amazing, with both sides kind of locked in a state of cold war.

[Jorpho]

I saw the first movie before I read the first book - not that it really spoils much in particular. But I found the book doesn't give half the impression of poverty, decay, and despair (perhaps those words are too strong?) conveyed by the movie. Perhaps the author originally assumed the reader would be familiar with the status of Moscow?

[Jorpho]

I'm reading that last book now. It's great - a bit too fluffy, perhaps, but full of action. Truly, a breath of fresh air after that other gigantic pile of crap. Reminds me a lot of Zelazny's Lord of Light and Chronicles of Amber, actually.

Sometimes I wish I knew more about all these obscure Russian references (among others) - it took me quite a while to figure out the reference to Gilles de Rais. Can anyone tell me what exactly a "chicken god"/"holey stone" is, and how it is formed? (One was also featured prominently in Coraline, actually.)

[Of Negligible Mass]

Did no one else find the books a little disappointing? I'd heard good things from several people about them, but I couldn't really love them in the end.

I don't think they translated very well to be honest. "The Chalk of Destiny"? Come on...

[Jorpho]

As MacGuffins go, I thought that was a pretty cool name, actually.

I've finished the fourth book and would have to say it's the best of the series, by a wide margin. I hope those short stories become available somehow.

I'm also wondering about these Uzbekistan "bread cakes" now.

[LavaLampMaster]

I started Night Watch the other night on my cousin's husband's advice, and I must say it hooked me. Like stated above, the premise is great, and the setting fits it perfectly. Also, I *used* to be fluent in Russian, and I can see a lot of places where it's clear the translator stumbled, finding them is fun in and of itself.

mypsychoticself: Get both languages, read the English version first, then the Russian. I did that with A Hundred Years of Solitude (after first having tried to do it first in Spanish). Although it would be a great exercise to really get into a book in a second language, it's also very difficult especially when the author uses a lot of figurative language. Start with short stories and poetry, really understanding them, before novels.

[Otis]

I actually had to read this book for my sci fi and futurism class. My professor is fluent in Russian and goes back to the mother land once a year. He was able to pick apart some of the translation but I think he was just doing it to show off.

Also, as far as the "Chalk of Destiny" goes, it's pretty much Lukyanenko poking fun at other fantasy novels. My professor, who studies Russian literature and is a huge fan of the Night Watch series, said that Lukyanenko doesn't take his writing too seriously.

[Jar'O'Jam]

I've read them all except the last book and I've really loved them. For the guy that complained about "the chalk of destiny", I'm afraid it's the original name

[Phoenix112358]

My local library only has access to the first three translated versions. I've read the three and was absolutely hooked for all of them. Couldn't put it down for more than 12 hours. It was a fantastic read!

[Jorpho]

Really, the second one did have some painfully slow bits.

[Jorpho]

I struck up a conversation with a cashier today who happened to have a copy of Day Watch next to her, and she suggested that Twilight Watch and Final Watch weren't actually by Sergei (despite what the covers say, evidently). No truth to that, is there?

[Jar'O'Jam]

I struck up a conversation with a cashier today who happened to have a copy of Day Watch next to her, and she suggested that Twilight Watch and Final Watch weren't actually by Sergei (despite what the covers say, evidently). No truth to that, is there?

Yeah, I think that's some wild speculation or conspiracy theory.

[Jesse]

I struck up a conversation with a cashier today who happened to have a copy of Day Watch next to her, and she suggested that Twilight Watch and Final Watch weren't actually by Sergei (despite what the covers say, evidently). No truth to that, is there?

I can honestly say that it doesn't matter to me, because they were really good.

[Zohar]

I ordered the next two (only read Night Watch so far) but the bookstore hasn't called me.

[joek]

I struck up a conversation with a cashier today who happened to have a copy of Day Watch next to her, and she suggested that Twilight Watch and Final Watch weren't actually by Sergei (despite what the covers say, evidently). No truth to that, is there?

Yeah, I think that's some wild speculation or conspiracy theory.

They certainly read in the same style, at least in the English translations.

[Jorpho]

To be sure, Vladimir Vasilyev did write part of Day Watch (and indeed, you would never know it from looking at the covers of most editions).

[Skywatch]

Necro'ing this thread because I'm about to start reading the quartet again(for like the 4th time) while at the in-laws for the holidays. Wondering if anybody knows of anything similar that I could dive into. I saw a mention of Zelazny, so I might check that out.

I have a difficult time comparing the Night Watch series to anything else out there aside from if J. Letham had written Harry Potter.

[Jorpho]

Whoops, missed that bump.

As far as "urban fantasy" goes, Diane Duane's Wizardry books are kind of in the same ballpark. She takes a rather singular approach to the genre, and the primary series is targeted towards younger readers, but there's definitely some areas of overlap.