Night Watch

Gorgeous. No other word would describe Sergei Lukyanenko's first novel in his "Night Watch" Series. This novel was a surprise to me, because it is not actually a novel, but is instead three interlocking short stories about the same cast of characters. I just loved the book. Mr. Lukyanenko's writing style is rich and lush, but does not get bogged down in "wordiness" to the detriment of moving the plot along.

The overarching theme of this novel is the nature of Good and Evil. The main character in all three stories is Anton. A member of the "Night Watch" for five years he is struggling with the nature of his job and the Night Watch in general. He is a creature of "The Light" but throughout the novel, Anton struggles with what he sees as the damage the decisions made by his supervisors in the Nigh Watch in the name of "The Light"

"We don't know how to wish anyone harm. It's just that sometimes our Good is no different from Evil."

My God, what a beautiful, poignant, and heartbreaking line. And this novel is full of them. I will say that I'm not sure that I as the reader or Anton get the answers we are looking for, but as his supervisor tells him at the end of the novel;

"Well Anton, you can't always be a winner. I haven't been, and you won't be either."

I must say I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series!