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Fantasy, 4 Treasure Boxes, Goodreads

Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

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This entry is part [part not set] of 12 in the series The Wheel of Time

Book Review: 4 Treasure Boxes
Book One of the Wheel of Time Series
Publisher: Tor Fantasy; 1 edition (November 15, 1990), Paperback: 832 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 0812511816, ISBN-13: 978-0812511819

 


Are you in for an exciting and wild ride reading about magic in the form of the one power, evil creatures and the fight of the Creator (good) against The Dark One (evil) plus plenty of human interactions?  The Eye of the World is the start of an astounding series which centres on the Dragon Reborn as he approaches the last battle against The Dark One. It starts with the introduction of Lews Therin Telamon, the original Dragon (The name of the leader in the first battle with Shai’tan (The Dark One) over 3 and half thousand years ago.) He won the battle, but at a great cost. Now there is great need for the Dragon and many are searching for a young man who is the Dragon (Lews Therin Telamon) Reborn.

This book does a good job of setting up the premise of the world and acquainting us with all the various players. The main protagonists are innocent young people living in the Two Rivers, a small village in the county. Mat is mischievous and likes to have fun, Rand is sensible and stubborn, Perrin in quiet but intelligent and very strong.  Some of the antagonists are the Forsaken, those Aei Sedai (people who can wield the one power) who were around during the first battle and not only assisted the Dark One, but also became his servants and thus gained immortality and power.

The Eye of the World is the first of fourteen books plus a prequel in The Wheel of Time Series. James Oliver Rigney, Jr., (Pen name Robert Jordon) is the sole author of the prequel through to book eleven.  Unfortunately he passed away in 2007 before completing the series but he did leave copious notes. Brandon Sanderson, an accomplished author, agreed to complete The Wheel of Time (WoT) using these notes, outlines, completed scenes and dictated explanations. This book falls under the epic fantasy genre since it has magic in the form of the one power, which is only available to a very limited number of people, primarily known as Aei Sedai.  There are no elves, dwarfs, goblins, but there are evil people, Trollocs (similar to Orcs,)  Myrddraal (similar to Nazgûl,) and the Dark One (the antithesis of the Creator, Similar to the Dark Lord in Lord of the Rings.) The story is told in a third person narrative from many different characters, although most frequently from the Two River’s gang. Most of the books also have a prologue and some have an epilogue.

The book hooks our interest from the first page, first we get to know our Two Rivers boys and then the village is attacked by Tollocs and Myrddraal. Soon the boys realize their village was targeted by the Dark One who is looking for them. In order to save any further damage to their families or town they leave with an Aes Sedai, her warder and a gleeman. Egwene, a girl from the village and Nynaeve, the young, pretty and stern Wisdom insist on joining the group.

The adventure begins with plenty of non-stop action and suspense. I like the way the characters refer to their friends, the commentary of each other’s strengths and weaknesses is endearing. The book is thrilling and hard to put down.  Each member of the Two Rivers gang grows in many ways including developing new abilities. This book built up with a wonderful and complex story and then came to an exciting conclusion, yet it left room for the story to continue, which it does in The Hunt for the Horn.  I am looking forward to reading the continued adventures of all the various players.

This book is a must read, I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a complex and intense epic fantasy. Once you read the first book you will be quickly going onto all the other books as it is a fascinating tale. To read the whole series is a big time commitment but well worth the effort.

***Spoiler alert*** The rest of my blog goes into details about the book, so if you haven’t read the book, do not read any more!

The gang leaves the Two Rivers with The Dark One’s minions chasing them. They have many exciting escapes as they are forced to flee from capture. Eventually they go to an abandoned town which is haunted by evil to escape the Trollocs and Myrddrall. Once there Mat, being the mischievous one, gets the three boys into trouble which they barely escape.  Soon they are followed and in order to avoid a confrontation they split up. The plan was to meet later by the river, but unfortunately they all get separated into smaller groups. Mat, Rand and Thom (The gleeman) find each other and are able to escape until a Myrddraal discovers them. Thom appears to risk his life to save the boys who manage to evade the evil. Once on their own Mat starts to act strange (due to events that occurred in the evil town,) and the boys continually escape dark friends who are trying to kill them.

Perrin and Egwene end up traveling together and they meet up with a man who can commune with wolves. It turns out Perrin also has this ability. As Perrin travels with this man and his wolf pack, Perrin’s ability becomes much stronger and he physically changes, his eyes become yellow wolf eyes and his sight and smell are greatly improved.  Eventually they fall in with the tinkers (People who do not believe in doing any violence for any reason.)  Once they separate from the Tinkers they are captured by the Children of the Light.  These are fanatics that claim they are working for the light, by searching out and destroying dark friends, but their methods are evil and they believe Perrin is a dark friend due to his affiliation with the wolves.

The Aes Sedai (Moiraine), her warder (Lan) and the Wisdom (Nynaeve), find each other and travel together.  Moiraine is able to track down Perrin and help him and Egwene escape the Children of the Light.  Eventually, they are able to locate Rand and Mat, but in the meanwhile Rand has befriended an Oglier (a gentle but large creature who lives in a Stedding, a place where there is no access to the one power,) named Loial.  Once they are all reunited they discover that a great horde of Trollocs are outside the city and they know they must leave to keep the place safe from an attack.  At the same time they come to realize that the Eye of the World is at risk, so they decide to find and protect it.  However, the only way to get there is through the ways, which are now corrupted.

The ways were created after the breaking of the world and they were created by the corrupted male side of the One Power. Consequently, they are now corrupted and you risk not only your life, but your sanity to travel them.  However due to great need, the gang decides to travel the ways, and they barely escape with their lives.  In the process they discover that the Trollocs are also using them to travel and that is how they are able to gather so many every time they turn around.

In order to reach the eye of the world, which is protected by the green man, they need to travel through the blight, which is land that has become spoiled and diseased because it is near the Dark One’s prison.  It is also full of all kinds of creepy and dangerous monsters.  They are chased through the blight and do not think they are going to make it, but at the last minute they find the green man.  This is a creature with a connection to nature and it is a haven of beautiful green space in the middle of the blight, and nothing in the blight can touch it.  We find out that the eye of the world was created by several Aes Sedais, after the breaking of the world, and it is pure untainted Saidin (the male half of the one power,) created for great use in the future.

After they find the eye of the world, two of the forsaken, Aginor and Balthamel, come upon them and try to take the eye of the world for themselves.  The green man kills Balthamel, but it causes the death of the green man in the process.  Rand, is able to channel the Saidin in the eye of the world, and in the process kills Aginor. This power also allows him to assist in a battle taking place many miles away by killing all the Trollocs and Myrddraal, and he faces the Dark One in the first battle between them.  Rand is able to strike a great blow against the dark one.

Where the eye of the world stood is a chest containing the banner of the Dragon as well as the Horn of Valere, a horn of legend that can call the dead back to fight in an army.  This book came to an exciting conclusion, yet it left room for the story to continue, which it does in The Hunt for the Horn.  I am looking forward to reading more adventures of our Two Rivers folk.

To Purchase: “The Eye of the World” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Fantasy, 1 Treasure Box, Goodreads

Sister of the Dead by Barb & J.C. Hendee

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This entry is part [part not set] of 4 in the series Saga of the Noble Dead

Book Review: 1 Treasure Boxes
Saga of the Noble Dead, Series 1, Book 3 (S1, B3)
Publisher: Roc; 1st ed edition (January 4, 2005), Paperback: 416 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 045146009X, ISBN-13: 978-0451460097


Margiere, a dhampir; Leesil, a half-elf; Wynn, a young scholar and Chap, a fay-creature in the form of an intelligent dog continue their adventures, this time tracking down Margiere’s past. And a very interesting past it is, the story reveals how Margiere came to be and hints at why she was created.

Barb and J. C. Hendee have written two series in the Saga of the Noble Dead.  Sister of the Dead  is the third book in the first series.  There are six books in Series One. Series Two has Wynn, the scholar from series one; Chane, an undead vampire; and Chap’s offspring as the protagonist.  Currently there are 3 books in series two. There is also a third series expected at some point in the future. The series falls into the high-fantasy genre.  The story takes place in a simpler time where there are no modern conveniences and if you want to get somewhere you either walk, ride a horse or take a boat.  The story is told in the third person narrative primarily from Magiere’s perspective.  But at times it is also  from some of the other characters, including the vampires.

After reading just the first few pages, I thought the book was good.While I was reading the beginning, I enjoyed it, the only problem was finding the time to read, probably because I found it a bit slow in the middle.  The story did have a few conclusions, but it didn’t really resolve anything although it did reveal more about Margiere’s purpose and her relationship to Welstiel.  Their adventure will continue in the next book, which will take them to the source of the evil. Hopefully, it will be more like the second book.

I gave this book 1 treasure box. And I am not rushing out to read the next book, I am not sure if I ever will.

to purchase: “Sister of the Dead” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Fantasy, 2 Treasure Boxes, Goodreads

Thief of Lives by Barb & J.C. Hendee

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This entry is part [part not set] of 4 in the series Saga of the Noble Dead

2 Treasure Boxes Saga of the Noble Dead, Series 1, Book 2 (S1B2) Publisher: Roc; First Edition edition (January 6, 2004), Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 0451459539, ISBN-13: 978-0451459534

Magiere, Leesil and Chap continue their adventures. One of the vampires from book one escaped and is now causing trouble in another town, Magiere has been called in to save the town.  In the process she meets a new character in the book, a young scholar named Wynn. Welstiel re-appears and we learn more about him and his plans.We learn more about the Elves plus alot more about Leesils’s history which was interesting. Barb and J. C. Hendee have written two series in the Saga of the Noble Dead.  Thief of Lives  is the second book in the first series.  There are six books in Series One. Series Two has Wynn, the scholar from series one; Chane, an undead vampire; and Chap’s offspring as the protagonist.  Currently there are 3 books in series two. There is also a third series expected at some point in the future. The series falls into the high-fantasy genre.  The story takes place in a simpler time where there are no modern conveniences and if you want to get somewhere you either walk, ride a horse or take a boat.  The story is told in the third person narrative primarily from Magiere’s perspective.  But at times it is also  from some of the other characters, including the vampires. I really enjoyed this book, much more than book one.  I decided to read this book because sometimes it takes a while to build up a storyline, also I had nothing else to read so I thought I would give it a chance.There was good character development in this book for everyone. Welstiel and his machinachinations are interesting and grap your attention. The book was good in that it was a complete story yet it also alluded to a bigger mystery.  It kept you wanting more, which was why I went out and bought the third book.  If you want to read about a new high-fantasy concept with Dhampirs and Elves then you might want to give this series a try. To Purchase: “Thief of Lives” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

1 Treasure Box, Goodreads, Book Review, Fantasy

Dhampir by Barb & J.C. Hendee

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This entry is part [part not set] of 4 in the series Saga of the Noble Dead

Book Review: 1 Treasure Boxes
Saga of the Noble Dead, Series 1, Book 1 (S1B1)
Publisher: Roc (January 7, 2003), Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 0451459067, ISBN-13: 978-0451459060

I like the premise of the series because it is different from your run of the mill vampire stories.   The Noble Dead series are fantasy books with vampires, vampire hunters and elves. It is original. The series revolves around Magiere, who had a human mother and a vampire father. This makes her special, she can go out in the day, yet she also has special powers which make her the perfect vampire hunter. Her traveling companion is Leesil a half elf who has his own secrets. To round out the group there is a very special, long-lived dog named Chap.  In the beginning of the book Magiere and team are scamming villagers into believing they are vampire slayers, by the end of the book, they become what they have been pretending to be.

Barb and J. C. Hendee have written two series in the Saga of the Noble Dead.  Dhampir  is the first book in the first series.  There are six books in Series One. Series Two has Wynn, the scholar from series one; Chane, an undead vampire; and Chap’s offspring as the protagonist.  Currently there are 3 books in series two. There is also a third series expected at some point in the future. The series falls into the high-fantasy genre.  The story takes place in a simpler time where there are no modern conveniences and if you want to get somewhere you either walk, ride a horse or take a boat.  The story is told in the third person narrative primarily from Magiere’s perspective.  But at times it is also  from some of the other characters, including the vampires.

I liked Dhampir because although it was predictable, there were enough new surprises to keep it interesting.  I also really liked the characters. I did not find it to be very captivating, yet it was interesting enough to hold my attention. There are a couple of rousing battle scenes between Magiere, Leesil and chap against a trio of vampires.  I liked how the vampires are painted as individuals with good and bad qualities (while most of them,) at times you feel sorry for them.

I enjoyed the book enough to be intrigued to see where the series was going so I read the next book in the series: Thief of Lives. If you want to read about a new high-fantasy concept with Dhampirs and Elves then you might want to give this series a try.

Goodreads, Fantasy, 3 Treasure Boxes, In Library

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

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This entry is part [part not set] of 3 in the series Mistborn Series

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
Book Two of Mistborn
Publisher: Tor Fantasy (June 3, 2008), 816 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 0765356139, ISBN-13: 978-0765356130

 


The Lord Ruler is overthrown and the world is in turmoil.  The main characters who worked together to create this new environment are now endeavouring to solve the world’s problems. However, there are armies working against them and the falling ash is getting worse not better.  Also, the mist is starting to make people sick and die. Plus Vin feels compelled to find the Well of Ascension, before it is too late, as this is where the power is hidden.

Mistborn: The Well of Ascension is the second book in the Mistborn series. Currently there are three books with the fourth to be released November 2011. This is a high fantasy book that takes place on the world of Scadrial. A land that is plagued by constant ash falls and overwhelming mists which prevent the growth of vegetation. The story is told in the third person narrative from the various different characters point of view.

This story is even more exciting than the first book with the continuation of an exciting and unusual tale. We get a realistic look at what would happen if the whole social structure of the world changed. Elend Venture (Vin’s husband) becomes an uncertain King and it is interesting to watch his growth. The story is well written and well thought out as it explores the development of the world and the characters within it as they go through such a radical change. The other form of magic known as Feruchemy is explored in much greater depth in this novel. This is where certain people can store various mental or physical attributes within their bodies from the different metals that they wear. The ending was suspenseful, quite surprising and revealed more about the history of the land.

The book can stand on its own since it comes to a good conclusion. Yet it still leaves us wondering what will happen in the final book of the series. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a good story that explores political turmoil within the high fantasy genre.

To Purchase: “The Well of Ascension” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

2 Treasure Boxes, In Library, Goodreads, Fantasy

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

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This entry is part [part not set] of 3 in the series Mistborn Series

Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
Book Three of Mistborn
Publisher: Tor Fantasy; First Edition edition (April 28, 2009), 784 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 9780765356147, ISBN-13: 978-0765356147

Vin finds and releases the power from the well of ascension into the world with some interesting consequences.  The final search for the The Hero of Ages unfolds with some unique and surprising results.

The Hero of Ages is the second book in the Mistborn trilogy. A sequel, The Alloy of Law was subsequently released and takes place 300 years after the conclusion of the trilogy. This is a high fantasy book that takes place on the world of Scadrial. A land that is plagued by constant ash falls and overwhelming mists which prevent the growth of vegetation. The book is told in the third person narrative from the various different characters.

In this world that is covered in ash, with the mysterious mist that appears to be harming people, more back story is revealed to explain this and the true purpose of the mist is revealed. Vin and company spend the majority of the book uncovering the puzzling clues left by the Lord Ruler. There is an unexpected and interesting twist to the story we have been following concerning the Hero of Ages, I will not say anymore here so as not to give out any spoilers!! We learn more about the Evil God Ruin as well as the Good God of Preservation with their fight for the balance of power between them.

The ending to this story is a bit sad and certainly unique and definitely not what we were expecting, but certainly satisfying in its own way. I am anxious to see where this series is going and I am looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy.   I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading high fantasy revolving around the struggle between good and evil utilizing interesting characters.

To Purchase: “The Hero of Ages” click here or on picture above

Fantasy, 3 Treasure Boxes, Goodreads

Mistborn:The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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This entry is part [part not set] of 3 in the series Mistborn Series

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
Book One of Mistborn
Publisher: Tor Fantasy (July 31, 2007), 672 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 9780765350381, ISBN-13: 978-0765350381

 


Mistborn: The Final Empire is an unusual premise for a fantasy novel. The magic system is unique and comes from the consumption of alloys which gives the user various abilities depending on the alloy. The social structure is also unusual. The majority of the world is comprised of slaves who are known as Skaa. They have no rights and the nobility has ensured that none have Allomanic abilities. The balance of the world is the Nobility of which some have Allomanic abilities and they are referred to as mistborn. Ultimately the series plotline concerns a battle of good versus evil.

I really enjoyed this book and I liked all the characters. We meet Vin, the main protagonist, and watch her grow from an insecure thief to a very successful mistborn.  Kelsier and his crew are also introduced and the story unfolds with the joining of these people. Together they are planning a big job (theft) from the Lord Ruler. In the process, as part of the job, Vin plays the part of nobility, even though she is a Skaa. I really enjoyed watching Vin’s transformation to a lady.

Mistborn: The Final Empire is the first book in the Mistborn series. Currently there are three books with the fourth book to be released November 2011. This is a high fantasy book that takes place on the world of Scadrial. A land that is plagued by constant ash falls and overwhelming mists which prevent the growth of vegetation. The book is told in the third person narrative from the various different characters.

The book is interesting with the main plot line surrounding the plan to steal from the Lord Ruler. But it also introduces all the characters showing good development and growth for most of the players. The story is told in an exciting manner, exploring an interesting social structure and a new twist on an unusual magic system. I found the ending to be extremely exciting as well as interesting.

The book can stand on its own since it comes to a good conclusion. Yet it still left plenty of room for the story to continue in the next book, which I quickly picked up and read.  I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading high fantasy revolving around the struggle between good and evil utilizing interesting characters.

To Purchase: “Mistborn : Final Empire” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

Contemporary Fantasy, Goodreads, 2 Treasure Boxes

The Day Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

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This entry is part [part not set] of 5 in the series The Night Watch

Book Review: 3 Treasure Boxes
Second Book in the Night Watch Series
Publisher: Miramax; 1st edition (March 21, 2007), Paperback: 453 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 1401360203, ISBN-13: 978-1401360207


This is a highly entertaining modern fantasy novel that is written in an unique manner. The main protagonist is Anton Gorodetsky, a light magician, who is a member of the Night Watch and as such it is his job to solve problems that occur in the supernatural community, although he does not really appear in the first story. This book looks deeply at the relationship between the Night Watch and the Day Watch and shows what happens when there is not a balance in the level of power between the two groups.

This is the second book written in the Night Watch Series or Watch Series. Sergei Lukyanenko has written numerous short stories, book series and novels. All his books were originally written in Russian and several including this series have been translated to English as well as several other languages. This book is in the contemporary fantasy genre since it takes place in modern times but still involves supernatural beings known as Others. These “Others” include Witches, Magicians, Enchantress/Sorceress, Vampires, Werewolves, etc. The book is told in three different stories each one seemingly stand alone, yet tied to each other and in combination completing a larger story. These stories are told using the third person narrative, mostly from Anton’s point of view but also from the view of other characters in the book.

The first story is concerning a dark witch and a light mage who have both lost their powers, they meet at a children’s camp where they are both recuperating and while neither has any powers they fall in love, with some interesting consequences. The next story introduces a mysterious new character who seems to be growing in power in an unusual manner. Anton is also involved with the individual and the Day Watch’s top boss is trying to manipulate Anton, through all of this there are some interesting scenes and discoveries. The final story is an investigation by the inquistors (the Day Watch and the Night Watch police*) into the first two stories and ultimately shows the relationship between them  and shows some interesting conclusions.

This is the best book in the series. An enjoyable book with the introduction of a number of new interesting concepts.This story again shows the power struggle between both the Night Watch and the Day Watch with both sides trying to manipulate people and events to swing power their way as much as possible.  It also shows that the Others are trying to ensure that the power between both sides stays about equal to ensure that balance is maintained in the world.

The world that Mr. Lukyanenko has created is intriguing and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.  This is a stand alone book that comes to a satisfying, if somewhat sad conclusion. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary fantasy with a likeable male protagonist.  The best things about this series are the uniqueness of the story concept, plot structure and the characters.

*See my blog on the Night Watch series

 

To Purchase: “Day Watch” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

2 Treasure Boxes, Contemporary Fantasy, Goodreads

The Twilight Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

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This entry is part [part not set] of 5 in the series The Night Watch

Book Review: 2 Treasure Box
The Third Book in the Night Watch Series
Publisher: Miramax (June 13, 2007), Paperback: 416 pages, Language: English, ISBN-10: 1401360211, ISBN-13: 978-1401360214


This is a highly entertaining modern fantasy novel that is written in an unique manner. The main protagonist is Anton Gorodetsky, a light magician, who is a member of the Night Watch and as such it is his job to solve problems that occur in the supernatural community. This book deal primarily with the concept of a book which will turn all humans into others, it looks at what would happen if this happens and the story is Anton’s search for this book.

This is the third book written in the Night Watch Series or Watch Series. Sergei Lukyanenko has written numerous short stories, book series and novels. All his books were originally written in Russian and several including this series have been translated to English as well as several other languages. This book is in the contemporary fantasy genre since it takes place in modern times but still involves supernatural beings known as Others. These “Others” include Witches, Magicians, Enchantress/Sorceress, Vampires, Werewolves, etc. The book is told in three different stories each one seemingly stand alone, yet tied to each other and in combination completing a larger story. These stories are told using the third person narrative, mostly from Anton’s point of view but also from the view of other characters in the book

The first story is where Anton is sent in disguise to solve a mystery around an Other who can supposedly make humans into Others.  This is a huge problem because if used it would cause a disasterous shift in the balance between light and dark. In the second story Anton is on vacation, but while there he discovers something amiss, which he decides to investigate.  When he is looking into this he meets an un-registered witch and then finds more clues pointing to the ability to change humans into others. Both stories once again show the manipulations of both Watches to try to swing the balance. The third story once again brings up the ability to turn humans into others with Anton as the catalyst of solving the problem.  Which he does solve, but in a very interesting and thought provoking manner.

This book reveals some interesting facts about the Day Watch and the Night Watch, it takes a good hard look at good and evil as well as intent. This story also explains that Others are actually people that have no magic in them, but can siphon magic from humans who all have varying degrees of magic but to such a small degree that they can not really do much with it. Therefore an Other who has zero magic in them has the ability to be an extremely strong mage because they can siphon unlimited amounts from the humans around them. The book also brings up the issues surrounding the light and the dark, previously the light was shown as good, even though it was just as manipulative as the dark, but the light’s methods were always without malice. But now it is realized that the light is really no different that the dark, with the power coming from siphoning off of humans, how is that any different than a vampire sucking blood? Anton is now at a crossroads, feeling disillusioned with his work in the Night Watch, but once he talks with his boss he is at peace. He sees where the members of the Inquisition come from, they are either Light or Dark Watch members who no longer differentiate between the two, but who see the need for balance.

There were a couple very interesting developments in this book, it was a good read and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. This is a stand alone book that comes to a satisfying, if somewhat sad conclusion. The book also brings forth many interesting philosophical questions.  I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary fantasy with a likeable male protagonist.  The best things about this series are the uniqueness of the story concept, plot structure and the characters.

To Purchase: “The Twilight Watch” from Amazon, click here or on picture above

2 Treasure Boxes, Contemporary Fantasy, Goodreads

The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

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This entry is part [part not set] of 5 in the series The Night Watch

Book Review: 2 Treasure Boxes
First Book in the Night Watch Series
Publisher: Miramax; Tra edition (July 26, 2006), Language: English, Paperback: 464 pages, ISBN-10: 1401359795, ISBN-13: 978-1401359799


This is a highly entertaining modern fantasy novel that is written in an unique manner.    This book introduces Anton and shows his induction into the Night Watch.  It also explains the world he lives as well as the premise of the Others and the Twilight.  The main protagonist is Anton Gorodetsky, a light magician, who is a member of the Night Watch and as such it is his job to solve problems that occur in the supernatural community.

This is the first book written in the Night Watch Series or Watch Series.  Sergei Lukyanenko has written numerous short stories, book series and novels. All his books were originally written in Russian and several including this series have been translated to English as well as several other languages. This book is in the contemporary fantasy genre since it takes place in modern times but still involves supernatural beings known as Others.  These “Others” include Witches, Magicians, Enchantress/Sorceress, Vampires, Werewolves, etc.   The book is told in three different stories each one seemingly stand alone, yet tied to each other and in combination completing a larger story.  These stories are told using the third person narrative, mostly from Anton’s point of view but also from the view of other characters in the book.

The Night Watch centers around the Others who are on the side of the light (good) and whose supposedly main purpose is the keep watch over the Others who are on the side of the dark (evil.) But in actuality in this book the head of the Night Watch is doing everything in his power to swing the balance more towards the light.

The first story in the book introduces our protagonist Anton Gorodetsky, who is a mage working for the Night Watch.* While he is out on a mission tracking down vampires he meets a seemingly human with a curse on her head. The second story has lots going on and is very interesting, it ends showing that both the Day Watch and the Night Watch manipulate people and events as much as possible to change the power to their side. The third story centers around the same individuals and seems to be unrelated to the first two, but it actually pulls together all the events from all three stories in a very interesting and unusual manner.

It was a good read and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.  This is a stand alone book that comes to a satisfying conclusion where Mr. Lukyanenko skillfully pulls all the threads of each story together into a well weaved story. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading contemporary fantasy with a likeable male protagonist.  The best things about this series are the uniqueness of the story concept, plot structure and the characters.

*See my blog on the The Night Series which explains more about the people and world this book takes place in.
To Purchase: “The Night Watch” from Amazon, click here or on picture above