Day Watch

Watch, Book 2

By: Sergei Lukyanenko

Narrated by: Paul Michael

The second installment of the phenomenal Russian quartet The Night Watch vampire novels set in a richly realized post-Soviet Moscow. The second book in the internationally bestselling fantasy series, The Day Watch begins where The Night Watch left off, set in a modern-day Moscow where the 1,000-year-old treaty between Light and Dark maintains its uneasy balance through careful vigilance from the Others.

The forces of darkness keep an eye during the day, the Day Watch, while the agents of Light monitor the nighttime. Very senior Others called the Inquisitors are the impartial judges insisting on the essential compact. When a very potent artifact is stolen from them, the consequences are dire and drastic for all sides. The Day Watch introduces the perspective of the Dark Ones, told in part by a young witch who bolsters her evil power by leeching fear from children's nightmares as a counselor at a girls summer camp. When she falls in love with a handsome young Light One, the balance is threatened and a death must be avenged. The Day Watch is replete with the thrilling action and intricate plotting of the first tale, fuelled by cunning, cruelty, violence, and magic. It is a fast paced, darkly humorous, haunting world that will take root in the shadows of your mind and live there forever.

Listen to more titles in the Watch series.©2006 Sergei Lukyanenko (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

a little less good then the first book

while this book was a good continuation to the story of the others, it was not as good as the first book. maybe it was because I wasn't really paying attention, but I struggled to follow who was who and who was doing what during the story. overall, it wasn't a bad book. I do like the story of Anton and I'm looking to continue the story in the third book.

How many levels are there

One of the things that I like about this series is that it deals more with the small moves that are made and not about huge magical battles. This one does have magical battles but it is not driving the plot. Overall it is packed with "others" trying to out think each other. Each story is compelling.

So much better than the movies...

I didn't realize the number of subplots this story had....and how deep thing went. So much better than the movie...it kept me hanging on the edge of my chair.

amazing series

this series is amazing. I enjoyed the development of the characters and settings. can't wait to listen to book 3

Great story and the voice acting is amazing!

This is a masterpiece that involves magical and strategic wars between good and evil. The narrator did an amazing job, using his voice to reconstruct the world created by the author.

In Russia book reads you!

Sorry, I had to. I'm in love with this series thus far. I love the gothic like feel I get when I hear Moscow described in this undercover war between good and evil

A Great Continuation from Night Watch

Having finished Night Watch, I was eager to read Day Watch. At first, I was a bit disconnected from the book because it is not told from the point of view of the main character from Night Watch. That made it a bit more difficult for me to get excited about at first. As with Night Watch, Day Watch is broken into three stories. They are each separate stories, yet interconnected. The first story was where I had most of my difficulty with the narrative because it was told by a seemingly insignificant character from the first book. Nevertheless, it was a compelling tale and took the mythology of the watches to the next level. Of course, into the second story, the importance of the shift in narration becomes clear, and the second story grabbed--and held--my attention. It also introduces a "mirror," which is a different kind of "other" and plays an important role in the book series. By the final story of this book, we are formally introduced to the inquisition, which is a type of overseeing organization of both the Night Watch and of the Day Watch. It is in this third story where the two other stories are tied together--and it brings the entire book to a satisfying conclusion.

The dark side is not so bad...

This sequel to The Night Watch is structured into three stories just like Day Watch. Sergei Lukyanenko explores characters we have already met but the perspective changes from the introspection of Anton and the Night Watch characters to delving into those of the Night Watch. The whole concept of the Light and the Dark not being bad but different life choices is explored futher and Lukyanenko writing the Day Watch shows no partiality. In fact a large point is made about both being necessary. This is a good sequel. I will say it took a moment for it to build in its intensity so that I couldn't put it down, and more frustrating, because since it is three stories it took 3 separate moments to build intensity. That being said. I truelly enjoyed it.

The book follows Elisa, Vitaly, and Edgar of the Day Watch. The stories take loyal Day Watch members that are in the higher ranks from being pawns who follow orders and force them into positions they must grow and see the more complex picture of the war between the Light and the Dark. It causes them to question their commitment similar to Anton questioning his commitment to the Light in Night Watch. The dark are not corrupt lechers, well...for the most part. Being a member of the Dark Others is more a choice towards individualization. They do not want to be told what to do, how to think, or how to live. It's a different perspective of Dark.

If you enjoyed Night Watch I think you will enjoy Day Watch. It is a good sequel as I mentioned above. Paul Michael did a wonderful job with the narration. His accents are good and he differentiates his characters well so you do not question who is speaking. My only reason I did not give the narration a five is there are a few moments the audio seems to skip or pause. It does not seem to lose anything but causes brief confusion for the listener. I would still say I believe this book is enhanced by the narration.

A great sequel

The first book's themes are dismantled in an epic fashion as the Dark Ones explain their reasoning. A great read once you get last the weird sex part in the beginning.

Cerebral story. Makes you think.

Any additional comments?

This story is the second in a 4 book series. Like Night Watch, this book is about a governing organization responsible for keeping order among the Dark Ones, creatures of the Dark. However, darkness versus light is not exactly the same as evil versus good.

The Night Watch was a story about the group of magicians who maintain the balance of good and evil by guarding the Light from the Dark. The Day Watch is told in part from the perspective of members of the Dark Ones. When a light one and a dark one end up in a confrontation with unfortunate results, it's up to the Night and Day Watches to attend a tribunal where their actions will be judged. Honestly, some of the storyline is silly and to some may be heretical. But it allows him to explore some interesting topics even if he is a little preachy at times.

If you ask one of the Light, overseen by the Night Watch, they would say that the Dark Ones are evil. But we learn in the Day Watch that it's not so simple as that. The Dark Ones believe that an individual has the right to take what they want. If they take it from someone, that person can take it back. Free will is the mantra of the Dark ones.

It's impossible to miss the parallels to Communism and Democracy. I really enjoyed this story as much as I ended up loving The Night Watch, but Lukyanenko is not interested in telling this story in a traditional way. These are a compendium of short stories allowing the exploration of light versus dark and he isn't afraid to kill off key characters. He doesn't play fair when telling a story because real life doesn't have a predictable arc or wrap up nicely at the end.