Wednesday 19 August 2009

Twilight Watch - Book Review

I love books that make me think, and the Night Watch series never disappoints in this respect. The third of Sergei Lukyanenko's excellent urban fantasy is less multi-layered than his previous books, but is a great read nonetheless.

Meant to be read after Night Watch and Day Watch, Twilight Watch picks up Anton's story 3 years after it's discovered a Great One will be born. The story begins with Anton's wife and daughter on vacation while he's in Moscow, getting a new assignment. A human has discovered the truth of the Others and is demanding he be turned into one - something that is supposed to be impossible. Anton's job is to discover who this human is and the name of the blackmailed Other.

Like his other books, Lukyanenko has split the story of Twilight Watch into three parts. Each part seemingly separate, but ultimately essential to your understanding of the whole. Trying to figure out who the culprit of the various mysteries is before Anton (whose POV all three stories are seen from) is a lot of fun. And for once I was able to discover the ending first!

Mr. Lukyanenko again brings in philosophical questioning of what is light and dark, good and evil. Anton is brought to a fuller understanding in this book of what the Others truly are, and it's not something he's happy to have learned.

If you're interested in Russian culture, like philosophy in your books and want to try something different, this series is an excellent one.

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