Be Careful What You Wish For
In my latest reading binge, I’ve picked up Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko. It has a different spin on vampires and werewolves, witches and sorcerers. There are two types of people, normal human beings and the Others, people who have magical powers. The others are split into two different factions, those that follow the Light and those that follow the Darkness. While the basic idea that Light equals good and Darkness equals evil is sound, it’s not that simple. The most simplest way to say it is that those that follow the Light use their magic to help others, while those that follow the Darkness use their magic for themselves.
Both sides are, of course, at war with each other. But now there is a Treaty that’s keeping a peace. To enforce that peace, each side has set up “Watches” to keep an eye on the activites of the other faction. The Light side has the Night Watch while the Dark side has the Day Watch.
Interestingly enough, even normal humans can create a sort of magic called curses. While normally non-lethal, curses by humans can still wreak havoc. Especially a mother’s curse, which is said to be violently potent even if it doesn’t last long. And sometimes, someone who is originally human, but destined to be an Other, can create a particularly nasty curse.
The first book, Night Watch, tells the tale with the perspective of a Night Watch agent, Anton Gorodetsky, recently recruited for field operations from his comfy spot as a computer programmer. Initially a low level magician, his destiny sees him doing great things. Sad things, which involve and affects a woman whose destiny has yet to be fully realized.
Overall, I enjoyed the read a lot. While the formula is familiar, the political intrigues that govern how the Light and Darkness agents behave and operate tends to blur the lines between what is right and what is wrong.
